Articles
2/12/2001
By Judy Colbert
Choosing Hotel Carpeting
When it comes to initial hotel design or renovation, one of the many important things you have do is select carpeting. But first you have to decide if you want solids or patterns, make sure it will match the wallpaper and paint. But first you have to choose wallpaper and paint. But first you have to decide on the décor. But first you have to determine who your clients will be and in what market you're going to position yourself.
As carpeting should last five to seven years, or more, and because it represents such a large portion of the budget, these are important decisions.
Perhaps obvious, but the first decision comes in the architectural plans when you decide what size your rooms and hallways will be. A boutique property might pride itself with off-size dimensions, but for practicality, you should have dimensions that agree with the way carpeting is made, generally in twelve- and 15-foot widths. You may like the idea of 11- or 13 foot-wide hallways, but unless you specify the width you need, you may not like it as much when you have to pay for cutting and seaming for this odd-size dimension.
Mike Utley, development manager, Milliken Carpets, says a pattern is better than a solid because it can help camouflage soils and damage in heavy traffic areas. "If a carpet has a range of colors from light to dark, it will camouflage even more than several colors of equal values. The trend has been toward lighter colors, but they show and retain dirt and stains much more than patterned carpet."
Jordan Pilzer, vice president of sales for Rainbow Hospitality Carpets, says he's seeing more patterns in the guest rooms and more swirls instead of geometrics. "The color trends are going away from burgundy and hunter green and toward olives, golds, and earth tones." The biggest mistake is choosing too light a color, so he suggests adding light in the wallpaper, paint, and accessories.
Utley says the types of dyes and the method used are important factors. "Some dye stuffs are more light fast and ozone fast than others. We have found by using pre-metalized dyes you achieve maximum fastness properties, particularly important is areas exposed to ultraviolet (sun) light and ozone, an issue in tropical areas." Adding an odor reducing finish and Scotch-guarding increases the price, but adds longevity to the carpet. Basic prices, he says, run from $10 to $12 per yard up to $25 for carpets that are super dense and have appropriate finishes.
Tulsi Drepaul, purchasing manager for Manhattan East Suite Hotels says it's "Very Important to know the dye process of the carpet you're buying because you're dealing with a lot of people who are cleaning." She recommends a solution-dyed carpet "because the color is in the yarns and regardless of what stained the carpet, whether wine, food, or dirt, or what you use to clean it, the color won't be destroyed. Solution-dyed yarns are also resistant to bleach. Solution-dyed carpet can be more expensive, and you may not be able to get the exact color you want, but the carpet will stay looking better longer. You can also order batches in thousands of yards at a time and each one will match the other.
"Some people try skein dying," says Drepaul, because they can order just about any color, "but it won't hold up as well. Piece dying, on white wool or nylon, is less expensive, but you take the chance that if you have to replace just a portion of your carpet that you won't be able to match the dye lot. You may even have to order an entire run, regardless of your need."
A type 6,6 nylon (a chemistry name that defines the molecular structure of the nylon) and a wool/nylon blend are the predominant fabric choices. According to Utley, "the next choice deals with the number of turns or twists there are in the fiber. The more you have the more resilient the yarn will be. The fiber should be heat-set so it locks the twist. At that point, the carpet can either be woven or tufted, with nylon tufting, generally less expensive than woven, being the predominate method in the United States. The smaller the yarn is, the smaller the needle used for tufting, and the more tufts that can be inserted per yard, thus creating a denser product that will wear well."
Density is determined by a formula that includes the number of stitches or tufts per inch with density factor ranges between 200,000 and 475,000. Milliken products range from 300,000 to 460,000, and Utley suggests carpet in the low 300,000s for guest rooms that don't get as much traffic as lobbies and other public rooms. In corridors, ballrooms and other high traffic areas, he recommends 400,000. Milliken also produces 36" carpet tiles; primarily used in ballrooms, exhibit spaces, and other large areas, with a density factor of 435,000.
