Make an Entrance: Hotels with Decadent Lobbies

“The lobby sets the tone for the hotel – for some, that tone is decidedly decadent. If you’re looking for a hotel that wows, you need one that takes your breath away with the moment you step inside. That means a lobby with the finesse and scale to really amaze you. Here are five hotels that make an exceptional first impression.

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Raffles Hotel, Singapore
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First opened in 1887, the Raffles Singapore has a lobby that reminds its visitors of Singapore’s colonial past – the Western influence is obvious. The overall impression is one of supreme stately wealth. Its marble floors are adorned with rugs, potted palms, and plush belle-époque winged chairs. The floors above the lobby’s ground level are open terraces, supported by Neoclassical columns. Much of the interior is stark white, which makes it gaudy garnishes, such as crystal chandeliers, even more eye-catching.

If you want to see more hotels in Singapore, visit our Singapore hotel guide page.

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Hyatt Regency, San Francisco
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The Hyatt Regency San Francisco is at the end of the city’s Market Street downtown. The multi-coloured lobby rockets up 17 stories and is the largest hotel lobby in the world. The crown jewel of its futuristic design is an aluminium sculpture called Eclipse, designed by sculptor Charles O. Perry in 1973. Owing to its ultramodern aesthetic, this hotel has featured in several films and you get the clear sense on entering the lobby that it’s intended to be imposing.

If you want to see more hotels in San Francisco, visit our San Francisco hotel guide page.

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The Breakers, Palm Beach
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At the end of the 19th century, American railroad magnate Henry Flagler constructed the Florida East Coast Railway, the first major transit to Palm Beach, the easternmost city in the US. Since that time Palm Beach has been the subtropical playground of America’s rich and famous. Case in point: the Breakers Palm Beach, commissioned by Flagler himself. Its flamboyant, 200ft-long lobby was reconstructed after a fire in 1925 and designed to resemble the Villa Medici in Rome; for authenticity 75 Italian artisans were brought to Florida to complete the ornate paintings that cover the lobby. The resulting palatial opulence is still a favourite among America’s jet-setting glitterati.

If you want to see more hotels in Palm Beach, visit our Palm Beach hotel guide page.

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Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
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Located just off the Champs-Elysées, the Four Seasons Hotel George V is sumptuous and sophisticated at once. Its lobby is comfortably furnished with red-velvet Baroque couches, with an elaborate chandelier and floral display at the centre; some of the hotel’s broad art collection is also on display here, including sculptures and restored 18th-century Flemish tapestries. If that wasn’t enough, the hotel’s three restaurants have a dazzling five Michelin stars between them.

If you want to see more hotels in Paris, visit our Paris hotel guide page.

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The Savoy, London
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Chequered flooring, grand marble pillars and dark wood panelling are the dominant features in the Savoy’s lobby, but as you enter your eye is immediately drawn to the impressive arch straight ahead. It opens onto a staircase that descends to the hotel’s Thames Foyer afternoon tea space, giving a glimpse of the ornate gazebo that forms the room’s centrepiece. The Savoy is a London institution and its opulent lobby gives you a fitting welcome.

If you want to see more hotels in London, visit our London hotel guide page.“