Lighting for the hospitality industry can vary widely, depending on the venue. Some hospitality industry lighting is standard, like that used for wall and ceilings Upscale venues have more intricate lighting fixtures for functionality and ambiance. No matter what type of lighting you use, proper installation and maintenance is required to keep it working at peak performance for customers and employees.

Restaurant lighting and hotel lighting can be difficult to install and maintain, especially if the lobby or other public areas have high ceilings. Hire professionals that are experts in installation and maintenance for lighting for the hospitality industry. Professionals should have the skills to:

1. Properly install many types of lighting for hotels, casinos and other venues.

2. Install intricate and unique lighting fixtures.

3. Maintain all types of hotel lighting systems.

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Choose hotel industry lighting installers that handle basic lighting

Basic lighting for hotels, restaurants and other hospitality venues includes lighting for each room, entry lighting and bathroom lighting. To get these basics at an affordable price, choose an installer that offers simple products designed to blend in with a variety of different rooms designs and themes. Basic lighting also includes necessities such as exit signs, security lighting and emergency lighting.

I recommend: CS Lighting offers many basic styles of light fixtures for halls, rooms and hospital entryways. This is a full service company that can sell you the fixtures and bulbs, and provides installation and energy audits. Progressive Lighting & Energy Solutions provides consulting and retrofitting services, in addition to installing energy efficient fixtures for the hospitality industry.

Find hospitality lighting companies that install specialty lighting

Specialty lighting is used in many high-end hotels and restaurants to enhance the beauty of the decor. It is often designed by a professional and installed by companies that specialize in unique lighting fixtures. To get a better idea of the type of lighting designs an installer offers, check out a portfolio of work.

I recommend: G Lighting has a large portfolio of work that includes hotels, casinos, restaurants and churches. BAA Lighting Design Services provides design and installation services. The company also inspects its work after the project is complete to guarantee that the work is up to code and operating properly.

Hire maintenance services that work with lighting in hotel industry

Lighting maintenance service is often provided by the lighting manufacturer or designer you hired to install your hotel and restaurant lighting. But if these companies do not provide service for maintenance issues, local electricians may have the expertise.

I recommend: Albeo Technologies offers both installation and maintenance services for LED lighting systems used in commercial buildings, hotels and warehouses. Lighting Maintenance provides service to Washington DC and surrounding areas. It specializes in repairing indoor and outdoor lighting for commercial buildings.

Hotel lighting, if done properly, should go completely unnoticed. When your guest walks into the lobby, guest room, or restaurant of your hotel, the lighting should feel comfortable and natural. It shouldn't be too bright or too dark or make people's skin look grayish-green.

Lighting for the hospitality industry can be complicated. But as with cleanliness and good guest service, the atmosphere of your hotel leaves a lasting impression, especially if it's bad. If you install and maintain the proper hotel light fixtures, your guests will be blissfully unaware you've done anything at all.

Hospitality industry lighting is complex because each area of the hotel needs special attention. When planning your hotel, guest room and restaurant lighting, consider the following:

1. Your hotel lighting should create a particular feel.

2. Lighting in the hospitality industry must be chosen to serve a specific purpose.

3. Be economical in your choice of hospitality lighting.

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Choose fluorescents for warm, flattering hospitality lighting

The use of fluorescent lighting in hotels is growing. They are easy on the environment, use less energy and, unlike incandescents, they don't become hot to the touch. Older versions of fluorescents could make skin color look greenish or gray, but newer versions have corrected that problem. Fluorescents are a good starting point for your indoor hotel lighting.

I recommend: For hospitality industry lighting, Osram strongly believes in fluorescents for their energy efficiency and comfortable feel. Hotel & Motel Management explains that the burgeoning trend in lighting for hotels is fluorescents. For design tips, try Louie Lighting.

Consider halogens for focused, bright lighting in hotels

For a focused, crisp beam, halogen is your best bet for hotel and restaurant lighting. Ideal for accentuating art or small objects and good for tight corners, halogen lights are easily dimmable (unlike fluorescents) and last longer than incandescents. However, they are extremely hot to the touch and can have their longevity severely shortened if the glass comes into contact with human hands.

I recommend: General Electric offers a wide variety of halogen lighting for hotels. For track lighting fixtures and accessories that use halogen bulbs, try Pegasus Associates.

Phase out incandescents for optimum energy efficiency

Lighting for the hospitality industry has long relied on incandescent bulbs. After all, they are inexpensive, dimmable and approximate daylight very effectively. Because light is produced by heating a filament, however, the bulbs get hot and waste a lot of energy. Because of this lack of energy efficiency, many countries, including Brazil, Ireland and Venezuela are phasing out the incandescents in favor of fluorescents.

I recommend: Legislation has been passed by the US Congress to phase out incandescent bulbs by in the year 2012, but incandescents are still in wide use and are available at sites like bulbs.com and 1000Bulbs.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To get ahead of the hospitality industry lighting game, consider replacing both incandescents and compact fluorescent lighting with High Energy LEDs.
• •  To get ahead of the hospitality industry lighting game, consider replacing both incandescents and compact fluorescent lighting with High Energy LEDs.

