General Electric (GE) highlights top hotel lighting trends in 2014 in a recent article. Hotels are big business. In the United States alone, hotels comprise more than 5 billion square feet of space according to the U.S. Green Building Council® (USGBC) and spend in excess of US$ 7.5 billion on energy each year as cited by The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Here are key trends that reflect how hotel owners are preparing for tomorrow.”

“There is a significant opportunity in the hospitality industry to reduce environmental impact related to energy consumption as well as a powerful financial incentive for hotel owners to do so,” said Heather Wilson Coode, Hospitality Marketing Manager, GE Lighting. “Here are key trends that reflect how hotel owners are preparing for tomorrow.”

1. LEEDing a New Way
Between a majority of travelers who have signified that they often take the environment into account when making travel decisions and government regulations that are gradually becoming more stringent, the expectations being placed on hoteliers with regard to environmentally sensitive construction and operations are rising.

2. A Farewell to Incandescent

A shift toward more efficient hotel lighting technologies is one way that many hoteliers are making subtle energy-saving changes, and light-emitting diode (LED) and compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps are playing a big role. According to a report by NPD DisplaySearch, the demand for LED lighting is expected to double from 16 million units in 2012 to 33 million in 2013.

3. Mobile Meetings

Hoteliers are embracing a hybrid design concept by providing more spaces reserved for meeting and business functions. According to research by Westin, 75 percent of workers in the U.S. have no steady office for at least one day a week. As a result, hotels are beginning to focus on providing not only a place to rest your head, but also a place to rest your laptop and notepad.