Hotel flooring has to be attractive, yet durable and easy-to-maintain. Hotels now have more of a choice than ever before when it comes to flooring their guests in style, says Sapna Kulshrestha.
Flooring for a hotel has to not only cope with constant wear-and-tear and heavy foot traffic, but must also be easy to maintain, stain-resistant, and above all, retain an attractive appearance.
“No interior is complete without a floor that matches the rest of the décor, and obviously, it is the use of different types of flooring that helps segregate the different activities within a hotel space,” says architect Suman Dua.
The flooring choice for hospitality varies according to the type and functionality of the hotel space. Since it should also usually be water-proof and stain-resistant, even materials like rubber would be ideal, while other options could be vinyl and concrete.
Stone flooring continues to be the hot favourite, with breathtaking results. Polished marble and granite are common flooring materials used in luxury hotels in India, while other stone materials include sandstone, limestone, slate, and Travertine – a type of rock that creates a more natural look.
Indira Paul, executive housekeeper, Trident Gurgaon, says: “Thassos marble and granite flooring in various areas of our hotel give it a feeling of royalty and luxury, adding to the overall experience.” Aarti Notiyal Kotnala, general manager, corporate communications, Classic Marble Group, further adds: “For hotels, imported marble stones have an edge over other materials, as it gels well with the contemporary interior design.”
For example Sonargaon, the Indian restaurant at Taj Bengal, Kolkata, has a cobbled stone floor to infuse an authentic ambience. As Modhurima Sinha, director, public relations- East and Khazana, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, sums up: “Every aspect of the hotel borrows from the heritage of Kolkata, and caters to the senses of the initiated.”
Then there are vitrified tiles, whose designs similar to natural Italian or Indian marble and granite, are fast replacing natural stones.
“Nowadays designers are opting for vitrified tiles as they require less maintenance, are easier to cut than stone, and can be precut in desired shapes, borders, styles, and so on,” says Abhishek Tiwari, brand manager, RAK Ceramics.
Vitrified tiles also come as large format tiles in a variety of styles and designs, both glazed and unglazed, which can either emulate the look of natural stone, or other materials such as metal, linen, and leather.
Jignesh Goswami, brand manager, Asian Granito, says: “Many hotel chains like The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts are using vitrified glazed tiles for flooring in public as well as private areas, for their stone-like appearance, and advantages like anti-skid and stain-proof.”
On the other hand, areas like boardrooms need a plusher, luxurious interior, and carpeting is usually the flooring of choice as it is one of the best insulators against sound, which is an important factor in such areas, agree hoteliers.
This versatile item is available in more textures, patterns, and styles, than ever before. Constructed of nylon, acrylic, olefin, polyester, and wool, carpets can transform a simple floor to a focal point.
Further, today’s stain protected carpets can be used anywhere without the worry of permanent damage occurring. However, carpets do need replacement more often than any other choice of material.
“Carpets are considered to be the ideal choice for hotel flooring in public areas like corridors, lounges, and seating areas in lobbies, because of its preferential texture underfoot, insulating properties, warmth, and customised attractive designs,” says Shweta Shahi, deputy PR and communications manager, The Claridges, Surajkund.
Likewise for guest rooms, where a touch of luxury, warmth, and comfort is paramount, an option other than carpets could be hardwood flooring that adds an atmosphere of class to any area.
Also, a hardwood floor can always be refinished multiple times to look like new, something that isn’t possible with most other materials. Laminate floors are an alternative to hardwood floors and fast becoming one of the most sought-after floor materials in hotels.
“Laminate floors are made of pressed, composite wood with a thin layer of veneer laid over the top, that can mimic almost any hardwood surface without the cost or the high maintenance issues. Many five-star hotels including Le Royal Meridien, Mumbai, are using this floor in their guest rooms and other areas,” states Nagaraj Shurpali, regional manager, Pergo India Pvt. Ltd.
One of the most exciting types of flooring to enter the hospitality market is leather flooring, which is a premium product. These impregnated leather tiles introduced by Delhi-based wood products company NLDK Timbers Ltd, are six millimetres thick and processed with the highest quality technology. Easy to maintain, it can be easily installed over plywood planks with latex-based glue.
“The Sahara Star hotel in Mumbai, for instance, has a leather flooring in its bar,” say company sources. NLDK Timbers Ltd has tied up with J Mooney & Son Ltd, a Dublin-based leather company, to offer an entire leather flooring range in shades of burgundy, olive, and brown.
A surprising twist is the rising popularity of polished concrete in the hotel sector. The stamped concrete floors mimic the look of tile or stone, which can add a rustic design to the floor; the addition of colour tints allows more choice in decorating schemes, to complement any setting.
This type of flooring is extremely durable but one of the more expensive choices. When treated, it cleans easily and will not stain. It also out lasts many other choices of flooring such as carpet, tile, or wood.
Besides these, when it comes to attractive and functional flooring for hotels, other choices include mosaic tiles in different textures and colours, and ceramic parquet, which can imitate marble, wood, and stone.
