Lobby, bar and breakfast room: the places where a hotel makes its first impression

The lobby is the first space a guest sees, and the breakfast room the last before they check out. Yet these spaces often receive less attention than the rooms during a renovation. That’s a shame, because it’s precisely here that the review which later appears online is formed.

The lobby: welcome and waiting

A reception desk should invite the guest to step forward. In practice, a desk with a lower section for writing and a higher section that shields the screen works best. Around it, you place seating for people waiting for a taxi or a room. A few armchairs and a low table are enough. Avoid the five-metre sofa where no one sits because someone is already there.

The bar as a second living room

In club hotels such as the Aldiana Clubs in Austria, the bar is the place where guests gather in the evening. Bar stools with a backrest, a footrest at the right height, and a bar with a raised edge to catch spilled drinks. Choose loose tables you can move together, so that a group of eight and a couple of two can both find a spot.

Breakfast room: speed and calm at the same time

Between seven and ten in the morning, a breakfast room has to serve most of the guests in a short space of time, often in two or three shifts at the same tables. Walking routes around the buffet, chairs you can pull out with one hand, and tables that don’t wobble. Acoustics matter more here than in any other space in the hotel. A fabric wall panel or an acoustic ceiling removes the echo from a room full of crockery.

One line through every space

The lobby, bar and breakfast room together tell one story. The same type of wood, a recurring colour, or the same fitting in a different size. At Hotel BAL in Echteld, we designed the restaurant and the hotel as a single whole, so guests feel no transition between eating, drinking and sleeping.

Ask the staff

Reception, bar and service staff know where things go wrong every day: the stool that tips over, the table standing in the walking route, the chair that’s too heavy to move. That’s why we always plan a meeting with the team before the design is finalised. That produces better choices than any mood board ever could.

Frequently asked questions

How high should a reception desk be?

In practice, a desk with a lower section for writing and a higher section that shields the screen works best. This allows the guest to sign something without being able to see the screen.

How do I improve the acoustics in the breakfast room?

With fabric wall panels, an acoustic ceiling and soft materials in seating. This removes the echo from a room full of crockery and allows guests to hear one another.

Which bar stools are suitable for a hotel bar?

Stools with a backrest and a footrest at the right height, so guests stay seated longer. A bar with a raised edge catches spilled drinks.

How do I make the lobby, bar and breakfast room into a single whole?

With a recurring type of wood, colour or fitting in a different size. At Hotel BAL in Echteld, we designed the restaurant and hotel as a single whole, so guests feel no transition.

Why involve the staff in the design?

Reception, bar and service staff know where things go wrong every day: the stool that tips over, the table standing in the walking route. A meeting with the team before the design is finalised produces better choices than any mood board ever could.