With the growing number of solo diners, hotels and resorts are making sure they are comfortable. The Plume restaurant in Washington, D.C., created a program for solo diners last fall; several of its 18 seats are dedicated to diners who want a sense of privacy yet a feeling of inclusion. "The seating for this type of diner doesn't include being in the center of the room," said the restaurant's manager, Sean Mulligan. "We make sure they are not near the entrance or exit for privacy and 31 while making sure the diners have items like newspapers and magazines delivered to their table if they need it." At Metropolitan by Miami Beach, a dinner-for-one menu made its 32 earlier this year, with recommended seating at the corner of the hotel's terrace and the Traymore bar 33 for people-watching along a pedestrian area of Miami Beach Drive. At the Atwood Restaurant in Chicago, which was renovated last year, the general manager said an extension of the bar area was intentionally 34 into the lobby to attract the solo diner. Bjorn Hanson, a clinical professor of 35 and tourism at New York University's Tisch Center, said he has observed a recent increase in solo dining among those traveling on their own. "This type of experience continues to become more of a desire, and much of the stigma is less of an issue for younger travelers," he said in an email.