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America's Most Dramatic Hotel Lobbies

by Bill Newcott, AARP

  • The Long Hallway And Lobby Of The Breakers Hotel Palm Beach In Florida, Impressive Hotel Lobbies
    Ilian Travel/Alamy

    The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida

    Railroad magnate Henry Flagler wanted his lavish hotel in Palm Beach, Florida to remind guests of their European tours. So he fashioned his marble lobby — 200 feet long with a vaulted, painted ceiling and Venetian chandeliers — after a palazzo in Genoa, Italy.

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  • The Lobby Of The Roosevelt Hotel In New York City, Impressive Hotel Lobbies
    Courtesy The Roosevelt Hotel

    Roosevelt Hotel, New York, New York

    A stone's throw from New York City's glorious Grand Central Station, the Roosevelt's marble-pillared lobby has impressed visitors since 1924. A comfy chair beneath the lobby's iconic double-faced brass clock is perfect for watching the passing Big Apple scene.

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  • Interior Of The Jefferson Hotel In Richmond Virginia, Impressive Hotel Lobbies

    Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, Virginia

    They say 'Gone With the Wind' author Margaret Mitchell's mansion at Tara was inspired by the 1885 lobby's great staircase. True or not, it's easy to imagine war-wearied Southerners viewing this palatial Richmond, Virginia, masterpiece as a symbol of the South's recovery. 

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  • Interior Lobby Of The Millennium Biltmore In Los Angeles California, Impressive Hotel Lobbies

    The Millennium Biltmore, Los Angeles, California

    The Biltmore's lavish Spanish-Italian interiors have been a ready-made Los Angeles set for more than 150 films and countless TV series. Especially popular is the ornate marble double stairway of the hotel's original 1923 lobby, now called the Rendezvous Court.

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  • AARP Travel

    AARP Offer: Explore Your World

    Explore Travel with our newsletter filled with tips and ideas to plan the ultimate getaway.
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  • The Lobby Of Palmer House In Chicago Illinois, Impressive Hotel Lobbies
    Hemis/Alamy

    Palmer House Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

    When you duck into Chicago's Palmer House and enjoy a drink at its cozy lobby bar, don't forget to look up at the ornate ceiling, with its 1920s paintings of Greek mythology by the French muralist Louis Pierre Rigal.

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  • The Impressive Lobby And Elevators In Atlanta Georgia's Hyatt Regency Hotel, Impressive Hotel Lobbies
    Jeff Greenberg/Alamy

    Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia

    Here in Atlanta is where architect John C. Portman first turned hotel design inside-out in 1967, creating a soaring 22-story atrium/lobby. Glass elevators still whisk guests skyward in a dizzying setting that has been copied the world over for four decades.

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  • Interior Of The Lobby Of The Old Faithful Inn In Yellowstone National Park, Impressive Hotel Lobbies
    Danita Delimont/Alamy

    Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park

    Inside, you'll feel humbled by the rustic genius of this 94-foot-high, 110-year-old wooden wonderland in Wyoming. Outside, as Old Faithful Geyser erupts, you'll understand why this may be the single most perfectly placed hotel in the world.

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  • The Impressive Lobby Of The Contemporary Resort In Disney's Magic Kingdom In Florida With The Monorail That Cuts Through The Lobby, Impressive Hotel Lobbies
    Blaine Harrington III/Alamy

    Contemporary Resort Hotel, Walt Disney World

    A futuristic vision in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in 1971, it still lives up to its title with that 14-story interior, window walls and whooshing monorail pass-through. "It's a Small World" designer Mary Blair did the the delightful mosaic mural (and hid a five-legged goat about a third of the way up).

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  • The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL. Great Hotel Lobbies.

    Also of Interest

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