Hotel Lobbies

Although this Hotel Design was written in 1998, there are some themes and principles that still ring true for hotel design. Seeing hotels as a showcase or social scene is one thing that has not fundamentally changed. Based on the culture of days past, lobbies of historic hotels were grand and featured staircases in which people were intending so see and be seen. A sort of catwalk. This analysis reminds me of what I learned in a History of Design class when we talked about the lobby of the Paris Opera House. The lobby featured two grand staircases and was a social showcase more than anything else. This sentiment was lost as box hotels took over. Hotels, especially their lobbies, became grand lifeless vestibules used solely for checking in and circulation. They had lost their social significance. As hotel design has shifted away from box hotels and towards boutique hotels, this social notion of design has been rediscovered and implemented in a new way. As stated in the “Seven Radical Trends”, hotel lobbies are returning to their social form, but in less grand fashion.  Lobbies are becoming multipurpose gathering spaces that resemble great rooms and living rooms. Guests want a scene that feels like home away from home.