Hospital or hotel? New hospitals take cues from hospitality industry

If the complimentary, fruit-infused water inside the front door of Palmetto Health's brand-new Baptist Parkridge hospital fails to remind patients and their visitors of a spa, then they should turn around. Across the lobby, there's the actual spa. Or at least there will be once it's finished this fall. South Carolina's newest hospital in northwest Columbia officially opened in mid-March - just in time to serve as the stunning, if unconventional, backdrop for a few prom pictures. This $120.6 million gleaming glass complex offers the latest example of a national trend that's already hit the Lowcountry. New hospitals resemble four-star hotels.