Hotel Bathroom Interiors – LC SmartGlass for light & space

Date: 28 February 2011

Traditionally the hotel bathroom has been designed to function as a space for cleaning and grooming. An area you would go to for practical purposes, often disconnected from the main bedroom both physically and aesthetically.

Today designers and developers are looking to the hotel bathroom as the new frontier of the guestroom, turning what has long been a mostly functional space into a haven and mean of escape.

Bathrooms are playing an ever more crucial role in the customer experience. Interior designers are responding in several ways, in particular by opening up closed and cluttered bathrooms through increasing the levels of light and space.

The drive to create additional space within existing boundaries has been working in harmony with the opening up of buildings to provide more light. There are several methods being employed to achieve this, none more popular than the increasing trend to remove walls. Wall partitioning within guest rooms diminishes both light and space but has been seen as necessary for bathroom privacy. A number of hotels have responded by installing modesty glass that allows light to pass through while maintaining a level of privacy.

At SmartGlass International™ we have taken this to the next level with the installation of LC SmartGlass™. LC SmartGlass is an electronically switchable surface that changes from clear to opaque at the flick of a switch, which is sometimes known as the “peek-a-boo effect”. This not only lets more light into the en-suite bathroom but also gives the impression of more space. It is only when the bathroom is in use that the glass is employed in its opaque and private state.

Designers are also increasing space by combining bathroom products. The bathroom is turning into a hybrid area which eliminates clutter. Thus a material like LC SmartGlass combines the functionality of an opaque wall with the style and lighting of clear glass. With glass being inherently thin, designers are turning ever more toward it to save space and inject style. This use of glass ties in with the prevailing trend of hotels pursuing clean, minimalist styles in room design.

Smart glass is part of a broader orientation toward the increasing use of technology and innovation in bathrooms. Advancing technology is allowing guests to have more input in the setup of the bathroom, reflecting their personal preferences. Consumers are responding well to the opportunity of tailoring their environment, from lighting and temperature to sound and smell.

Technology also plays a big part in sustainability. Continuing advances in electronics and sensors are allowing more bathroom products to be designed to respond to the timely needs of consumers. For example, digital shower technology and sensor activated taps are saving water through intelligent application.

The bathroom is now key to the guest experience with functionality fusing effortlessly with contemporary style. Hotels need to respond to recent bathroom design trends as consumer expectation continues to grow. As the world becomes smaller, hotels need to make better use of the space they have and LC SmartGlass is providing the ideal solution for this.