An outclass look and Exceptional customer service are the cornerstone of good hospitality. Design elements play a crucial role in the hospitality industry as a well-decorated hotel or Restaurant creates its specific identity and makes the visitors feel it is not just another hotel suite.
To create that transformative décor, a carpet is an interior designer’s favorite style quotient to embellish any hospitality establishment. They emanate a sense of luxury, comfort and elevate the area’s dignity and sophistication. An elegant carpet rolled out on the floor welcomes the guest by providing a true sense of indulgence under their foot.
Not just as a décor statement, a carpet offers a bundle of all the needed benefits such as style, comfort, warmth, safety, cost-effectiveness, and ease of maintenance. But unlike residential carpets, hospitality carpets should meet a certain standard bar. And also different areas require different carpets according to their functionality. Like, a carpet in the bedroom should be more comfortable whereas carpets in the reception or lobby area should be highly durable and withstand heavy foot traffic.
To be able to choose the best carpet for the hospitality industry, here we are putting together a complete guide on the key consideration to be looked upon.
Table of content:-
1. Why to choose carpet over hard flooring in hospitality buildings?
In the hospitality industry, ambiance has prime importance in overall guest satisfaction. A well-structured and decorated space compliments the hospitality service. Unlike hard flooring (hardwood or tiles) which tend to create a monotonous look, carpets offer excellent design flexibility. Be it a neutral floor or a bold look, a carpet brings a visual flair to Hotels and Restaurants.
Besides, carpets are an excellent investment to match the brand’s integrity. They add a distinctive character and make the visitors remember the place.
The advantages of opting for carpets over other flooring option for the hospitality industry doesn’t end just to it. Here is a list of more functional utilities of carpets.
1.a. Design Versatility:
Carpeting offers a wide range of designs and styles in umpteen combinations of colors and patterns. With that, you can never be short of choices to bring the creative vision to life.
If in case, you are following a theme or getting the interior design of the establishment customized, carpets are a great way to extend those design specifications to the floor as well. A cohesive blend of design specification will surely lead to an upgraded result and leaves a remarkable impression on the guests.
1.b. Carpets Are More Durable:
In every hotel, due to heavy foot traffic wear and tear on floor cover is very probable. Thus Hospitality carpet is a viable choice as they are specifically designed for active use. The fibers of carpet naturally increase its longevity and resist crushing and denting even in heavy-duty functional needs.
1.c. Carpet Reduces The Ambiance Noise:
As a bustling space, hotels are more prone to produce noise and a constant buzz of footsteps. Carpets are a great way to repress the noise and sound of footsteps. In carpet floored infrastructure, sound does not bounce off the wall creating an echo, which otherwise is very difficult to achieve through hardwood flooring. It is approximately estimated that it would need a 60cm thick hard floor to balance the carpet acoustic effect.
1.d. Humidity Fluctuations Are Less Likely To Damage Carpets:
One of the major snags of hardwood flooring is that they are more vulnerable to humidity. The natural change of temperature and moisture has a critical effect on the relative humidity of the interior of any space. These changes can cause the floor to contract or expansion of wood in the longer term. Carpets are the worthy contender to tackle this problem effectively. They keep the flooring less affected by the damage.
1.e. Carpet Regulates The Temperature Of The Space:
The fibers of the carpet act as a natural thermal insulator and keep the room warm and cozy. They reduce the temperature variation of interior air and add the right feel to the room. The soft plush underneath the foot gives the ultimate experience and undeniable comfort.
1.f. Carpets Are Safe And Sustainable:
While installing flooring, especially for the hallway and staircase, it is important to address the concern of unfortunate miss falls. Carpets are a good addition to avoid such situations as they are sturdy and non-slippery.
Furthermore, carpets are the lowest VOC-emitting flooring option available.
In addition to all this, carpets support sustainability. As there is an increasing urge for individual contribution to eco-friendliness, the hospitality industry is also in favor of incorporating sustainable elements in their service. Some carpets are fabricated using natural fibers and follow a clean manufacturing procedure to release very minimal wastage to the environment.
2. Hand-Made Carpet & Machine-Made Carpet
Whether you are designing a Restaurant with a dining facility or a hotel suite, carpets are unlikely to disappear out of the trend because of their irresistible benefits and constant upgrade with time. While we are counting on carpets, it is important to know the different carpet production type and their individual contribution to make the optimal choice.
