The Horse In The Lobby

Good hotels seem to like to have some sort of landmark in the lobby.  Maybe it is just an added feature to make the lobby a bit more memorable, or perhaps its true purpose is to give guests a distinctive place where they can link up after dropping off their bags in their rooms.  (“OK, let’s meet by the clock in the lobby at 6:30.”)

I stayed at the Houston Four Seasons recently, and it is a fine hotel, indeed.  Its “lobby landmark” is a large carved wooden horse that is found at the corner of the lobby, next to the central staircase.  The horse is life-sized, or pretty darned close to it, made of blonde wood, and extremely realistic in appearance.  The craftsmanship on the piece really is quite striking.  As landmarks go, the “blonde wooden horse in the lobby” is pretty strong.

There’s only one problem, apparently.  The horse is located right next to the lobby bar, and according to the bartender there have been occasions where a guest has had a few too many and tried to ride the horse.  This is Texas, after all.