Hotel Tiles

Hotel Floor & Wall Tiles

Hotel floor tiles have to meet a different specification in almost every part of the building. Lobbies, guest bathrooms, corridors, spa and wet leisure areas, restaurants, bars and back of house each carry their own slip resistance, abrasion and durability requirements. A tile that performs in one zone can fail compliance in another.

The hotel tiles in this collection are selected for contract use, with certified technical data available for each range. They cover floor and wall applications from reception through to external terraces.

Hotel Floor Tiles By Zone

Hotel Lobby And Reception Floor Tiles

Lobby, reception and circulation floors take the highest concentrated footfall in the building, with the added abrasive load of wheeled luggage and tracked-in grit. Specify glazed porcelain at PEI class IV or V to ISO 10545-7, or unglazed through-body porcelain where traffic is heaviest.

Water carried in from outside is the main slip risk in an otherwise dry lobby. Entrance zones need a barrier matting run long enough to remove moisture from footwear before the tiled surface begins. Where the floor is likely to be wet at the threshold, specify to a PTV of 36 or above.

Large format tiles reduce grout lines across open reception floors and read as a continuous surface, which makes them a common choice for hotel lobby flooring.

Under BS 8300-2, a difference of at least 30 points in light reflectance value (LRV) between floor and wall surfaces helps visually impaired guests read the space. Confirm this alongside the tile selection rather than after the finishes schedule is issued.

Hotel Bathroom Tiles And Wet Rooms

Guest bathrooms are barefoot wet environments and should be specified accordingly. For hotel bathroom floor tiles, a PTV of 36 or above tested wet to BS 7976-2 is the working minimum. Where R-values are quoted in European product literature, the relevant barefoot classification is DIN 51097: class B for shower and wet room floors and class C for sloped or continuously wet surfaces. DIN 51130 R-values describe shod slip resistance and aren’t the correct benchmark for a barefoot area.

Small format and mosaic tiles remain the practical choice for wet room floors, as they follow falls to a linear or centre drain without cutting into larger modules. On walls, larger formats reduce grout lines around vanities and shower enclosures.

Stain and chemical resistance matter here as much as slip performance. Confirm stain resistance to ISO 10545-14 and resistance to household and commercial cleaning agents to ISO 10545-13. Hotel housekeeping regimes are more frequent and more aggressive than domestic cleaning.

Hotel Room Flooring And Corridors

Hard flooring in guest rooms and corridors falls within the scope of Approved Document E, which covers rooms for residential purposes as well as dwellings. Separating floors in new-build hotels must achieve airborne sound insulation of at least 43 dB DnT,w + Ctr and impact sound of no more than 62 dB L’nT,w. For material change of use conversions, impact sound of up to 64 dB is permitted.

Tile doesn’t deliver this on its own. Soundproof flooring in hotel rooms relies on an acoustic uncoupling mat or resilient layer under the tile bed. Its tested system performance should be evidenced by the manufacturer for the specific floor build-up rather than assumed from a generic figure.

Uncoupling membranes also handle the movement and deflection typical of hotel floor plates, particularly where tiles run through door openings and along long corridor spans.

Hotel Spa, Pool And Wet Leisure Tiles

Wet leisure areas carry the strictest requirements in the building. Pool areas are covered by EN 15288-1. Immersed applications need a group BIa water absorption classification of 0.5% or less to ISO 10545-3. Chemical resistance to pool treatment agents should be verified to ISO 10545-13 and outdoor pool surrounds need frost resistance to ISO 10545-12. Full technical detail for these zones sits on the swimming pool tiles and spa tiles collections.

Hotel Restaurant, Bar And Kitchen Flooring

Front of house dining and bar floors need to hold their appearance under service traffic while remaining safe when spills occur. The restaurant tiles and bar tiles collections cover front of house selection in more detail.

