Hotel Focus: Washroom Design and Customer Satisfaction

It’s unfortunate, but the state of the washrooms have the power to make or break a guest’s stay. Even with the grandest lobby and slickest hotel rooms, a dated, or grotty looking washroom is going to be the first thing a guest remembers. 

The User Experience

This is what it all boils down to really. The flow and ease of use need to be fluid. Towels need to be within easy reach of the shower and the sink needs to have enough counter space to store wash and makeup bags. In small spaces, you could consider installing a shelf to carry these items. The key is to make your washroom intuitive to use.

Easy Clean Design

Of course, it’s the hygiene that tends to be the main cause for concern with hotel washrooms, which makes thorough cleaning paramount. However, designing your washrooms to be of an easy clean nature in the first place can help negate a lot of unnecessary hassle. For instance, by using duct systems you can conceal all pipework within a hidden easy-to-clean wall.

This removes all the fiddly exposed surface areas and leaves you with a smooth flat surface that is easy to wipe down instead. Sinks tend to be better placed within a concealed vanity unit for the same reasons, while the inclusion of a full-height shower enclosure removes the risk of spilt water and can be a preferred choice to wetrooms which can become slippery, and have a tendency to make the toilet or hand wash area wet through improper use. 

Durability is Key

The minute washrooms start to look tired it’s game over in the hospitality industry. However, striking that balance between durability and clean modern aesthetics can sometimes be hard. Solid grade laminate is perhaps the most ideal material to use for wall cladding, ducting and vanity units. Being completely impervious to water it will never swell through damp and is free from delamination and weakness through water ingress. Being fully customizable, you can also take it in a huge spectrum of colours, allowing you to tie it into your brand’s colours easily.

Sensor activation also has a strong role to play here. As sensor taps or flushers never actually need to be touched, they have fewer moving parts and as such, don't get dirty as often and are much slower to show signs of wear and tear. This not only plays into extended lifespan but also helps to keep the washroom easy to clean. 

In the gym and swimming pool changing rooms durability is of even more important as these facilities often tire sooner. This is a location where the floor covering needs particular attention and smooth non-slip safety flooring is going to work out better. This is because large format tiles leave more grout lines and often have ridges or ripples on the surface to help users retain grip. Both these ripples and grout lines are areas where dirt can harbour and make the room look dirty very quickly. 

Familiarity Through Design

If you are looking at the washrooms across multiple sites, the familiarity of a washrooms layout and design can be a great tool for customer retention. When a travelling guest stays with you frequently, they know exactly what to expect whether they are staying with you in Glasgow or Bristol. Familiarity breeds security and guests tend to stay loyal with brands once they are happy with the setting and know what to expect wherever they might be staying. 

Before works begin, it’s imperative to keep customer satisfaction at the forefront of decisions. If we can ensure a clean, easy to use washroom is installed which is able to withstand constant use and not succumb to wear and tear, then we are a long way towards keeping those customers and having them return. 

As always, our team are at the end of the telephone for all your queries and questions and have a wealth of knowledge they’re happy to share with you. So if you need some guidance, or would like to talk over your options, you can give them a call on 01202 650900.