Before aesthetics, you must primarily plan for easy, impeccable cleaning. Avoid any nooks or ledges that could gather dust, mould or limescale, and ensure all surfaces can withstand intense daily scrubbing. A room generally takes 30-40 minutes to clean and prepare for the next guest, with the bathroom taking up approximately a third of that time. If your bathrooms require more cleaning because of design choices and layout, it will either cost you more money or leave guests unsatisfied with the cleanliness.

These considerations will depend on your market position and price point. On the higher end of the market, a separate bath and shower is required. If you’re low/mid-market and stick a roll top bath in for the aesthetic, your cleaning team will need to clean both inside and outside surfaces, and the awkward spaces underneath and around the sides of the bath. Do you assign enough cleaning time per room to include this additional work, or does the price of the room justify the increase?

This is an extremely hardworking room that needs to withstand heavy use. Make sure all materials are durable. Investing more in hardwearing polished stone, for example, will pay off in the long run as it should last a lifetime when installed properly. It’s expensive to replace and repair low quality materials and fixtures – and will require room closures to do so. Make sure your design choices are timeless for the same reason. You don’t want to be changing your bathrooms as soon as chevron tiles go out of vogue.

The design should feel consistent with the rest of your interiors, rather than a shiny box badged onto a bedroom. Consider mixing texture and colour through tiles, wall finishes and flooring choices. Opt for nickel rather than brass or black hardware for longevity. A bathroom can often feel chilly, especially a hotel bathroom which needs wall-to-wall wipe-down materials. Soften the hard edges with art (varnished prints, ceramic wallhangings and murals work well), secondary lighting, sealed wallpaper, fluffy towels and a vase of eucalyptus – it smells amazing when a steamy shower is running.

Think about who your guest is and what their needs are. A quick and efficient shower and a well lit spot to get ready might suit solo travellers, while an arm chair for long chats next to the bath is perfect for couples on a country escape.

If your budget limits things to a light refresh, get each bathroom deep cleaned and re-grouted. Dirty grout is nasty and I’ve seen it more than I’d like. Upgrade taps and shower heads. Replace anything that looks worn; new flooring, for example, is quite straightforward to change in most cases. Change the towels, toiletries and add some new art.

If you have the budget for a showstopper, consider room layouts to include windows in the bathroom – a rare luxury. Consider your lines of sight. A view of a gorgeous double vanity is nicer than one of the loo from the bedroom. A big walk-in shower with rainfall head feels spoiling but also accessible, and a separate bath with a view will enhance the overall experience – and will makes for a compelling marketing shot! Defoggers in the mirror, underfloor heating, silent fans and an intentional mix of task / mood / night lighting are important elements of a luxury bathroom.

Finally, when renovating, select an experienced contractor that has worked in a hotel environment before. They need to complete works as quickly and quietly as possible, with minimal mess and smells so not to disturb other guests.

Get in touch to discuss what change might work best for your hotel, demographic and budget.