For Hotels & Lobbies

Artificial trees for hotel lobbies are large-scale faux specimens specified to hold a double-height volume, survive constant traffic and ask nothing of housekeeping. Hotels, resorts and serviced apartments buy at this scale for one reason above all others: greenery in a lobby has to look identical at three in the morning in February as it did on the day the property opened.

Why do hotels use artificial plants instead of real ones?

Because lobby conditions are hostile to living plants, and because live planting is a service contract rather than a purchase. A hotel lobby typically combines low ambient light, aggressive air conditioning, revolving-door draughts and no convenient access to water — conditions in which real specimens thin out and get quietly swapped every few months. Faux trees convert that recurring cost and management overhead into a single capital item, and they let a property stand a 12 ft tree in a windowless atrium where nothing living would hold its shape for a season.

Which artificial trees work best in a hotel lobby?

Broad-canopy specimens on real structural trunks: banyan and ficus for sheer volume, olive for a warmer contemporary look, and areca or coconut palm where the property has a resort identity. Trunk quality and height matter more than species, because a lobby tree is read from twenty metres away and from the mezzanine above it — the crown gets seen from angles a domestic tree never faces. Avoid fine-needled conifers, which look thin under downlighting, and avoid anything under 8 ft, which simply disappears against a tall wall.

How to choose the right size

Scale to the volume, not the floor plan. In a double-height lobby with roughly 12 to 14 ft of clear ceiling, a 10 to 12 ft tree reads correctly and anything under 8 ft reads as furniture. Allow 1.5 to 2.5 m of clear diameter for a broad-canopy specimen, and check the delivery route before ordering — goods lift, loading dock and door heights decide what can physically reach the atrium. One large specimen almost always outperforms three medium ones in a tall space. Browse Large Artificial Trees and Commercial Artificial Plants.

Frequently asked questions

Do hotel lobbies need fire-rated or fire-retardant artificial plants?

Fire safety is a genuine consideration for lobby and public-area planting, but requirements vary by province and by building type. In Canada, fire officials generally reference CAN/ULC-S109; in the US, NFPA 701 is the common benchmark, though testing methods and what counts as compliant differ by jurisdiction. Ask for documentation from anyone you buy from, including us, and confirm the exact requirement with your local authority having jurisdiction before specifying anything for a public lobby.

How much maintenance does a lobby tree need from housekeeping?

Very little compared with a living specimen, but not zero. Broad-leaf species like banyan, ficus and olive show dust after a few weeks under constant airflow from HVAC and revolving doors, and a monthly wipe-down or compressed-air pass keeps the crown looking fresh at close range. From twenty metres, dust is rarely visible at all, which is part of why these read so well in a large lobby between cleanings.

How much assembly is involved, and can a large lobby tree even fit through the door?

Large specimens usually ship with the trunk built and the branches folded or wrapped for the box, so assembly is mainly separating and shaping branches once it is through the door, not construction. The bigger practical question is the route in: goods lift dimensions, loading dock clearance and door height decide what can physically reach the atrium, so measure that route before ordering a tree taller than roughly 8 ft. See our unboxing and shaping guide.

Can any of these go on a hotel pool deck or outdoor terrace instead of the lobby?

Some pieces in this range are indoor-grade only and will not hold up to direct sun, rain or a Canadian winter outdoors. If a property needs greenery for a pool deck, terrace or covered outdoor lounge, check the individual product details for outdoor suitability, or look at our dedicated For Pools & Patios range, which is built for exactly that setting.

Is the height listed the finished height once the tree is potted and standing in the lobby?

Yes, height is given as the finished, potted height as the tree will stand on site, measured to the top of the canopy, unless a listing states trunk-only. That is the figure to check against ceiling clearance, sprinkler lines or a mezzanine edge, not the crated dimensions used for freight. Natural variation between units of the same nominal height can be an inch or two, so allow a small margin on a tight clearance.