Not even the stairwells are exempt from improvement at William P. Hobby Airport! The top stairwell in the terminal recently underwent an extreme makeover as Hobby continues to work toward the vision of the Houston Airport System (HAS) to establish Houston as “a five-star global air service gateway where the magic of flight is celebrated.”

Liliana Rambo, General Manager at William P Hobby Airport, spoke recently about the increasingly vital role of the airport interior in benefiting the overall passenger experience.

“The proper ambience is important,” Liliana said, “but ambience is far more than terminal design, outstanding artwork, comfort seating, and world-class shopping and dining experiences. Proper ambience is achieved when the entire experience resonates with the individual passenger – and that’s what we’re striving to do.

“We want our Airport to be a place where you actually enjoy spending time,” Liliana said.

Liliana recently directed her team to make suggestions for improvements to a nondescript stairwell area adjacent to the parking garage at Hobby. “At Liliana’s suggestion, we had a brainstorming session,” said Michael Powers, Division Manager – Project Management, “and tossed around some ideas as to what we could do to enhance the aesthetics of the area. We finally settled on one response – art. Art was what was needed to bring the area to life.”

Scaffolding was quickly installed and electricians, painters, and Airport staff all worked in concert with one another to get the space ready in a matter of weeks. “They have all been pros about it,” Michael said. “We decided to top off the complete stairwell re-do with art and so we enlisted the services of Tommy Gregory, the HAS Public Art Program Director and Curator.”

Tommy was very pleased to offer his and his team’s services.

“Art provides a little bit of a respite for the traveler,” Tommy said, “almost like seeing flowers in bloom. We see it as being a nice surprise - something that pops up and you get to appreciate it for a moment. It gives people a break from seeing seat numbers and observing flight schedules – we endeavor to take their minds off travel for just a few moments.”

Tommy said that HAS has taken a lot of pride in so much of its artwork being by Texas- and Houston-based artists. “This piece is by an Austin-based contemporary abstract artist, Jennifer Chenoweth,” he said, “and she answered an open call by the HAS for portable works. We’re very pleased to have this opportunity to showcase her work.”

Modern-day airports must do all that they can to ensure the entire flight experience is positive for each customer. “We want to offset the necessary inconveniences of 21^st-century travel,” Liliana said. “Our objective is to create a positive, calming atmosphere in an experience that for some can be rather chaotic.”

Our staff takes great pride in our Airport,” Liliana said, “and we will always make the extra effort to make the flight experience special for our passengers. Ambience is a big part of that – and that includes the stairwells!”