Milwaukee airport has a second hand bookstore which also sells used comic books. Its an unusual usage for an airport but I guess in a domestic terminal it might go very well. The problem of course is that it looks junky which would make most airports knock the idea back. That might be short-sighted however.
As hospitality automates for efficiency, a critical line is emerging. Explore the hospitality threshold — where frictionless design becomes soulless, and which moments must stay human.
Modern systems have turned rest into something we perform rather than something that restores us. This essay explores why holidays often fail to renew people, how work and the holiday industry reinforce the problem, and what real restoration actually requires.
Luxury resorts used to sell status and spectacle. Now they sell something quieter: relief. Guests arrive overloaded, and the best resorts are redesigning around sensory calm, reduced friction, and emotional steadiness. Modern luxury is less about what you add, and more about what you remove.
In high-stimulus public spaces, our bodies do more than react – they strategise.
Airports, hospitals, and stadiums all evoke subtle “Flight” responses: scanning, pacing, early exits.
Understanding how threat appraisal drives behaviour can help architects and planners design calmer spaces – and reveal why relaxation, not excitement, predicts dwell, spend, and satisfaction.