The hotel guest of today - and the future - wants it all: an attractive aesthetic as well as a room that's both comfortable and built to seamlessly address their needs.
No furniture piece has more ability to do this than the quintessential centerpiece of the temporary home-away-from-home: the hotel headboard.
Your eyes are not deceiving you -- yes, we said the headboard!
Not only does the headboard set the design mode for a hotel room, but it also offers ample opportunity to incorporate smart hotel design into every room.
Here are 5 design elements every hotelier should consider when it’s time to upgrade hotel headboards:
1. Hotel Headboards With Power Outlets
One of the biggest pain points for hotel guests is having a power source for their various mobile and digital devices that’s actually conveniently located. There’s nothing more annoying in a hotel room than to have to search for that poorly placed power outlet.
Hotel headboard design can easily solve that problem with an integrated power source.
For hotel guests who are away on business, sometimes the hotel bed also doubles as a workspace -- often a much more comfortable option than the desk that’s provided in a room. Having a nearby power source for items like a laptop or tablet is essential.
The same principle applies for guests who might be using a tablet or smartphone in bed. With the smartphones serving many purposes -- from being a mini TV to hosting video-chats with family or as a trustworthy alarm for the morning -- headboard power outlets can stave off battery drain from heavy use.
2. Hotel Headboards With USB Ports
Along the same line of integrating power outlets into hotel headboard design, USB ports are also a valuable feature for guests in smart headboard design.
Hotel headboards that include ports for traditional USB and Apple device lightning cables, as well as micro-USB and the newest USB-C hookups, gives guests another power source to keep devices fully charged -- even if they forgot an AC adapter at home.
3. Light Options for Hotel Headboards
Lights, such as reading lamps, are beneficial additions to a headboard. Just like power outlets, not all lights in a hotel room are in the most convenient location. Light switches aren’t always obvious, either.
Providing guests with that additional -- and quickly accessible -- light source can make for an easier time reading in bed or quickly finding a light in the middle of the night. Guests also won’t have to worry about getting out of bed to turn off a light and navigate through a dark, unfamiliar room if there’s not a bedside lamp.
Lighting options for hotel headboards can serve another purpose, too.
An unfamiliar room with different sounds and lighting levels can trigger insomnia in even the most tired of guests. What better way to lull them to sleep than with a headboard made specifically to encourage rest?
Smart hotel design incorporates technology components into the headboard itself, such as EOS panels that glow a soft red -- a color shown in studies to have the strongest effect on combating insomnia and maintaining low-light vision.
4. Hotel Headboards with Flat Screen Integration
Flat-screen panels are becoming so precise and compelling in their imagery that it's only natural they make their way into high-tech headboards for hotels. Imagine opening your eyes, still lying comfortably on your back in bed, and seeing an angled mirror reflecting video images from a flat-screen display mounted to the headboard. Guests can start their days with information, such as local weather and top news stories, before even getting out of bed.
As the day draws to a close, the same technology can be used to project soothing scenes, such as seascapes or forests, along with accompanying nature sounds or white noise from hidden speakers to help guests drift effortlessly to sleep.
5. Hotel Headboard Storage Capacity
Relying solely on nightstands to hold personal belongings limits the sleeping area of hotel room design to the same stale placements known industry-wide. Smart hotel headboard designs could incorporate purpose-built shelves and components that anticipated and satisfied guest needs, such as a special shelf for eyeglasses or a mobile phone within the headboard.
Additional options might include:
- Swing-out or connectable bassinet for safe parent-infant sleeping arrangements
- A drop-down desk for working while propped up in bed
- Cup holders to keep a nighttime glass of water handy without the risk of spills
- A safe or lockbox to keep the most valuable items safe and closeby
Hotel Headboards: Exciting Possibilities for Enhanced Stays
Hotel headboards are no longer an upholstered afterthought, hung on a wall, and overlooked. They're bold new ground for exciting, forward-thinking design in convenience, technology integration, and smart hotel room innovations worldwide.
Whether being used as a charging station, for a refreshing wake-up call, or a sleep aid, the modern versions of these room centerpieces are nothing like they used to be. That's a huge benefit for hotel guests everywhere.
