Hospitality Starts At the Lobby

First impressions are everything. Whether it’s an interview, a networking event, or a sales pitch, the first impression sets the tone for the rest of the interaction with your prospects. This holds true for hotels as well. The guest experience doesn’t start at the hotel room, it begins the moment they enter the hotel space. Every touchpoint from the moment a guest enters a hotel lobby should serve to elevate the guest experience. Whether it’s a tourist or a business guest, everything a visitor interacts with must deliver an outstanding service. 

So, what can a hotel do to create a memorable experience for each guest? For starters, invest in good design. In this case, in a hotel lobby. 

The guest is as much visual as it is physical. Which means it would be wise – as a designer or hotel operator –  to invest in products that can do both. To help you get started, we’ve listed out a few products that can truly create a lasting impression for guests.

Inspired by the coastal South African desert of the same name, Namib is a beautiful and elegantly designed component in 2tec2’s Marble collection. The patterns are spread out and thin, and this carpet is bound to set in place a subtle and sophisticated character in any space, complementing the overall design of a hotel.

Designed by Peter Saville, this collection of rugs uses colour in a way you’ve never seen before. True to the collection name, the pieces in this collection display colours, texture, and a sensory feel in a unique experience. Our favourite is the Technicolor Field – a vibrant design with an attention-grabbing gradient of colours. The rug is constructed using five coloured fine Bamboo Viscose yarns in two different heights and 18 blends. If you want to add a unique touch to a hotel lobby flooring, then Technicolor is one worth exploring.

We love pendant lamps. In addition to being stunning pieces of their own, they’re an opportunity to create a focal point of beauty in spaces likes lobbies, and draws attention to a space. One such piece that really sets the tone of a space is Flying Leaves – put together using hand-blown and hand-cut crystal clear leaf coated with nano copper. Each leaf is shaped by the sculptor’s hand, ensuring each pendant light structure is unique. The nano copper enhances the perception of depth and each leaf gives off a radiant shine.

There’s no reason to have boring, plain walls in your hotel design. Take it to the next level with Creative Wallcovering from Glamora – art in the form of wallpaper. This collection works exceptionally well in hotels, given its theme of featuring experiences from a travelers point of view. Several designs within this collection also instil a sense of biophilia, further a feeling of wellness and belonging among guests.

This sofa by Moroso is an interesting one. It’s modular, but not in the sense we’re used to. Unlike other modular sofas whose modularity centres around rotational alignment, Rift is built around an unexpected and asymmetric positioning of different volumes. The intentional randomness gives it a unique character and is perfect for hotel spaces such as lobbies. Not only is it aesthetically impactful and comfortable, but fits in well with the hospitality theme. Whether a resort or boutique hotel, Rift fits in well in any lobby.

The acoustics leader in vertically folding retractable walls describes their products as so much more than space dividers. While traditional movable walls are used for only space division, Skyfold brings a whole new design and functionality element. While this isn’t something you’d find in most hotel lobbies, this is certainly a phenomenal product to have in hotel ballrooms. The Classic uses a lift structure that involves pantographs – a system that allows it to reach much higher ceiling heights than other Skyfold models, making it the ideal solution for ballrooms and event spaces. For this reason, and many more, is why Skyfold walls are popular with convention centres, hospitality venues, auditoriums, training facilities, corporate flexible spaces, meeting rooms and just about any space that requires quick and effortless acoustic separation! And the gorgeous aesthetics are just an excellent bonus!