redesign

It's Time To Reconsider Motel 6

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, By Design

Confession: When Motel 6 won a design award from Travel + Leisure earlier this year, I was a bit skeptical. Really, how nice can a room that costs less than $50 a night really be? Besides which, Motel 6 has been my standard hotel design denigration metaphor for years -- I even used it recently in this description of Silversea's Silver Spirit.

I suppose I'll have to stop doing that, with all due apologies to Motel 6. The hotel started its "Phoenix" redesign program in 2008, which it's now rolling out across its more than 1,000 locations, including the very first Motel 6, which opened in Santa Barbara, California in 1962 and is still in business today. I recently stopped by that location to take a look at the new rooms, and I must say that I thought the whole thing was rather brilliant.

London design firm Priestmangoode went with a Scandinavian-style approach, and as any IKEA devotee knows, Scandinavian design stands up well to low, low budgets.

Accor, which owns Motel 6, describes the rooms this way:

The "Phoenix" design features wood-effect flooring, ambient lighting, settee area for two, and a 32-inch flat-screen TV. The entertainment unit which houses the TV conceals the door-less wardrobe behind it, combining two needs into one unit...the modern bathroom features double doors, black granite counter top with a vessel/raised sink, a walk-in shower and a large vanity area.

My take: getting rid of dubious carpeting in favor of "wood-effect" flooring was a good move. The linens were a notch above what I'd expect at a motel, which is to say, don't expect high thread count or Egyptian cotton, but you may be able to tolerate the feel of the sheets and towels. To me, the bathroom is usually the worst part of any budget hotel room, but it was not overlooked. I actually loved the cunning yellow towel cubby built in to the mirror.

Gallery: The First Motel 6 in Santa Barbara, Redesigned

Sitting Area, with Flat Screen TV/Wardrobe

Tags: hotels, Motel6, motels, redesign

Continue reading “It's Time To Reconsider Motel 6”

Ritz-Carlton Atlanta Celebrates Its 25th With Redesigned Foyer, Lobby & Lounge

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Services

Ritz-Carlton Atlanta Celebrates Its 25th With Redesigned Foyer, Lobby & Lumen Lounge

The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta marked its 25th anniversary with a complete redesign of the entrance foyers, lobby, and lobby bar, now named Lumen, which features exotic, sophisticated edible cocktails, a Lumen signature cocktail, and art-themed cocktails.

The new interiors feature well-known, traditional elements transposed in an updated way, such as a Chippendale Mahogany sideboard refinished in a hand-applied gilded platinum tone; sheer shrouds wrapped around the hotel's crystal chandeliers; and accent chairs graced with damask patterns in oversized formats.

Lumen underwent a great change. The lounge, so named for its many light effects, now greets guests with crystal chandeliers that glow red at night; seven-foot tall custom settees covered in midnight blue mohair, complete with their beaded sconces; a bar cabinet that glows blue in the evening; mirror-polished, handspun metal tables custom-designed by Brad Oldham (brother to designer Todd); beaded corkscrew floor lamps; and a custom-designed, under-lit onyx-topped communal-styled table seating up to eight.

My friend Nancy is scheduled to speak at a meeting being held at this Ritz, and I can't wait to hear what she thinks of the new spaces. See the gallery for before and after shots.

Gallery: Ritz-Carlton Atlanta Redesigned Foyer, Lobby & Lumen Lounge