Field Trip

Monday, the class took a field trip to Nashville to visit the Aloft Hotel. This chain of hotels are boutique hotels. They are also very modern and very innovative. I thought it was really neat, but I just wonder how well these kinds of hotels are going to do without things such as room service. The room layout was really neat. I've never seen a hotel bed actually facing the window (that I can remember). It actually does look like a personal residential loft (which they are called Lofts instead of Rooms by the hotel itself). It was interesting to see furniture that I have specified in other projects. The woman who gave us a tour noted how Aloft Hotels are all about affecting the senses. There is a distinct scent in all of the htels and the music & lighting in the lobby are based upon the time of day. I've never thought about the possibility of using the human senses in such a way throughout a space. In between their hotel space and their recreational space, there was a patio area for guests with an outdoor fireplace and seating. Although it was not a covered area, I still like the idea of using a fireplace in between my hotel space and my business space. I may even make it where the large pieces of glass going from floor to ceiing act as windows and can be opened at a diagonal to let fresh air in on a really nice Kentucky day. Another thing I liked in the rooms was the armoire in the sink area that had many cubby holes and places to store clothes and travel supplies. It was very compact, yet pleasing to the eye and including enough space for a guest's belongings.
At the hotel, the woman giving the tour also mentioned the reception/check-in desk being round as to allow for it to be approachable by guests from all angles. That's a nice feature. The one thing I really did not like about the hotel was the elevators. They were extremely dim-lit and felt more like a nightclub than a hotel. There were also quilted blanket-like pieces hung on the walls in the elevator. It almost seemed as if they were trying to cover an imperfection up the easy way. I was not keen on the elevator in any way whatsoever.
That about sums up the field trip to Nashville. It was fun and enlightening.