“Ceramic and porcelain tiles always add a new look as they can bring texture and style, and can be laid on a diagonal or in a variety of patterns,” says interior designer, Bhavna Lal. In fact, tiles are a good option for low maintenance and beautiful floors and are versatile enough to be used in almost any room. It is also more cost effective, durable and easier to keep clean than most other materials.
Another key aspect a hotel has to consider is health and safety. Thus, areas like swimming pools, water bodies, or fountains, require flooring with non-slip, high-traction surfaces.
Along with stones like rough sandstone and slate, terracotta tile is one such flooring that offers durability and aesthetic values.
Similarly pebble tiles, an eco-friendly and very attractive flooring comprising of pebbles that are sustainably harvested taking care not to strip the river eco-system, are beautiful as a shower floor or walls in bathing and swimming pool areas, and can also be used for exterior flooring applications. These tiles take less energy to produce than most ceramic tiles.
For areas like health clubs and indoor play areas for children in hotels, cushion floor, a kind of soft vinyl flooring, is ideal. With designs ranging from intricate to simple, cushion floor looks fantastic and give the beauty of natural tile and wood without the hard cold drawbacks say designers.
Similarly, gym floors demand special qualities from any flooring system. The gym floor finish option available includes matte or gloss finished vinyl interlocking, and square tiles or a rubber base mat with polyurethane top coatings, or press moulded and calendared rubber tiles.
In terms of alternative floorings, many manufacturers are now producing environment friendly as well as affordable and attractive options.
As the Marriott International management says: “The hotels’ old carpets are returned to the manufacturers to be recycled by reprocessing the old carpets nylon-face fibre into a clean stream of nylon, to produce brand new carpets in the desired format for the hotel.”
Raj Menon, country manager, InterfaceFLOR India, says: “Our production patterning is like a reincarnation of old nylon-face fibre into a new recycled nylon. Both the sides – the yarn and the back – are recyclable, and can be refurbished and re-used. This technology helps us be a pioneer in recycling waste yarn from discarded old carpets for producing flashy tiles.”
As a matter of fact InterfaceFLOR has the largest recycled content – up to 76% – among any carpet tiles available. Moreover, these tiles are fitted to the ground with ‘tackifier glue,’ an adhesive with low volatile organic compound (VOC) which reduces the contamination level.
“Facility managers love them, as vacuuming is the key to daily maintenance, while dry shampooing and hot-water extraction of dirt would be yearly requirements,” adds Menon.
What’s more, hotel properties are beginning to experiment with sustainable hard surface floors such as porcelain recycled glass tiles, which not only create spaces that are environment friendly, but are stylish as well.
While recycled glass tiles can be arranged in a variety of mosaic patterns to provide an assortment of striking design options, the porcelain tiles are so thin they can be laid over existing flooring, thereby reducing waste generation during a renovation project.
The Oberoi group believes in maximising the use of locally available stone in their building interiors to reduce the carbon footprint.
Diya Basu, director public relations & communications, The Park, Kolkata, says: “Our guest room bathrooms are designed with iridescent glass mosaics for a stunning look.”
Recycled rubber is another popular green material with hotels, particularly for fitness centres, because of its non-slip properties.
It is naturally hygienic and waterproof, besides offering sound proofing, cushioning, and insulating properties, and stands up well in areas of high traffic. It is not the most luxurious looking choice, but is used in specific areas of a hotel for its inherent advantages.
Likewise bamboo- a grass that grows to maturity in less than six years and can be renewably harvested – is also used as flooring that behaves much like standard hardwood flooring, with the unique look that is only bamboo. For instance, in The Park, Navi Mumbai, the guest rooms’ natural bamboo floors complement interiors based on classical natural palettes.
Certain eco friendly hotels are also starting to install sustainable floor materials like reclaimed wood which has character, beauty, and the durability of old-growth wood, without removing any living trees.
This flooring has lots of ‘real’ character with knot holes, saw marks, and suchlike. These floors can look rustic or modern, depending on the interior setting. Akshay Gavai, environment officer, The Orchid, Ecotel Hotel, Mumbai, says: “Rubber wood and cotton wood are some of the sustainable woods being used by Orchid hotel properties, as also reclaimed wood in one of our specialty restaurants.”
Also emerging on the scene are cork floors and recycled vinyl flooring, making their mark on sustainable hotels. The replications of natural material in vinyl flooring can offer an inexpensive way to have the look of a more costly floor covering.
However, unlike vinyl and other synthetic materials, cork does not release toxic fumes. It is durable and insulating, with many different styles of cork flooring available, from light and simple, to intricately patterned floors.
Today, in hospitality interiors especially, flooring plays an interesting role both aesthetically and functionally. Moreover, with the current trend for refurbishment every few years, most modern hotels want cost-effective options too.
“The hotel industry is constantly looking for new materials with unique features that are maintenance-friendly,” says architect Ponni Concessao of OCI Architects, Chennai.
