Mr. Freeman

Architecture & Design

Lobby-ists Delight - New Hip Meeting Spots for Hotels Are On The Rise

By Andrew Freeman, President, Andrew Freeman & Company

For A Good Time - Meet Me In The Lobby

What once served almost solely as a waiting place - a place to kill the time before check-in or after check-out, the hotel lobby is now becoming a destination in and of itself. Many of the greatest moments in film and literature have taken place in hotel lobbies ---| from the lazy summer days at The Plaza in The Great Gatsby, to The Graduate's Benjamin Braddock's realization that Mrs. Robinson was indeed trying to seduce him in the lobby of the Taft Hotel. And now great moments can happen again each and everyday, as lobbies are no longer just quiet waiting spots, they are becoming the "it" spots at the best hotels around the world.

Today's modern lobby has become a social center for the hotel; a place with real functionality that serves as a revenue source rather than existing as non- saleable space. Hotels have undertaken many approaches for the redesign of the lobby from the "living rooms" at the W hotels to "great rooms" being created by Marriott International. Many of these reinvigorated lobbies offer additional amenities to the guest and surrounding local community. A check-in desk and sofa are no longer enough; instead hotels are adding elements like restaurants, cocktail lounges, bars, baristas, retail stores and non-traditional gift shops.

Check In To Check Out

Multi-functional lobbies are particularly appealing to business travelers who may have work to do, but don't want to be alone in their rooms to do it. For this reason WiFi is becoming increasingly popular in all public spaces. For instance, Chicago's W Lakeshore offers an open area overlooking Lake Michigan, aptly named "The Living Room" where one can do everything from checking in for a stay, checking email for business or taking a break and checking out with a nice cocktail. It's also a see-and-be-seen- spot where when the sun goes down, the lights dim and it transforms into a lavish lounge with customized cocktails and a bar menu. It's a sexy spot serving both hotel guests as well as the locals, who find "The Living Room" to be a great place to congregate before a night on the town. Lobby living rooms such as this one, are highly designed with comfortable seating and tables in conversational cluster arrangements. Activities to generate buzz and excitement include evening wine tastings, fashion shows and art exhibits.

Fun or Functional ---| Great Rooms Are Really Great

Similarly, great rooms are large multi-functional spaces that can be reconfigured to meet guests' needs. This summer the JW Marriott in San Francisco will launch Level III, a one room equivalent to the mixed-use diversity championed by city planners and developers. In this concept ---|lobby, lounge, bar, caf'e, and restaurant blend harmoniously together creating an inviting and active space perfect for both the jet-setter and the local mover and shaker. Places like Level III are especially appealing to women business travelers, as they provide a relaxing, comfortable social venue and a safe alternative to venturing out into the unknown of unfamiliar surroundings.

Guests can customize their experience with an array of seating to choose from including: high tops, low booths, a communal table, and quiet conversational pits. Convention-goers can gather around low tables on sofas while discussing the day's events over coffee, while solo travelers can sit at the communal table, have a bite and meet other visitors. Then there are the honeymooners who can retire to a secluded booth for a comfy romantic evening. This type of lobby truly is about customization of each and every guest experience. It can be fun, it can be social, it can be quiet or it can be functional - it really depends on the mood of the guests and the time of day.

Mood Rooms -- Pick One That Works For You

Whether it's a living room, a great room, a full service restaurant or a simple lounge, smart hotels are figuring out that lobbies aren't just for business anymore. The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco is a great example; upon entry one into the main lobby -one is immediately greeted with the comfortable lounge atmosphere at Caruso's - the lobby bar. The bar is completely staffed with servers providing drinks and a sharable menu. While guests arrive and depart - Caruso's is always buzzing. As a local San Franciscan -its one of my favorite meeting spots in the city.

By bringing in great chefs and renowned mixologists, hotel lobbies can become destination venues, not only generating buzz for the rest of the hotel, but attracting locals to come in and visit as well. Lobby venues with a local following will find that they have a consistent customer base not dependent solely on the hotel's business. This offers the appealing opportunity to create increased traffic and revenue during off-peak periods. As an added benefit locals who frequent the venue also get to see the hotel and become ambassadors for you -as they can make recommendations to visiting friends and colleagues. So here's a tip ---| always have a show room or two available and encourage your lobby service staff to invite guests up for tours.

Even when a full service restaurant experience is out of the question in the lobby, a destination bar can still generate interest and income. Consider the Soho Grand in New York City - the place is in no small part responsible for the rebirth of the classic hotel bar and the resurgence of traditional cocktails across the country. In this case the bar has become a local destination attracting New Yorker's on a nightly basis due to its popularity. And let's face it - if I am a guest a hotel with a bar as hot as this one - it's an extra perk for me too.

Then there is the Hotel QT in New York City that has gone beyond all of the traditional amenities and outfitted their lobby with a swimming pool bar. In doing so they generated tons of buzz and attracted great press. Guests are attracted to the atypical design and the hip, young, urban vibe it projects; even those who aren't staying at the hotel are curious to come in for a peek, stay for a cocktail and recommend the hotel to future visitors.

Getting Down To The Lobby - Get Started

The first consideration hotels need to ask is who they are serving and who do they want to be serving. The lobby venue should support and enhance the design of the hotel - and meet the needs of the hotel guests as well as the local crowd. It is also important to consider how these factors change over the course of the day. While a hopping lobby bar with music and dim lighting may be perfect at night, it won't be ideal early in the morning. Level III accounted for this by designing a custom back bar which closes during the day concealing the liquor when the area serves as a caf'e.

So by now you may be thinking - how do I pull this off at my hotel? It's expensive and we don't have the budget. Well, the first thing you need to do is do a Performa -and treat the lobby venue as a new revenue center. If the concept and budget gets approved, you can also align yourself with some strategic partners to ease the burden. Hotels can partner with established chefs/mixologists, restaurant designers and operators to get the concept up and running. Once established - you can support business with the help of your liquor and wine vendors to create and promote interesting programs. Retailers located within the hotel can also be a useful resource by providing thematic uniforms for the staff and other products to be used throughout the venue.

Lastly, whenever possible these venues are best treated independently with management teams that is responsible for their successes. While it is critical that they fit in with the hotel - if the lobby venues simply become hotel amenities they will fail. Separate goals and marketing strategies must be established and adhered too. Taking a lesson from my Kimpton experience - build your venues for the locals -and the guests will come!

Wrap Session -- Key Considerations For Success

• Create a customizable user-friendly environment
• Create a concept and stick with it
• Provide real functionality
• Find partners to help
• Add interest with beverage and dining outlets
• Create features or destinations to attract locals
• Treat the lobby venue as an independent revenue source
• Keep in context with the demographics of the hotel
• Account for changes in time of day, time of year, and changing needs
• You can't create fun - if you aren't having any - so have some fun

Andrew Freeman is founder of Andrew Freeman & Co., a consulting agency. Mr. Freeman has worked for Kimpton as VP, Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships. At Kimpton, he developed all public and media relations, including the launching of new properties for the global brand, the group of 40 hotels and restaurants, and for corporate headquarters. He was also responsible for strategic planning, outreach, fund raising, relationship development and execution with industry and community partners. Mr. Freeman can be contacted at 415-781-5700 or andrew@andrewfreemanandco.com Extended Bio...

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