To you, it's your hotel. To your guest, it's their home away from home. Whether your decor is modern, country, cozy, elegant, chic, or hip, the central function of your hotel is to make your guests feel warm, welcome, safe, and secure.
Your hotel's decor – its decorations, art, furniture, furnishings – plays a huge role in how your guests are going to judge its cleanliness, professionalism, and quality. It's natural to want to stand out, be bold, and make your style your own – but there is such a thing as too much.
Here's how to know if your hotel's decor is missing the mark.
A great design can blow a hotel's competition out of the water.
Listen to Criticism
The number one tool, without question, that you have at your disposal to determine how your guests judge your decor is to obsess over your online reviews. Online review sites like Yelp are the word-of-mouth advertising of today. The difference is, now you get to hear what people are whispering about you.
Google your hotel and read every review. If your style is so crazy that only you could – and do – love it, you'll be sure to hear about it in the reviews. Don't take it to heart, but keep it in mind. On the Internet, anonymity gives people the courage to speak freely, and they do. Use it to your benefit.
Pay a Decorator to Not Decorate
Like music, style and decor are subjective – to a point. You might not like classical music, but if you say Mozart is awful and that he should have kept his day job at the powdered wig factory, it's safe to say there's something off about you. Decor isn't much different. Your taste is your own, but sometimes it's just plain wrong.
Hire a decorator or designer for their opinion only. Make it clear that you're not going to pay for their traditional services; this way you can be certain they're not trying to sell you something. Ask them to walk through your hotel and give their honest opinion of your decor. They're neutral observers who don't care if they hurt your feelings – and they're professionals who know what they're talking about. If everyone but you knows that your over-the-top decor is missing the mark, a decorator will be glad to let you in on the secret.
Comment Cards
Institute a program in which you make sure each guest has access to comment cards specifically about the hotels furnishings, art, decorations, and style. In an effort to get customers to fill them out, offer some sort of incentive – a drink at the bar, whatever – if they complete a card. Be honest; tell them you take their opinion seriously and that you're not looking for only compliments.
Make sure your decor matches your target demographic.
Your hotel's decor says everything about the experience your guests can expect to have. The options are literally limitless, but they can break you if you go too far over the top – especially if you don't have the quality to back it up. Style is subjective. Get outside opinions and learn from what people are saying about you.
Supplier Links
Photo credits: Flickr users ithip.com hotel collection and s_i.
Andrew Lisa is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. He writes about the hotel industry and profiles top business leaders.
