Unique hotels frequently start with a vision from the owner, who want their hotel to be one of a kind and memorable. However, if the owner does not reach out for professional advice, mistakes can ruin the project.
Creative Freedom in Boutique Hotels
Owners work with the architects and interior designers to develop this special property to insure that it will be successful. Properly done, boutique hotels garner positive word of mouth that reduces marketing costs while driving up occupancy rates at premium prices.
At corporate hotel chains, product specifications are set and chosen for performance. The more unique a hotel is, the more freedom the designer has with the materials they specify.
This freedom can be a double edged sword. Designers can be truly creative and inventive to create a unique property that meets the vision of the owner, or the designer can select a product or material that looks perfect on the surface but cannot stand up the requirements of the demanding hospitality industry.
That appears to be what happened when the wood floor was chosen for this new hotel.
Costly Mistakes
This flooring may have been a beautiful aesthetic choice for the hotel. It probably even stood up to the first few weeks after the hotel opened. However, the flooring quickly showed that it was not suited for the demands of a hotel with lots of traffic and activity.
Demands Like:
- A guest spills a drink on the floor and it leaves a stain or watermark.
- A woman’s high heels leave a dent in the floor that is not hard enough to withstand the 240 lbs. per sq. inch pressure.
- A staff member scratches the floor as they rearrange chairs and tables or move them for cleaning.
- A guest scratches the floor with the wheels on their luggage.
What This Costs the Owner:
- Damage to the carefully crafted and maintained image of the hotel.
- The costs to either replace the flooring with a better performing product or frequent refinishing that can also mean costly downtime and inconvenience to guests.
The owner would not have paid either of these costs if the right wood floor had been specified from the beginning.
Lessons to Learn
- Owners should choose architectural and design firms who are experienced in designing for the hospitality industry. They are less likely to make a costly mistake like this.
- Architects and designers who are less experienced in hospitality design need to look beyond the aesthetics of a product and pay more attention to the long term durability of products. This is especially true with flooring because there is no other interior product that takes as much abuse as the floor.
- When choosing a wood floor for use in hospitality choose a product that has been designed especially for to stand up to this level of wear and abuse while looking beautiful for years without the need to be refinished.
Nydree Wood Floors are designed to provide long term beauty and durability for the hospitality industry.
Learn more here.
