The Line Blurs the Line Between Lobby, Restaurant and Co-Working Space

• January 19th 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

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The Line, DC's newest hotel in Adams Morgan, has a built-in uniqueness courtesy of its  former life as a church, evident in the soaring ceiling heights, beautifully-arrayed windows and majestic mezzanine  --  and that's just in the lobby. However, perhaps a more interesting facet of the lobby is how, just a month after opening, it has become a sign of a new type of hospitality in the District.

Hotels, restaurants and, to a lesser extent, coffeeshops normally frown on the idea of people who aren't patrons coming and using common spaces as their defacto office or hangout area. The Line, on the other hand, welcomes this activity as part of the ethos of the hotel, with staff on hand to welcome anyone who walks through the doors. 

Just beyond the hotel vestibule is the lobby with its various seating clusters and communal tables that wouldn't be out of place at university law libraries. On any given day, the area is filled with people working on their laptops, holding small meetings, or even reading or knitting. If you take one of the available seats, a member of the waitstaff will eventually greet you and offer you a glass of water, and if that's all you want to consume, that's just fine. If you connect to the WiFi on one of your devices, you get a 24-hour pass. The package serves to create a hospitable environment you wouldn't necessarily expect from a hotel.

"All of this is intentional," a restaurant manager at Brothers and Sisters, the all-day eatery and brainchild of Erik Bruner-Yang, told UrbanTurf. "All the tables are open to the community at all hours. They want it to be a space to encourage creativity and togetherness."

Members of the community have taken note. Scott Drinkall, who lives nearby and came out of curiosity, was pleasantly surprised with the space, citing the openness of the staff and "good vibe".

Jocelyne DeHaas and David Fritzler, who help operate Tryst, the eatery/lounge-turned-de facto workspace on 18th Street, were working in the lobby on a recent weekday and weren't surprised that it had become a gathering place.

"Things have changed; more places are open to it," Fritzler said, as both agreed that many establishments are less opposed to "squatters" than they once were. DeHaas noted that she'd seen 20-year Tryst regulars in the lobby earlier, chuckling as she said they promptly assured her that they hadn't switched allegiances. "It's a different vibe," she said, dismissing any notion of competition. "There's room for both."

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the-line-blurs-the-line-between-lobby-restaurant-and-co-working-space/13466.