Dec. 06, 2023
Lights & Lighting
As we have seen, hotel guests expect to receive a good welcome, to relax in the common areas, to have a comfortable and technological room and to be able to use practical and functional work environments.
Your hotel lighting project must ensure the right light in each of the environments to offer the customer a positive experience that motivates him to return.
You can choose LED lights, which allow you to create different atmospheres capable of indulge all the emotional nuances and customize the various environments in a way dynamic.
Furthermore, they lead to a significant reduction in energy consumption, both by their nature, both because they allow you to adjust the intensity of the lighting at various times of the day, always offering an optimal ratio between artificial light and natural light.
The hotel presents itself gradually to the eyes of the customer, who follows a path that follows him gradually leads you to discover the various environments.
In the reception you get a first impression on the hospitality and style of the hotel, therefore the general lighting of the hall must make the reception point recognizable and intuitively outline access to rooms and common areas.
In the corridors, the lighting must be harmonized with the geometry, in fact it can make it seem more high the ceiling, counteract the tunnel effect and make the path more dynamic through the use of horizontal cuts of light that modify the perception of length.
The vertical lighting facilitates the recognition of people and the backlit panels make it easy to recognize the room number.
In the room, the lighting must support the various functions that it normally does plays the guest, such as reading, watching TV, accessing the internet, relaxing, and so on.
To make this possible, it is optimal to use a single command multifunction easily interpretable, so that he can adjust and get it right light level at all times.
We have also seen that the most innovative hotels provide special apps that allow, via smartphone, to open the room and to regulate all electrical services, such as the air conditioning, the intensity and color of the light, the shutters, etc.
In the bathroom, mirror lighting plays a very important role, because it offers the ability to identify every detail well.
In the common areas, the lights must integrate with the architecture and furnishings. How long concerns the relaxation area and the massage area, you must know how to illuminate spaces using sources light with a soft beam and a warm tone, in order to allow guests the maximum level of relaxation, given above all by the sensation of feeling completely a at ease.
The keywords in the complete design of hotel lighting are:
Obviously, without ever neglecting comfort, which must be the must element of all accommodation.
In order for the hotel you are planning to become the first choice of customers, you must be able to structure a concept of internal and external light with a unique and functional design for each part of which the hotel is made up.
What remains etched in the guests’ memories is the lighting, because it is the light itself the element capable of deciding the perceptive experience of customers, a fundamental factor for their evaluation of the stay in the hotel.
Outline the concept of the structure and customize it with such imaginative lighting as appropriate, choosing solutions to meet every kind of need: this will result in such a pleasant experience for guests that it will motivate them to come back.
Always keep in mind that each area of the hotel needs specific lighting and functional to the activities to which it has been designated.
Choose luminous bodies to best define the character of the hotel on the outside, and then concentrate on maintaining that stylistic line in each of the interior areas, including the bedrooms.
You can opt for different lamps to integrate in order to create plays of light eye-catching, in order to make the spaces as less static as possible, except for obviously, of the relaxation area.
Since this is the area used for relaxation, the choice of soft lighting and non-dynamic will give guests feelings of tranquility and quiet and will facilitate their more complete relaxation.
That said, if you follow this complete design guide, hotel lighting will help you it will be much simpler: remember the keywords that recall the various ones features we have observed in this article to create a project how much as meticulous as possible.
The innovative trends that differentiate the various hotels are decisive for the type of lighting that you will have to foresee, as it will be the light that enhances the concept diversification of hotels. In this sense, therefore, to understand what kind of hotel it is, what are its characteristic elements and what kind of clientele it intends to communicate to essential for you to create a specific project capable of marrying the vision of your client.
To be able to create a complete project, therefore, you will have to combine in a way strategic all the points seen so far, finding the most suitable way to integrate all features that are sure to make your hotel lighting project a real one success in all its parts, which will result in the success of the accommodation for you commissioned.
Getting hotel lighting right can be a complicated task to achieve but you don’t have to do it alone, join us on our journey as we tell you everything you need to know about hotel lighting. The lighting industry has come a long way from first using candle lighting, that’s right, candle lighting is considered to be lighting technology. Today, we recommend hotels use LED lighting technology as it offers superior lighting performance, longer life hours, energy savings, and a higher quality of light to shine upon your property. This is not to say that previous lighting technology like candles or incandescent lighting is bad, just that they have become outdated.
An excellent example of a hotel that has moved on with the times is The Edison Hotel based in Times Square New York, NY. Constructed by E.T. Drumheller in 1871, this hotel officially became the first hotel in the world to be illuminated using incandescent lights on July 4, 1883. As incredible as that it is, the Edison Hotel has another feat that makes this hotel special to lighting professionals around the world. The first person to turn on the lights to this hotel was none other than Thomas Edison himself. As a lighting professional, I can honestly say that I would travel back in time to enjoy this historic moment.
Yet, time doesn’t cease to move forward and along with that so does technology. I’m sure Mr. Edison would be proud to see what his initial creation has evolved into. The Edison Hotel has since replaced those incandescent light bulbs first turned on by Edison and replaced them with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). LEDs offer superior energy savings, especially when compared to incandescent light bulbs. Although LEDs are the best lighting solution right now your hotel may still be using older-gen lighting solutions. Let’s explore these lighting technologies now.
The first bulb we’ll explore is the High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp invented by Francis Hauksbee over 300 years ago in 1705. At the time of its invention, the glass housing was filled with air but was later replaced with xenon as Hauksbee discovered doing so would increase light output. Creating a lot is what these bulbs do best and although you won’t find them inside your hotel, there’s a chance you have them in your parking lot. Other applications for these types of lights include gymnasium lighting, warehouse lighting, and stadium lighting.
