Do Not Disturb Signs Get a Makeover

While you were sleeping, the "Do Not Disturb" sign turned into a clever, artful symbol of slumber.

A decade ago, most hotels viewed the dutiful door hanger like the shower cap -- an unsophisticated tool. Now, they're using the signs to brand themselves, express their personalities and appeal to image-conscious guests.

"Fuhgettaboudit," exclaims the slender black sign at Le Parker Meridien, a New York hotel with a New York attitude. "Composing a classic: Quiet please," intones the brightly colored hanger at Hotel Allegro, a music-themed hotel in Chicago's theater district. The tomato-red sign at Chicago's Hotel 71 takes brevity to an extreme: "No."

"Within the last five to 10 years, hotels have started stepping out to create something different that's going to attract people and keep them coming back," says Leon Banowetz, of Banowetz & Co. in Dallas. The advertising and graphic design firm created the chic, minimalist black "ZZZZZZZ (Catching some Zs)" sign that dangles from doors at Dallas' stylish Hotel Za Za.

In some hotels, three-dimensional objects petition for privacy in lieu of signs. Guests at Kinnaird Estate in Perthshire, Scotland, for example, place a teddy bear outside their door; the pecan-colored bear wears a blue knit sweater with a "Do Not Disturb" button. At the Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Cal

more: centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/living/11292150.ht (1,598)

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