These spaces call for a variety of luminaires and lighting technologies consisting of general, accent and decorative lighting to handle the many activities and tasks that take place there. For Large events and conferences will also call for high output theatrical and video luminaires and light sources.

A high degree of lighting switching, control and dimming is also required so that light levels, lighting effects and combinations of different luminaires can be easily tuned or programmed by hotel staff as preset “scenes” depending on the activity or task.

Lighting for meetings, AV presentations, note taking and reading should follow the design guidelines set for Conference and Meeting rooms in the Office Lighting section of our website. Adjustable accent lighting should be provided for speaker’s podiums, head table locations, as these will likely change from one event to the next.​

Good exterior lighting should be energy efficient, provide stable color and require minimal maintenance. For architectural lighting, parking lots, garages, entrance canopies and loading docks, use METALARC® discharge light sources. For landscapes, walkway, pool decks, use METALARC® POWERBALL® ceramic metal halide lamps.

Ensure that the exterior lighting design “blends” with the character and identity of the community surrounding your property.

Select lamps and luminaires that will provide appropriate levels of illuminance and optical characteristics to direct the light only where it is needed and away from guestroom windows.

Selecting high efficacy lamps and ballasts to achieve the greatest energy savings.

Save money with lighting controls that adjust illuminance levels, or switch off non essential lighting based on occupancy, or time of night.

For more information, see our web pages on Street & Area Lighting.​ 

​The guest room or suite needs to accommodate a variety of personal and business related tasks. Adequate lighting for these activities cannot be provided by general lighting alone. General illumination from ceiling or wall sconce luminaires provides the “base” layer for task lighting, helps housekeeping staff and provides flexible lighting for non residential use. Beyond that, a variety of general, accent, and decorative luminaires will be needed. In larger suites that accommodate business activities, guests must be able to control light levels and luminaire mix as needed. Don’t forget that the desk top may be used for multiple tasks requirement different illuminance levels.

Traditionally, the predominant lamp types used were incandescent. Today, they have been replaced by compact fluorescent, halogen and LED retrofits that last many times longer and save significantly more energy. This is a big advantage given that they are often left on even when the room is unoccupied.

The small entrance foyer which is a typical part of a guest room should have its own surface mounted luminaires that help enlarge the feel of the space by reflecting light off the walls or ceiling. Foyer lighting can be designed to light closets, luggage racks and the foyer at the same time.

Self illuminated switches provide a convenience for guests entering an unfamiliar space. Low wattage night lights and guide lights will avoid guests leaving higher wattage light sources turned on through the night.

Automated room controls that sense the presence of occupants or staff will provide additional energy savings. These systems switch off certain electrical receptacles and lower the thermostats when the space is unoccupied.

Lighting operates 24/7 in lobbies and often in high ceilings where re-lamping can be difficult, inconvenient and costly. Consider the most energy efficient long life light sources, like ULTRA LED retrofit lamps.

Lobby lighting should provide a safe outdoor-to-indoor transition, i.e. the ability of one’s eyes to adapt from outdoor to indoor lighting conditions.

Highly reflective lobby walls can be wall washed with light to provide illumination for the lobby and occupants.

For glass enclosed lobbies, the interior walls need to be at higher luminance in the day (to be seen from outside) and lower at night. Consider controlled dimming systems.

Hotel lobbies house a number of areas that can be differentiated and enhanced with appropriate lighting techniques. These include: elevator lobbies, reception desk, lounge areas, bell captain and, concierges desks.

Where informational display screens are used, care should be taken to avoid distracting reflections from luminaires or high brightness surfaces.

The registration desk is a multi-task area. A high general lighting level will help guests locate and use this area, while local task lighting should be considered where display screens are in use.

Higher illuminance is suitable in elevator lobbies especially over the elevator threshold.​

Intimate restaurants, lounges and clubs require low levels of illuminance with subtly lighted focal areas such as entrance lobbies, maitre d’ stations and table and bar surfaces. Lighting should be uniform and controlled in distribution.

Leisure restaurants and dining rooms (the most prevalent type) require moderate illuminance levels and luminaires are usually unobtrusive, except where decorative luminaires might be used as part of the interior theme décor. Light levels should be higher in focal areas such as buffet tables.

Quick service restaurants including snack bars, coffee shops and franchise restaurants usually strive for fast and efficient customer turnover. Higher illuminance levels and uniform light distribution are usually the norm.

In any dining or drinking establishment, there should be adequate light levels for reading menus or reading labels on bottles behind the bar.

Light sources with a high color rendering index are important wherever food is being served so that everything looks appetizing.

Where windows are present in restaurants, a daylight harvesting system can be used to save energy and extend lamp life.​​​