"Hotels occupy a particular place in popular imagination. As a place of exclusive sociability and bohemian misery, a site of crime and murder and as a hiding place for illicit liaison, the hotel has embodied the dynamism of the metropolis since the eighteenth century. Hotel Lounges and Lobbies: The Architecture of Professional Hospitality explores the architectural significance of hotels throughout history and how their material construction has reflected and facilitated the social and cultural practices for which they are renowned. Including case studies addressing contemporary developments in hotel planning and design, and illustrated throughout, this volume is an innovative and insightful contribution to architectural and interior design literature"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-23) and index.