When choosing the best carpet for the hospitality industry, we prioritize color, pattern, style, material, and price range, but overlook the manufacturing method of the carpet. In actual fact, it is the deciding factor of various design specifications and features.
Majorly, there are two ways in which a carpet is manufactured. Hand-made and machine-made.
Machine-made carpets are mass-produced in large machines called power looms. The whole manufacturing process, designing, and specialized multi-sewing needles are controlled by computers and are electrically automated.
On the other hand, Hand-Made Rugs are made by skilled professionals created through the careful curation of artistic designs.
2.a. A Noteworthy Comparison Between Hand-Made & Machine-Made Carpets
The difference in manufacturing type certainly affects some specifications of the carpet. Here is a list of those analogies that may impact the carpet selection.
A machine-made carpet takes less time to fabricate as the process is automated and machine-dependent. On the other hand, weaving a hand-made carpet, takes considerably more time as the process is meticulous and demands much diligence.
Comparatively, because of certain traits, a hand-made carpet is more durable than a machine-made one. The natural fibers and the conventional weaving method make a hand-made carpet highly durable. Thus it reduces the frequent replacement of carpets, which is one of the concerns in the hospitality industry as it disturbs the overall design.
To make a hand-made carpet, artisans use natural fibers such as wool, silk, cotton, or jute. They mostly incorporate natural dyes and follow the clean process of manufacturing by leaving fewer carbon residues. Thus, a hand-made carpet is a more sustainable option than a machine-made carpet.
Hand-made carpet contribution to keeping the surrounding air fresh and clean. But on the flip side, machine-made carpets will have the residues of adhesives and solution dyes which are quite harmful to the atmosphere.
Machine-made carpets are offered at less cost as they are mass-produced and also the availability of raw materials at a lesser price.
2.b. Which Is The Best Choice For The Hospitality Industry: Hand-Made or Machine-Made carpet?
Even though both hand-made and machine-made carpets are associated with design richness, it is important to weigh down the decision according to the need and functionality.
In areas where there is less footfall like the dining area, seating area, or even on the elevator, a machine-made carpet can be placed on the floor.
And in areas like hallways, lobby, and staircases, a hand-made carpet is best suited because of its high stability and mold resistance property.
Besides, since in hand-made carpets the fibers are weaved densely and interlocked closely, they are naturally against humidity change and are less likely to get damaged by moisture.
3. Different Options In Hand-Made Carpets
Hand-made carpets not just provide an enticing look that the hospitality building desired but also offer great quality and durability. From vivid colors to discrete textures to customized designs, a hand-made carpet set the hotel floor for a grandeur welcome.
When we generally address hand-made carpets, there include different methods of hand-weaving types. Hand-knotted, Hand-tufting, Handloom, and Flatweave are some of those methods. Let’s get to know the processing of these types and their more streamlined attributes.
3.a. Hand-Knotted Carpet:
As the name indicates, in hand-knotting the fiber threads are interlocked to secured knots and are weaved to create a sheer elegant design. This is a timeless process of making carpets and demands highly skilled artisans. By this method, any complex or intricate design can be fabricated with high precision and colour saturation. It takes months or sometimes a year of dedicated workmanship to make one carpet that possesses a striking balance between classic and trendy.
Hand-knotted carpets are high-performance and high-definition floor covers. They are hard-wearing, mold-resistant, moisture-absorbent, and hold onto the smooth surface firmly. Hand-knotted carpets possess a unique appearance thus making it a changeover element to incorporate distinctive elegance in the hospitality infrastructure.
3.b. Hand-Tufting Carpets:
To make a hand-tufted carpet, a tufting gun is used to punch the wool strands into the base material to weave the design. After piling the design, the whole weaving is ingrained by a cotton backing using latex glue adhesives. This process is less intensive and takes less time to fabricate one carpet. Be it a classic or global style, hand-tufting offers great design flexibility to embed the desired look in hotel interiors.
Hand tufting has greater prominence in the hospitality industry. With a plethora of choices in color, design, texture, and yarn options like wool, cotton, silk, and bamboo silk, hand-tufted carpet is one of the bespoke floorings for hotels and restaurants. Especially, hand-tufted carpets are the ideal preference for wall-to-wall floor covering which are most favored in the interior design of hotels and restaurants.
3.c. Flatweave & Handloom Carpets:
Flatweave is a method of fabricating carpets without any knots. To make these types of carpets, vertical and horizontal fibers are woven parallelly on the loom to form a single piece. Flatweave is an extremely versatile technique to produce tough, lightweight, and durable carpets that also give a patterned look.
