If you walk through the doors of any luxury hotel chances are you will see a beautiful floral arrangement in the center of the room or elegantly placed behind the front desk. Hotel lobby flower arrangements add so much to the hotel experience as they hit the senses in many different ways and evoke a series of emotions for the arriving guest. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Jon Cummins, the COO of Amerimar and hotel owner, about how hotel lobby flower arrangements impact his guests and why hotel lobby flower arrangements are so important in his hotels. 

Hotel Lobby Flower Arrangements Evokes the Feeling of “Home”

The arrival experience to a hotel is one of the most important guest experiences for hoteliers.  Having fresh flowers in the hotel lobby evokes a sense of luxury, welcomed arrival and also brings the comfort of home. Hotels are always trying to appeal to the five senses; sight, taste, touch, scent, and noise. Hotel lobby flower arrangements help accomplish two to three of these senses right off the bat. The guest’s vision is immediately enraptured by a beautiful array of professionally arranged flowers, they smell the lovely aroma that emanates from them and though it’s not recommended to touch the flowers, they can tell they are real and that in itself creates a connection to nature, to a living thing.

Many guests who visit these luxury hotels either have flowers in their home or wish to have flowers in their home but don’t because of various reasons, such as upkeep or an expense they don’t want to take on. Regardless, there is an aspirational side to seeing flowers in a hotel that makes guests think, “I would really like to do this in my own home!.” So for a hotel, having hotel lobby flower arrangements and other fresh floral arrangements throughout the hotel’s premises makes a statement to the guest that this is home to them. 

The emotional connection of Hotel Lobby Flower Arrangements

We are all so desperate for things that are real and tangible and natural.  Perhaps it’s because we're all so tied to these metal and glass objects in our hands, that an innate part of us longs to respond to things that are real, that are from nature. When we put those out in a hotel lobby, or behind the front desk, it appeals to that sense that we have, that we're missing these real, living things that we all know are an important part of our lives: a sense of nurture and a sense of connection to nature.  A new floral trend is developing as offices are reopening and corporate spaces are becoming busier, they’re all wanting something inside these office spaces that is from nature, whether that is a preserved install, live plants, or more botanicals, to create a sense of renewal and of something that is alive.  It shows new beginnings after a year of so many unknowns.

Even though it sounds very philosophical when you break it down from an emotional standpoint, as a lot of times sales is based on the emotions of the guests and what they're enjoying, the business of providing flowers and plants is a very emotional one, no doubt. Whether we explicitly think about it in those terms, it's emotional and the hotel business is an emotional business. So there's a natural intersection here to the sales process. When it comes to hiring a florist for the hotel, florists need to understand what hotel operations are trying to achieve. Hotels are trying to evoke strong, positive and emotional responses, as well as long-lasting memories for the guests and they expect hotel lobby flower arrangements to do just this. That is why florals are so important, especially in this time as people are starting to travel again; because they help create this experience for the guest, and it’s something they really appreciate. 

How the Local Community is Important for Hotels

In terms of strong and long-term partnerships between a hotel and a florist, being a part of the local community is an added value, as from a hotel owner’s perspective, it’s more valuable to be working with hotels that are nearby, where you have a sense of connection because hotels are very much community-oriented entities. A few years ago I landed a new hotel client and I was trying to think of a way I could add value and enhance the sense of community that they had already had. They were downtown and the property was very modern. I came up with the idea of hosting an influencer night —now this was before influencer marketing was a thing, and sat down and determined who could we invite in this city that is “somebody.”  So we invited an opera singer, a top plastic surgeon, the director of sales for the city of Houston, etc.  We got all these influential people from our Houston community into one room and thought, “This is our community. This is our network.”  Not only were we able to celebrate and meet each other, but we also promoted the hotel and obviously I got the chance to promote my floral design.  So much more came from that night and it really confirmed that my floral business and I were a part of this community.  

For a florist looking to work with hotels, knowing what hotels are trying to achieve, such as:

• Creating a sense of home through your floral designs
• Evoking a sense of emotion and unforgettable memories in the guest
• Being a part of the local community

You can gain an edge above other florists looking to land the same hotel floral contract. To further make yourself stand out from the crowd make sure you watch my FREE training for florists and learn the top 3 mistakes florists make when reaching out to hotels and how you can avoid them.  Click here to take the first step towards becoming a hotel florist and creating consistent 5k months through hotel partnerships.