As a hotel manager or hotel owner, there are many aspects to making your guests’ stay the most comfortable. One of the best ways to create that feeling is through your lighting strategy. When your lighting layout is working—setting the right tone, compliments the room and decoration, functional for reading, working, or applying makeup—guests have a positive experience. Likewise, when the lighting strategy is not working—mismatched lighting temperatures, flickering bulbs, too dim—guests will notice, and it reflects poorly on your hotel.
This is why we’ve put together 7 common lighting mistakes to avoid when lighting your hotel! Use this as your guide to avoid lighting errors, and create a wonderful lighting experience for your guests.
Low quality light bulbs
Have you ever taken a video on your phone and noticed the lighting in the room is flickering? This is caused by a lower quality bulb with a low electrical refresh cycle. Low electrical refresh cycle can lead to eye strain and fatigue for your guests. Solution? Invest in the right bulbs! Guests may not realize it’s the lighting that’s making a difference, but they will feel it. Avoid eye fatigue and headaches from bad lighting, and get high-quality bulbs that look good.
Low, dim lighting
It can be tempting to prioritize ambiance over practicality when it comes to lighting. Yet when lighting a room for your guest, it’s important to find the right balance of not just making the place cozy, but what your guests will use it for. Use a brighter light at the desk for those who need to get work done late into the night. Put a dimmable light by the bed for those who like to read before sleep. Don’t forget proper lighting for the closet and dressing area.
Not enough lighting for room size
Make sure your lighting layout is appropriate for the layout of the room. The lighting needs for a small queen room won’t be the same as the lighting for a king suite. Adding the correct amount of lighting for a room will also prevent a room being too dark. Giving your guests options for what lights to turn on and off will let them create the atmosphere they want to enjoy while they stay. (For assistance in creating the right, cost-efficient lighting layout, give us a call at 701-205-4953)
We recommend using the spectrum of light throughout the room. Â This hotel was making a lighting mistake before working with GoodBulb.
Lack of lighting variation
Particularly in large rooms, a lack of lighting variation creates a stale, uninteresting atmosphere. We’ve found that you not only need more lighting in larger rooms but you also a variety of lights throughout the room. From small desk lamps to standing lamps by sitting areas, a variety of lights will make your room stand out and be more memorable for your guest.
Poor lighting placement
Guests commonly use rooms in similar ways, so why do hotel rooms tend to put lights in unhelpful places? Light switches are far away from beds, standing lamps stand in the middle of spaces no one uses, or people can’t even see in the closet. Poor lighting placement can ruin a guest’s stay as it complicates their routine. Take note of how and where you would like a light to be, and take that into consideration when planning out your lighting layout.
Harsh overhead bathroom lights
The one place hotels seem to add plenty of light is the bathroom, but the lighting options might not be the best for what your guests need. Overly bright overhead lights in the bathroom are not helpful for those who apply makeup or shave. Often, the shadows mean they can’t see the bottom half of their face. Moving the light in front of the face while standing in front of the mirror and using more of a natural light style bulb will help guests not only see better but feel better!
Lights taking up valuable electrical plug-ins
There are a limited number of electrical plug-ins for a room and in the modern age, most guests need to use them for charging phones, working with their computers, and more. When the lighting in the room takes up the electrical plug-ins, guests might have to sacrifice either a needed light or a place to charge their own electronics. If possible, design a room that uses the minimal number of plug-ins for lighting.
Avoiding these mistakes will make your guests’ stay that much better. No eye strain, better reading lights, and overall a more comfortable hotel experience. These are the details that lead to 5-star reviews, and return guests!
Remember, you can always call on the Lumen Masters for more support in creating a custom lighting strategy for your hotel. At GoodBulb, we’ve worked with hotels for over 25 years and have a lot of experience in creating the right ambiance without sacrificing the right lighting. Call us at 701-205-4953.
