- If museums want to become social spaces, they need to look about them. Just now I am looking at the Citizen M hotel in Glasgow. It’s a master class in creating a vibrant, welcoming, stimulating, cosmopolitan social space.
This hotel talks to you from the doormat onwards. I love words so I think Iam going to like this.
“Zoos are places people go to talk about animals.” Ten years ago I heard the inspirational and much-missed Malcom Whitehead, Head of Discovery and Learning at London Zoo, say that and it has stayed with me. I think he nailed it, not just for zoos but for a whole range of cultural attractions.
I am excited by the idea for the 21st century, museums and other cultural attractions, will be, indeed, need to become, places where people go to talk about art, heritage, science and/or the natural world.
Of course, social spaces have to look good as well as sound good. We need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
A sense of fun and an invitation to experiment is always good.
A stylish sense of humour sets the tone and opens up the potential for interactions.
It is exciting living in a decade where people (like Nina Simon, Nicole Deufel, and Regan Forrest – three of my favourite bloggers on the subject) are pushing this idea forward, exploring it and experimenting with it.
Citizen shows that we way we use words and pictures, that mainstay of heritage interpretation really matters. There are lots of words here.
That’s me! Welcoming words with a quirky twist.
Okay, you have to be a word nerd to read this. But if you do, it tells you tons about where you are – and who you might like to think you are.
Like all the best museums, CitizenM gives us provocative ideas to talk about.
This makes the corridor a journey of discovery, giggles and bemusment.
Museums are moving, but slowly. Other heritage attractions are moving too, but probably more slowly. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is moving faster. Attraction managers need to wake up and smell the coffee (which should be real and in a choice of blends, not grey water from the back of the dishwater recycled through a drinks machine).
Citizen M are not afraid to make big promises.
They understand visitor segmentation and that their visitors have different needs. They keep talking to me and I keep on smiling.
CitizenM a 21st century hotel. It has a visual style, a verbal tone and a personal touch that adds up to a great social space. None of it is in the least accidental.
There is great attention to detail. Here is the CitizenM take on ‘Smoking is prohibited throughout the building. Fine £150.’
Similarlarly, ‘Do not disturb’.
This is the ‘Experience Economy’ in action. It is clearly paying off for the hotel, which has won an impressive array of well-deserved awards – and for my weekend escape.
They even have challenging allusions to the heritage industry to discuss over a cocktail.
