After seeing on social media that a Hampton Inn in Waltham, Mass., had a wall in their lobby showcasing shelves of antique radios, my dad, Dan Slentz, and I were curious to find out why.

With the location of Waltham just 30 minutes away from the city of Malden, Mass., where radio equipment was made by the National Radio Company years ago, our initial thought was the hotel chain wanted to tie-in to the radio industry and that city, but that wasn’t the case.
I ended up calling the general manager of the hotel, David HardioSuwito, to ask what the story was behind the radios and overall design.
He said, “When building the hotel in 2017, the designer’s idea was to relate the hotel with the history of Waltham,” later revealing that a cherished watch factory used to reside in Waltham. It would not be easy for the designer to decorate the hotel with watches so, instead, they focused on timekeeping in general.

The manager fondly referred to the design team as the “time team,” saying they worked on paying homage to the historic watch factory. We learned that, instead of radios on the walls, they were clock radios … and the clock theme didn’t stop there.

Found in the hotel is endless clock paraphernalia, from clock pillows in guests’ suites to round mirrors that resemble clocks. The designer went all out and guests loved it.

“Guests love the clock radio wall, they take photos and selfies in front of it,” said HardioSuwito, adding that they’ve only had one radio casualty from a young guest who accidentally knocked it over.
HardioSuwito said older generations’ faces light up as they recognize a clock radio from their past. What once started as a design for their hotel turned into a way for every generation to connect during their stay.
The author is a dedicated first-year student at Kent State University. Daughter of longtime Radio World contributor Dan Slentz, Gracie enjoys the art of theater and storytelling. She is excited to make her first submission to Radio World and continue her path in communications.