“It’s what I call the Starbucks phenomenon,” King explains. “Travelers want a place where they can plug in their laptop, use their iPod, mingle with other people, hang out, have a snack. And they want it some place that isn’t their guest room. For a hotel, that place has to be the lobby. But it has to be the right kind of lobby.”

So Marriott and an outside design firm have reengineered the entry area of Courtyard. Out with the big check-in desks; in with several smaller areas called welcome podiums. Flexible guest-seating areas, such as a communal table at the center of the lobby and private “media booth” workstations were installed. Sectional sofas replaced traditional lobby furniture. A 52-inch L.C.D. touchscreen called the GoBoard dispenses news and conciergelike information. There’s free WiFi, lots of easy-to-find power outlets, a library, and printer stations. The furnishings are all “laptop friendly,” says King.

And, naturally, there are revenue-generating opportunities galore. A 24/7 market dispenses snacks, beverages, and sundries. The breakfast buffet has been jettisoned and replaced with all-day dining, snacking, and grazing options. There’s even evening cocktails and custom coffee drinks. And everything is coffeehouse mellow: communal yet convivial and private; casual with a veneer of style; and designed with an eye toward multitasking on a laptop or a palmtop.

“About 30 to 35 percent of our customers were literally walking out the door because they didn’t want a buffet and they thought our lobbies weren’t interesting enough,” King says. “That’s revenue that we were giving away.”

Ebeling finds all these lobby changes a matter of back-to-the-future thinking. “The old European hotels always used to have a wonderful lounge in the lobby where people could sit down, have a coffee, and read the paper,” he says. “The lounge was always the soul and heart of a great hotel. It’s where guests went to mingle, to socialize.”

The Fine Print…

The first new Courtyard lobby opened recently in a Virginia property, and the rest of the chain will be renovated by 2010. King says the changes will cost hotel owners $650,000 to $750,000 for lobby space that averages about 5,700 square feet. And in keeping with the new age, new-wave approach to public space, Marriott has built a special promotional website. Besides starring in YouTube videos flogging the lobby transformation, King writes a blog too.