Tampa Hotel Rope Walls

To greet guests coming in the door at the new JW Marriott Tampa, we wanted to extend a big welcome. In this case, big didn't have to be loud or even out-loud; this pair of complementing rope art installations did the talking. Designed like a giant arrow pointing you to the concierge, the pieces draw you in and greet you with a conversation of design details that unfurl the closer you get.

Playing off the riverside location, the artwork draws on Tampa's maritime history with a contemporary twist; hundreds of feet of knots and twists to be precise. In addition to being a soothing visual presence in the marble-clad lobby, the woven rope panels absorb and diffuse sound in a way that improves the guest experience even more. Environmental awareness in mind, the rope was sourced in a nearby state from cotton grown on the East Coast. Some natural sisal-fiber rope from Latin America weaves between the American cotton for a nod to Florida's shared cross-cultural heritage.