Lighting control for luxury hospitality: A guide for electrical engineers

Luxury design insights

• The integration of cloud-connected lighting control systems enhances operational efficiency and guest experience and allows for improved functionality over time.
• Templating tools in lighting design help streamline projects, reduce errors, and enable efficient replication of settings across a luxury property.

Luxury hospitality is one of the fastest-growing sectors in commercial construction. According to research by Morrissey Goodale, published in Consulting-Specifying Engineer, in 2023, construction and design spending was up 29% over 2022. Key market insights anticipate the global luxury hospitality market will grow to $293.61 billion by 2030, with 700 new hotel projects anticipated to open in 2024 and another 800 expected to open the following year.

These projects present tremendous opportunities and unique design challenges to electrical engineers and lighting designers. Owners are looking for human-centric, sustainable solutions that save energy, add value over time, and simplify code compliance and maintenance. Tech-savvy guests expect sophistication, elevated comfort, and personalized amenities, so experience reigns supreme when deciding where to spend their travel dollars.

Design that satisfies all of these interests starts with attention to detail. Lighting plays a defining role in creating continuity throughout the property – a high-impact moment in the lobby, easy-to-understand controls in guest rooms, and meticulously tailored event spaces that reflect the client’s unique vision.

Focus on the guest experience

Luxury hotel guests come seeking a comfortable escape, a productive workspace, or the perfect setting for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Each guest is connected by the expectation of a curated luxury experience. Because lighting control is essential to crafting that guest experience, it is vital to consider the control system from the beginning of the project process.

Prioritize systems that simplify day-to-day operations and deliver specialized lighting for public areas, event venues, and guestrooms. Lighting can be a valuable differentiator and an effective marketing tool for creating and promoting destination spaces. High-performance LED lighting and granular, fixture-level control options give event coordinators the power to deliver on their clients’ dreams with lighting that changes to match event schedules.

Natural light is a coveted amenity. In many properties, the same expansive windows that embrace daylight and highlight views may also cause uncomfortable glare or heat gain. With the proper control system, lighting and shades can be integrated under a single umbrella, working together seamlessly to draw daylight into a space, adjust automatically with the rhythm of the day, and preserve views while still shielding guests from harsh daytime sun.

Jerry Inzerillo, the former CEO of the Forbes Travel Guide, once said, “When the guest has to think, luxury ends.” In that spirit, look for systems that help eliminate complexity and improve the guest experience at every level. Room controls are often the first and only time a guest might interact with the lighting, so it’s crucial that both the overall lighting system structure and touchpoints like keypads immediately make sense to a wide variety of guests. For multi-property brands, owners will appreciate controls that offer the same look, feel, and operation anywhere in the world.

Customized, in-room keypads must provide immediate and easy access to lights, shades, and temperature without the guest having to figure out which control is which or struggle to turn the lights off once they’ve settled in for the night. Each time a guest has to think about how something works, a bit of comfort gets sacrificed. Those same controls should seamlessly communicate with the front desk and housekeeping to ensure rooms are serviced in the least intrusive way.

Figure 1: Ensure guest check-in is a positive experience, no matter the time of day, with automated lighting and shading scenes to enhance natural light while reducing glare. Courtesy Lutron.

Beyond manual options, smart systems that offer automated controls, app-based programming, and scene-setting tools allow lighting designers to craft a lighting personality with pre-programmed scenes that activate throughout the day and create specialized light shows for any occasion. These details can drive loyalty and revenue in a highly competitive space.

Cloud connectivity

A cloud-connected system provides secure sign-on from smart devices, allowing the facilities team to analyze occupant and energy data, make changes from anywhere, and create distinct lighting scenes for any event without impacting the standard programming.

Owners increasingly rely on system data for actionable insights that support business goals and simplify operations. Sensors throughout the building, or embedded in individual lighting fixtures, can monitor occupancy and daylight patterns. The lighting control system can then provide valuable occupancy data and accurate lighting usage information to help reduce energy use, improve lighting performance and drive a positive guest experience. Cloud-connected software is also a boon to owners with multiple properties who want to manage them all from a single sign-on.

Figure 2: Sofitel Rome chose custom Lutron Palladiom keypads embedded into the bed’s headboard so guests can turn all lights off without getting up. Matched to the headboard’s cream leather, the keypads disappear into the room design. Courtesy: J-Ph Nuel-Gilles Trillard, Lutron

While connected technology is a paradigm shift in lighting control, it is commonplace in people’s everyday lives. Today’s personal technology comes with the expectation that functionality improvements are delivered frequently and seamlessly via the cloud, improving functionality and lengthening product life. In this way, the control system gets more robust over the life of the system as new capabilities are just a cloud update away.

Templating tools save time and reduce errors

Systems with templating software can help lighting designers save time on-site and complete projects more efficiently. Once guestroom lighting is programmed, the software can replicate settings to all similar room types. This technology also allows facility teams to easily adjust all rooms of the same type simultaneously. Templates can standardize design, software updates, and programming time to help reduce person hours in the final stages of a project, which is an especially significant win when the team is racing to open a property on a tight deadline.

Smart guestroom solutions simplify maintenance

Staffing remains a challenge, even as luxury business and leisure travel continue to grow. Smart building systems can help alleviate the pressure on busy hotel employees while ensuring guest satisfaction. They can also reduce maintenance costs and prevent rooms from being out of commission, which is often a costly problem for hoteliers.

Energy consumption analytics can indicate a malfunctioning occupancy sensor or a clogged air filter, and automated alerts make it easy to identify a faulty light fixture, a malfunctioning HVAC unit, or a stalled shade. With the proper lighting control system, these problems can be addressed quickly without being flagged by housekeeping – or worse, a guest.

Figure 3: Occupancy data shown in a single, intuitive dashboard gives owners the information they need to make adjustments that enhance their space. Courtesy Lutron.

Integrating controls with rapid-response systems can help streamline and simplify housekeeping and maintenance schedules by indicating the right time to service a room and providing a consistent experience throughout the hotel or across a brand’s properties.

Design for sustainability

A connected system can give property managers the data they need to make informed adjustments and quickly react to changing occupancy or use patterns. Operational decisions can be made based on energy and occupancy monitoring as well as nuances like seasonality and other factors that may be overlooked without the benefit of powerful system analytics. These strategies can help control costs and reach energy and sustainability goals in the property without negatively impacting the guest experience.

Even more important than codes, regulations, and energy efficiency is the human experience. From the lobby to the guestroom, lighting can raise the bar on luxury, delivering a high-end environment, an aesthetic that complements any brand, and a property that guests will return to again and again.

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