Six tips for better LED lighting decisions in hospitality, hotels, and B&B's.  What do you need to know before buying light bulbs that may last 20 years?

How to decide which LED
to use in your retrofit?

When your guests arrive at your Hotel or Bed & Breakfast they look forward to a relaxing visit. If you use the wrong LED lamps to replace your warm and cozy incandescent lamps, you may be in for a surprise. Even your warm temperature fluorescent lamps may be preferable to some of today's new blue white LEDs. For additional standards, look to the latest building codes.

Six tips for better LED lighting.

1. GLARE - be careful where you aim your lights. Our eyes are most sensitive to glare in our peripheral vision , meaning that any lights we see from the sides, will be offensive.
2. COLOR - LED lights are rated by degrees Kelvin, the lower the number, the warmer the light. A 2700 Kelvin lamps is designed to approximate the color of incandescent lighting. Outdoor lighting is recommended as low as 2200K to keep circadian rhythms from being disturbed.
3. CRI - Color Rendering Index is the measurement of light sources to render colors as we expect to see them.  Sunlight produces a CRI of 100, aim for CRI of 90 or better. Realize that some LED sources have a CRI of as low as 70.
4. INTENSITY - Brighter is not always better. The old dim light you may be replacing is less bright than the new equivalent. the Bluer the light (higher K temperature) the brighter it will appear.
5. DIMMING - Keep your lighting controls simple to use  so your guests can easily set the mood.  Conventional dimming equipment is easier for guests to control than a touch screen or Wi-Fi apps. LED light sources require special dimming equipment in order to achieve smooth dimming. The driver (similar to a transformer) needs to be mated with the dimmer to avoid flickering. In some cases using a dimmer designed for 'magnetic' low voltage may be used when flickering occurs. When 'electronic dimmers' are paired with 'electronic drivers' and 'electronic LED chips' they can combine to create a flickering or strobe effect.  http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/iif/print/volume-2/issue-6/features/understand-compatibility-performance-and-dimming-issues-in-led-lighting-magazine.html
   
6. HEAT - LEDs can get hot, especially their drivers and components., this will effect the lamp life and color temperature.  You will notice 'fins' on many of the LED lamps, they are there to dissipate the heat.  There are LED retrofits for every type of fixture and burning position. If you have an enclosed fixture, use only LED lamps designed for enclosed fixtures, or for downlights, LED lamps designed for 'socket up' burning position, overheating can be dangerous.

This beautiful lobby of the Château Laurier in Ottawa Canada, built in 1912, features warm incandescent lighting.

Best lighting for relaxing atmosphere.

Gentle warm lighting promotes relaxation. You want to be sure there is enough lighting for circulation, way finding, room identification, reading and grooming tasks, and a feeling of security; however, over-illuminating your spaces is not acceptable.  Hire an experienced lighting designer if you need help determining light levels, sources, color, and fixture locations.

How to help you guests sleep?

Are your new LED lights going to keep your guests awake at night?
Use 2200 - 2700 Kelvin lights at bedside.
Nightlights should be red or amber.
See Circadian System

Unfortunate outdoor lighting retrofit! Try one before buying dozens.

If the price on your LED wall fixtures is too low to believe, something could be wrong with them. The least expensive LED color to produce is blue-white. Inside the guest rooms at night, with the blinds shut, these overly bright, overly blue LED lights illuminate the room so brightly, it feels like noonday sun. The blue gloss paint on the walls and eves magnifies the bright blue effect. Eye masks for a dark night sleep are not in each guest's suitcase, so before you purchase outdoor lights of unspecified color, try one, and see the color and brightness of the light. The hotel across the way did an excellent job of outdoor lighting using amber colored light.

UNLV Blackfire Innovation

​Collaboration between University of Nevada Las Vegas and Caesar's included circadian awakening lighting available in some guest rooms. Ongoing research at:
https://www.unlv.edu/econdev/black-fire-innovation

Are your guests able to enjoy a view of the stars in the night sky?
See Dark Sky and Dark Sky Reserves

Related Topics

LED, CRI, Glare, Color Temperature, Dimming, Dark Sky, Light Pollution, UV Germicidal Lighting

Footnotes

1. None
   

Photo Credits

• LED lamps, Philips Lighting
• Hotel Lobby, Ottawa On Canada ~ Fairmont Château Laurier, Onasill ~ Bill Badzo
  
• Guest Suite www.hotelcasavelas.com
• Atacama, Chile ESO/José Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco.org) http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1319a/
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park  https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm