With growing product awareness, hotels are increasingly partnering with sustainable solution providers
By Rashmi Naicker
Walk into any hotel lobby and the first thing one tends to observe is the brightly lit decor of the space. On further observation, one can easily notice the numerous forms of lights all around – whether from the chandeliers on the ceiling to wall fixtures and lamp shades. Undoubtedly, the place would lose most of its charm if the lights were switched off. Clearly, lighting plays an important part, in not just being a practical necessity in a hotel, but also to create an ambience that is hard to match.
Around 70% of the installed lighting in hotels were reported to be energy inefficient. However, in the past couple of years the segment has seen complete transformation with the advent of energy efficient and sustainable lighting solutions offered by manufacturers to hospitality players, enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint drastically. Companies like Philips also offer retrofit lamp solutions that can help hotels easily convert to energy-efficient light fittings. The company also offers lighting control systems that can instantly alter intensities, lamp combinations and colours – one can change the mood of any general purpose area from ‘party’ to ‘conference’ at the flick of a switch.
Technology has made many inroads into the lighting space especially evidenced by the use of control panels – it’s rapidly transforming from analog to digital and the industry is shaping up to be the most innovative in the construction space. LEDs are fast becoming the revolutionary technology and are one of the most energy efficient and green lighting solutions available today. Hence, these are witnessing rapid popularity across the world. LEDs are digital, highly versatile and provide many new avenues and options in terms of creativity and design across applications. Unlike traditional light sources, LEDs provide the option of intrinsic coloured lighting and directional lighting. These provide greater control in any lighting application.
Lighting controls are also a big phenomenon and are finding much greater use in the hospitality sector today. After creating a lasting first impression, lighting in a hotel should then ensure that the guest feels at home. Hence, it is imperative for lighting to be intelligent and to create a relaxing environment that also compliments the guest’s mood. Lighting can be easily adapted to suit different moods and occasions. Lighting control systems can alter intensities, lamp combinations and colours instantly. And with miniature and highly efficient LED light sources you can create the right ambience in both white and coloured light. New lighting technologies help in creating dynamic effects with colours and movement, while minimising the amount of light spilled onto other nearby buildings. Another big trend is having a multifunctional control unit, which operates lights, blinds and the AC, allowing guests to individually adjust the lighting and therefore the entire room effect. Likewise, another advantage inside conference rooms are lighting control systems that call up pre-set lighting scenes such as presentations and conferences with controls of blinds, sound and video at the press of a button. Philips Dynalite control solutions ensure lights are only used when needed, at a level that minimises energy consumption, without jeopardising your guests’ comfort. All Dynalite dimmers incorporate voltage regulation and soft-start technologies, protecting lamps, dramatically increasing lamp life and ensuring lower operational costs.
With environment consciousness at the forefront of any aspect of a hotel, energy efficiency has become a primary focus area. Products in the lighting space are being launched with green features due to increasing customer preference. LED light is a green option that saves energy and solar power lighting systems are also gaining popularity. Sensor lighting in lounges and passages that turn on lights to the required level only if they sense a person’s presence, are other green options. Likewise, in utility/washroom areas PIR sensor-based relays save energy when the area is unoccupied. Automated control technologies combined with LED based solid-state lighting (SSL) and efficient fluorescent lamps are the new trends and products that can reduce electricity usage by 60%, whereas lighting accounts for 20% of total electricity usage in commercial buildings.