The hospitality industry is comprised of much more than just hotels and restaurants. Movie theaters, lobbies, convention centers and day spas can all be considered forms of hospitality. The main focus of hospitality is to focus on customer care and service. The main goal when designing a space in one of these locations is to make the guest feel comfortable and at ease. It is important to create an atmosphere that the guest want to be in and makes them likely to return.
One of the most important areas in any type of hospitality space is the entrance. This is your first chance to welcome guests and give them a feel for what the rest of the location will be like. It is important to choose the right colors, textures, furniture and flooring.
Of course you want these spaces to be functional and efficient, but finding a way to meld that with design, atmosphere and aesthetic is the ultimate challenge when trying to configure a space that checks all of the boxes.
Creating a happy medium
It is important when creating the perfect hospitality environment that you find a way to mend together the two most important concepts. First, creating a visually appealing space. There are a lot of ways to do this, but being able to make it also durable and withstand heavy foot traffic is the challenge. A certain carpeting or furniture may be beautiful, but if it is not durable then it is rendered rather useless. A certain flooring type may be durable, but if it isn’t aesthetically appealing it fails to make the space welcoming and put guests at ease.
Why is hospitality flooring unique?
Hospitality flooring can be a unique challenge because it requires certain and very specific demands. From an efficient standpoint, it requires commercial benefits. This means durability, ease of maintenance, cost effective and safe. From an aesthetic standpoint, it requires more residential benefits. This means more focus on beauty, atmosphere and feel. This can make it difficult to find a happy medium as mentioned before.
What drives hospitality design?
Design and architecture are constantly changing and that is no different for the hospitality industry. Hospitality tends to stick more towards commercial design when it comes to innovation and trying new things. Often times designers strive to be on the cutting edge of design and the first to create a new atmosphere or incorporate something that has never been done before. That strive for new and unique is truly what drives hospitality design.
Why polished concrete
Organic and natural
By choosing polished concrete creations for your flooring in your hospitality space, it creates a beautiful, seamless aesthetic. They can look like one large piece of stone or slab of granite. It can give a very luxurious feel without the high costs of a more expensive stone. It has been proven that a large area without grout lines is a characteristic that is pleasing to the eye. This can also help put together a cohesive interior design.
Durable
Polished concrete is incredibly durable to heavy foot traffic. Most hospitality facilities will need design pieces that can stand up to everyday wear and tear. Not only can it withstand the constant foot traffic, but it is durable to the long-term exposure to moisture, dirt and other substances. In addition, it is incredibly abrasion resistant. This means that it is much less likely to scratch and require repairs when it comes in contact with things like luggage, food carts, bell carts and strollers.
Easy to clean and maintain
A place with a lot of foot traffic will need frequent cleaning, especially if the season has frequent rain or snow. Large areas can sometimes be difficult to keep clean because of the amount of surface area, but with our concrete creations, cleaning and maintenance are incredibly simple. The surface is non-porous, meaning that it can easily be wiped off or squeegeed in a pinch.
Urban/Industrial
If you are looking for your space to have that cool, industrial and urban feel, polished concrete is an excellent choice. You can always warm it up with fun rugs that tie in pieces from the rest of the room.
Green
Polished concrete floors provide better indoor air quality. Since the material is non-porous, it does not absorb allergens. A polished concrete floor may also get you some LEED points, helping you reach your certification.
If you have a hospitality environment that you are looking to renovate into the perfect space, some polished concrete creations may be the perfect choice for you. Giving you durability as well as aesthetically pleasing benefits, contact us today to see how we can get started on your space.