Because carpeting will suffer some stain eventually, Utley recommends having some attic stock, so you don't have to worry about reordering so frequently. The stock should be about five to twenty per cent for a casino that "receives incredible traffic around the clock, to ten per cent for a ballroom, and fifteen per cent for a convention center or exhibition hall that has a lot of forklift and other machinery."
Rainbow's Pilzer says he's also seeing more hotels, particularly on the higher end, going to cut pile because it's more comfortable and will wear better, with lower end properties using all loop carpet, although he's also seeing a cut and loop combination. With so many decisions to make, Pilzer says more chains are moving toward central buying for a uniform look and economics of scale in purchase prices instead of individual hotels ordering.
Backing or padding is an important function in carpet life and appearance. Guests, wheelchairs and carts (luggage, room service, dollies) exert energy that has to be absorbed by something. If you only have carpet and subflooring, they have to absorb that pressure, thus causing wear and tear on the carpeting. Padding absorbs that energy, just as the padding in a helmet does, saving the life of your carpet. Whether you use bonded backing or double-stick (the padding is glued to the flooring and then to the carpeting), the padding also helps insulate your rooms by acting as a barrier, keeping it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It can also help hide irregularities in your flooring.
It's important when selecting carpet and padding to consider handicapped accessibility. In this case, thicker and plusher are not better because it's difficult to move wheelchairs and other carts along the carpeting. If you really want this plush feel, consider including marble, granite or tile flooring, ramps, or other options. Brian Manning, director of engineering at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, says they use the double-stick method of laying carpet and padding in all of their public areas. "This makes carts, wheelchairs, etc., easier to roll due to the harder surface that is created," says Manning.
Maureen McCloskey, national advocacy director for the Paralyzed Veterans of America says the ADA regulations require that if carpet or carpet tile is used on a ground or floor surface then it shall be securely attached; have a firm cushion, pad or backing, or no cushion or pad; and have a level loop, textured loop, level cut pile, or level-cut uncut pile texture.
The maximum pile thickness shall be ½ inch. The exposed edges of carpet shall be fastened to floor surfaces and have trim along the entire length of the exposed edge.
Proper and regular cleaning is the most important thing you can do to prolong the life of the carpet. Drepaul recommends daily vacuuming with a good machine and dry cleaning most of the time so you can get a room back into inventory within half an hour. "It's very important to get exact cleaning instructions and follow them precisely." This takes regular in-house training.
A vacuum with a rotating beater, particularly on cut pile carpets, will help lift the pile in heavy traffic areas, helping to prevent matting and packing. Looped textured-carpets should be vacuumed with a suction machine to avoid harming the loops. In either case, vacuum across the traffic pattern periodically, not just with the pattern.
One way to help prevent dirt, grime, oil and grease from reaching your carpeting is to install a good entry carpet at your entryways, including the parking lot or garage, which is made of an abrasive fiber. This rubs substances off the bottom of guest's shoes, so it never makes it to your carpet. These entry carpets are very easy to change out and clean.
With the embargo lifted on Persian rugs imported from Iran, hotels can look to a wide selection of carpeting, particularly for accent pieces. Anabel Valdez, owner of Oriental Rug Warehouse, Louisville, KY, says, "The rug is the last thing people think of, so we're already working with colors and fabrics and wallpaper. Depending on the busyness of those factors we'll go with a subtle or busy design that will be easy on the eye. An Oriental rug is the biggest form of art, whether it is in a foyer, an office, or elsewhere. If hotels chose their carpet first, they can go from there and pick paint and fabric that enhances the carpet." The size of an area rug is important says Valdez, particularly in a dining area. "The rule there is to make sure the rug is wide enough so the chair stays completely on the rug so your guests won't be half on and half off the rug."
Judy Colbert is a freelance writer who contributes regularly to VerticalNet sites. She can be reached at (Judy@JudyColbert.com).