Hotel kitchen flooring is a separate specification. Commercial kitchens are contaminated wet environments where grease and food acids are present. A PTV of 36 or above, with resistance to chemical attack to ISO 10545-13 and thermal shock to ISO 10545-9, is the baseline.

Hotel Terraces, Entrances And External Areas

External terraces, roof bars and entrance approaches require frost resistance to ISO 10545-12 and a wet PTV appropriate to an uncovered surface. Structural porcelain at 20mm thickness allows dry-lay installation on pedestals over waterproofing and can match an internal range in appearance. This keeps a visual line running from an internal bar or restaurant out onto a terrace. See the wider range of exterior tiles.

What To Confirm Before Issuing A Hotel Tile Schedule

• Slip resistance for the right condition: barefoot wet, shod wet and dry values aren’t interchangeable. Ask for the PTV test report for the condition the zone will actually be in.
• Abrasion class against expected traffic: PEI IV or V for public circulation, with unglazed porcelain where luggage and trolley traffic is constant.
• Batch consistency and quantities: hotel schedules cover large areas across multiple phases. Confirm shade and calibre consistency across the full quantity at order stage and hold attic stock so later repairs match.
• Lead times against the programme: large format and specialist ranges carry longer lead times. Confirm availability against the fit-out sequence early, particularly where a range is imported to order.
• Reaction to fire: ceramic and porcelain tiles are classified A1 to EN 13501-1 without further testing, which supports their use on escape routes and protected corridors under Approved Document B.
• Sustainability evidence: BREEAM Mat 01 credits rely on product-level environmental data. Request EPDs and recycled content figures at selection stage rather than at submission. The sustainable tiles collection lists ranges with published environmental data.

Hotel Tiles FAQs

What is the best flooring for hotels?

There’s no single answer, as each zone has different demands. Porcelain tiles are widely specified for lobbies, bathrooms, restaurants, kitchens and external areas because of their durability, range of slip resistance ratings and A1 fire classification. Guest bedrooms and corridors often use carpet or other resilient flooring for acoustic comfort, although tiled floors can be used with an acoustic layer beneath.

What slip rating do hotel bathroom tiles need?

A minimum PTV of 36 tested wet to BS 7976-2 is the widely used threshold for hotel bathroom and wet room floors. Because guests are barefoot, the applicable European classification is DIN 51097 class B or C rather than a DIN 51130 R-value. Some operator standards and insurers set a higher figure. Check the brief before finalising the selection.

What are the best tiles for a hotel lobby floor?

Porcelain at PEI class IV or V, or unglazed through-body porcelain where traffic is heaviest. Large format tiles reduce grout lines across an open floor and lower the maintenance burden. Entrance zones also need barrier matting and a wet PTV of 36 or above, since tracked-in water is the main slip risk.

Do hotel floor tiles need acoustic treatment?

Yes, where the tile sits on a separating floor. Approved Document E applies to hotels as rooms for residential purposes and sets airborne and impact sound requirements that a tiled floor can’t meet unaided. An acoustic uncoupling or resilient layer is required, with tested system data for the specific build-up.

Can the same tile be used in the hotel spa and guest bathrooms?

Sometimes, but it has to be verified rather than assumed. Spa and pool zones are governed by EN 15288-1 and require water absorption and chemical resistance performance that a standard bathroom floor tile may not achieve. Where a range covers both, the technical data sheet will state the classifications for each application.

What is the difference between PTV and R-values for hotel specification?

PTV is the UK measure, produced by the pendulum test to BS 7976-2 and expressed as a single value for the surface in a stated condition. R-values come from the German DIN standards: DIN 51130 for shod ramp testing and DIN 51097 for barefoot. UK projects and HSE guidance are written around PTV. An R-value alone isn’t sufficient evidence for a hotel specification.

Does Parkside supply full hotel projects?

Yes. Parkside supplies hotel tiles to specification across the UK, with technical data sheets for each range and batch-matched supply across project quantities and phases.