When it comes to running a hotel, first impressions are everything. You can have comfortable beds and clean bathrooms, but if your lobby is bland, it’s not going to keep clients coming back.
The secret to good lobby decoration is to consider the fact that not all of your customers are going to be content to stay in their room the entire time. They’re going to want somewhere to chill to eat breakfast and unwind.
You need a design that will engage your client’s senses while they sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Check out this guide to learn how to get started.
Lobby Size
The first step to good lobby design is the size. Nobody is going to want to sit near the main entrance if it’s crowded. Many people go to the hotel lobby for more than a cup of coffee.
They’re going to expect restaurants and bars. Some hotels have small libraries where their guests can enjoy a good book. It’s going to be hard for you to have these cool features if you’re working with limited space.
If you’re going to offer some of these accommodations, we recommend using zoning strategically. Keep your library section separate from the bars using panels or your furniture arrangement.
Speaking of your furniture arrangement, depending on how you place your chairs and couches, you can make your smaller lobby appear larger. Mirrors will do the trick as well.
Staff
Staff members are as big of a part of creating a welcoming lobby as your decorations. You’re going to want your friendliest people at the front greeting your customers.
Open things up where it’s easy for your staff to work with your guests. Meaning, you shouldn’t face the furniture away from the front desk or place your workers behind large computer screens.
By not blocking off your staff’s smiling faces, it will make your customers feel as if they can talk to your workers. It makes things appear way less corporate.
Bring In a Few Plants
There’s nothing that creates a sense of happiness quite like plants. Really, studies show that being near nature makes people feel much calmer.
They can also make people way more productive, so they may give your employees working in the lobby a nice boost of motivation. If you have a work area where your guests can type away at their laptops, having Phillips Interior Plants there will help them out as well.
They can set the mood of the entire resort. If you want to go with a tropical feel, you’ll use palm trees in the design, for example.
Engage the Senses
When you decorate a lobby, you should do so with the intent to engage all the senses. You shouldn’t stop at making it appealing to the eyes.
Smells have a huge impact on a person’s mood. Pleasant aromas will invite people to sit down for a while and take in everything your lobby has to offer.
If you don’t believe us, think about how smelling coffee when you first wake up in the morning makes you feel. It wakes you up and may trigger memories of your mornings as a younger child.
The same concept applies to your lobby. Lavender can make individuals feel calm while strong citrus scents will wake them up. Most people associate white tea and thyme with cleanliness.
Create a Unique Check-in Experience
Nobody likes standing in a line waiting to check-in. They want to get to the part where they get to enjoy their room. You can take some of the frustration out of the wait by making your procedure a little more unique.
Allow your customers to chill on a couch while they wait and offer them some refreshments. This will cast the illusion that their vacation has started before you hand them their keys.
Work on Your Lighting
The difference between an overwhelming corporate facility and an inviting lobby is your lighting. Bright fluorescent lights are overwhelming to the eyes. There’s not a single person who likes them.
On the flip side of this, you don’t want your lights to be too dim either. It will make things more chill, but it’s hard to see. It can also make your lobby look a lot smaller than it actually is.
Traffic Flow
Going back to the wait, controlling your traffic flow is one of the most important lobby decoration tips we can give you. You don’t want your customers waiting around at the front because they have no idea where to check-in. They’ll block up the entire entrance area.
We recommend having an employee in the lobby to direct your guests to the right place. If you don’t have anyone available who can perform this important job, you can also use signage to keep the flow of traffic going.
Sound
Most lobbies have calming music playing that guests can enjoy. You can do it too, but there’s more to it than creating a chill playlist to blast through your speakers.
You’ve got to design your lobby with acoustics in mind. Keep the noise to a reasonable level. You don’t want complete silence in your lobby, but you don’t want it to be too loud either.
The entire point of running a hotel is to provide guests with a place to rest. If the music is pumping through the lobby at loud volumes, it may disrupt people’s shut-eye.
Hotel Lobby Decoration Tips That Will Keep Customers Coming Back
One of the most important parts of running a hotel business is your lobby decoration. You’ve got to design your entrance with relaxation in mind.
If you fail to make a good first impression, guests will exit your doors to find a different place to sleep. Use these tips to create the perfect vacation experience as soon as the customer walks through the door, and for more ways to design your hotel, visit our blog!