Next up is the incandescent light bulb that is often credited to Edison in 1879, though some controversy still remains. The special thing about the incandescent and Edison’s involvement in its development is that of continual improvement. Historically, other inventors such as William Sawyer and Albon Man had U.S. patents for this technology. Edison did however make significant improvements to the original incandescent bulb, lengthening the bulb life from 14.5 hours to 1,200 hours. Along with these improvements, Edison invented a standardized base for light bulbs, originally called the Edison Screw; we lighting professionals now call it the E26 Medium Screw base. You might have noticed the “E” before the 26 and if you guessed that this E stands for Edison Screw, you’d be right.
What about our energy usage though, where do incandescent lights stand in regards to their energy efficiency. Well, a 100-watt incandescent lightbulb running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year would use about 876 kWh of energy. This would cost you $131.40 per bulb minus the cost of replacing the bulb, which would be around 12 times over the year. Back in 1879, these numbers were great, after all this lighting technology was an improvement upon Arc Lamps which we won’t cover here but is admittedly a very cool name.
The next light bulb you’ll likely find is a fluorescent light bulb, introduced commercially in 1927, these lamps can be found just about everywhere. Much like the incandescent light bulbs, these were being invented long before 1927. It wasn’t until the improvements made by Edmund Germer that made it an economical option. Germer made the cost of producing these bulbs more effective and reduced heating concerns that were common among users. Regardless of their heat dissipation, these bulbs are more energy-efficient than incandescent lighting. Yet, technology continues to improve year over year which leads us to our next lighting improvement, the halogen lamp.
The halogen lamp was first invented in 1882 but wasn’t available commercially until General Electric patented their halogen lamp that used iodine as a halogen gas. Once patented in 1959 these bulbs entered the market and it wasn’t long before you could spot one anywhere and everywhere. On average, halogen lamps offered an energy efficiency of 28% more than incandescent light bulbs. On top of that, they also lasted 2.8 years longer than incandescents on average. As you can see, halogen offered amazing benefits compared to its predecessor, fluorescent lighting.
As you might have expected me to say, technology gets better each year and with that so does lighting technology. Thus we have the introduction of the Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) in 1976 to help businesses save on their energy costs, and boy did they help businesses save on their energy cost. When compared to incandescent light bulbs, CFLs are about 75% more energy-efficient than incandescent lighting. Plus, they last about 14 years or 10,000 hours while incandescents last about 1.4 years or 1,000 hours. It’s not hard to see the benefits of using this lighting technology from the numbers.
Now though, there is a new reigning king for energy efficiency, cost savings, and a new factor of color rendering. The Light Emitting Diode (LED) was formally introduced to the market in 1994. Though it has been some time since LEDs have entered the market, you’ll still not likely find these being the dominant lighting technology in use today. In fact, you’ll be much more likely to see a CFL or halogen than you would find an LED. It’s too bad too as more should switch to LED immediately for the cost savings.
On average, LEDs are rated for a 34-year life span, that’s more than 24 times the life space of incandescent bulbs. On top of their long life, they reduce additional costs like air conditioning by putting off less heat than their predecessors. The idea of saving money on AC is not a benefit that clients usually guess, yet older lighting technologies are known for putting off a significant amount of heat, raising AC costs. Lastly, these bulbs render colors better than any of the older generations, there’s no yellowish or blue-ish tint to colors under LED lighting.
After learning about the different types of lighting technologies, you might be wondering where you’re likely to find these bulbs in your hotel. Although you’re likely to find many of these lighting technologies being used throughout your hotel, finding them is more dependent on their bulb shape than their lighting technology. Below is a general area list of where you’re likely to find different shapes of light bulbs.
These bulbs can be found anywhere in a hotel so keep an eye out in your hallways, guest rooms, ballrooms, and other areas and you’re likely to spot one of these bulbs.
These bulbs can be found in similar places as A Series lamps yet you’re more likely to find them being used in decorative applications like chandelier lighting.
These bulbs can be found in appliances, exit sign lighting, and unique applications around the hotel.
These are going to be found in decorative lighting applications.
These bulbs can be found being used for ceiling lighting, recessed lighting, and other ceiling lighting applications.
These are often used for spotlight lighting, lobby lighting, bathroom lighting, and display lighting.
These bulbs can also be found being used for ceiling lighting, especially for the entryways of guestrooms and shower lighting.
These lightbulbs can be found lighting up bathroom vanities, decorative lobby lighting, hallway lighting, and conference room lighting.
These tube-shaped bulbs can be found being used for reading lamps, decorative lighting, and nostalgic lighting in bars and restaurants.
These bulbs can be found being used for pool lighting, underwater lighting, and for tall ceilings above 12ft.
You won’t often find these bulbs as they are mostly used for unique applications, so if all other lighting options fail you, then you’re likely to find these bulbs being used.
These bulbs can be found in lighting mirrors or high-end pieces of art.
These bulbs are often found being used for back-of-house applications like in the kitchen, offices, workers quarters, and emergency stairwell lighting.
If you find one of these bulbs around your hotel then please send us a picture, we’re big fans of prehistoric lighting technologies. Seriously, send us a picture and we’ll get you a lighting audit so we can find out how much energy you can be saving by switching to LED technology.
This has been your introduction to the Basics of Hotel Lighting for Hoteliers by GoodBulb. We hope you’ve found this introduction useful and if you did then the good news is that we are delivering more content just like this for hotel owners and management.
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If you’re considering a retrofit lighting project for your hotel or really any project, then give us a call to receive a FREE energy-saving audit report. Call us at (701.205.4953), mention this code “GBHLC” and we’ll work with you to find out how much you could be saving by switching to LED lighting. We’ll also find any available energy rebates to help reduce the initial cost of your retrofit project.
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