Hoteliers take risks on the walls with large designs, homey feeling

Large-scale wallcovering patterns have become more common at hotels during the past several years.

The hotel guest wants that “home away from home” feeling, and even the wallcoverings industry has recognized that. The hotel wallcoverings market has shifted from small designs, textures and scales to large patterns and scales, mimicking the home environment.

“The movement started about seven years ago,” said Ashley Vizzi, commercial sales manager for York Wallcoverings. “Hotels want that home environment for their guests when they aren’t at home.”

While large-scale designs were popular long ago, hotels have typically shied away from using such wallcoverings in the past 50 years, Vizzi said. But these days, hotels are elevating the home look with more specialty, sweeping wallcoverings, with interesting effects, such as glass beads, sands and glitter on commercial vinyl.

Large-scale patterns are very impactful, especially when done as an accent wall. Digital murals also are being seen in hotels, especially boutique properties. Since many hotels have moved to the neutral, clean and sophisticated bedding, accent walls are becoming more popular, said LeRue Brown, York’s director of marketing.

“Many hotels are taking more risks—it’s not uncommon to see a bright red or orange wall in rooms these days,” Vizzi said.

The use of fabric as wallcoverings in hotels' public spaces is increasing as well—serving to beautify a space as well as offering an acoustical benefit, said David Pearson, VP of Quiltcraft Industries.

“More hotels are putting fabric walls in their open lobbies to deaden the quantity of sounds,” Pearson said.

Quiltcraft is working with La Quinta on a national basis with the brand’s two-story lobby concept, which houses the registration, breakfast area and guestrooms. Obviously deadening sounds is extremely important for those guestrooms that are open to the lobby. The company uses fiberglass on the wall with a fabric covering.

The fabric these days can be a simple single color, a pattern, even a screen printed with a design or logo. In exercise rooms, instead of applying vinyl directly to the walls with logos or instructions, many hotels are putting the images on fabric and affixing to the wall, giving the hotel the option of quickly changing it if needed.

Large-scale wallcovering patterns have become more common at hotels during the past several years.

Companies join eco-chic trend

Wallcovering manufacturers are becoming more sensitive to the green movement. Several have engineered the process to take the pollutants out of the equation. Companies use natural fibers such as sand, grasses and cork, and water-based inks and coatings to offer a more consumer-friendly experience.

Hotels should look for recycled content, reclaimed material and no off-gassing when purchasing green wallcoverings. They should also look for companies that are following environmentally friendly business practices.

JoAnna Abrams, founder and ceo of MindClick SGM, said more hotels are interested in achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating points, and wallcoverings are an easy way to do this. Helping improve the air quality within a hotel ties into LEED points, so the minimization of toxins in wallcovering materials is a good fit.

“The more sustainable a property is overall will help a hotel achieve high LEED ratings,” Abrams said. “Wallcoverings and floorings are common ways to achieve better sustainability.”

In MindClick’s recent survey of 300 architects/designers, almost 80 percent of designers have researched and/or sourced green wallcoverings. This is tied with surfaces and floorings as the most researched and sourced green category. Half of the designers surveyed indicated that more than 50 percent of their projects in 2010 involved researching or specifying green furniture, fixtures and equipment.