Saying It With Light

So eager are top flight hotels to make an impression, that lighting is increasingly becoming the first feature of interior design

- Suman Tarafdar

Not many who see the Canopy of Light in person are likely to forget it. This dynamic lighting installation at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah, Dubai consists of 14 trees in three sizes, made from hundreds of hand-blown Bohemian crystal leaves. The lights in the trees are specially programmed to produce different effects at different times of the day so whenever guests cross through the lobby, the trees sparkle in a completely different way.

As you might have noticed, lighting in hotels has moved from being simply functional to decorative, getting a crucial role in the design, often adding the oomph factor that stays in a viewer’s memory. An experiential component, then?

In hospitality, creating mood, ambiance, and experiences are of foremost importance, says Victor Chen, GM, Le Meridien Goa, Calangute. “Lighting installations play a vital role in creating that mood and ambiance.” Anil Kumar, director of engineering, The Imperial, New Delhi, says, “In hospitality, lighting technology is currently going through a major transformation with the emergence of LED, color changing, as well as white tuneable lighting and their controls, have become a big topic”.

Interior architect Payal Kapoor, whose work includes interior design for Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur, The Imperial, Delhi, ITC Savoy and Palace on Wheels, contends that there has been a huge progression from when she started in 1991. Tracing the progression from tube lights and bulbs, via CFL and ‘cheap’ Chinese lights to LEDs, she says hotels have seen a sea change in the way they approach lighting. As Shalini Joshi, assistant product manager – Lighting, Hafele, points out, “The different areas of your hotel, such as hallways, lobby, outdoor areas, and rooms have their own unique needs and require their own lighting system.”