Me 13 Dec 05

You forgot to note that the landmarks on the map are actual pictures and not just dots on a grid. It’s very helpful.

Dan Boland 13 Dec 05

Too bad those bastards are tough to fold back up. ;D

Josh 13 Dec 05

I’m pretty sure they are called z-cards. It’s a patented marketing tool sold by a particular company.

I used to have one that Pizza Hut in Dubai gave away (mid 1990’s). It was essentially a map of Dubai and in the squares bordering the map was advertising (to help pay for the promotion).

They were actually super-easy to fold up!

Tony 13 Dec 05

What holds it together when it’s folded?

JF 13 Dec 05

What holds it together when it�s folded?

Your pocket or whatever other pressure you apply. It doesn’t open unless you want it to open.

Jaime 13 Dec 05

I have actually stayed at that Hyatt a few times, and those maps sure come in handy when you’re not from around Chicago. Definitely a great idea that’s not only good for the business, it’s good for the consumer.

Justin 13 Dec 05

I stayed at the Georgetown Inn a while back and they had the same thing, which was very cool since I hadn’t been to DC before.

Brian Breslin 13 Dec 05

Where is this hotel? Maybe I should stay there for the workshop…

Mark Webster 13 Dec 05

These are handy. I believe they’re called PopOut Maps. I know Rand McNally sells them for a bunch of citys. I always thought they were kind of lame as a retail product, because the map ends up ripping on the folds eventually, but seems perfect for disposable use like Hyatt uses them…

Matt Kirkland 13 Dec 05

My favorite hotel in Shenzhen, China uses the same. Ordinarily I find those little maps to be annoying, but it was the only city map I could get my hands on in English. It saved me a lot of trouble, although the Chinese cab drivers had trouble with it.

Chris Keane 13 Dec 05

There are NYC subway maps available in a similar format, though they lack the card holder, which is a shame, because it would be a perfect compliment to the MetroCards used by commuters on the trains and buses.

Dave M 13 Dec 05

TripBuilder.com

Best. Freebie. Ever. I have the San Diego one.

What’s not coming across from the pictures is that these things are about the size of a business card. Mine is 9x6 cm, folds out to 30x23 cm, and the cartography is exceptional for such a small map.

david 13 Dec 05

Wait, is the key holder integrated into the map? Because that actually seems, to me, a rather bad idea: the hotel should not be encouraging storing the key in something that’s so likely to be misplaced (people are not nearly as careful with maps as they are with their wallets).

Fred 13 Dec 05

Speaking of, anyone attend the Holiday Showcase today?? Fred Grandy from the Love Boat was there.

dusoft 13 Dec 05

What about losing the card while studying the map somewhere out? Is it secured against this? Otherwise it’s easy to loose the card (it could slip, whatever).

Cortland Coleman 14 Dec 05

This is the exact same design used by Phish for their Milllennium Shows (6 years ago) in Big Cypress, Florida. As you passed through the gates you were given a map/guide for the festivities. I think it was even gently magnetized to aid cohesion.

jd 14 Dec 05

that’ll be based on the “zcard”:http://www.zcard.com then, a patented folding system used for a wide range of information design, here in europe at least.

“mathscard”:http://www.mathscard.info is a nice example (though the website does it no justice) of how to give school kids the fundamentals in one bite-sized helping. in the flesh, the card is a thing of beauty, and a great example of aesthetics and function working together.

jd 14 Dec 05

oops, i really should learn how to insert a basic html link!