Red Lion Hotels Corporation announced on Monday the debut of its new brand, Hotel RL, with the opening of the 130-room Hotel RL Baltimore Inner Harbor. Inspired by the company’s roots and adventurous spirit of the Pacific Northwest, the flagship hotel is set in a historic, adaptive reuse building. All aspects of the hotel brand were conceived by PULSE by Gettys, a leading global hospitality design firm. To meet the desire for more casual, central meeting space, Hotel RL placed special emphasis on its hotel lobby giving guests a place to plug in to work or unwind with a beverage.
The lobby features a unique seating concept called The Steps, which reproduce the feeling of a typical Pacific Northwestern coffee house, serving complimentary espresso to guests by the award-winning Victrola Coffee. In addition to food & beverage service from the lobby bar and grill, The Steps will serve as the focal point for live entertainment and interactive talks which will eventually be broadcast to other Hotel RL locations.
Among its many technological offerings, Hotel RL offers an app with airport-style check-in experience (available in the app store), which allows guests to choose their specific room, check in and download an electronic key. The typical hotel front desk is replaced by roving greeters with tablets. A kiosk in the lobby is available for guests in need of a physical room key.
Guest rooms incorporate plush seating and hard work surfaces, with hardwood floors throughout and large, flat-screen televisions. In lieu of standard closets, the rooms have a retail-inspired changing area with a gear drop. The hotel also offers ample meeting space.
Situated in downtown Baltimore, the Hotel RL Baltimore Inner Harbor, is an adaptive reuse of the former Keyser Building, a 10-storey historic property with a cut-stone façade. The hotel is within walking distance of Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, just two blocks from the famous Inner Harbor, which has water taxis that ferry passengers to Fells Point, Canton and Fort McHenry.
“Hotel RL is an urban lifestyle brand that will offer visitors a uniquely local experience and Baltimore is the perfect place to unveil this concept,” said RLHC President & CEO Greg Mount. “We have been embracing the Baltimore community and already feel an integral part of it. We know our guests will enjoy the location and the experience Hotel RL Baltimore offers.
“The new Hotel RL concept is geared to meet the changing needs of today’s traveller with innovative spaces that are not only functional but also encourage interaction and communal gathering,” said Jackson Thilenius, Senior Design Director for PULSE by Gettys. “Our design focused on how we could evoke a sense of community and social connection while also meeting the workspace needs of hotel guests.
To commemorate the grand opening, RLHC has launched Project Wake Up Call, a social responsibility effort aimed at raising funds and awareness to help combat homelessness by showcasing pictures taken by professional and amateur homeless photographers. Hotel RL will launch a similar, city-wide initiative in each new city where it opens a hotel. For Baltimore, the brand has partnered with Health Care for the Homeless which works to prevent and end homelessness for vulnerable individuals and families by providing quality, integrated health care and promoting access to affordable housing and sustainable incomes through direct service, advocacy and community engagement.
With a donation of $100 or more, guests will receive a trial offer for a one night stay at the Hotel RL Baltimore Inner Harbor. The one night trial-offer is available for stays from August 1– October 31, 2015.
