HOW FLORAL DESIGNS CAN MAKE HOTELS MORE SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDLY

What’s great about hotels (and taking a vacation) is the act of unplugging and getting away from it all. But some getaways are too great not to brag about in real-time. Enter social media. With the right amount of aesthetics, beautifully designed and creative focal points, and throw in some playful props, a hotel is well on its way to becoming an “insta-worthy” location. Which in turn actually turns guests into a brand’s best marketers. However, despite a venue’s best efforts, it can be difficult to get people to post in the heat of the moment—and even harder to get them to tag the hotel brand if they do.

In this day and age with the rise of influencer marketing, hotels are now looking for ways to attract hotel guests with their “Instagrammable” decor and luxury comforts. And luckily for them, floral designers are experts who can show how a floral install can make it easy to encourage guests to share their experience far and wide.

So here 3 tips to make a hotel space more social media-friendly to attract hotel guests.

1. Make a Statement

In high traffic locations such as the lobby and common areas, focus the floral budget and creativity to create a show-stopping design/arrangement that guests will be lining up to take a photo with. The designs should not be ordinary and should provoke curiosity and excitement.

2. The Smallest of Details Can Have a Big Impact

Oftentimes, the smallest floral and/or botanical touch can have a big impact on a space such as a restaurant or an elevator bank. By placing a small arrangement in an empty space, a cohesive look and feel are achieved. Compare it to wrapping a present (i.e. the empty table or elevator bank ) and tying a ribbon to finish the wrapping (i.e. adding a small floral arrangement) to finish the wrapped present. Also, having small details such as a rosebud submerged in a small round glass vase, is the perfect prop when it comes to your guests wanting to capture their morning coffee with a prop, ensuring free social media marketing, actually on brand.

3. Lighting and Floral combos

Lighting is so important when it comes to your hotel floral design, especially regarding coloring, grouping, and floral structure. Prior to submitting a proposal or hiring a florist, ensure that the space has been walked and the lighting has been noted as this will affect the overall look and feel of the hotel florals on a weekly basis.

Bright light floral arrangements: This is the most ideal scenario as it offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to selecting the florals. Don’t be afraid to use seasonal florals and colors that tend to be either bold and vibrant or dark and moody. This really sets the tone, ensuring the guest’s arrival experience is also cohesive to the property’s desire to be authentically local. My favorite design technique is color blocking for bright spaces, designing with a monochromatic color scheme, especially focusing on the color green.

Dim Light Floral arrangements: You want to avoid designing with smaller blooms and a darker color pallet. The reason for this is that the overall impact is underwhelming as texture and detail are lost “in the shadows”. Focus on larger blooms, either linear or in mass which has a brighter color pallet. In dim light areas, you can never go wrong with clusters of white, for a chic and timeless look.

Lighting is also key to the impact it plays in your floral's lifespan. Direct harsh light can either burn your flowers or play a part in murky water, resulting in an increase in weekly maintenance. Extra labor would then need to be budgeted for as well as a specific floral selection that can withstand a bright space or a dimly lit space.

Keep these three things in mind when designing an "insta-worthy" arrangement that hotel guests will love and be photographing themselves beside.  If you are ready to get started working with hotels then click here to watch my free masterclass for florists who want to create consistent 5k months through hotel partnerships.