How an interior designer will help improve your hotel/B&B

We all love a break away in a hotel or B&B. Whether it is to escape our daily routines, lose ourselves somewhere new or to emerge ourselves in a bit of luxury, so why not invest and make it the best it can be!

 

Getting an interior designer help you improve your hotel or B&B – It will enable you to have that edge and the ability to stand out from the rest in a tasteful and appealing way. Whilst your potential guests that are flicking through options online will certainly be looking for the right location and have a budget in mind, their call to action to book will be heavily influenced by the visual appeal of the hotel. The photos of your hotel will tell a story of the potential experience and will encourage possible guests to get booking! So finding out what your particular guests want – is essential to exceeding their expectations.

Emily Black is the Founder and Owner of Emily May Interiors. Emily has worked as an interior designer for three years and is professional, friendly and approachable with experience in both residential and commercial fields of property. With a background in textiles and design, you can be assured that Emily has the knowledge and ideas, to inspire and make your ideas a reality.  Emily works closely to given briefs, budgetary and style requirements yet can also give her clients design ideas and work with them to achieve the best outcome.

Emily takes on each client project with passion and enthusiasm and will dig deep to understand your hotel, it’s goals, your dreams and who your clients are and what makes them revisit. It’s important for your guests to feel welcome and relaxed when staying with you. Those that are regular guests come back to stay with you for a reason – so Emily will take the time to understand and look around your hotel and spend the time taking notes of inspiration that she has a knack for seeing in every project.

The beauty of taking on an Interior Designer to update your Hotel business means you will stay on budget, so you have full control of the expenditure. As you know, at times, it can be difficult to resist impulse buying!

Emily will have access to a range of fabulous trade suppliers meaning that she is able to source the perfect items for your hotel whether it’s a bulk order of chairs or a sourcing those one off pieces. You can be assured of the finest quality products, sometimes locally sourced, as we too like to support local businesses where we can, but without compromising the quality and design for our clients. With Emily being up to date with the latest hotel trends and fashion to ensure she creates the right professional, inspiring, welcoming look for you and your guests.  Emily and her team will manage the project from start to finish with your hotel at the heart of the process.

 

If you are looking for a fresh new look whether it is just one room or your whole Hotel/B&B we would love the opportunity to arrange a free design meeting to understand your interior design requirements and meet you and your business.

Contact Emily and the team on 01554 754356 or leave Emily a direct message on [email protected]

Picking Paint – Top tips on the best paint and colours to use in your Hotel

It can be quite a challenge sometimes for hoteliers to decide on the best look for their hotel. Take a look at my top tips on the best colours and paint to use in your hotel to inspire you.

 

Firstly, I recommend selecting easy to maintain and washable paints for the interior of your hotel.  As we all know how accidents happen and walls and paintwork take quite a beating from luggage!

I believe it’s important to have a fresh & clean look, as it will appeal to your discerning guests and also make them feel welcomed.  Boutique hotels can either go for a dramatic, bold look or it can go the total opposite and go for a calming, softer look.. one with careful coordination.

Look to create a mood board with a few colours from a palette you are drawn to; colours that will reflect the sophisticated and elegant look you desire for your boutique hotel.  For a 5* feel, mixing neutrals with luxury tones like pewter, lilacs, grey, charcoal and whites can create not only a sense of space but that optimum luxurious feeling your guests desire.

 

Whether you have a modern hotel in need of a splash of drama, or a historical B&B that you would like to restore to a certain time period, here are a few fabulous paint companies that I recommend for you;

  1. Little Greene Paint Company

Little Greene are in partnership with English Heritage, they have combined research to discover the true historical colours used over several key periods in history. Little Greene also supply historical wallpapers that beautiful complement the company’s paint palettes. Each collection resurrects designs found in forgotten archives.

“We are particularly proud of our paints’ depth of colour – undertones that subtly change in different lights, providing real character and definition: the more complex the pigmentation the more interesting the colour.”

  1. Fired Earth

Fired Earth has a collection of 120 paint colours, including elegant neutrals, bold accents and charming pastels. Each colour in their palette echoes the hues and authenticity of our natural and cultural heritage.

“All our paints provide exceptional coverage, are practical, hardwearing and virtually odourless. Our Exterior Masonry provides a hardwearing smooth finish and protects against extreme weather conditions.”

  1. Farrow & Ball

With interior and exterior, modern and traditional finishes available in a large variety of colours, all which have been inspired by nature, the beautiful surroundings of Dorset or from historical homes.

Farrow & Ball have carefully crafted a palette of 132 colours, from the dusky ‘Stiffkey Blue’ all the way through to their vibrant ‘St Giles Blue’, they are sure to have a colour that will inspire you!

