How to create memorable washroom experiences for hotel guests

Every guest who passes through your hotel will have a mental checklist of what they expect from your establishment. At the very least, they will expect a clean room, a comfortable bed and hygienic hotel washroom facilities. 

But it’s not just about their private bathrooms. Communal washrooms in areas like reception, restaurants, bars, spas and event spaces are all customer touchpoints, and they need to reflect the luxury of your brand. 

Outdated, dirty or poorly maintained washrooms can undermine the hotel experience. Whereas thoughtful bathroom design can reinforce your care and attention to detail. 

Here’s how to create a memorable washroom experience for your guests, no matter where they are in the hotel. 

Make cleanliness your top priority 

Your washrooms could be the most beautiful space in the world, but if they’re dirty or run down, your guests are going to remember them for all the wrong reasons. 

So, whether you’re planning a refurbishment or a full redesign of your hotel washrooms, you should keep hygiene and cleanliness at the forefront. You can instantly upgrade your bathrooms and make them easier to clean by choosing: 

• Easy-to-clean surfaces like solid-grade laminate 

• Wall-hung toilets and sinks 

• Touch-free technology like taps and flushes 

• Durable toilet cubicles 

• Good ventilation systems 

• Minimal joints and dirt traps 

Upgrading outdated fixtures and your washroom design makes it much easier for your hotel teams to maintain standards and ensure the safety and well-being of every guest. 

Design your bathrooms for comfort and privacy 

As well as cleanliness, comfort and privacy should also be top priorities in your hotel bathrooms. This provides a great opportunity for you to make your washrooms feel top tier and to give your guests a more luxurious experience. 

In order to increase privacy and make your guests feel more relaxed, you should consider full-height toilet cubicles and make sure that all the door locks are strong and functioning. 

Another way to make these spaces feel welcoming and to reduce queues and bottlenecks is to opt for an open plan and ensure there is adequate space around the sinks and doorways. Plus, good separation between toilets, handwashing and entrance areas allows for comfortable circulation. 

Use lighting to create the right atmosphere 

Too often bathrooms are treated as purely functional spaces with clinical bright lighting, but they don't have to be this way. In fact, they shouldn’t be this way. 

Warm, welcoming lighting can have a huge impact on the user experience. As can featured or layered lighting and well-lit mirrors. 

The right lighting can complement your hotel’s interior design and can be especially helpful in smaller spaces. If done right, you can make these spaces feel bigger without making them too bright or offensive to the senses. 

Create a sense of place and brand through your washroom design 

Choosing premium materials for your hotel bathrooms is important, they should be durable and stylish, but they should also reflect your brand’s identity. 

Generic washroom finishes are fine, but the truth is you want these spaces to be bespoke rather than looking like another interchangeable commercial bathroom. 

For example, if you run a boutique hotel, you might choose distinctive colours, artwork and bespoke finishes. Alternatively, a country location might choose natural textures and warmer materials like wood finishes, whereas a spa hotel might choose calming colours, natural materials and sensory details. 

It’s all about understanding your brand and clientele to create facilities that will enhance their overall experience during their stay. 

Introduce technology where it genuinely helps 

There are several ways technology can improve the user experience whilst improving hygiene and cleanliness. Some of the most common and helpful features you might wish to upgrade include:

• Sensor taps and soap dispensers 

• Automatic hand dryers

• Touch-free toilet flushes 

• Motion sensor lighting 

• Touch-free toilet locks

Just remember to choose technology that is genuinely useful and not simply impressive. After all, technology requires maintenance, so don't go overboard. Choose the features that are going to improve your guest’s experience without causing you too many expensive maintenance headaches. 

Make accessibility part of the experience

It’s so important that you don't treat accessibility as a box-ticking section at the end of the build, because your guests will notice. 

With that in mind, you need to make sure that not only do you meet the legal requirements for accessible toilets, but that you go one step further. You should have the obvious features like grab rails, accessible sinks and emergency cords. 

However, it’s also a good idea to incorporate clear signage, open design that enables better movement for wheelchair users, and appropriate lighting. For family-friendly hotels, baby changing and larger family units should also be a key consideration. 

Add thoughtful touches that your guests may not expect 

One way to go above and beyond to create a memorable experience is to add those little extras that your guests are sure to notice. The point here is not to add gimmicks; these need to be items users will find useful and show you have really thought about who uses these spaces. 

As part of this, you might consider adding: 

• Premium hand soap and toiletries 

• High-quality hand-drying facilities like towels 

• Vanity areas with charging points if appropriate 

• Coat and bag hooks or locker spaces 

• Pleasant but subtle fragrances

• Artwork

• Indoor plants or flowers 

It is these personal touches that can instantly enhance your guest’s experience and keep them coming back stay after stay. 

You must think about your guest at every stage of the journey 

The best hotel washrooms aren’t simply those that look impressive or expensive on day one, it’s the facilities that stand the test of time. It’s those that are consistently clean, with high standards of hygiene and thoughtful amenities. 

That’s why you need to think about your users at every stage of the journey. From the moment they walk into your hotel washrooms to the moment they leave, do you offer the most seamless, enjoyable and comfortable experience possible? 

Creating memorable hotel bathrooms isn’t about spending lots of money, it’s about positioning your guest front and centre and thinking about what you can do to enhance their experience throughout. 

So, if you’re planning a washroom refurbishment or redesign this year, the team at Cr8tive Washrooms can help. Get in touch today to find out how we can shape your space to impress your guests.