Walk into many of Kenya's grand hotels and you may find an old piano sitting quietly in the lobby. Sometimes it is polished and elegant. Sometimes it has not been tuned in years. More often than not, it serves as decoration rather than an instrument. Yet these pianos represent something larger: a tradition of hospitality that modern hotels around the world are beginning to rediscover. For over a century, the piano lobby occupied a special place in hotels. Before televisions, smartphones, and...

Playtona Grand Piano (c. 1925) This beautiful Playtona Grand Piano was manufactured during the golden age of American piano making, around 1925. The Playtona name was associated with Grinnell Brothers of Detroit, one of the largest and most respected piano retailers in the United States during the early twentieth century. Built during a period when piano craftsmanship was at its peak, Playtona pianos were constructed using quality hardwoods, durable cast-iron frames, and carefully selected...

Ritmüller is actually one of the more interesting piano brands in the modern market because it sits in a unique middle ground: European heritage branding combined with modern Chinese manufacturing under Pearl River Piano Group. The original Ritmüller company dates back to 1795 in Germany, and the brand was later revived by Pearl River with input from European piano designers. My view on them is this: They are far better than the “cheap Chinese piano” stereotype many people still repeat. They...