Creating the Perfect Festive Home Away from Home

Christmas is a time for families, festivities and relaxing. Often, this means travelling far and wide, staying in hotels and B&Bs. Being away from home can be difficult, especially if the hotel you’re staying in lacks the charm we associate with a traditional Christmas in the familiar settings we’re used to.

Festive décor and seasonal fare are all well and good, but how can hoteliers go that extra mile and stand out as the ideal home away from home in the holiday season? Electric flame technology could be the answer.

It's all about the experience 

When people research places to stay, they’re not just thinking about the proximity to the places they need to go or the range of facilities – they will also be searching for the right kind of ambience and experience. Whether they’re travelling for business or leisure, they want accommodation where they can relax, but with the rise of quirky and interesting hotels, it’s likely many travellers will also be seeking out places with the additional wow-factor – even more so at Christmas time.

And nothing evokes the feeling of homely comfort more than a traditional open fire. Combined with Christmas trees, lights and decorations, a flickering fire can enhance any festive scene to help guests relax and feel at home. Yet, for obvious reasons including health and safety and practical concerns, it’s often not feasible to install a traditional fire in a hospitality setting, whether that’s in a hotel lobby, bar or restaurant.

Be sustainable with your design

However, innovations in electric flame technology mean the hospitality sector can create warmth, comfort and most importantly, the feeling of Christmas. Dimplex Optiflame technology is a unique, patented way of generating simulated flames from an electric source, providing rooms with the comfort of a real fire during any season. The Optiflame is easy to install and with no requirement for a working flue or chimney, can be used anywhere. It is cost-effective, using LED lighting to create a convincing flame effect. It also provides users with a range of other benefits, such as being able to enjoy the comforting aesthetic of flame with complete control over the heat output. Optiflame offers two heat settings, which means it can be used all year round. Users in warmer climates, for example, can disable the heat function to create that Christmas atmosphere in complete comfort, while still enjoying the wonderful flame aesthetic.

This electric fire requires minimal maintenance compared to a real fire and are without the associated health and safety or compliance issues. Optiflame technology can also help users to reduce energy consumption while enhancing the ambience wherever they’re installed, and requires minimal maintenance, making it ideal for use in the hospitality sector.

There's so much choice

There’s a wide range of popular styles available to suit traditional and contemporary spaces, from inset fireplaces to electric stoves, wall-mounted and free-standing fires. The diverse range of styles and designs available can bring homely comforts to any space – from private rooms to public spaces – at Christmas or any other time of year.

Electric flame technology can bring home the comfort for guests craving the warming familiarities of Christmas wherever they are in the world. In spaces where health and safety and practicality concerns mean traditional fires simply cannot be considered, Optiflame can turn the comfort up a notch and be used to create the perfect guest experience.