Many people say, first impressions matter. This apparently applies to a hospitality interior as well!
First impression matters
Have you ever visited an accommodation and instantly think that the place would be bad based on its lobby?
You’re not alone. Apparently, lobby matters. One can argue that it can be as important as the room and the service. A bad lobby might as well ruin the experience of staying in an accommodation and might leave a bad experience for the visitors. But a well-designed lobby can leave a huge impression on the guests. Apparently there are some metrics that we can use to determine if an accommodation has a good or a bad lobby. And the metrics I use is from a blog called occa design where it lays out 9 essentials of a great lobby design. Among many metrics out there, I chose that metric because it really covers all the basics of a lobby along with reasoning why such design matters. So, follow along and by the end of this post, perhaps you could be more critical about the accommodation that you are choosing!
Scale
Larger lobby with more amenities may create more revenue for the accommodation provider. That is the trend I am seeing with the hotel and guest house lobby that I visited. Some even have a popup cafe and ice cream stalls. I went to a hotel called Dafam and in their lobby, they have a mini cafe with a small gelato shop. The same thing, when I went to a guest house called D’corner suite. Their lobby is rather medium sized for a place that calls itself a guest house.
Target Audience
Though the occa blog mentioned design strategy, I think that also translates as “ target audience”. The design of the lobby is created to cater the kind of guests that we wanted to attract. In the place I visited recently, d corner caters to guests who only stay for a day. Hence there aren’t that many power sockets and the chairs are designed to sit in not for long but rather for a quick chat.
Zoning
From the metrics, this pertains to the extended function of lobby where lobby isn’t a place for checking in and out/administrative work but can be used to also experience other activities. In many hotels these days, the ones I visited always either have co-working space, a small restaurant and some chairs for guests to have their breakfast. That was the case with d’corner suite as well. Though I can say, the way the layout of their lobby wasn’t the best as the space was quite limited.
Sensory experience
Have you ever visited a hotel with a certain smell? I personally have. I visited a hotel whose lobby smells like lemongrass. And this impression made me want to use all lemongrass products for my living space. That was the same too, with the d'corner suite where its lobby smells like lemongrass. In my opinion, this sensory experience matters as this will also leave a huge impression after your stay in a place, be it a hotel or a guest house. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to stay in a hotel with a bad smelling lobby.
Lighting
Another good metric to determine the quality of a lobby. From many places I stayed in, some don't care about its lighting and make it look like a sketchy place. However, I was thoroughly impressed with d’corner suite lighting as it has soft yellow hues that makes me feel comfortable staying in their lobby. Some hotels also rely heavily on natural lighting which I think is okay too.
Entertainment
Since we mostly do some waiting in the lobby and sometimes spend time around the lobby, entertainment is important too. Most accommodations provide at least television in their lobby but some fancy one provide live music and complimentary drinks. So, if a lobby doesn’t have these, I don’t think it’s even worth staying.
Style and Furnishings
This metric varies depending on the hotel. I think this metric is also to determine the overall vibe that the place is trying to offer to its quest. For example, the recent place I stayed uses chairs made from woven bamboo and all colored in a brown and earthy tone. It even has a koi pond that creates a tranquil feeling to its guests.
Biophilia
I remember @storiesoferne mentioned this term and this metric, I think is really important. Not many hotel lobbies I visited had these. But some just add small plant decorations. Unlike the D'corner suite which adds a koi pond just around their lobby. This really adds some improvement to the natural experience of a lobby.
Service and Ease of Access
The final metric that the blog offers was service. These days, though reservations can be made online and can be done in less than 5 minutes, some places still take more than 5 minutes just to check in and out. I visited some place where it's lobby counter was unattended and it made me wait for 20 minutes before I could even finally check out from my room. I have no idea but the overall staff of the lobby is always 10x more hospitable than the other staffs. If you visited a place and it doesn't have ease of access and smooth check-in/out experience, it could as well be a bad hotel.
Conclusion
The metrics from the OCCA blog 9 Essentials of Great Lobby Design was really covering all the basics of what a hotel lobby should have. In the past, I never really cared about all of this but the more I paid attention to it, the more I learned that there’s some sort of design and principle when it comes to a lobby, whether it’s a hotel or an accommodation. Even if you are just a casual hotel guest, these simple metrics could help you minimize bad experiences or even consideration when choosing a place to sleep even just for the night.
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 | Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also so into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated. |