I follow The Wish List Atlanta on Instagram. When Laurie posted a photo of a pile of vintage hotel keys, I messaged her right away and told her I had to have them. I could imagine a big bowl of keys on the coffee table and the conversations that would ensue of sharing memories of vacations!
When the package arrived I couldn’t wait to look at each one, imagining their story. Like the kitschy look of this key — meet me for cocktails at the Madhatter Lounge.
From Toledo, Ohio to Kailua, Kona, Hawaii to The Royal Caribbean Montego Bay, Jamaica. The size of some of these keys made me chuckle. To think how now we are mostly issued plastic, disposable key cards. No story to tell there.
Holiday Inn Town in Lansing, Michigan to the 89er Inn in Oklahoma City to the Hospitality Motor inn in Lansing, Michigan.
There were also a few airport locker keys. Mystery.
And this one from Kenya.
Fun stories in this pile, and I am sure a few bittersweet ones like perhaps from the Medical Center Motel. I have something new to search for at antique stores and estate sales. I love things that tell a story. These might just be the key…
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
Love your collection.