Saussure defines semiology as "a science which studies the role of signs as part of social life". The Hudson definitely has a pre-conceived spatial organization and a distinct design (the latter being a system of signs) that is intended to energize the hotel's public space areas and encourage sociability. The notable absence of written signs or symbols, to the point that the entrance to the hotel does not even bear the establishment's name, clues us in to the kind of reader/consumer that the space is geared towards. Herbert Mushamp humorously qualifies them as the "post-literate people" in his article "Interior City: Hotel as the New Cosmopolis". In any case, the consumer is someone who has sufficient income to gain access to the Hudson. From my experience there, the customers were predominately white upwardly mobile professional investment banking types. At the bar, I actually overheard stock tips being exchanged and I suddenly had the feeling that the protagonist of Brett Easton Ellis' American Psycho would feel quite at home in such a posh milieu. While the Hudson is intended for leisure, it is also the site of social networking where the elite exchange pleasantries as well as business tips.
Yet, the Hudson also offers the ideal environment for the flaneur because there is always a stranger to look at, thus mirroring the pleasure that the flaneur experiences when he is walking in a crowded street. The spatial organization of the public areas is such that even outside of the main leisure areas (Library, Cafeteria, Garden and Hudson Bar), the corridors are lined with chairs, sofas and tables that invite you to sit down and watch those who walk by. This configuration mirrors a kind of street dynamic. The Hudson can be compared to a micro-city of sorts due to this configuration and the fact that everyone there is a stranger. From this perspective, the guest or visitor can make those entertaining spur of a moment decisions/observations that so epitomize urban life in safe populous neighborhoods (i.e. "what a heinous dress", "look at that nose job", "she's gorgeous"). To a certain extent, the Hudson encourages you to "consume" the strangers surrounding you, they should be perceived as the signs of an overarching theme as well. As odd as this may sound, gaining access to the Hudson does equate entrance and acceptance into an elite milieu that relies on the seeing/being seen dynamic. Besides, coming to such quick judgements about strangers is an innate and natural ability for urbanites.
Each of the Hudson's public spaces has its own theme, and by theme I mean design motif not function. For instance, the Library bar area has bookshelves along the walls. But the shelves are too high to reach and there is no rolling ladder. This is a striking example of the signified being torn from the signifier as the books have no function asides from creating atmosphere, they are nothing more then decoration, pure visual surrealism. This kind of bricolage is what gives the Hudson its original style; the meaning of the word library is being toyed with. Would you expect to see such a bizarre creation at the bar of a Marriott? Lower down, there are shelves displaying art books as well as desks with computer screens set in the surface. This surreal approach to design is also tangible in the neon-light escalators that bring you from the street entrance to the main floor of the Hudson. Critic Herbert Mushamp captures this bizarre experience as he writes, "visitors are sipped through a citron straw on the neon ride up."
Instead of referring to sign value, I feel that we should think of design value. It is the unique design that adds to exchange values. The escalator at the entrance, the useless library in the Library, the Clemente mural in the Hudson bar, all these unique design concepts add to the exchange values. A drink that would cost $5 to $6 dollars at your average New York bar goes for twice the price at the Hudson.
This is due to the fact that consumption occurs in such a trendy yet visually stimulating environment. The latter applies to the design as well as all the hip strangers that are part of the décor. The Hudson offers a fantasy environment due to its surrealist tendencies and its strong dose of refined elegance, thus creating an original and memorable experience for the client. The Hudson has a unique identity, its design value is enhanced by its spatial organization; this is precisely what boutique hotels hope to accomplish. Color, scale, light and space have been organized into an unmistakable structure, one whose identity is so apparent that the name of the hotel need not be portrayed inside or outside of the establishment. Thus, the signified does not need its signifier, because the Hudson can manifest itself with such originality that you would never confuse it with any other hotel, because the design is constantly whispering "I am beauty enjoy my splendor/ you are inside the Hudson."