Change Your Hotel Lobby Into Event Space by Taking Events to New Heights!
The majestic Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood recently completed a stunning $100 million makeover, and clients are clamoring to have their next over-the-top event at the iconic hotel. The oceanfront resort, which overlooks the Atlantic, boasts more than ten culinary destinations including Point Royal by celebrated chef Geoffrey Zakarian, reimagined public spaces destined for mingling, and more than 200,000-square-feet of meetings and events space. The options are endless when it comes to hosting a party or event there — and even its lobby, which has an airy, tropical vibe, can be an interesting spot for entertaining!
One of our longtime clients has held meetings at the Diplomat for years, and when they asked Events & Logistics to transform the hotel’s lobby for their “Welcome Reception,” our challenge became converting the lobby into a completely different space from what attendees would see during the day.
The imaginative idea? Lanterns and loads of them! We took the already eye-catching lobby to new heights, creating a glistening ceiling of white lanterns. Talk about time consuming … we strung ONE THOUSAND lanterns from balcony to balcony. It always helps to talk to your client about what they envision for an event, and in this case, the inspiration for the lanterns came from our client who had recently attended a Drake concert, where hundreds of balls of light hung over the crowd and changed colors throughout the night. Since that would have been an expensive production, instead, we used the lanterns to create a floating centerpiece above the crowd. The white balls of light were accented by eclectic furnishings, draping, and intelligent lighting —this wasn’t a traditional lobby anymore, it was an expansive party pad.
When it came to entertainment, a DJ pumped out the latest hits, stilt walkers glided through the throngs of people, belly dancers mesmerized the crowd with their wings of fabric, henna artists showed off their artwork, and cigar rollers handed out their wares to the crowd. To added further excitement, we also let the outside “in” … the glass doors behind the lobby’s new hotel bar can be opened to let the ocean breeze inside, while offering easy access for guests to wander outdoors to the resort’s pools. Guests ended the night outdoors where they could smoke their cigars, relax around a fire pit and enjoy dessert.
A lobby can be more than just a place for checking-in — if designed creatively, it can be a welcoming space to spend a long, enjoyable evening!
