We all know how important a first impression is. Within the first seven seconds of meeting someone, we’ll have formed a solid read on who they are and if we’ll get along with them.
In the world of hotels, the lobby is the first impression a hotel makes on its guests. A bad first take filled with cheap coffee pots, cheesy pamphlets, and absentee front desk staff might even make you rethink booking at that hotel in the first place.
As such, it’s so important for hotels to nail their lobby from top to bottom. And in the world of luxury travel and hospitality, people can afford to walk away if they don’t trust their gut on the first impression.
Thankfully, the hard work and dedicated effort our partners put into their hotel lobbies, and beyond, goes a long way to providing an unforgettable experience for guests. To that end, we wanted to show off 11 of the best hotel lobbies we’ve seen in the game. Check it out.
1. The Omnia
Location: Zermatt, Switzerland
Don’t confuse this hotel for the similarly named option in Las Vegas. It’s much sexier, and far more suited to a luxury lifestyle. That’s because The Omnia is set in the side of a cliff above Zermatt village center in Switzerland, not packed into the Vegas Strip next to The Flamingo. This is definitely a place James Bond would stay.
Resting at an altitude of about 5,400 feet, The Omnia sits in stark contrast to the craggy mountain rock it’s built in, with its clean-cut glass façade and swanky interior. There’s even a glass elevator that goes through the cliff itself before landing in the lobby, where you can enjoy a book from their library, or view of the beastly beautiful Matterhorn.
2. Freehand
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Located in downtown Los Angeles’ historic Commercial Exchange building, Freehand Los Angeles is committed to bringing a truly one-of-a-kind experience to their guests. It starts at the building’s gritty, yet refined, exterior, and carries into the lobby as you pass under the cursive, red neon sign.
Inside, guests are greeted by bold yellows, purples, and wooden accents that cover four massive pillars in the middle of the room. The lounge options filling in the room match the design and color aesthetic, and they’re a perfect place to enjoy a cocktail from the lobby bar— Rudolph’s Bar & Tea—before heading up to your room.
3. The Ace Hotel & Swim Club
Location: Palm Springs, CA
Ace Hotels has made it their job to re-envision buildings and breathe new life into the old-world style of American hotels. Take the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, a former Westward Ho with a Denny’s, that they refashioned into a 179-room resort.
At the heart of this redesign is an organic, bohemian design greeting you as you walk into their lobby. Guests are welcome to make the lobby whatever they want it to be, a relaxing meditation space or social butterfly’s garden. To accommodate your niche, there’s a sectional sofa for reading or hanging out, crystals, art, and a desert-nautical rope installation by artist Michael Schmidt.
4. 1 Hotel South Beach
Location: South Beach, Miami
Fresh tones of white, cool grays, soft oranges, and rustic browns come together to shape the lobby of 1 Hotel South Beach. Inspired by the beach outside the front doors, this hotel was designed for both comfort and relaxation.
In addition to the lounges strewn about the lobby, you can relax at the lobby bar, Drift. Enjoy seasonal cocktails, small bites, live music during the weekend, and daily happy hour specials. You can also use the Lobby Farmstand to grab some fruit sourced from local farmers before heading out to explore South Beach. This lobby is the perfect start to your day, the cornerstone of a pleasant evening, or both.
5. The Line Hotel
Location: Austin, TX
In 1965 The Line Hotel was home to a jazz club that broadcast music across local radio airwaves. After it’s redesign by architect Michael Hsu and Los Angeles designer Sean Knibb, which seeks to carry forward the hotel’s history and legacy in Austin, it’s been named one of the most Instagrammable hotels in the nation.
And the lobby is easily one of the most photogenic parts of the hotel, with it’s mid-century modern touches, like the poured concrete fireplace or textured ceilings. Relax, put your feet up, and let the bounty of natural light perfectly paint your selfies.
6. Public Hotel New York
Location: New York City
Public Hotel New York City has been described as refined, sophisticated, smart, and simple, yet still flamboyant and provocative. This design aesthetic carries through almost all elements of the hotel’s offerings, from their best hotel restaurants and rooftop bar to the rooms.
Perhaps the most striking embodiment of this description, however, is their lobby. It’s immediately noticeable with the escalators, framed by orange neons and mirrored walls that create an infinity effect: the flamboyant and provocative. It’s finished with the cool, spacious couches in the lounge area and their floor-to-ceiling windows: the refined, sophisticated, smart, and simple.
7. Ace New Orleans
Location: New Orleans, LA
More bar and lounge than lobby, the Ace Hotel New Orleans is a picture-perfect representation of that friendly gathering place that brings the entire community together. In fact, in true Southern style, they would be the first to tell you that this space belongs to the entire city.
The French Deco-inspired living room is capped off with a bar that serves lively and polished Southern and Italian cocktails. Make sure you look “up” to gaze at the artwork and trinkets surrounding the cleanly contrasted ceiling, supported by a lone, decorated column in the middle of the room.
8. Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa
Location: Pacific City, OR
Located in Pacific City, Oregon, the Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa feels as if it’s on the edge of the world as you gaze out over the Pacific Ocean. While there are plenty of ways to enjoy the outdoor spaces, the decadent interior might prompt you to stay inside and unplug from the noise of everyday life.
The warm, welcoming, and fire-lit lobby is a perfect medium between these two worlds: social enough to meet new faces, but private enough to enjoy your own company. The vaulted wooden ceilings, decorated with modern light fixtures, catch the eye upon entering. The cozy nooks and crannies catch the heart.
9. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Location: Brooklyn, New York
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, a true waterfront retreat, was designed to provide a dash of nature in New York’s concrete jungle by sprinkling in some native greenery. This greenery stands front and center in the two-story living wall that steals the attention in the lobby, which is flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling windows.
Loungers can also enjoy cocktails from the lobby bar as they gaze out at the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, and Manhattan skyline. Don’t forget to transition over to Harriet’s after you’re done with your cocktail for a great post-lobby meal.
10. Hotel Kabuki
Location: San Francisco, CA
Hotel Kabuki is in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown district, and it recently had a $30 million revitalization effort. The lobby, naturally, was overhauled in this process to provide a comfort-first focus.
It looks like a modern living room, with a semi-open floor plan partitioned off by minimalist shelves. Heavy wooden beams line the ceiling to provide a lodge-style vibe, and the hotel bar ensures that everyone has something to enjoy: from lobby poetry nights to killer cocktails.
11. AutoCamp, Russian River
Location: Guerneville, CA
If you love the Airstream trailer aesthetic, but don’t want to haul a trailer across America, AutoCamp Russian River is for you. Hell, even if you’ve never seen an Airstream trailer, this is not one to miss. A seamless blend of thoughtful design and natural surroundings, AutoCamp is filled with custom designed Airstream suites and luxury tents with modern interiors.
It’s no surprise that the lobby follows suit with its hybrid design. Part indoor, part outdoor, think of this space as the central place everyone congregates when camping in the woods. The sleek, sexy design has a fire pit with hood and walls that won’t restrict your views or interactions with nature.
The lobby is the center of action at a hotel, and with the right design and amenities it could be the dark horse element of your next stay that cements it as one of the best. Make sure you’re impressing at your next event, meeting, or retreat by booking with a luxury boutique hotel that leaves nothing to chance.
If you’re interested to hear how Luxpitality can help make you look like a superstar, reach out to us today. And please let us know if we missed any amazing hotel lobbies on our list here.