Lighting for the hospitality industry should reflect and reinforce the image and atmosphere your business wants to put forward. As a restaurateur or a hotelier you know that atmosphere often makes or breaks a hospitality business, so it's critical that you use lighting effectively to get your hotel off to a good start and keep your guests coming back.

Lighting for the hospitality industry pricing and costs can vary greatly, depending on the style you're looking for, how elaborate the light is and how large it is. Custom and handcrafted pieces generally cost the most; metalwork and glasswork can also cost you a pretty penny, while plastics are going to be your least expensive option. Consider the following:

1. Use restaurant lighting to enhance the diners' experiences. Generally, bright lighting makes for quicker eating while dimmer lighting fosters an intimate, slower experience.

2. Install hotel lighting in your lobby, hallways and guest rooms. The style here will mostly depend on the look you're going for, and cost will vary accordingly.

3. Make sure to get restaurant and hotel light fixtures for outside. This is a small price to pay to avoid settlement costs from someone tripping in the dark.

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Buy restaurant lighting to give your establishment the ambiance you desire

In restaurants and bars, lighting sets the tone. Even if you have a lot of natural light at your establishment, you'll still need lighting for nighttime. You can use individual lamps at tables to provide an air of intimacy but larger lights to go in hallways and the bar area. Small table lights range from $8 to $30 each. Chandeliers can cost a couple hundred dollars but are more likely to be thousands of dollars, depending on how elaborate they are. Pendants and wall lights can cost several hundred dollars.

I recommend: Interior-Deluxe has a nice selection of lighting for restaurants, bars and lounges. Check out the table lights at Tropical Lights, which are great for both restaurants and bars with intimate atmospheres.

Invest in lighting for hotels and resorts

Hotels and resorts are full of lighting, from the moment a guest walks in the entrance to the moment he goes to sleep at night. Indoor hotel lighting ranges quite a bit in price. Bedside lamps and reading lights can cost just a couple of hundred dollars. Specialty or custom-made items, like sconces in the hallways, can cost upwards of $1000. For every budget, there are affordable products.

I recommend: Design your own pendants for just a few hundred dollars at Alluminare. Browse through the selections at Atlantic Hospitality, which offers every type of lighting you need for guest rooms, lobbies and hallways. Palecek offers natural solutions to lighting, as there is a push toward being "green" in the hospitality industry.

Remember to get hospitality lighting for outdoor spaces

More expensive resorts and upscale restaurants may choose to invest in elaborate outdoor lighting to set the mood, whereas a mom-and-pop diner may just want a simple outdoor light for the path to the parking lot at night. As with indoor lighting, outdoor lighting contributes to the ambiance of the establishment. Unique, handcrafted outdoor lighting can cost several thousand dollars, while basic lanterns and wall lights may only run you $40.

I recommend: eLights.com offers a variety of types of outdoor lighting for decks and porches, which is handy for both outdoor restaurant seating and pool areas at hotels. Consider the lanterns at 2nd Ave Lighting for your outdoor areas.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Light bulbs for hotel industry lighting vary as well. Standard incandescent bulbs are very cheap, only a couple dollars per package of four. Fluorescent tubes are just a bit higher, with compact fluorescents (CFLs) being the most expensive. CFLs use less energy, and much of the hospitality industry is shifting toward these more efficient bulbs.

The lighting that you choose for your hotel or restaurant is responsible for setting the atmosphere. Lights that are either too bright or too dark may make guests uncomfortable. To choose the right lights for your company, you need to start by learning some key terms. Switching to halogen or LED lighting could save you money over the traditional incandescent bulbs. Track lighting and table lamps are excellent for creating a specific mood. Get started with these terms.

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Halogen lighting

Halogen lighting uses the halogen gas to create the light. It creates a bright light and is energy efficient, but has a tendency to get too hot. If you are going to use halogen lighting, make sure that it's in a place that won't harm your guests.

I recommend: See examples of halogen lighting at GE.

Track lighting

Track lighting is a series of lights that are placed on a track that's mounted to the ceiling or a wall. Each lamp can be individually adjusted, creating a mini-spotlight. Many businesses use track lighting to highlight artwork.

I recommend: Visit Pegasus Associates Lighting to see the different types of track lighting.

LED lighting

LED lighting is efficient and safe. It is cool to the touch. You can see LED lighting in clocks and indicator lights in cars. A hotel may use LED lighting as a night light or as guide lights.

I recommend: You can view some examples of LED lighting at Best Home LED Lighting.

Lighting retrofitting

If your current lighting system is older, chances are it's wasting a lot of money. Consider a lighting retrofitting, which is the process of replacing all of your old lights with newer, more energy efficient styles.

I recommend: Progressive Lighting offers a lighting retrofitting service. They describe it on their website.

Table lamps

Table lamps are small lamps that you place on tables. This can create mood lighting in restaurants, but are also a necessary feature in hotel rooms. Table lamps come in a variety of styles to suite whatever your decorating scheme is.

I recommend: View table lamps that are appropriate for restaurant tables at RestaurantLights.com. Atlantic Hospitality shows table lamps suitable for hotel rooms.

Drum shade

A drum shade is a particular style of lamp shade. Rather than sloping outward, a drum shade is uniform throughout. It is designed to look like a drum.

I recommend: Alluminare shows examples of drum shades.