LOBBY LOUNGE
LEFT: Holiday Inn’s new lobby design includes a ‘social hub’ combining front desk, 24-hour market, bar and business centre. The first opened at the Holiday Inn Gwinnett Centre in Duluth Georgia last year
trending to more modern public spaces
that are flexible and encourage meetings and mingling. Last year the brand revealed its extended-stay Hyatt House design; the concept features a more ‘neighbourhood-like’ environment creating a home-away-from- home. The key feature Hyatt’s team focused on was building more engaging social spaces in the interior including its Great Lounge with signature chairs, an oversized social section, a glass-enclosed games room and a transitional breakfast bar and evening bar area. The exterior includes a garden concept with an integrated grill on the patio. Why are hotels reimagining their hotel lobbies and what’s driving the demand? Wiggins says there is a new breed of traveller looking for social spaces that serves multiple purposes. “I think the space is a reflection of how people live their lives,” she says. “In the home there is usually this central space where everything takes place; mum could be cooking, dad could be on the computer, kids could be playing, but things usually take place in one place. We want to offer guests what they need and in an environment they are relaxed in. Obviously, home is the most relevant. We’re not trying to be a home away from home, we’re very clear about that, but we want to reflect trends that make people feel comfortable.”
While Milham agrees it’s the guest driving the demand, she says that the evolution of
technology is playing a large part. “If we think about the business traveller 30 years ago, they didn’t have all the technology that they do today,” she notes. “Usually, they would check in to the hotel, go straight to their room and get the work done. Now, people are getting work done in the taxi, on the way to the hotel, and this is all on their laptops or iPads. People are looking for permission to come out of their rooms because they’re no longer tied to it – we have wireless and so many other options for people to get their work done.” Milham believes that in this rapidly shifting sector where customers, technology and markets are always changing, hotel lobbies are only going to become more widespread. “I think that hotels are spending more energy and attention on the lobby,” she notes. “I think it’s interesting, because in Europe it hasn’t been as big as a trend but it’s really evolving. The social lobby is becoming a global trend and I think it’s going to translate differently in different geographies.” Horton agrees, and adds that it is vital that the customers remain the real focus. “We believe that the hotel lobby will continue to develop in the future as a way to serve the needs of travellers,” he says. “It is important to uphold a consistent level of style and sophistication while reflecting regional cultures and tastes so guests get a distinct sense of place, whether they are in a lobby in Los Angeles or London.”
154 MAY / JUNE 2012
WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM
“The hotel lobby will continue to develop – it’s important to uphold a consistent level of style and sophistication while reflecting regional cultures and tastes,” Dave Horton – Hilton Hotels & Resorts
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