Decorative incandescent lights may still be in, but for a lot of venues, halogen is out. Big hotel chains, owners of pubs and cafes are replacing their halogen lamps with LEDs as a quick and easy way to save on energy and maintenance. Today’s LED lamps offer good light quality and quick paybacks, often with the reassurance of robust warranties or maintenance contracts, so it’s a fairly safe decision to make
By Baishakhi Dutta
One of the highest costs incurred in the hospitality business is for electricity and, unfortunately, energy consumption in this sector is on the rise. In India, according to hospitality industry reports, energy costs account for almost 8 to 15 per cent of a hotel’s gross expenditure. Therefore, these costs need to be controlled as they impact profitability more than any other expense. Lighting is an important constituent of these costs. The hospitality industry is now adopting LED lights in a bid to reduce ever-rising energy consumption and costs, as well as to earn the environment-friendly tag.
Types of hotel lighting
In all, there are three basic types of hotel lighting.
- Ambient or general lighting: Ambient lighting refers to general illumination that comes from all directions in a room. It seems to have no visible source. It provides a soft, comfortable level of light for watching television or having a conversation.
- Task lighting: This involves lighting up a small area where a particular task is being performed. It is used in dining rooms where food is served. The most important characteristic of task lighting is that the light source should not produce multiple shadows at the point of application, as it can strain the eyes of those involved in performing that particular task.
- Accent lighting: Accent lighting highlights an area or an object in a room. This adds to the drama or style of a room by highlighting certain aspects of the decor. It is used to light up a picture or painting, and hence it is very important to avoid glare and give an even distribution of light in such cases.
Opportunities
Lighting impacts the guests’ experience of the spaces and, therefore, the hospitality industry has possibly the maximum applications for lighting. The trend globally is to move away from the energy guzzlers and look for energy-efficient alternatives without impacting the overall aesthetics of a space.
Over the past few years, the Indian hospitality industry has witnessed enormous growth, having recorded a healthy inflow of foreign tourists as well as an increase in domestic travellers.
The industry is poised for further expansion. According to the World Tourism Organisation, by 2025, annual tourist traffic into India will reach 15.3 million foreign visitors. There are areas in hotels like lobbies, and the food and beverage sections, which use electricity 16 to 24 hours a day. Transitioning to LED lights will enhance energy efficiency, save on electricity bills and also enhance the user experience.
A few hotels that have switched to LEDs
Here are some leading hotels in India that use LEDs extensively.
- Taj Palace, New Delhi: LED lighting helps Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, save significantly on energy costs and provide a more comfortable lighting experience.
- Cafe Ludus, New Delhi: The owners of this cafe wanted the lighting to be vibrant and bright during the day, but darker at night, providing an ambience appropriate for socialising at a bar. So it chose LED lighting
- Lemon Tree Hotels (across India): The Lemon Tree Hotel Group chose to switch to LED lighting to provide a comforting experience for its guests.
- The Lalit, New Delhi: The hotel ranks luxury and the comfort of its guests over everything else, which is what led the management to install LED lighting for the entire guest service areas.
- Kempinski Ambience, Gurugram: In an area otherwise lacking in high-end entertainment, this new hotel could well become the preferred hangout spot for residents of Gurugram, which was reason enough to opt for LED lights to enhance the decor.
Emerging trends
While there are many trends driving lighting design in the hospitality industry, there are certain considerations that might be unique to a particular hotel chain or location, which should drive the lighting strategy. The top four emerging trends driving the global lighting market in the hospitality sector are:
- The declining manufacturing cost of LEDs – The manufacturing cost of LEDs has declined since 2012 and will continue to drop further. This is mainly due to the declining ASP (average selling price) of the chips and components used in the manufacture of LED devices.
- Ban on the use of energy-inefficient lights and components – Energy efficiency has become a major concern nowadays, particularly as a result of global warming and the rapid depletion of non-renewable power resources. Increased consumption of energy has led several countries worldwide to frame policies that ban the use of incandescent light bulbs, which have relatively low power efficiency.
- Demand for intelligent lighting systems – Digitisation has revolutionised the lighting industry with the introduction of new-generation intelligent lighting systems and controls. Electronic ballasts with embedded intelligence are entering the market, offering lighting systems the ability to adapt to changing needs in the hospitality sector.
- Rapid urbanisation – Rapid urbanisation worldwide, especially in emerging economies, is leading to the increased demand for lighting devices in the hospitality sector. This, along with changing lifestyles, will impact the hospitality sector due to the increasing demand for luxury bars, restaurants and high-end facilities in hotels, boosting the market for advanced high quality lamps and luminaires.
Challenges
In the hospitality segment, the focus is on being ‘different’. Architects and interior designers are the most important facilitators for an outreach programme in this segment. Novelty is of paramount importance here. The products and the theme have to be envisioned and implemented in such a way that the ambience is pleasing and looks inviting to guests.
Installing LED lights at new or under-construction hotels is an easy task; however, making changes in an existing property is a bit tricky. One needs to take care of the original aesthetic designs created by the architect as well, when replacing the conventional lights with LED lights.
Recommendations
- Hoteliers should share more information on their LED retrofit experiences to avoid investing in the wrong products and to fully utilise the benefits of LEDs.
- When conducting financial appraisals for an LED retrofit project, hotel managers should take into account the equipment costs, the engineering costs and other electronic accessory costs that switching to LED technologies entails.
- Hotel operators should establish clearer decision-making processes and funding channels for LED projects.
- Hotel chains can potentially play an effective role in introducing effective energy-efficiency financing mechanisms to hotel franchisees.
Future plans
Another emerging trend has been witnessed among visionary hoteliers creating properties that redefine our understanding of what a hotel is. These thought leaders are developing multi-dimensional hotel concepts designed to create a certain experience by integrating elements from other types of buildings, such as theatres, galleries or restaurants, along with the more traditional hotel design. What this means for hotel lighting design is that the traditional t-grid and acoustical tile layout that is so commonplace in commercial lighting arrangements will no longer cut it for hotels. As hotel architecture shifts, so too must lighting design, to create a unique, appropriate atmosphere that suits the desired brand image.