Handloom is another technique of carpet making wherein the fiber strands are pressed together by using thin threading. Once weaving the design is completed, a latex backing is attached as in hand-tufting to provide stability. Cotton yarn is a standard material used in this type of method. But silk is also used in this method on the need and demand. The only downside of these carpets is that hand-looming has design constraints just to boxes, stripes, or other geometrical patterns. Any intricate design or floral design is kind of hard to design through this method.
Being rooted in the hand-looming conventional making, flatweave and handloom carpets are still popular options. These types of carpets can be chosen according to the functional adherence of the space. After all, the carpet has to be selected to create an ambiance that makes the visitors worth staying with a more streamlined customer experience.
4. Design Consideration While Placing The Carpet: Wall-To-Wall v/s Carpet Tiles
Along with style, pattern, and color, design consideration of the carpet carries equal weightage to implant a ‘wow factor’ in the overall interior design of a hotel or restaurant.
4.a.Wall-To Wall Carpet:
Wall-to-wall carpets are the most preferred flooring option in the hospitality industry because of their practical benefits and their ability to create a warm and inviting environment for guests. They cover the entire floor of the room or the major portion of the room to give an edgy and bold look to the space. Wall-to-wall carpeting opens up the space and provides a visual expansion to the floor.
A wall-to-wall carpet is an eminently adaptable way of designing. They portray a sense of luxury in the lobby area and invoke a sense of relaxation in bedrooms. Especially in the reception area, they act as an intriguing element that evokes an atmosphere of grandeur.
Some of the other noteworthy benefits of wall-to-wall carpets are good for reducing ambiance noise. They are the most comfortable to walk on by giving a soft plush feel to the underfoot. A wall-to-wall carpet keeps the space warm and cozy. They contribute to the seamless visual flow of the hospitality interior design.
When selecting a wall-to-wall carpet, one needs to be considerate towards certain specifications as they take a big chunk of investment in the design.
Since wall-to-wall carpet covers the entire floor and is the focal point of the space, it should resonate with the overall composition of the room. The color and pattern should be subtle and not overpower the other design elements of the room. They have to possess high durability and stability. And also, the carpet should be easy to clean and maintain.
Not to forget to note, before finalizing the carpet it is important to analyze the exact area the carpet has to be covered. This ensures the carpet fits perfectly by neither generating extra waste nor leaving a shortage in size. For increased convenience, it is better to get the carpet custom-made.
Also, wall-to-wall carpets come down to the expensive side of budgeting. As the area of the floor increases, the cost would be variable according to that.
4.b. Carpet Tiles:
Carpet tiles are small planks of carpet that can be installed in a versatile number of combinations. They are also referred to as ‘modular carpets’. Carpet tiles are gaining popularity in the interior design of the hospitality industry as they provide creative freedom to add a diverse style to hotels and restaurants.
Carpet tiles majorly come in squares but the shape and size are not just limited to that. Rectangles and hexagons are also in trend to create a distinctive design appeal in hospitality infrastructure.
The process of installing carpet tiles is quick and easy. They are cost-effective and generate less wastage as compared to wall-to-wall carpets. Upon any damage or defect, it is easy to repair as we have to only remove and replace the particular carpet tiles. They are a great flooring option to balance price with quality and functionality.
The disadvantages of carpet tiles are that even on careful installation, the lines between the adjacent tiles can be still visible. They sometimes fail to create a seamless and clean look on the floor. Along with that, since the carpet tiles do not come with backing, they are less plush and soft underfoot.
5. Matching Carpet With The Ceiling, Wall Paint, And Other Décor Statements
In any hospitality industry, to create a long-lasting impression and ensure a trail of satisfied guests the ambiance has to be nothing short of stunning. And a well-balanced color profile is the key to creating that ambiance right. Wall color, ceiling paint, and carpet color have to be in a composition to bring out a clean and cohesive look.
If you are concerned about selecting the carpet color that matches the décor theme of your next hospitality designing project, here are a few things to consider to make the decision process easier.
To begin with, you have to visualize a bigger picture of the overall design you intend to establish. Because the selected colors not only enhance the elegance but also should connect with the visitors. According to that, limit the color palette of the design to less than four colors. Too many elements of colors overwhelm the space.
In the hospitality industry, dark color carpets are preferred the most especially in reception areas. Darker flooring generally gives a more crisp and energized look. Also, bold colors are ideal for heavy traffic areas. When selecting dark-colored carpets like blue, red, or brown, the wall color has to be light in colors preferably white or shades of white color. However dark colors can be avoided if the space is small in area as they even make them look small.
