When someone visits your business for the first time, one of the best possible things they can say when they enter your common area is “wow, this place is nice”.
This rings true whether you’re a corporation, a hotel, a country club, a dealership, or anything else. Your lobby or common area sets the tone, and everything else your company does has roots in that first impression. Make a good first impression, and the important meeting is already off to a great start. Make a bad one, and every little thing wrong from that point on gets magnified.
We’ve been responsible for crafting some exceptional common areas for names you know. One reason we’ve become sought-after for this type of work is the customization we offer – whatever image you want to portray, we’re experts at making it happen.
It’s with that thought in mind that we offer some tips on what makes a great common area.
The first tip is to throw out the rulebook – there really are no rules as to what type of common area will work best for you. It’s more about the image you want to portray and the traffic you expect than anything else. Bright and modern is great for some companies. Classic and darker are better for others. Do we expect people to sit and tap away on laptops while drinking a beverage? Then you probably want some tables. Is it more of a corporate waiting area before a meeting? Bench seating or banquettes with built-in end tables (complete with USB charging stations) should be part of the décor.
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Another tip is to make sure the area flows, and can accommodate all the goings-on you expect, which is sometimes harder than you think. It may seem obvious that a hotel’s common area should be able to accommodate people sitting with luggage as they wait for their Uber or shuttle, but you’d be surprised at how many hotel common areas get pretty cramped when just a few suitcases enter the space. And that doesn’t make anyone feel good. Arriving guests will notice how claustrophobic they felt on entering, and that feeling may never leave (“I had a bad feeling about this place the minute we walked in” says the guest who experiences a minor inconvenience that would otherwise be overlooked).
It's the same for corporations. Having a substandard common area tells people more about you than any advertising you can do. If people come in expecting great things and they see a “meh” common area, they’ll almost feel tricked. Really, this is it?
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A unique, comfortable, and well-appointed common area goes a long way in reflecting your success. If we can help you in any way – either helping design your area from scratch or bringing your unique vision to life – contact us.