From the Floor Up

Although hospitality flooring has been more industrial or luxury-based in the past, that’s all changing. Many hotels, restaurants, and others in the hospitality industry are looking to materials that invite comfort and hominess but still retain the durability and low-maintenance of favorite flooring materials of the past.

Where stone and porcelain tile were once the popular choice, some homey looking new kids on the block are making an appearance. Namely, wood-look tile.

You’ve thought through a design that will be timeless. You’ve imagined a space infused with local flavor. You understand the demographics of the expected clientele. But if the design is for an extended stay hotel, there is much more to consider.  

A Word from Dal-Tile’s Product Design Director

Remember those old plate spinning acts? A line of a dozen delicate china plates spinning atop a thin stick? The performer running between plates making sure everything stays just so or the whole thing comes down in a spray of porcelain shards?

Hospitality projects can often feel just like that. One little slip and something comes crashing down. It’s a delicate balance to keep all the architectural plates spinning. You have to meet demands for durability, represent the standards of the brand, keep the architectural features looking fresh—but not so trendy that it looks outdated in a few years—and on top of all that, you have to stay on time and on budget.

At least one of those plates is getting easier to maintain. Hospitality tile has emerged as a product that meets all those demands.

While many high-end hotels lean toward luxury design, others are starting to lead the way in their own right with design that is more like home. Plenty of other hospitality and healthcare designers are following. Recently Floor Trends magazine highlighted how designers are making these environments more homey but keeping them just as durable as ever.

Though most hospitality design aims for the timeless and classic, it’s also expected and can get a little boring. That’s why adding in a little of the fashionable really breathes life into a design. Here are a few trends that pass the test on both fronts—longevity and style.

H.M. King High School—“Home of the Mighty Brahmas” in Kingsville, TX—is many things. But when you walk through the door, the first thing you’ll think is how beautiful the new design is. That has a lot to do with a new intricate floor design created by Waterjet Works with Daltile porcelain products.

Daring By Design and Daltile Team Up for Hyatt House Hotels

When an ownership group of five of the Hyatt House Hotels approached Daring by Design of Boca Raton, FL, they had a unique challenge. They needed to create a single design that could be implemented in four different cities in the U.S. and work around different architecture and exterior design.

There are so many LEED credits, certification levels, categories, and points, you may feel like you need a LEED specialist to keep it all straight. It’s not as hard as it seems to add up those points and get the certification you want.

It’s tough world out there for flooring retailers! Ed Kelley, a regional sales manager in New Hampshire, told us just how difficult it can be for the little guy sometimes.

Don’t Sacrifice Focus for Collaboration

In the last two decades, corporate leaders hoped to increase collaboration and creativity in the corporate environment with an open floorplan. Walls came down, cubicles died, and sunlight/views became more accessible. The stuffy workplace was replaced with a trendy and chic space that had less individual spaces and more room for teamwork.