Why are they so fucking ugly?
This is the one where Reagan was shot. I walk by it every day. It looks like Communist-era Soviet housing to me.
The ugly Beverly Hilton where the Golden Globes took place.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | July 9, 2022 5:15 PM |
The other Hilton in D.C., the Capital Hilton.
Ugly ugly ugly.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | July 9, 2022 5:18 PM |
Are not all inner-city hotels ugly?
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | July 9, 2022 5:26 PM |
If only Nancy had been the one hit that day...
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | July 9, 2022 5:29 PM |
The Willard Hotel is marginally less ugly than the others pictured on this thread.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | July 9, 2022 5:30 PM |
Ugh, I hate the Watergate's design.
Half of DC's architecture is a Brutalist nightmare. Why the fuck did all the federal office buildings opt for this Eastern Bloc style?
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | July 9, 2022 5:38 PM |
The Watergate and the Mandarin are the only two pictured so far but I think look very nice
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | July 9, 2022 5:38 PM |
You're right, OP. Those Hiltons are ugly! Not as bad as Soviet housing etc, but ugly. (If you lived in Communist-era Russia, you'd probably feel pretty lucky to live in a building like the DC Hilton)
I have no explanation, but maybe they were built during the 60s and 70s, when the emphasis was a nice, safe intertior that was insulated from the city outside, where there was rioting, violence, etc. or at least the threat/perception of it, which still affected the architecture in that era.
I'd be curious to see some lobbies/rooms/restaurants etc. Or are they ugly too?!
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | July 9, 2022 5:39 PM |
Their interiors are not necessarily offensive looking. Most apply a "bland luxury" style with no personality. Off whites, beiges and browns with little to no color.
Of similarly classed hotels, I prefer Marriotts' interiors. In my experiences, they tend to use a lot more color and often have borderline whimsical touches.
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | July 9, 2022 5:49 PM |
Most high end hotels have nice architecture. Most Hiltons are FUG. Even this waterfront one in San Diego is plain and kinda ugly - and this is probably the nicest Hilton I've seen.
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | July 9, 2022 5:53 PM |
They are shoe box hotels for middle level business travelers.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | July 9, 2022 6:10 PM |
The Waldorf Astoria in Chicago is technically a Hilton Hotel.
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | July 9, 2022 6:17 PM |
If you don't understand their design, why not crack a book and figure it out.
The older structures you reference are a bland hotel version of "international style" with a healthy dose of Bauhaus minimalism and functionality. The SF Hilton was innovative in 1964 and the tower from the 80s is Brutalist, which was once very much in fashion.
If ONLY there was a way to educate yourself on cultural and aesthetic history.
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | July 9, 2022 6:17 PM |