Anyone in the hospitality world knows the guest experience is everything. Give a guest a good experience and they are likely to come back, year after year. Give them a bad experience and chances are slim that they will return. As a result, hotels and resorts are always looking for ways to improve the guest experience, because they understand that a huge part of their business is the loyalty of returning guests who think of their property as a home away from home.

Lighting is perhaps one of the most cost-effective and non-invasive upgrades a hospitality property can make to improve the overall guest experience and keep rooms full night after night. Hospitality lighting must meet several challenges at once: attract visitors, promote quality branding, ensure guest safety and conserve energy. LED lighting fixtures throughout a property can accomplish all of these goals.

Every lighting upgrade project comes with unique challenges and considerations. For the first class Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, the challenge was to choose lighting products and solutions that would improve upon the warm, natural lighting design the Waldorf’s guests had come to expect— while reducing energy costs.

FSG was able to find the right lamps and fixtures that would provide the energy savings the iconic hospitality brand was looking for, while keeping the original lighting design and style of this world-class property intact. Over the course of this project, the 502,000-square foot luxury facility had 20,000 of its lamps replaced for an annual energy savings of $300,000 and a 75% reduction in yearly energy consumption. Most importantly? The guest experience at the Waldorf Astoria was improved by the warmth and richness of its new lighting.

LED lighting provides crisper illumination than other lighting options. Art in the lobby and in the guest rooms displays better, while bathrooms in the guest rooms look cleaner and brighter. The overall feeling of a property is enhanced, leaving guests with a positive impression. A very attractive solution for the hospitality environment, most LED lighting products are dimmable using the systems already in place. LED lighting also has a good range of color temperatures and a high Color Rendering Index (CRI). To see the true colors in fabrics, floor coverings, art installations and food presentations, a higher CRI is more desirable.

When it comes to the guest experience, a hotel cannot go too far in creating a vibrant, rich, and up-to-date aesthetic. LED lighting keeps a property looking its very best while saving on fixed operating costs each day. Investments in lighting upgrades can dramatically alter a property’s feel and can be a cost-effective way of bettering the customer experience.

Facility Solutions Group (FSG) opened its doors 35 years ago as a wholesale lighting supplier. Over the years, we have grown to incorporate multiple areas of expertise, from lighting to electrical construction and services, technology services, energy management, and signage.