No buildings have more diverse and complex needs than accommodation facilities, and this is due to a series of reasons related to their function and goals for which they are built and managed. Each facility has unique needs related to the kind of accommodation provided: for tourists, work or study; for shorter or longer periods; for local or international customers; for seasonality.

Some of these structures are made by a single building, others by a group of buildings, some of them with different uses. Besides the zones for individual use, like rooms, there are environments open to the public like halls, bars, restaurants or conference halls. More and more structures are nowadays equipped with swimming pools, spas, fitness areas and wellness centers. It is not to be forgotten that these facilities are also working environments and comprehend offices, technical rooms and zones reserved for the staff.

Lighting and accomodation facilities

Lighting plays a very important role in accommodation facilities. Whether it is about a work trip, a meeting, a family vacation or other occasions, staying in a hotel should be a special experience and light is paramount in order to spend some pleasant time in an indoor environment.

Outdoor illumination plays an important role too: especially during evenings and nights, the hotel should be spotted even from a great distance, since guests usually live somewhere else and are not familiar with the premises. When approaching the hotel, the guest then needs to be safely guided to the entrance, which must be easily recognized. In case of history significant buildings, outdoor illumination allows to focus on the most relevant details of the building, thus creating an exclusive and immersive atmosphere; in some cases, a proper use of colored lights can create a very unique scenic effect.

The role of control

In all lighting situations, it is the design that determines the fundamental choices, such as shapes and dimensions of the devices, light sources, color temperatures, distribution between direct and indirect components and between basic and spot lightings.

Without and performant and flexible control system, however, the result might not be as good as expected.

Ekinex versatility, together with the growing possibilities of led sources, allows to manage illumination in a truly smart way and to realize tailor-made solutions in order to answer to all the complex and diverse needs of an accommodation facility, which by definition includes a wide range of environments different in size and destination of use.

Automatic control, scene recalling, exploiting of natural light, dynamic lighting: a system such as Ekinex’s allows to always have the right illumination at the right time and place, and with the proper intensity. The control of the lighting devices can be carried out directly, by means of Ekinex commands, sensors, outputs and dimming actuators, or indirectly by interfacing with a DALI system via the proper gateway.

Many environments, each one with its own needs and destination of use: this is the reason of the complexity of the lighting function in accommodation facilities.

Entrance, hall, reception

Entrance and hall are like the calling card of an accommodation facility; on one side, they determine the first impression on the customers-guests, on the other side they must guide them without hesitation towards the check-in/check-out zone. It is not to be neglected that the reception area is by all means a workstation; therefore, all horizontal surfaces need to be properly illuminated in order to avoid visual fatigue.

A special attention must also go to the vertical surfaces, which must be made visible to highlight the presence of messages or useful information. The potential dimmer control in these areas allows to exploit the availability of natural light and to properly dim the light during nighttime.

Restaurant and bar

In the zones open to the public the keywords are hospitality and pleasantness. If those environments are used all day long, it is possible to take into consideration a control which changes the white light tone: an intermediate tone in the morning and in the central hours of the day makes room to a warmer tone in the evening, in order to encourage relax and socialization.

In the buffet area and on the tables, it is important to obtain a high chromatic rendering in order not to alter the food color.

Wellness and relax area, spa

We are talking about environments more and more widespread in those accommodation facilities that require a thorough study of lighting, thus contributing in a decisive way to the quality perception of the guest. In these cases, it is possible to fully exploit the potential of the modern technology: the control of light intensity, white tone and color helps reaching a perfect psychological and physical well-being, facilitates relax and donate exclusivity to the experience.

Garage

In passage environments and parking lots, a proper illumination is paramount to make those areas absolutely safe for all guests of the accommodation facility, especially for first-time customers. Light helps people to easily walk through those spaces and facilitates the view of moving and parked vehicles, obstacles and potential dangers. Automatic control by means of presence sensors, in these cases, is the ideal solution: it avoids searching for the command point and makes it easier to move when holding a luggage.

Lighting requirement for public places

Application example: a hotel room

In the hallway, the basic illumination (5) is constantly on, in absence of natural light, to prevent the guests from being in the dark when exiting their room. The general illumination control (6) is automatic only when the sensor EK-DF2-TP (G) detects people in motion; the shutdown then happens with a configurable delay.

When the card reader EK-TR2-TP (F) enables the access to the room, the courtesy light at the entrance (7) is automatically switched on.

The subsequent insertion of the card in the card holder EK-TH2-TP (E) can activate one or more lighting devices. The hotel module EK-HO1-TP (A) is equipped with relay outputs for the on/off command of lighting devices or derivation sockets (1) to connect mobile appliances such as a floor lamp or a bedside light.

The control of all devices can be also carried out manually by one or more pushbuttons (D). If lighting devices with dimmable sources are present, it is possible to use the universal dimmer EK-GA1-TP (B) or the RGBW LED dimmer EK-GC1-TP (C) depending on the light source.

Room and bathroom: peculiarities in planning illumination

• Conciliate functionality and aesthetics in the guest’s personal space
• Consider all the different uses of the environment: work, relax, rest
• Properly model quantity and quality of lights
• Differentiate general (widespread) from highlight (localized) illumination
• Make automation discrete, leaving well-being and comfort in a central position
• Offer a simple and intuitive control, easily spotted
• Assure the immediate recognition of the action that needs to be done on the manual commands
• Contrast the claustrophobic sensation in absence of natural light (bathroom, entrance)
• Guarantee safety during nighttime