4 Ways to Design a Motel Room (2025)

Explore this Article

Co-authored byMacKenzie Cain

Last Updated: April 17, 2023References

1. 1

   Examine your market. Who is the likely clientele for your motel? A business traveler is going to have different needs than a family on vacation. For instance, business travelers might expect coffee machines in their room, while families might appreciated motel rooms that can be connected with a side door.^[1][2] Before you can design a motel room, you need to evaluate the needs of the guests that you expect to stay in your motel.

   • In addition, watch the competition to pick up on trends and new ideas in the motel room design world.
2. 2

   Determine your budget. How much will you spend per room? The size of the room generally doesn’t matter when deciding how to design the room. You can spend a lot or a little on a motel room of a given size.^[3] Once you know your budget, you’ll be able to plan the room to your liking.

   Advertisement

3. 3

   Check your local building and safety codes. Building and safety codes determine things like how many fire alarms, exits, fire extinguishers, windows, and so on a room needs. They are usually issued by a state authority such as the department of public health, and may be amended by local authorities with additional provisions. ^[4] Stay conscious of required elements when designing your motel room.

4. 4

   Design a mock-up of the motel room.^[5] If you are designing a motel room for a larger chain, you can probably request funds for a prototype of a new room design. Hire “guests” to try the room out and solicit feedback about their experience to find out what worked and what didn’t.

   • Have room testers fill out a questionnaire inquiring about every aspect of the room: lighting, comfort, spaciousness, flooring, cover the wall, bathroom, and so on.
   • If you are the proprietor of a smaller motel, you can do similar test runs by designing (or redesigning) only a single hotel room of a given style and renting it out to guests. Administer a questionnaire about their experiences and, if possible, talk to them about their experience in the room to figure out how you can improve the room’s design.

   Advertisement

   See Also

   What Is A Standard Room At Motel 6Hotel Floor Plans: A Guide to Building BetterHotel Room Design and Layout Types - RoomlayHotels Wien Motel One günstiges Design Hotel Wien buchen

1. 1

   Make the room feel spacious. Depending on the size of the room, this might be hard or easier to do. It will be easier to introduce dead space into a larger room than it will be to do so into a smaller room. Fewer things mean more space.

   • Using mostly light colors in your wall paint, furniture, and textiles will help keep the room feel open and airy.
   • Add mirrors. Mirrors can create the illusion of space and make the room feel larger than it is. A horizontally-oriented mirror over the bed is a good option.
   • Exaggerate small features; for example, install floor to ceiling window treatments to heighten the room.
   • Look carefully at the layout of your motel room to decide what is crucial and what is not.
   • Don’t introduce lots of chairs, tables, floor lamps, potted plants, or other things that take up space.
   • Keep counters and dresser tops clean of excess objects like placards or small statues.^[6]
2. 2

   Minimize maintenance. Remove things that are hard to clean or could be easily broken. For instance, do not include breakable glass statues or candles that could spill wax on the carpet. Use furniture with rounded corners -- a rounded corner is more difficult to dent than a sharp corner. Remove objects that attract visible dust like study lamps and instead use wall-mounted lighting.

3. 3

   Encourage diagonal views. Diagonal views of a room help make the space seem larger. Instead of placing the door in the center of one wall of the room, for instance, place it in the corner of a wall.

   • Try to expand the visible angle of the room from the doorway. For instance, if the bathroom is right next to the entrance to the room, cut the corner that is closest to the center of the room from the bathroom’s layout (turning it into a five-sided bathroom).
   • This is important because people often ask to see a room before they choose to rent one. First impressions are important, and giving the room a spacious feel can encourage potential customers to stay.
4. 4

   Choose vibrant colors.^[7] Bright lime, orange, and yellow will give the room a fresh, vibrant energy. Warm colors will inspire enthusiasm and optimism in the guest. Cooler -- but still vibrant -- colors like blue and green can also energize guests and impart a sense of safety and comfort.^[8]

   • Use one dominant color and white highlights to maintain a clean, minimalistic design.
   • Despite the temptation to simplify the color selection process, do not paint all your rooms the same color. This way, if a potential guest doesn’t like the color of his or her room, you can offer another.
   • Do not leave any concrete or brick exposed in the hotel room.
5. 5

   Use vinyl floors. Vinyl floors feel that resemble hardwood appear more residential to guests, and are easier to clean. Plus, many people believe that carpets are not clean. Choose a light-colored wood to prevent your room from feeling small and cramped.

