The Goring Hotel light switch

Some hotels think lighting options mean an on and off switch. But other hotels have are taking measures to increase the quality of lighting in the rooms.

Peter likes to say:

No hotel room designer should be paid until they stay at least two nights in the room they’ve designed. They should try reading or even seeing in their room after the sun goes down. This obsession hotels have with ‘mood lighting’ puts me in a bad mood. It’s hard to escape bad hotel room lighting.

A great hotel delivers substance over style along with a little common sense. Mood lighting can often feel like a trap. Instead of a 40-watt bulb with an on-off switch, why not a 100-watt bulb with a dimmer?

The Goring hotel in London has lighting with multiple settings to choose from. Visitors can choose from Ooooh!, Cosy, Calm and Bright. That’s a lot better then just on and off.

At the MGM GrandVegas, travelers staying in the Stay Well Suit will experience therapeutic lighting. The lighting in their rooms are designed to improve your internal clock through melatonin regulation.  The lighting is also designed to increase energy and decrease jet lag.

If you’re staying at the Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm, lighting changes throughout the hotel. In the bedrooms, lighting options can be customize from energizing to soothing. In the dining room, the lighting is subdued and meeting rooms have adjustable lighting as well.

The Citizen M hotel features a technology called MoodPad. It allows guests to control the ambiance of their room with sound and sight. Guests use the controller to switch between warm colors, closing the blinds and other functional lighting.

Not staying at one of these hotels? Call the hotel ahead of time and ask what the current wattage is for their bedroom light bulbs and if it’s not enough, bring your own. No, we’re not kidding!

By Judith Retana for PeterGreenberg.com