“There is true alchemy to our paints. It’s the high levels of pigment, rich resin binders, and the high refractory nature of our key ingredients that produces our signature immersive depth of colour”

 

 

If you would like any help with selecting the perfect colour palette for a ‘new look’ or total refurbishment, I would be delighted to arrange to visit you at your Hotel – Get in touch with us today.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “Picking Paint – Top tips on the best paint and colours to use in your Hotel”
We welcome your comments below: –

3 Top Tips for Brightening your Guests’ Rooms

Are you and your guests fed up of dark mornings and gloomy nights? I feel your pain, so it’s time for me to share my 3 top lighting tips for brightening those darker rooms you may have in your Hotel or B&B.

1399044591-63863600

 

Lighting creates ambience in a room, as much as its practical uses too; it can be used as a feature or even to highlight a feature i.e. a piece of artwork.

Lighting affects our moods whether we realise it or not, it can make us feel welcomed into a room and make us feel comfortable, cosy and at home. It’s important when choosing lighting that you decide what type of lighting you need. If you would like some advice on this or are unsure, please get in touch.

Here are our 3 top lighting tips for dark rooms….

 

  1. Spotlights…

    are essential for Hotels/B&Bs, as often you have fine art, statues or antiques, as part of your furnishings. Use a well-placed spotlight to emphasise a masterpiece or antique but make sure they are fitted with a dimmer switch or it may ruin the effect you are looking to achieve, as they can be very bright.

 

  1. Downlighters…

    can make a huge difference to the lighting in a room, particularly where there may be an element of good light, by way of French doors or large windows but still a feeling of dark corners, due to it being Autumn. They will give you a soft glow which creates warmth, ambience and a cosy feel.

 

  1. Decorative lighting…

    can be used to great effect with so many options available, these days. Try an over-sized decorative lamp, for example, for task lighting over a reading desk in a library.

 

If you are looking for more lighting ideas or would like some advice, please contact us and we would be delighted to help.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “3 Top Tips for Brightening your Guests’ Rooms”
We welcome your comments below: –

How to keep guests happy during your refurbishment

Exciting times ahead; you are about to refurbish your Hotel or B&B.
Here’s how to keep guests happy during your refurbishment.

Hotels

 

It’s an important decision to make; not just which Interior Design company to use but visualising the end result, how much to budget, how long it might take but also the impact, it will have on your guests.

Honesty is always the best policy

We find, being completely transparent on your website/social media, and when taking a booking, is key.

Planning

It’s therefore, important to ensure a well-planned, logical and timely schedule is worked towards.  Ideally during your quietest time, and most of our clients ask us to refurbish one room, at a time, for minimum disruption to their guests.  Also, letting your Interior Designer project manage takes away the stress from ordering, day-to-day management of the deliveries, and the tradespeople.

Communication

By advertising the refurbishment timescales and the benefits to your guests, you will make them feel valued.  If, a returning guest they will trust that it will not majorly disrupt their stay.

Our suggestions: – 
  • You could let them know you have taken on board their fabulous feedback and are always investing in ways to make their stay, with you, a more pleasurable one.
  • Consider a landing page, purely for “Latest Refurbishment News”.  Mention there will be no noise from, say late afternoon through to perhaps 10am. It may be necessary to collaborate with a local restaurant or similar, should your kitchen and/or restaurant form part of the project.  The landing page is also useful for your staff to be able to advise the guests of the latest updates.
  • You could have a Noticeboard with the latest phase(s) completed, before/after pictures.  Actively encourage guests to raise any concerns with you, at any time by providing them with your mobile number or a member of staff to liaise with.
  • Perhaps consider giving all guests, during the refurbishment a voucher for a future stay, at an attractive, discounted rate or perhaps dinner.

The above can help make all the difference in a positive experience and feedback being, by showing them that they – your guests, are at the forefront of your mind.

Maximise your refurbishment

It’s really beneficial to arrange for your interior designer to take appropriate photos that can be used on social media for your updates on your landing page and/or noticeboard.

Another great way to showcase and say thank you is; invite local press, businesses, suppliers and regular guests to an opening evening.  You could display the mood boards used, before and after images and any plans used.

Perhaps ask for feedback via a short questionnaire with a competition winner, on the night.  A night’s free accommodation or something you know your guests would love.

It may be worth inviting your interior designer, too – who will be delighted to be on hand to answer any questions and support you on the evening.

Finally, it’s always a great idea to update your website/brochures etc. with the new copy/images. To reflect the new look and share on social media and send a press release to the local newspaper, too!

 

If you would like to arrange a Consultation to discuss your refurbishment, please contact us
We hope you enjoyed reading; “How to keep guests happy during your refurbishment” and it gave you some ideas?
We welcome your comments below: –