Hospitality lighting is all about combining aesthetics and functionality. Hotel guest rooms play host to a plethora of individuals, each with varied tastes when it comes to their lighting preferences and different needs throughout their stay. For hospitality lighting to have the right lighting at all times, it needs to have layers of light and easy controls for the hotel guest.

Control the Light

Hotel rooms need to be bright enough to work in and comfortable enough for guests to relax in. Since it’s nearly impossible to do both at once, the ability to control the lighting in a hotel room is essential. The easiest way to accomplish this is by using several smaller lights instead of one or two large fixtures. Make sure everything is not just controlled by a single switch (although a separate master switch is a great idea), so guests have the option of using all, some, or none of the lights based on what they need at any given time. Another welcome addition to hotel guest rooms is the dimmer switch. These switches allow your guests to control the level of light in the room instead of just flipping certain lights on and off.

Set the Mood

It’s not enough to just control the brightness and direction of a hotel room’s lighting. The color of the lights can have a major impact on the mood and atmosphere in a space. Light with a higher Kelvin color temperature emit a bluer light that is better suited for daytime hours and times when guests need to be productive. However, if that’s the only type of lighting in the guest rooms, it may be difficult for your guests to relax at the end of the day. Using warmer colored lights at night will help avoid the bright appearance of cooler colored lights. Use cool white lights in larger overhead fixtures and desk lamps that are more likely to be used during the day, and use warm white lights in nighttime fixtures like bedside lamps.

Efficiency and Easy Maintenance

Much of a hotel’s energy usage is lighting, about 30 percent. By investing and switching to LED lighting, you can reduce that percentage and your utility costs since they can consume up to 90 percent less energy than other light sources. LED light bulbs and fixtures also last longer to help cut down replacement costs as well. The switch to LED technology can even lower your summer air conditioning bills because LEDs produce far less heat than halogens, incandescents, and CFLs. As an added bonus, LEDs with high color rendering indexes (CRI) can enhance the room’s décor, making fabrics and wall colors appear more vibrant and luxurious.

A good way to avoid time consuming replacements in hotel rooms is by predominately using floor lamps, table lamps, and wall sconces instead of ceiling mounted fixtures. These types of fixtures have bulbs within easy reach of a housekeeper, so swapping out a dead bulb with a fresh one is quick and easily taken care of while they are already in the room tidying up. Ceiling fixtures would typically need a ladder to be reached, which is usually handled by the maintenance man.

Have any questions about how to make your hotel rooms a “home away from home” for your guests? Leave them in the comments section below or speak to one of our lighting experts at 1-800-624-4488 Monday through Friday 7am to 7pm CST.