Renovating a Hotel Improves Guest Experience with Visual Appearance and Acoustic Conditions

With the world opening up after the pandemic, this is an excellent time to plan a hotel renovation or a deep retrofit renovation. With anxious travellers ready to get back to some sense of normality, they have a higher expectation for comfort and well-being . In other words, their expectations have become the primary direction for hotels to keep up with the current interior designs, technology trends, and hospitality stylishness — preferably without the traditional distractions of noise.  

In response to the new demand, hotel renovations have aligned the interior aesthetics with health-related features focused on cleanliness, inspiring guest confidence with impeccable imagery while creating a productive work environment for staffs. 

How often do hotels renovate? It depends on the need for renovating since economics and the market segment demands play a critical role in planning. Generally speaking, most hotels should refresh the interiors at least every three to five years. For some hotels, significant fix ups are necessary to meet the changing markets affecting the hotel codes, instigating upgrades with innovative technology to meet guest preferences. 

An essential piece of advice
Do not confuse renovation in a hotel with routine maintenance that needs to be completed before welcoming the next rush of guests. Typically, interior maintenance involves cleaning and repainting the room walls and replacement of outdated, worn, or damaged furniture and decorations.  

How Focusing on Acoustics Can Improve Guests’ Comfort? 

The most common renovation request in the hotel industry is noise reduction. When the proper acoustical designs are fully integrated throughout the hotel's environment, noisy hotel elements significantly diminish. Thanks to acoustical hotel building materials, renovation design qualities generate a more pleasant guest experience when combined with good architecture, interior design, and functional aesthetics.  

A great example is the use of acoustic ceiling tiles. Designs range from chic to elegant, each proven to be successful for quieting the noise and lessening the sound reflections. You need to choose wisely and carefully, since changing ceiling designs will affect not only the visual theme but also the whole brand identity — creating lasting impressions for the guest to take home with them.  

It’s no surprise that guests have taken notice and appreciate the improvements that amplify acoustic performance. These performances have gained recognition from industry experts incorporating acoustical standards as a substantial factor in hotel rating systems for better environmental and well-being benefits. 

Ultimately, excellent acoustics foster a feeling of comfort, the sense of high quality, and the pleasure of luxury — all three features are distinguishable with staying at a high-end 5-star hotel. In a global market where communities are very much aware of the impacts of indoor comfort, hotels that share the commitment are known to have higher rates of success.  

Deep Hotel Renovation for Energy Savings to Fit the Future 

Deep renovation or deep energy renovation refers to significant energy savings when design materials are incorporated into the build plan to help reduce energy consumption by up to 60%^[1]. The goal of commercial buildings is to reduce energy consumption by using energy-efficient methods — with the goal of 36 percent by the year 2030. 

Hotels considering renovation can easily do the calculations to balance the cost against the potential savings. Recent improvements can also benefit with upgrades of building materials designed with aesthetic properties to help reduce the amount of energy wasted from outdated or infrequent hotel maintenance. Older buildings without any initial energy efficiency designs do experience substantial savings once the retrofits have been completed. 

Smart lighting techniques are also part of the design allowing hotels the advantages of stylishness and energy savings. These systems automate the consumption of energy as part of the power-saving technology practices without sacrificing the light effects on the room.  

Lobbies, meeting and conference rooms are ideal for hotel room renovations with high light-reflective acoustic ceilings and smart lighting systems to improve the room function. Ultimately, the research shows that a ceiling with a light reflection of 87% can result in energy savings of up to 22.75% per year.   

Overall, acoustic designs can contribute to maximizing the benefits of natural light to the interior space, combining visual functionality, while implementing noise and energy efficiency to the room's layout.  

What Are the Biggest Challenges in Renovating a Hotel? 

The first major challenge of renovating a hotel is the discovery of unsafe materials that may have adverse effects or influence the design and cost. Historically, many original hotel buildouts and room layouts don’t fit the current hotel visions or plans for flexibility and open concepts. Rearranging the layout can be a renovation nightmare without the proper planning and team reviews.  

The second common challenge occurs when fixing a previous bad renovation that had no consideration of the hotel's structure or the region's building codes. Too often, exposed or worn-out piping or wiring pose significant violations to the building's safety and hazard codes. 

Another major challenge that gets lost in the excitement of renovations is managing the project work disturbances as most hotels stay open throughout the process. It’s essential to keep a positive perspective and open communications with the guests and the workforce during the renovation. Hotels need to have a backup plan and be prepared to respond to guest issues or inconveniences. One solution, if needed, is to relocate guests away from the work areas.  

Consider mapping out the barriers with selected layout detours or paths that guests can travel safely. Small gestures make a world of difference for hotel guests. Some amenities and services may need to be temporarily closed during the renovations unless the hotel can relocate these services quickly. In either case, letting the guest know ahead of time can save a great deal of unnecessary stress; besides, it helps to keep a happy customer.  

Maybe the biggest challenge is the decision process to renovate and update with the latest design technology. One reason for the concern is that few hotels or building managers have a working knowledge of the different building systems or eco-friendly materials that are designed with specifics benefits in mind for the hotel and its guests. Not to worry, there are experts ready to walk you through the entire process.