GE Lighting takes a look at the key directions that hospitality lighting is heading towards in 2014.

With China’s rapid economic development and urbanisation, many of its major cities are now bustling business and tourism centres for Asia. This has led to an unprecedented boom in the hospitality sector with elegant and luxurious hotels being built to offer a total, top-rate guest experience.

At a time of heightened global and national awareness on wider environmental protection, this presents lighting solution providers like global leader GE Lighting with a valuable opportunity to work with the hospitality industry in raising energy efficiency to reduce environmental impact.

Energy reports from China’s national authorities show that in 2010, lighting alone accounts for up to 20% of total power consumption at hotels. For hoteliers, this is a powerful financial incentive and a goodstarting point when contemplating changes that might benefit both their guests and the bottom line. More importantly, any changes in the lighting solution should result in creating a comfortable environment for guests while appropriately conveying the brand positioning for the hotel.

2014 hospitality lighting trends

Against this backdrop, it is timely to take a look together with GE Lighting at the key directions that hospitality lighting is heading towards in 2014:

LED technology heralds farewell to incandescent

China has seen a rapid adoption of new lighting technologies in the hospitality environment in recent years. The advent of LED lighting has changed the landscape, offering hotel owners significant energy savings, reduced operating expenses and increased revenue when switching from inefficient lighting to LED solutions. The new and longer life LED technology has helped meet goals of improved energy efficiency and better quality light throughout the various hotel spaces from lobbies and guest suites to conference rooms, restaurants and bars.

While more expensive than incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps pay for themselves through energy savings. A CFL lamp does so within about six months, using 75% less energy and lasting 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb; an LED uses even less energy and can last up to 50,000 hours. Most light fixtures can now accommodate some form of CFL or LED lamp, making it simple for hoteliers to save on energy and maintenance costs while still providing aesthetically pleasing lighting.

Hybrid hospitality spaces

An emerging trend sees hoteliers creating properties that integrate elements from other building types, such as galleries or restaurants.As hotel architecture shifts, lighting design will change accordingly to create a unique, appropriate atmosphere that suits a desired brand image and ambience.

Hoteliers are also providing more spaces reserved for meeting and business functions. As part of this shift, it is important to cater for some of the specialised audio-visual lighting needs that come with it, for instance lighting for video conference spaces.

Layered lighting designs and wireless control

A comprehensive, layered lighting solutionwill deliver the desired ambient, accent and task lighting to create maximum comfort and aesthetics appropriate to the location and room usage. This sets the stage for more variability in lighting levels to give guests greater control over illumination.

One way to facilitate appropriate lighting for spaces regardless of the hour is to integrate wireless lighting sensors for daylight harvesting together with occupancy sensors. These tools lower energy costs by supplying lighting for a space only when appropriate, and help avoid over-lighting.

Wireless sensors reduces the installation time and costs associated with running wires behind walls and ceilings, and makes it simple to reconfigure spaces in the future.

Enhancing systematic savings

With sensors and more advanced energy saving techniques, hoteliers are also exploring how they can more comprehensively integrate lighting into building systems. Some hotels now require a room keycard to be inserted into a switch that activates lighting, heating, air conditioning, and even radio or television controls within a room. This simple change limits the amount of energy wasted when systems are activated, but rooms are unoccupied. This is a showcase of one of many ways in which automation can help save on energy costs.