Short answer

When designing or renovating hotel interiors, prioritize the integration of lighting and non-visual aesthetic elements that align with the intended style and desired guest experience, as these factors heavily influence perceived quality.

Field
User-Centred Design
Source
Buildings (2022)
Method
Empirical analysis using questionnaires and online comment data.
Sample
710 effective questionnaires
Evidence
Strong effect

The aesthetic and atmospheric elements of a hotel room's decoration style, particularly lighting and non-visual sensory aspects, profoundly influence guests' subjective evaluation of its overall quality, even when physical parameters are identical. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2022 study published in Buildings. Using Empirical analysis using questionnaires and online comment data. with 710 effective questionnaires, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing or renovating hotel interiors, prioritize the integration of lighting and non-visual aesthetic elements that align with the intended style and desired guest experience, as these factors heavily influence perceived quality.

Study
User-Centred DesignHigh ImpactStrong effect

Decoration Style Significantly Impacts Perceived Hotel Room Quality

The aesthetic and atmospheric elements of a hotel room's decoration style, particularly lighting and non-visual sensory aspects, profoundly influence guests' subjective evaluation of its overall quality, even when physical parameters are identical.

Buildings · 2022

01

Key Findings

  • 01The light environment and non-light visual factors (color, nature, texture, materials, atmosphere) have the greatest impact on subjective evaluation, especially for modern simple styles.
  • 02Light environment, air quality, and non-light visual factors are key for British pastoral style.
  • 03Light environment, thermal environment, and non-light visual factors are most sensitive for modern Japanese style.
  • 04Across all styles, thermal environment, light environment, acoustic environment, air quality, and non-light visual factors collectively have the most significant impact on overall hotel indoor environment evaluation.
02

Application

Design takeaway

When designing or renovating hotel interiors, prioritize the integration of lighting and non-visual aesthetic elements that align with the intended style and desired guest experience, as these factors heavily influence perceived quality.

How to apply

When designing interior spaces, conduct user research to understand which aesthetic and atmospheric elements are most valued by the target audience for that specific context.

Project actions

  • 01When evaluating design choices, consider how they might affect a user's emotional response and perception of quality.
  • 02If conducting a user study, ensure that the aesthetic and atmospheric elements are the primary variables being manipulated or assessed.
03

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate how different interior decoration styles in hotel rooms, while maintaining consistent physical environments, affect guests' subjective evaluations of indoor environmental quality.
MethodEmpirical analysis using questionnaires and online comment data.
ProcedureResearchers selected hotel rooms with identical physical attributes (area, layout, lighting, orientation, cost) but varied decoration styles (modern simple, British pastoral, modern Japanese). They collected data through a questionnaire designed based on literature review and 604 online comments, analyzing 710 effective responses using KH coder and SPSS software.
Sample710 effective questionnaires
ContextHotel interior design and guest experience

Variables

IVDecoration style (modern simple, British pastoral, modern Japanese)
DVSubjective evaluation of indoor environmental quality (including light, thermal, acoustic, air quality, and non-light visual factors)
CVRoom area, pattern, lighting (as a physical parameter), orientation, decoration cost
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Controlled experimental design with a single variable (decoration style).
  • +Large sample size and use of both questionnaire data and online comments for robust analysis.

Limitations

The study's findings are specific to the hotel context and the styles tested. Replicating this in a different setting or with other design elements might yield different results. Online comments might also be biased.

Reliability & validity

The use of statistical software (SPSS) and a large sample size enhances the reliability of the findings. Validity is supported by the controlled experimental setup and the triangulation of data sources (questionnaires and online comments).

Think critically

To what extent can the findings regarding decoration style's impact on subjective evaluation be generalized to other types of built environments, such as offices or residential spaces?

05

Design Principles

"User perception of environmental quality is a complex interplay of physical attributes and subjective aesthetic and atmospheric factors, with lighting and non-visual sensory elements playing a dominant role."

This research highlights that design choices in interior decoration are not merely superficial but directly affect user perception and satisfaction. For designers and hospitality businesses, understanding these influences is crucial for creating environments that resonate positively with occupants and enhance their experience.

06

What This Means for Your Design

How a hotel room looks and feels (its decoration style) can make a big difference in how happy guests are with it, even if the room itself is the same size and has the same basic features. Things like lighting and the colors and textures used are very important.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Reference this study when discussing how user perception of an environment is influenced by aesthetic choices, particularly in interior design or hospitality projects.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research by Xu et al. (2022) demonstrates that the subjective evaluation of indoor environments, such as hotel rooms, is significantly influenced by decoration styles. Specifically, elements like lighting and non-visual aesthetic factors (e.g., color, texture, atmosphere) play a crucial role in shaping user perception, even when physical parameters remain constant, underscoring the importance of aesthetic considerations in design.

09

Source

Buildings

A Comparative Study on the Influence of Different Decoration Styles on Subjective Evaluation of Hotel Indoor Environment

journal · 2022

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about decoration style significantly impacts perceived hotel room quality?
When designing or renovating hotel interiors, prioritize the integration of lighting and non-visual aesthetic elements that align with the intended style and desired guest experience, as these factors heavily influence perceived quality. Evidence: Buildings (2022).
Why does "Decoration Style Significantly Impacts Perceived Hotel Room Quality" matter for design?
This research highlights that design choices in interior decoration are not merely superficial but directly affect user perception and satisfaction. For designers and hospitality businesses, understanding these influences is crucial for creating environments that resonate positively with occupants and enhance their experience.
How can designers apply this research?
When designing or renovating hotel interiors, prioritize the integration of lighting and non-visual aesthetic elements that align with the intended style and desired guest experience, as these factors heavily influence perceived quality.
What were the main findings?
The light environment and non-light visual factors (color, nature, texture, materials, atmosphere) have the greatest impact on subjective evaluation, especially for modern simple styles.. Light environment, air quality, and non-light visual factors are key for British pastoral style.. Light environment, thermal environment, and non-light visual factors are most sensitive for modern Japanese style.. Across all styles, thermal environment, light environment, acoustic environment, air quality, and non-light visual factors collectively have the most significant impact on overall hotel indoor environment evaluation.
What research method was used?
Empirical analysis using questionnaires and online comment data. with 710 effective questionnaires.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2022 journal from Buildings.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When designing interior spaces, conduct user research to understand which aesthetic and atmospheric elements are most valued by the target audience for that specific context.
What are the limitations?
The study focused on specific decoration styles and a limited set of physical parameters; findings may vary with different styles or environmental conditions. Generalizability to other accommodation types or cultural contexts may be limited.