The Evolution of The Hotel Lobby

Throughout the years, hotel lobbies have come a long way from their older, more simplistic and almost impersonal ways. As time passes, more and more people tend to gather in lobbies to hang out, meet up, discuss plans, etc. With this in mind, hotels have begun adding features that appeal to more guests looking forward to doing such things. Of course there are some smaller changes that hotels have made in regards to keeping up with technology, but these are just some of the ways that the hotel lobby has evolved over time.

Keys to Cards

The simplest and possibly the most noticeable difference has to be the movement of the metal door key to the key card. When this technology came out, guests felt extremely special, almost VIP when they were handed a card instead of a key! Think about it, no more “lost key” fee. From then on it was a plastic card opposed to a carved out piece of metal. Amazing. This technology made it okay to misplace the key and not feel anxiety. Now most guests do not even return the key because it deactivates itself after a certain amount of time has passed anyway; the perfect key.

Desk to Desks

Back in the day, there was one desk with one person to check guests in, help with directions, etc. Now when we look at the lobby of a hotel, there are usually multiple people working and more than one desk available for check-in and other services. There is even a specific desk area set aside for the Concierge. The concierge is not for guests checking in, it is in its own special section, put there to help provide information about things to do in the local area, activities around the hotel, directions to certain places and more!

Lounging Around

Lobbies are much more than desks. In the past, a desk and an entrance hallway that led up to the desk were the only items that were included in a lobby. Now that people are staying around and meeting in lobby areas, the actual surface area of the lobby has increased. The space is now filled with lounge furniture and tables for guests on business to relax and get some in “people watching”. That is hard to do from a hotel room.

Introducing the Bar

Now that the lounge has expanded into the lobby area, why not include a bar as well? Lobbies, as we said earlier, are now more of a hangout area. With the lounge and bar infused into the lobby, it brings a fun vibe to the hotel and for new guests checking in. When new customers enter the hotel and see people gathered around the lounge and bar area, it gives them an inclination that they do not have to necessarily leave to have a good time or get a good “local” experience. Some hotels have even turned their bar area into a more cocktail/pub place in order to attract people that are not staying at the hotel to come in and join in on the fun!