Why Use Art Consulting Services?

 

Interior design is important for any space in which people should be able to relax and enjoy themselves. However, decorating a home is very different from decorating a hotel. Both are residential spaces — spaces in which people need to be able to feel “at home”, even when they are, in the cases of hotel guests, technically away from home. It can be difficult to both set a tone befitting a hotel’s design and customer base, while at the same time not alienating people. Hotels have all too often been criticized for their decorative looks; and all too often, a hotel can actually be knocked down a peg in its reviews if its aesthetic design is not on par with that of its competitors. Whether you own a hotel or are simple managing it, you can’t be expected to do everything yourself. Running a business, after all, is very different from interior decorating. Perhaps this is why, of all the things that get critiqued when it comes to the “look” of a hotel, the artwork is perhaps the most commonly derided. “Hotel art” has become a somewhat derogatory term — and it shouldn’t be. This is why a recent trend has hotel owners looking towards professional art consultant firms to help them find artwork and generate new design ideas.

Why Have Hotel Art In The First Place?

So — if hotel art has become so polarizing, why do so many hotels still employ it? For one thing, art doesn’t just benefit hotel guests, but employees as well. Workplaces in general are now advised to decorate with artwork when possible, as 94% of respondents to a recent poll indicated that they found that artwork made the workplace more exciting, and 61% found that it stimulated creativity. Art makes a place seem less distant and more inviting. A lot of people find that they’ll return to hotels where they were most comfortable, making an effort to do so. Artwork hanging on the walls is comforting — if you choose the right work. For that matter, art can set a tone for a hotel’s overall aesthetic. Choosing artwork can help you think of great hotel lobby design ideas. As any art consulting firms can report, art has also been linked with lowering stress levels. Staying in a hotel can be a stressful time for some people — anything the hotel owner or manager can do to make that time less stressful is a great investment. A recent study done on people entering an art gallery revealed that 35 minutes after they’d entered the gallery, visitors’ stress levels lowered. However, even if you’ve been convinced that art can contribute to everything from hotel lobby design ideas to reduced stress levels, you may still be wondering — why should I use art consulting services?

Why Use Art Consulting Firms?

Buying art is easier said than done. It’s not as if a typical hotel can afford to have a masterpiece on every wall, but the art still needs to be pleasing to the eye. It also can’t be offensive — nor should it be boring. Art consultants use their training and expertise to help clients search for the right types of artwork. They can also help contribute to hotel lobby design ideas, and hotel design ideas in general. Art consultants can also get their clients better deals than those they would find if they approached the art market on their own. Art can get expensive — and fast.

How Much Do Art Consultant Services Cost?

Obviously, this depends on the service in question and the firm. Firms that offer hotel lobby design ideas as well as help in searching for art may have higher fees — or they may not. Typically, however, you should budget about 1% to 2% of a hotel’s construction budget for turn-key art services. When this is set against the services provided by art consultants — and their results — the investment is quite minor.