Its a class or a convention of some kind, right?
This was the scene that greeted us when we went into the Ace New York last Saturday and took this (really crappy, sorry) photo. Not a seat to be had in the lobby, whether at the official computer tables or in the chairs. Surely, we thought, there had to be some kind of event going on?
No, they said in the Breslin as we shamefully had lunch, mortified that we only had a smartphone. No, they confirmed today when we called to make entirely sure. There are events going on all the time at the Ace (many of which are open to the public) but thats normal. We have free WiFi and were open to the public, we were told. Come in this afternoon and itll be even busier.
Were slightly torn by this. Its brilliant, obviously, to see a hotel so welcoming to people who arent paying, and it doesnt half help set the vibe. But if wed arrived off a long flight to check in we might have found all these hipster WiFi harpies slightly intimidating. And if we were staying there but arranging to meet someone in the lobby before going elsewhere, itd be nice to have somewhere to sit. So were on the fence.
What do you think? Is this free-for-all a great idea or should hotels focus more on their guests? Let us know in comments below!
[Photo: Julia Buckley/HotelChatter]