6. 6

   Put soundproofing materials in the walls and beneath the floor.^[9] Without carpets, the modern motel room will be even more susceptible to sound leaking out than normal. While total soundproofing is almost impossible, using soundproofing materials can reduce the amount of unintentional eavesdropping guests will have to do during their stay.

   Advertisement

1. 1

   Hang a flat screen TV across from the bed. Hanging a TV on the wall saves floor space and makes the room look more spacious. If you want to get fancy, you could hang the TV in a wooden frame backed with soundproofing material.^[10] The size of the TV you want depends on your budget.

   • Ensure your TVs are HDMI compliant so guests can connect their devices to watch their favorite shows.
2. 2

   Provide a comfortable bed. One of the best ways to provide a comfy bed for motel guests is to invest in a featherbed. These are both economical and comfortable. Use sheets with a 300 to 400 thread count, and seal them tightly beneath the mattress. Add a couple of down pillows and a duvet.^[11]

3. 3

   Maximize the storage space. There should be one clothing storage drawer for each possible occupant. If you design a motel room that sleeps four, there needs to be a minimum of four clothing storage drawers.

   • Install a low dresser unit directly across from the bed and below the TV. Horizontally-oriented dressers will streamline the room.
   • Do not install a wall-mounted dresser or armoire. These are more difficult to replace and modify than smaller, more mobile dresser units.
   • Consider using under-bed dressers if space is limited.
4. 4

   Include a small closet. Most people do not use their closet, or use it only for a dress or suit.^[12] Keep the closet size to a minimum. A closet 18 inches wide and two feet deep is an acceptable size.^[13] The space you save on the small closet will make the room feel more spacious.

5. 5

   Provide enough power outlets.^[14] Power outlets are a must for the modern motel guest. Even a single guest might need three or four to accommodate their laptop, phone, tablet, and/or MP3 player. If you assume some rooms might have whole families together, you can multiply that by three or four. A motel room should have at least three outlets, plus another in the bathroom.

6. 6

   Include fast wi-fi for each room. Today, wi-fi is an expectation no matter where you are. Motels are no exception. Choose a convenient system that doesn’t make guests enter their room number every time they log on in order to keep guests connected for the duration of their stay.^[15]

   • You should also include wi-fi in the lobby or recreational rooms of the motel.
7. 7

   Provide ample natural and artificial light. Place a large window at the front of each motel room. Use simple, functional light switches and warm white light bulbs.

   • Consider hiring a lighting designer. They are usually not expensive and are often provided free along with installation from many lighting companies.
   • Provide lighting near doors, next to or above chairs, beds, and desks.
   • If designing a room with a two-person bed, include two lamps (one for each side).
   • Avoid harsh fluorescent lights. Colored lights should also be avoided.^[16]
   • Use energy efficient light bulbs.
8. 8

   Include a small desk. People use desks less than they used to, but many travelers still have business to attend to and require a small desk on which to work. The desk also functions as a table for guests who wish to dine in their rooms. Choose one with rounded corners and a color scheme that compliments the rest of the room. Purchase a comfortable chair to match it.^[17]

9. 9

   Include a mini-fridge. Most hotel and motel guests appreciate having a fridge in their room.^[18] When travelers go out to eat, they often want to save leftovers for breakfast. Place the fridge to one side of the dresser.

   • You could choose to include a complimentary bottle of water if you have the budget for it.

   Advertisement

1. 1

   Deconstruct the bathroom. Place the shower and toilet in the bathroom. Place the sink and mirror in small zone just outside the bathroom, facing toward the beds and the rest of the room. This way, when two people stay in the room, one can do their makeup or shave while the other takes a shower.^[19]

2. 2

   Use a diagonal entrance. Locating the bathroom door on a diagonal angle will not only widen the visible space of the main room, it will make the bathroom itself seem larger. A bathroom of four to six square meters should be sufficient.

   • Don't make the bathroom door face the toilet. Instead, make it face the shower and/or sink.
3. 3

   Limit the number of accessories. Too many accessories -- soaps, lotions, hair dryers, and so on -- can make the bathroom seem cluttered. If you want to include a lot of accessories, tuck them away in retractable drawers or under the sink where they won’t add unnecessary clutter to the bathroom.

   • One large bathroom rug is enough.
   • Hang towels on a rack.

   Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question

Tips

Advertisement

Advertisement

How helpful is this?