Cupcake Momma

Imagine coming into a hotel lobby. Are you aware of the chandelier? Most likely not. But with regard to the music? a gentle jazz piece. Perhaps one piece of bossa nova. It’s there, like wall covering for your ears, smoothing out embarrassing pauses between check-in inquiries. Underappreciated? Surely. Forgettable is Seldom.

Not so long ago, I stayed in a coastal hotel with the most unusual music. The music pulled me from acoustic sounds from sunrise to a sharp shock of stadium rock. Around nine in the morning. Overbreak for breakfast The mood whiplash brought to me the realization that background music is more like the unsung hero of hospitality than like elevator muzak. Too loud, yet this is a nightclub. Too sluggish and you could begin to feel sleepy before your first coffee.

Let’s dissect the reasons behind hotel obsession with playlists. volume comes first. Travelers conversing. Wheelhouse of luggage banging. Doorways opening. While music cannot resist these, it should mix, surfacing during pauses, then slip away as talk picks up. One boss called it “the gentle handshake you shake hands with.” Strange analogy, but it makes sense. Neither does the best music rule nor vanish totally.

Additionally important is style. Corporate hotel or family vacation venue? A few hotels choose smooth jazz, some go toward acoustic folk, while still others experiment with electronic ambient. While guests may not be aware of the genre, they will notice if it is amiss. Ever heard strong metal thumping emanating from a spa? Not is what I aim for.

Then there is the crucial change from day to night. A good playlist changes direction when the sun sets. Sunlit lobby areas throb with gentle rhythms. Evenings calm down the speed; perhaps strings will replace beats. Hotel personnel do not only hit shuffle. These decisions capture the building’s overall attitude.

Hotels serve patrons from all around. That translates toward simple classics, language-neutral hits, and instrumental recordings above obscure indie songs. The secret is variety, without forcing visitors to participate in emotional musical chairs.

One unusual art form is curating music. Others employ “musicians architects.” Others depend on personnel with large playlists and good hearing. In either case, this is a work requiring humility and humor. Too much saxophone makes front desk running jokes a regular occurrence. ( “Who let the ‘Careless Whisper’ remix on repeat?”)

And the legal side cannot be overlooked. Public venue Spotify or iTunes use? That marks a ticket to trouble. Hotels have to make use of licensed streaming programs designed for businesses. It’s more like being a traffic cop at the junction of style and law than about DJing.

And last, there is the quiet influence of music on memory. Although guests hardly ever say anything about the soundtrack, music clutches in the subconscious. A specific song can transport you back to that bright lobby, coffee steaming, and the distant clatter of hotel life months, even years later.

When you next find yourself in a hotel, let the pun go and pay attention. Someone most likely laborated over every music on that playlist for hours. Though you might not recall the wallpaper, that soft tune could accompany you long after you leave.