What have we learned from working with hoteliers? What are the most common lighting issues that plague them?

Lighting in a hotel is never just decoration. It is part of the guest experience, but also part of an operating system that must function without interruption. Through working with hoteliers, from small boutique hotels to larger systems, we have learned that problems are rarely just about appearance. Much more often, it is about maintenance, repeatability, deadlines, and compliance with technical requirements.

In the design phase, everything seems simple. You choose a nice lamp, match it to the interior, and move on. But the reality of a hotel lasts for ten or more years. That’s when real lighting problems surface, causing headaches for hoteliers.

Uneven identity and the problem of reproducibility

The hotel must have a clear visual signature. A guest who stays in one room expects the same standard in the other. If the lighting is procured from different suppliers, without a clear strategy, an uneven impression is created very quickly. One series of lamps is no longer available, another shade cannot be repeated, and a third model has been withdrawn from the market.

Lighting for hotels must therefore be repeatable. This means that the same lamp, the same shade, or the same detail can be ordered several years later. Without this, the hotel slowly loses visual consistency, and any replacement becomes improvisation.

Along with that comes the issue of spare parts. If the carrier is specific, if the construction is non-standard, or if the manufacturer no longer exists, maintenance becomes expensive and complicated. The hotel does not want to throw away the lamp because of a small part that cannot be obtained.

Maintenance, budget and technical compliance

One of the biggest challenges is balancing the impression of luxury with a realistic budget. Guests expect a warm, comfortable, and impressive atmosphere. But the hotel must look at the total cost over the years of use. Cheap lighting often means more frequent breakdowns, more difficult maintenance, and a shorter lifespan. In the long run, this almost always turns out to be a more expensive solution.

There are also technical requirements. Lighting in a hotel must meet fire safety standards, have appropriate certificates, be energy efficient, and be adapted to specific zones such as bathrooms or wellness areas. Aesthetics without technical safety is not an option.

A special theme is flexibility. A restaurant is a breakfast space in the morning, an intimate fine dining space in the evening. A conference room receives business guests today, wedding guests tomorrow. Lighting must support different scenarios, without completely changing the system.

And finally, deadlines. The opening of a hotel is a date that is not easily moved. If the lighting is late, the entire project is late. A reliable partner in production and delivery is often more important than the lowest price on paper.

From all that has been learned, one thing is clear. A hotel is not just buying a lamp. It is buying a system, long-term reliability, and an experience that the guest remembers, even though they may never consciously notice the lighting.