Assignment 7: Steve

Sandoval-Strausz argued that the spatial logic of hospitality accounted for the design of hotels. In an urban context, these buildings are different than the ones we have studied so far. For the most part, the store, the mall and the fast food emporium are oriented towards production and consumption. The hotel, on the other hand, provides amenities more associated with the domestic sphere- shelter, food and refreshment. The first image is the façade of the Omni-CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. The orientation of the building to the street is unique. While there are multiple entrances, there is no grand marquee or one single entrance announcing the hotel. What we also see in this image is a controlled space for entering the Omni. The clientele of this hotel are primarily tourists and business travelers, or conventioneers. The brutalist finish at ground level gives the impression of a fortress (we see this with Portman’s Westin in Atlanta and Bonaventure in Los Angeles), thus the unwanted elements of the urban environment are kept out through the building’s physical make-up. Hospitality is extended to only those who are paying and are of the correct socio-economic level.

Taken at noon on a Tuesday afternoon, the Omni bar and Prime Meridian restaurant are curiously quiet. With CNN Center attached to the hotel and the surrounding business towers in walking distance, this space is usually very active during the lunch hour. In closely examining the image, the arrangement of the space and the materials used aligns with the hotel’s intended, up scale clientele. The tiling, wood finish and decorative elements are geared to a high end visitor. The entire space is raised above street level (windows to the left look out on Centennial Olympic Park)- undesirable elements have to brave a series of physical barriers and conveyances to access this space. Furthermore, the seating area and the entrance to Prime Meridian are under the watchful eye of the bartender (working in the background). In this arrangement, the historical antecedent is still present in the contemporary hotel bar and restaurant.

In the final image we see the Omni’s “lobby” (registration is off the image to the left and to the right is the bar/Prime Meridian). The space is arranged to encourage sociability or business discussions over cocktails. In reading the flooring and the furniture, this lobby is geared to a higher end clientele. It doesn’t scream “glamour” like a Lapidus hotel, but the muted tones and hanging light fixtures gives a subtle sense of luxury. This is a high class, or at least an attempt at high class, area to meet clients or muster with family before walking over to the World of Coke. The Omni is designed and marketed as an upscale hotel. When these images were taken, there was little activity in the main social areas aside from a few business people and families. To reach the bar, restaurant and lobby from street level, one has to enter the building (not a clearly marked entrance) and ascend two pairs of escalators. The entrance is manned by security and when you finally reach the lobby landing, the bartender is keeping watch as well as the registration personnel. Add in the CNN Center security (who are armed) and the hotel feels like a fortress. In this particular urban context, hospitality comes with certain stipulations. Unless you are on business, intend to conduct business or are a tourist, this space is reserved. Segregation by class is evident at the Omni.