How to Choose the Right Rugs and Carpets for Hotels

When selecting rugs and carpets for hotels, it’s not just about aesthetics. Guests notice the look and feel of the floor underfoot, but hotel owners and designers must balance safety, durability, comfort, and performance. Symbols and certifications help you quickly identify which rugs meet each critical requirement. This guide explains the key factors while showing how symbols illustrate them at a glance.

‍Durability and Usage Ratings

Choosing the right carpet for a hotel requires understanding its durability class. Carpets are rated for contract (hospitality/commercial) use according to EN 1307 classifications.

• ‍Class 31 – Light contract. Suitable for hotel rooms, conference rooms, small offices, or retail spaces with moderate use.

• Class 32 – Medium contract. Recommended for areas with medium traffic such as theaters, libraries, restaurants, offices, and hotel corridors.

• Class 33 – Heavy contract. Designed for high-traffic areas like hotel lobbies, entrances, airports, elevators, and service zones. Also ideal for spaces exposed to dirt or spills.

The durability symbols on the product sheet make it easy to select carpets that match expected traffic and use, ensuring long-lasting performance in hospitality environments. A similar classification system is also used for residential carpets.

Fire Safety Certifications

Fire safety is critical in hotels. European standard EN 13501-1 classifies carpets by flame spread and smoke emission:

• Bfl-s1 – Very low flame spread, minimal smoke. Recommended for lobbies, corridors, and stairs.

• Cfl-s1 – Moderate flame spread, minimal smoke. Suitable for guest rooms or less exposed areas.

For hotel projects, selecting Bfl-s1 or Cfl-s1 carpets is generally required in common areas to comply with fire regulations, satisfy insurance and inspection standards, and ensure guest safety.

Light, Sound, and Thermal Performance

Carpets influence aesthetics, comfort, safety, and energy performance in hotel spaces. They also affect light reflection, thermal efficiency, and acoustic comfort.

Light & Color Durability

Carpet colours can fade from sunlight or artificial light. Tested under EN ISO 105-B02, light fastness must be at least 5/8, with higher ratings recommended for rooms with skylights or large windows.‍

• Lightfastness – Indicates resistance to fading over time under light exposure.

• Light reflection – Shows the percentage of visible light reflected, influencing brightness, color perception, and lighting design.

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Underfloor Heating Compatibility

Carpets over underfloor heating should have low thermal resistance to allow efficient heat transfer. According to EN 12667:2001, it should not exceed 0.5 m²K/W.‍

• Underfloor heating suitability – Ensures carpets perform efficiently with heated floors, maintaining comfort and energy efficiency.

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Acoustic Comfort

• Sound absorption – Reduces ambient noise and echo within a room.

• Impact sound absorption – Minimizes noise from footsteps or dropped objects, improving comfort in corridors, lobbies, and guest rooms.

• ‍Reduction of impact noise – Limits transmission of sound to rooms or floors below, enhancing overall acoustic comfort in multi-story hotels.

Checking these product specifications helps designers and hoteliers quickly assess a carpet’s color durability, light performance, heating compatibility, and acoustic comfort, ensuring high-quality experience throughout the hotel.

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Antistatic & Slip Safety

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Antistatic

The Antistatic symbol indicates that any electrical charge generated by a person is safely discharged through the carpet, enhancing comfort and safety in hotel environments.

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Slip Resistance

Carpets must meet EN 14041 safety requirements for slip resistance. A dynamic coefficient of friction greater than 0.3 on a dry, clean surface qualifies the carpet for the DS (Declared Slip) symbol. Products not meeting this requirement are labeled NPD (No Performance Declared), indicating no slip resistance information is available.

These symbols help identify carpets that provide electrical safety and floor stability for guests.

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‍Comfort and Touch

The Luxury Class (LC) indicates the softness and comfort of a carpet underfoot. It is shown with crowns numbered 1 to 5, with more crowns representing higher comfort. These symbols make it easy to quickly assess the tactile quality and choose the right level of comfort for different hotel areas.

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Special Usage Suitability

Carpets can be damaged by rolling chairs or heavy foot traffic on stairs, so only tested products should be used.

Castor chair suitability

• Occasional use – For limited or intermittent chair traffic.

• Permanent use – For constant chair traffic in offices or hotel work areas.

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Stairs suitability

• Occasional use – For stairs with light, infrequent traffic.

• Permanent use – For stairs subject to heavy, frequent use, including stair nosings.

These icons make it easy to identify carpets that can withstand specific functional demands in hotels and commercial areas.

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‍Design & Branding‍

Rugs and carpets are powerful tools for branding and interior storytelling in hotels.

• ‍Plain rugs – Transform any space with a neutral, versatile rug that complements furniture and home décor, creating a calm, elegant environment. In rooms with already eye-catching fabrics or intricate patterns, a plain rug from any of the Faux Silk collections helps subtly blend the space without overwhelming it. For example, in an interior featuring the Mascarade Fabrics by Pierre Frey, a rug like the ANGELO Pax Light polyamide reference 5570-L-3A71 would beautifully echo the yellow tones in the patterned fabrics, adding harmony and balance to the room’s design.

• ‍Patterned rugs – Include logos, motifs, or custom patterns that reinforce a hotel’s identity, guide guests visually through spaces, or highlight specific zones. Patterned rugs from the ANGELO Fusion collections allow the creation of bespoke designs with unlimited patterns and colors, tailored to the hotel’s theme or brand.

In hospitality projects, every detail tells a story, and rugs often set the tone for that narrative. A thoughtful design can ground a space, create flow, and spark the kind of atmosphere that lingers in a guest’s memory. Choosing the right piece is less about decoration and more about crafting an experience. This is where the guidance of an interior designer, or the expertise of a partner such as Angelo Rugs, becomes invaluable. With their eye for balance and ability to translate a vision into bespoke solutions, they help transform an empty floor into the foundation of a unique identity — ensuring that every project speaks with authenticity and character.