If dark colors are not your favorite choice for the project, grey is one safe option. It represents formality, sophistication, and neutrality which is suitable for both modern and classic interiors. To add a touch of luxury, a grey carpet can be matched with the white wall color, brown shades of couch or sofa, and gold décor pieces.
For bedrooms, soft tones of colors like grey, beige or light shades of blue and green are the ideal suit. They open up the space for a more retreating aura and integrate the feeling of calm and comfort. Soft colors also help with better sleep.
Not to rule out, energetic and cool tones such as teal, sky blue, and pastel colors create a light and calming space. These colors are especially suited for boutique hotels and restaurants.
For versatility, earthy shades of colors like yellow and orange can also be incorporated into the hotel interior decision. But the usage of these shades should be limited just to inculcate pop-up color.
6. Selecting Carpets For Different Areas Of Hotels According To Their Functionality
Even though each space of the hotel should possess individual characters, there should be continuity in the visual flow. The floor design needs to create a seamless transition from one room to another providing a cohesive style and ambiance.
6.a. Reception Area & Lobby:
The hotel or restaurant reception area should have an excellent interior to make the visitor feel they have come to the perfect place.
For reception and lobby, a wall-to-wall carpet is the best choice as it provides a more refined finish. And these carpets should have hard wearing to sustain the high traffic and withstand the furniture weight.
6.b. Corridor & Hallway:
For hotel hallways and corridors, the practical option is low pile carpets as they are highly durable, and stain resistant. When it comes to design, according to the wall color, the hallways can be livened up with patterns or can be softened with neutral.
Stripes are also popular design choices for Corridors and Hallways. They can stretch the dimension of the walkway and provide an unified look.
6.c. Bedroom Carpet:
When choosing the carpet for the bedroom, you need the match the quality with comfort. Wool carpet is a better choice for the bedroom because of their absolute softness and luxurious appearance.
A cut pile carpet is also a most acclaimed floor cover for hotel bedrooms. These are sheared revealing the fiber ends which makes them softer to walk upon.
6.d. Staircase Carpets:
For staircases, the material should be highly stable and anti-slip. A low pile and tight-weaved carpets are best suitable for staircases as they are hard-wearing, and show less wear and tear. These kinds of carpets are absorbent to leakage that won’t spill to the floor.
For staircase carpet, bold stripes or patterns can be chosen to make a statement, neutrals for a more subtle finish or bright solid colors can be opted to create a more drawn-out look.
7. Carpet Maintenance
In order to make sure the visitor has to take away the best impression and service, the floors should be maintained clean and neat. Since the hospitality buildings are always busy and happening spaces, carpets have to be maintained regularly.
Here are some tips to keep the carpets clean and hygienic.
Vacuum regularly. Perform vacuuming twice or thrice a week especially in areas with high traffic to avoid the accumulation of dust.
Address the spills and stains immediately. The longer a stain sits on the carpet, the harder it is to remove. So before it gets stubborn, try removing the stains using a cleaning solution or spot removal tools.
Do not pull out a fiber if it appears out of the place. Instead, clip the snag or twist and insert it back into the fiber loop or knot.
Deep cleaning the carpet once in 12-18 months has to be non-negotiable to extract the dirt.
8.Cost of the Carpet
The flooring budget often makes up a large portion of the interior design project. Carpets are available at a range of prices with various features and specifications. Thus it is important to make an informed decision by knowing different aspects of the carpet that influence the evaluation of its price.
8.a. Material Of The Carpet:
Material is one of the radical factors that determine the price of the carpet. Depending on the type of material, a carpet is more or less on the pricier side. On the basic level, we can differentiate the material into two types. Natural and Synthetic material.
Fibers such as cotton, wool, and silk are naturally available materials. They are particularly made to grow or produce in close bond with nature. Synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon are bulk manufactured from various chemical compounds using machinery. Thus, opposite to synthetic material, carpets that are fabricated using natural fibers possess a higher price along with great quality and durability.
In natural materials, wool is one of the majorly preferred material for carpets. There are further different types of wool available to make the carpets. Mohair, most expensive wool, New Zealand wool, Blended wool, imported wool and Indian wool are some among them.
Spinning is a process in which the raw natural materials are converted into long strands making them suitable to fabricate carpets. There are two ways of spinning in practice. Hand spin and Mill spin.
