ERCO Case Study: The many roles lighting plays in a hospitality venue

March 2024 Case Study

Lighting plays a critical role in hospitality, supporting brand identity and drawing guests into a venue, helping them find their way, encouraging a sense of comfort and welcome, and enticing them to stay. The Pullman Airport Hotel in Auckland NZ was a development plagued by the frustrations of Covid 19, but the end result, opened in 2023, is a landmark addition to the Pullman stable of properties - and worthy winner of the ERCO Oceania 2023 Project of the Year for Channel Partner, Energylight.

First things first

Viewed on approach, the lighting design at the Pullman is quintessential Richard Kelly. Ambient light flushes the entrance, ERCO Tesis in-ground uplights reflecting off the faceted gold feature ceiling and columns, and extends into the lobby where ERCO Quintessence wallwashers bounce glare-free light into the space. 3000K LEDs enhance the friendly feel of the welcome, and ensure the warmth of the gold finish is retained. Accent light encircles the rotating door, and draws guests to the reception desks, whilst the Pullman logo stands proud as an attention-grabbing scenic note.

Attention Please!

A fundamental of lighting design says, “If you want people to look at something, light it.” The Pullman group certainly didn’t invest in the spectacular architecture of the Auckland hotel’s gold ceiling for it to fade into the background. The team spent several nights on-site ensuring the aiming of the ERCO Tesis in-ground uplights was perfect – balanced around the columns and angled to spread the warmth evenly upwards. You can see that downlights are also installed in the façade; ERCO’s low glare technology was key to ensuring these angles did not end up shedding beams straight into the eyes of passers-by.

Getting the job done

Much as an hotel lobby needs to welcome and embrace, it is a functioning workspace – for the staff of the hotel and often for guests meeting or working, or simply planning their day. Accent light is carefully thought out in the Pullman lobby: downlights and complementary decorative pendants hover above the concierge and check-in desks, directionals with appropriate lens angles span the seating area, and lamps place direct local light on the work tables.

Donna Julian, of ERCO NZ Channel Partner Energylight, describes the first steps in the lighting plan: three different colour highlighter pens and a concept markup to map out ambient, accent and scenic layers. From there, renders and a digital fly-through helped the team confirm that their expectations would be delivered, and communicate the plan clearly to the client.  You can see the results; a convincing winner of the 2023 ERCO Oceania Project of the Year.

Find out more about products used here:

Tesis | Quintessence | Gimbal

Channel Partner: Energylight
Architect: Warren & Mahoney
Electrical Specification: ECS Electrical