Meet Me at the Fairmont

Apparently there has been a rise in setting up meetings in hotel lobbies, because there is comfy furniture and free Wi-fi. Makes a lot of sense.

Here’s a caveat. I’ve only hung out in the lobby of a hotel (of which I was not a guest) twice. Once, in Pittsburgh (the Onmi William Penn) to take a break and relax in the midst of a 5-day conference. And the other (The Drake in Chicago) an interview for a business school (which went well, I just decided to not pursue it).

The article mentions that this has become really popular since hotels have introduced free Wi-Fi in their lobbies. It makes a ton of sense. It’s a open, safe place for associates to gather and conduct business. It’s informal but at the same time better than meeting at a loud coffee shop. It’s upscale enough to feel like a business meeting rather than a meet-up with some friends. The article also quotes various hotel sources that say that actually encourage this traffic, and that it’s boosting revenues by providing more foot traffic to bars, and restuarants on-site. Again, makes a lot of sense. Kudos to those hotel managers who are embracing this practice. I could definitely see that a short-sighted managers would discourage this activity because the amenities are for guests of the hotel. So, I think, there is a lot of goodwill in providing these services for people who aren’t current guests, but who are definitely potential guests.