As explicable by their names, hand spinning requires manpower to spin the wool, wherein Mill spun wool is generated by machinery. Since hand spinning requires more labor, the carpets made with hand-spun wool are typically on the higher price side than the carpets made by Mill spun wool.
While we are talking about wool as a carpet material, wool yarn can be further categorized into fat wool and thin wool. Thinner the wool strand refers to great quality which in turn corresponds to a higher price.
Next to wool, silk is an expensive carpet material because they are characterized with a rich texture. Even with silk, there are two main families which are real silk and art silk. Real silk carpets are relatively high priced. Art silk has its further varieties like botanical silk, Viscose and bamboo silk. All these different variation of silk comes with different price range.
8.b. Design Specification:
After the material of the carpet, its design requirement and orientation in the space affect the carpet valuation.
Wall-to-wall carpets are more expensive because of their vast size and installation process. However, the cost of the wall-to-wall carpet varies according to the area it has to cover.
An individual carpet or rug is on the lighter side of the budget since they come in standard sizes and with no hassle of installation. Carpet tiles are also a part of budget flooring since they are easy to install.
8.c. Manufacturing Method:
Continuing the discussion of carpet pricing, the difference in the carpet manufacturing method contributes to its varied price range. Hand-made carpets are fabricated by the intense labor work of artisans. Machine-made carpets are mass produced in the power looms.
It is known, anything that is hand-made is comparatively more expensive than the machine made. But along with the hefty price tag, hand-made carpets unarguably bring a lot of additional benefits to the floor. Read this to know more about hand-made and machine-made carpets. (https://www.arattica.thegoldenfinchoverseas.com/post/5-reasons-to-choose-hand-made-rugs-over-machine-made-rugs)
Even in hand-made, there are two major categorizations that determine the carpet value. Hand-knotted is a process wherein the fiber threads are interlocked to secured knots and are weaved to create a sheer elegant design. This method involves more attention and detail. This brings the high price for hand-knotted carpets. The higher the knot density, the more time-consuming and subsequently the higher the price will be. But quality, durability, stability, and all the other exceptional benefits reflect in the price as well.
Hand-tufting is another manufacturing method in which, a tufting gun is used to punch wool strands into the base material and the design is created. Considering this process involves a tool along with manpower, it takes less time to fabricate the carpets. Thus they are priced moderately less compared to hand-knotted carpets.
Read this article to get a clear understanding of hand-knotted and hand-tufted carpets. (https://www.arattica.thegoldenfinchoverseas.com/post/hand-knotted-vs-hand-tufted-which-one-to-choose)
8.d. Customization Of The Carpets:
Since hospitality infrastructure long to include a distinctive character in their design, carpets would be a go-to design element to embody a custom touch. Unlike the standard available carpets, customization includes redesigning and endorsement of brand colour and style. This explains why the cost of customized carpets are on the pricier side.
8.e. Carpet Backing:
Carpet backing is another feature that determines the cost of the carpet. Carpets are backed by a single or double layer of additional material to enhance their key functionality. For most hospitality projects, double layered carpet is preferred because they are durable, more comfortable, and long-lasting. Better the backing more valuable it will be.
9. Carpet Certificates
With so many available options, choosing the right carpet for your hospitality industry can be challenging. The selected carpet has to be in accordance with the required functionality of the space. To make this easy, Carpet Certificates with specific properties help in the decision-making process. Read on to know more about Carpet certificates:
Based on the practical requirement and functionality, carpets and carpet tiles are classified into various categories. According to the requirements specified by the European standard EN 1307:2014, carpets are classified as below and each one is indicated with a symbol.
Domestic use
Class 21: for moderate domestic use
Class 22: for general domestic use
Class 23: for heavy domestic use
Commercial use
Class 31: for moderate commercial use
Class 32: for general commercial use
Class 33: for heavy commercial use
Additionally there are several other carpet with specific properties. Some of them are below.
10. Do you have an ongoing hospitality project and would like to talk about it?
Ambiance is a predominant element in the hospitality industry. Let the carpet take over the floor for the enhanced elegance. Being a carpet manufacturer, at ARATTICA we are committed to provide top-notch quality carpet especially for Hotel and Restaurant interior. Our extensive range of carpet varies in style, colour, type, and design with high performance and durability.
If you have a current designing project with respect to hospitality industry and would like to have a clear-cut understanding of the carpets,
Contact us- +91 8800806534
We will assist you in making the best carpet selection!