The spacious lobby opens onto a palm-lined courtyard ringed by 303 rooms that either face the courtyard or overlook nearby A Mountain, which has hiking trails.
A pebble drive leads in from the gate; the lobby opens to a large reception hall with a staircase, double-height ceilings, and Arts and Crafts-style oak paneling.
The lobby opens at either end to the state's two legislative chambers, which, in March, ratified an amendment to the state constitution that bans not only gay marriage but gay civil unions.
The Trump Parc, designed as a 340-unit condominium building with signature Trump flourishes, like a luxurious entrance and a marble lobby, opened in 1988 on the site of the former Barbizon Plaza Hotel.
The renovation -- Mr. Monte suggests "renaissance," the way a maitre d' might propose a delightfully assertive pinot grigio -- will focus on the lobby, opening up the dark check-in area with an ocean view.
The lobby opens onto what was once a school auditorium and cafeteria, according to Ms. Ruiz, who recalls a stern principal who used to lord it over the lunch hour while smoking a big cigar.
In a quiet, green section of the modern quarter, Gueliz, the Hotel de la Menara, Avenue des Remparts, (212) 4443-6478, fax (212) 4444-7386, has a welcoming lobby opening onto the rose garden, swimming pool and tennis courts.
BOWERY HOTEL LOBBY Opened in the 21st century but ensconced in the 19th, the Bowery Hotel lobby and its ground-floor restaurant Gemma seem an unlikely social scene, with dark wood paneling, low club sofas and more taxidermy than you can shake a shotgun at.
David M. Childs, a consulting partner at Skidmore Owings & Merrill, told a meeting of two committees of the local community board that the new structure would be the equivalent of 52 stories, significantly taller than the previous building, and would have a soaring glass lobby opening onto Greenwich Street to the east.
The property's lobby opens directly into the airport check-in area, making it easy to gauge the wait time.
