It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when brainstorming how you can maximize your hotel's interior design, but the paint you choose for your property's walls can have a significant impact on the guest experience and, in turn, your revenue. That's right: Paint.
Even if this isn't something that's ever crossed your mind before, it's never too late to start exploring your options. Whether you're planning on starting a hotel business from scratch or you're a seasoned hotel general manager (or anyone in between), this post on hotel room painting ideas is designed to help you and your team think outside the box.
We asked experts from various industries for some hotel room painting ideas and principles to know before getting started. So, keep reading to discover ideas we love, as well as practical ways to achieve the design of your guests’ dreams.
Discover 6 expert hotel room painting ideas
1. Bring in local artists
The Drake Hotel in Toronto, Canada features a terrace with murals painted by local artist Louise Reimer. Her work features a collage of abstract shapes in red, blue, and yellow. This striking background shapes the feeling of the space, creating a sophisticated atmosphere for guests to enjoy their expertly-made craft cocktails.
Adding murals to your hotel rooms will make the rooms an attraction all their own. Collaborating with local artists adds another dimension to the experience as well. Who wouldn’t want to see even more regional flavor in their hotel room decor?
Stick to one artist for every room or work with one artist per floor to create entirely unique experiences for all of your guests.
Hospitality questions? We've got answers
2. Create an accent wall
Cvent spoke to architect and Founder of Homesthetics, Anton Giuroiu, about hotel room painting ideas. Here’s what he thinks will make the biggest difference regardless of your current layout or building structure.
“One way hoteliers can reinvigorate their space while still sticking to an overall theme is to add an accent wall using the dominant colors of the building,” he said.
“This accent wall will make any bare space lively. On top of that, the accent wall can become a great backdrop to any photo, which will serve as an effective advertisement for your place should users take photos there and upload them on social media.”
Another great benefit of this idea? Savings.
“An accent wall does not break the bank and does not take a lot of time to make,” Giuroiu said. “That being said, it is both a practical and an effective way to make a space more appealing, either when building it for the first time or redesigning an existing one.”
3. Design multiple “moments”
Jeremy Yamaguchi of Lawn Love says there’s no reason to limit your hotel room painting ideas to just one Instagrammable moment. In an email to Cvent, Yamaguchi suggested “taking advantage of lobby space” and blank walls in hotel rooms to create unique photo opportunities.
Not sure what makes an Instagrammable moment?
“These can be things like a spunky wallpaper, a sign with a quote, a sitting area with tons of plants, or anything else that makes for a cool picture,” Yamaguchi said.
Another factor is lighting.
“If possible, have these locations be adjacent to your window/doors so that they get as much natural light as possible. When guests start posting pictures at these spots, it can influence others to come in to take pictures, which will result in more business.”
In Netflix’s Motel Makeover, the owners of the June Motel showcase bubblegum pink doors and vibrant aqua and green palm frond wallpapers for this very reason. Adding beautiful photo spots through the paint in your hotel rooms makes the experience that much more interesting and interactive for guests.
4. Set the mood
When narrowing down your hotel room painting ideas, consider how you want your hotel guests to feel once they're all settled into the space. Color has the power to evoke certain emotions, which is why the hue you choose is so important.
For example, darker colors may appeal to audiences looking for a high-end experience. Phillip Ash, Founder of Pro Paint Corner, told Cvent that, “for instance, dark shades of paint can add drama and a luxurious feel to the room.” You may even want to “match them with light and bright furniture to make them stand out.”
Popular shades for hotel rooms include hues that evoke feelings of calm, comfort, and freshness. For that reason, colors found in nature are an obvious choice for any hotel paint makeover. Think light bluish grays and forest greens — anything that you’d use to decorate a spa with would probably do well in your hotel rooms too.
Whichever paint colors you choose, make sure you’re conscious about the mood it creates in your rooms and whether or not your audience will respond well to that aesthetic.
5. Don’t follow trends
The best hotel painting ideas usually stand the test of time, which is why you should plan to paint your rooms a color that you’ll get many years of use out of. As Home Guide Corner CEO Joel Phillips explained to Cvent, “revamping your hotel can be challenging, especially with the constantly changing trends. Thus, the first step is repainting the hotel rooms while sticking to the original theme.”
Keep in mind that theme is different from brand. And while the two should go together, you don’t need to use your logo colors to create a timeless design.
“Picking the right color can be tricky for the hotel interior, as one can get easily bored with classic white,” Phillips said. “It gets dirtier quicker. So, choosing relaxing earthy tones can make the rooms more warm and welcoming, and no need to worry about constant repainting costs.”
Even if it benefits your brand to follow a trending design style, balance it out by choosing paint colors that you know people won’t get tired of after a season or two. Unless, of course, you plan on re-painting often.
6. Stick with neutrals
Of course, deciding on hotel room paint depends on a ton of factors, such as your space, the types of guests who frequent your property, and so on. But at the end of the day, it's hard to go wrong with neutrals.
Real estate expert and Founder of Sell Land, Bob Scott, told Cvent in an interview that hoteliers should lean into soothing shades when looking for hotel room painting ideas. “Hotel rooms should appeal to the majority of its customers and there is no other way to do it but to keep it simple,” said Scott.
“Neutral colors such as off-white, grey, and shades of beige are classics in balancing out rooms and providing Instagrammable backdrops."
This trend is gaining momentum in the interior design world too. The latest CB2 holiday catalog showcases the very hues Scott has listed here. And home decor mega YouTubers such as XO MaCenna and Lone Fox have heavily featured neutrals in their 2021 designs. Clearly, Scott is on to something.
But why neutrals?
“Because they can blend seamlessly with other hues, these colors can match any outfit of influencers and ordinary people alike to boost the hotel's publicity. Moreover, it is easy to clean and touch up if necessary,” he said.
Put these hotel room painting ideas to use!
Ready to take your hotel room painting ideas to the next level? Round out your design choices with these hotel room number ideas.
