In the center of the new Envoy Hotel’s soaring lobby sits an unassuming pool table. It looks like any regular pool table—until you get up close. And then you notice it’s not a pool table at all, but a massive multi-user touch screen that guests can use to check email, look up nearby restaurants, or just play virtual pool.
“We wanted to make [the lobby] innovative, social and interactive; but still have it be authentic, and not too in-your-face,” says Carrie Nielsen of Group One Partners, responsible for the overall design of the hotel, which opened last month.