Industries respond to the attack on the Capitol, hotels prepare for in-room COVID-19 tests, and Rome is set to restore part of its ancient Colosseum. All that and more in the first Five on Friday of 2021.
Airport security tightens, hotel associations condemn violence at U.S. Capitol
Dulles International Airport; photo by Falkenpost from Pixabay
Reagan National and Dulles International airports are increasing law enforcement presence in the wake of the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday, reports The Washington Post. Similarly, American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines prepare for potential unrest as people leave and come into the area after the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union called to bar insurrectionists from flying after union president Sara Nelson noted a “mob mentality” on flights into the area prior to Wednesday. In addition, the U.S. Travel Association and Asian American Hotel Owners Association condemned the riots in separate statements, according to Asian Hospitality.
COVID-19 tests are becoming the latest hotel amenity
Photo by Tim Dennell
As travel mandates requiring proof of a negative test no more than 72 hours before departure are on the rise, some hotels are offering COVID-19 testing as an amenity for guests. At Miami’s W South Beach, Travel Weekly writes, guests are able to scan a QR code in their room to schedule a test on the ground floor. Meanwhile, tests are offered out of meeting rooms three days a week at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, and Wynn Resorts plans to open its own testing site in Las Vegas.
Rome is rebuilding the ground floor of the Colosseum
Photo by Maurits Verbiest
The Italian government is funding the city of Rome to find a design team to execute a rebuild of the Colosseum’s arena floor. The new retractable version will conceal the ancient amphitheater’s network of tunnels and cages—as it did in ancient times, when trapdoors and lifts hid lions and other animals that would attack the gladiators, reports Designboom. The city aims for the project to be completed by 2023.
Artemide founder Ernesto Gismondi passes away at 89
Photo by Pierpaolo Ferrari
Ernesto Gismondi, the Italian designer and president and founder of lighting brand Artemide, died on January 2nd, says Dezeen. Born in 1931, he started Artemide in 1960 with colleague and fellow designer Sergio Mazza. Gismondi was also the vice president of Italy’s Association of Industrial Design. He is survived by his wife, Carlotta de Bevilacqua, current CEO and vice president of Artemide.
New York’s outdoor dining scene continues to evolve
New York restaurants have proven their ability to be flexible and creative in order to continue operating, in whatever capacity possible, in the face of COVID-19. In this piece, HD highlights four establishments—Scarpetta, the rooftop at Pier 17, Marea, and Buddakan—that tapped talented design teams and vendors to create safe and enchanting environments that take outdoor dining to the next level, even during the city’s coldest months.
