The actual lighting fixtures in the hotel setting are often disregarded because people’s focus shifts to the architecture, the furniture, and the overall design of the place. But that’s the beauty of lighting. It can bring the best out of anything without stealing the spotlight.

Lighting design is essential for outstanding customer experience. Hotel lighting may look simple to the untrained eye, but meticulous work and careful planning have been put to work to create certain effects. Only a professional and experienced lighting designer can do this task.

Here are the reasons how the role of a lighting designer in enhancing your hotel aesthetics can improve your business

1) Keep updated with trends

From incandescent and fluorescent lamps, hotels are now shifting to LED lights which are more energy-efficient. The use of solar-powered lighting designs is also encouraged to create more sustainable businesses.

Potential clients now add environment-friendliness to their checklist in booking a hotel. They prefer a company that deems large energy consumption through the use of traditional electricity sources harmful to nature.

Years ago, the trend was modern and futuristic lighting fixtures. Nowadays, the fad is over vintage, filament-type lighting designs reminiscent of the days when the lighting bulb was just discovered.

Hotels are also veering from the use of grandiose chandeliers and lavish fixtures. You’ll notice that more are using minimalistic and functional lighting designs.

Customer preferences shift every now and then. Making sure you keep up with the changes will keep your hotel relevant for all generations. And there’s no better way to stay updated than hiring a lighting designer for your hotel.

2) Integrate lighting into the architecture

Back then, architects would do all the decorating job, including the lighting design of the hotel. Lights were only added after other designs have been put in place. The result wasn’t exceptional, but it works, as light installations served their purpose of illuminating an area.

The consensus among establishments is that light bulbs and lamps are essentially easy to use, so you don’t have to make things complicated by thinking about ambiance, temperature, and color. All you need to do is to plug them and you have a fixed light source.

If you’re illuminating a warehouse or a convenience store, installing a light bulb is a basic skill you can apply without the help of a lighting designer. But if you’re decorating a hotel that requires intricate and meticulous planning, using the same tactic will result in a mediocre and unmemorable design.

The role of lighting designers is to pitch in creative ideas that will give your hotel a distinctive appeal for your branding. Their inputs are now being included in the planning along with architects in designing hotel buildings.

More than their function of providing light, light fixtures are now used as decoration and part of the building architecture. Light provides effects that cannot be achieved by any other means.

3) Identify the appropriate lighting fixture

Do you know that warm lights produce a calming effect? Putting them in bedrooms, dining areas, and lounges can soothe customers and make them more comfortable.

But how would you know which light fixtures promote warmth? This is where the role of lighting designers come into the picture.

Hotel lighting design is complicated since there are different kinds of lights appropriate for promoting the desired effect in a space.

LED lights offer an extensive range of styles, colors, and features. There are floor lamps, pendant lights, chandeliers, glass rods, lampshades, under-cabinet lighting, wall sconces, and LED strips. There are literally endless varieties of lighting fixtures that you can mix and match to beautify your hotel.

A gorgeously decorated venue can’t exhibit its true value without proper lighting. Even if you display luxurious furniture pieces, they won’t mean a thing in a poorly lit space. On the other hand, a plain space with basic – or even inexpensive – ornaments can look exquisite when matched with the right lighting.

Lighting designers consider the amount and color of light as they affect the view of objects and surroundings. The distribution of light, its intensity, and its direction during certain times of the day are all accounted for in illuminating your hotel.

4) Compliance with regulations

Hotels are one of the biggest energy consumers in the market, with all the lights, air-conditioning, water heaters, and appliances working almost 24/7. This is the reason why they’re required by the government to comply with regulations on energy consumption.

You can’t just install any lighting fixture in your hotel. You have to consider the total energy consumption of the establishment to make sure you stay within the prescribed range.

Hotels usually aim for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, as it’s a widely recognized rating system for building sustainability. A hotel lighting designer can make your business compliant to any energy regulation without sacrificing aesthetic value.

5) Create brand consistency

The overall color scheme of your hotel affects the type of lighting needed to emphasize the atmosphere you want to promote. Of the numerous styles of lighting fixtures available, only a number of them will fit your branding.

You can’t use just about anything you find gorgeous and install them wherever you want. There are aesthetical and functional guidelines that must be considered to ensure you don’t sacrifice brand consistency in exchange for aesthetics alone.

Most people know only about the functional purpose of lighting. But experts like Baseline Lighting Design Studio understand how each lighting fixture influences your hotel’s branding.

6) Help manage spaces

Traditional structuring of hotels features separate foyers for the dining, bar, reception, and lounge areas. But this is gradually being traded for free-flowing spaces where all these different functions happen in one large room.

In the absence of walls or permanent separators to distinguish each function, lighting can be used to create the distinction. Lighting designers can adjust the brightness and color of lights to adapt to the designated function. Lights provide flexibility without sacrificing utility or flair.

Look at function halls. They can be used for almost any occasion without having to do any drastic alterations to the space. The lighting alone can set the appropriate mood for the occasion, regardless if it’s a party, a business meeting, or a solemn activity.

7) Improve energy efficiency

Hotels and similar businesses in the hospitality industry are some of the biggest energy consumers. On average, hotels spend more than $2,000 per room annually on energy costs; around 10% to 20% of this amount is spent on lighting alone.

With the increasing pressure to shift to greener solutions, hotels are replacing outdated lighting fixtures with CFL, LED, and OLED counterparts.

The role of lighting designers is to determine how your hotel can save on lighting costs without sacrificing aesthetics and functionality. Practical and environment-friendly solutions are most welcome, especially in today’s highly competitive market where every penny saved is vital.

Installing motion sensors can be handy in reducing energy costs. Than, they can automatically turn off or dim the lights when no one is in the vicinity. A lighting designer can determine the places where to best put the equipment for maximum efficiency.

Lighting design adds that much-needed oomph factor to make your hotel memorable and differentiate your brand from competitors. Therefore, it is an essential element in a hotel’s success, thus the need for an experienced professional lighting designer to plan, manage, and install lighting fixtures.

Baseline Lighting Design Studio is a professional lighting expert that can support your brand in creating remarkable customer experiences through hotel lighting. Get your free quote now or send us a message if you have questions about our services.