Specifying the right flooring in hotels can reduce accidents, maintain hygiene and make guests feel really welcome. Ian Winsley, managing director of flooring installation specialist Selby Carpets gives you his top tips.

　　Specifying the right flooring in hotels can reduce accidents, maintain hygiene and make guests feel really welcome. Ian Winsley, managing director of flooring installation specialist Selby Carpets gives you his top tips.

　　Get advice and budget properly

　　As a specialist flooring contractor we fit flooring and carpets into many hotels and initial conversations with hotel facilities managers will often start around budget. Getting the budget right is important as flooring is a vital part of a hotel’s look and ambience. Advice from good installation companies and manufacturers will help you set your price for the job in hand. The more you spend generally links to a longer life span of your flooring.

　　Wear and tear

　　Of course good old-fashioned wear and tear is a major factor in hotel flooring specification. Often cheaper carpet just won’t last where there is heavy traffic. It can easily stain and food and sticky items like chewing gum can be extremely difficult to remove. Nylon is the hardest wearing yarn for carpet and is getting softer underfoot as manufacturing technology advances. It is easy to clean and will last for years. We have found carpet tiles have become more popular as they can be changed over and fitted cheaply and heavy stains or burns can be replaced in house. Luxury vinyl tiles, such as Karndean, give the look of wood or stone without the old wear and tear issues and we see this as the fastest growing product within the hotel sector.

　　Keep guests and employees comfortable and safe

　　Always look carefully at the different uses of the rooms in your hotel. Aesthetics, health and safety, acoustic performance and hygiene should be high on the list of things to consider. According the latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures (2007/8), 40% of all injuries to employees are caused by slips and trips. Many slips occur in kitchens and restaurants and flooring should be specified that is specifically suitable for these areas.

　　Making a statement with your flooring

　　The aesthetic appeal of flooring cannot be underestimated, especially in reception areas where guests gain their first impressions of where they are about to stay. Not only can the flooring enhance comfort, hygiene and acoustic performance, it can really enhance help with the overall look and ambience of a hotel, making the guests feel welcome. Whether it’s a feeling of cosiness, grandeur or ultra-modernism, flooring can add a little something extra. We can even feature customised logos into carpet, vinyl and mats to increase your brand awareness.

　　Choose installers wisely

　　This is important. My company provides an installation service which will fit into a hotel’s daily schedules. Our specialist lifting equipment minimises disruption meaning furniture doesn’t always have to be removed. Make sure your installation company offers a similar service. Poor installation can decrease the life span of your flooring and detract from the quality you are trying to portray.

　　Recycling

　　Hotels want to meet their recycling and waste targets and good flooring installation companies will handle the recycling of your old flooring during installation. Each year over 400,000 tonnes of carpet waste is buried in landfill, yet as carpets are made from natural and synthetic fibres, they still have a value once the carpet is no longer wanted and can be transformed into sports surfaces and insulation. Look out for members of the Carpet Recycling UK initiative, a not-for-profit membership association that works to increase the recycling of carpet waste across the UK.