Philips Dynalite has drawn on its expertise in the hospitality sector to supply an energy-saving lighting control system for the luxury Scarlet eco-hotel in Cornwall. The design by Philips Dynalite Dimension dealer, Lightmaster-Direct, embraces best environmental practices to yield a lighting scheme in harmony with the surroundings—using just 3.36 watts per square metre—and providing guests with an unparalleled ambience and sense of opulence.

According to the Development Director for the Scarlet Hotel, Simon Baldwin, the lighting system reflects the pioneering approach to environmental sustainability that is the hallmark of the hotel’s design. “Lighting is very important within a hotel, and the energy used to maintain lighting is something that has been overlooked for a long time,” he said. “The Scarlet has been designed to maximise the use of natural light as much as possible, and this has driven the development of the lighting system itself.”

Energy-saving fluorescent and LED luminaires, along with multipurpose sensors, are integral elements of the lighting design. “All the lighting is either fluorescent or LED, and the Scarlet is probably unique in this respect,” said Baldwin. “The design is also challenging the expectation that hotel lights need to be on all the time, making extensive use of multipurpose sensors to ensure lights are turned off when not required. Lightmaster-Direct has helped us achieve a lighting design that delivers both the environmental and architectural outcome we were seeking.”

“The design brief called for an integrated lighting control system to provide pre-set lighting scenes in all public areas and mood lighting to bedrooms—all controlled by a combination of wall-controls, remote controls and motion sensors,” said Lightmaster Design Director, Richard Nock. “A Philips Dynalite solution was the obvious choice to meet this specification. Its controllers are without question the best on the market for fluorescent and LED lighting, and the Philips Dynalite solution-set remains our preferred lighting control system to work with, due to its performance, reliability and versatility.” 


In spite of the architectural and mood lighting results achieved, considerable energy savings have been realised. “Where a conventional hotel typically achieves lighting efficacy of 10 watts per square metre, the design brief for the Scarlet called for 8 watts per square metre,” said Nock. “However, the finished system achieved a staggering internal lighting efficacy of just 3.36 watts per square metre—representing just 34 per cent of the energy use of a conventional design. We have also achieved significant energy savings with the garden lighting. Using discreet 1 watt LED fittings, a subtle and beautiful garden lighting design has been achieved using less than 100 watts in total!”