Starwood has unveiled a new lobby concept for its Westin brand, designed at bringing the outdoors into hotels.

The new design for Westin’s public spaces will include vertical gardens, or green walls featuring a range of plants and foliage. Ranging from 10-30m², each vertical garden integrates wall-mounted plants, which will be selected for their detoxifying and oxygen-producing properties, with the aim of improving the hotels’ air quality.

“Although vertical gardens exist in other boutique hotel properties, Westin is the first global brand to incorporate these structures in the lobby space throughout its global portfolio,” the company said in a statement.

In addition to the vertical walls, the revamped Westin lobbies will feature new free-standing check-in pods, large back-lit feature walls, and a new standard meeting concept, offering a range of power outlets, tables. A new Grab & Go Café concept and Westin Retail Store will offer separate retail areas for coffee and snacks, or to buy hotel amenities such as bedding and bath products.

The new lobby concept has already debuted in the US, at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, and will roll-out further in 2013. 

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