Artificial Plants for Hotels & Hospitality

Why hotels specify artificial planting

Living plants in hotels fail in predictable places: dark corridors, air-conditioned lobbies, rooms that are empty for days and terraces that bake in summer. Replacing them, watering them and cleaning up after them is a recurring cost that sits with housekeeping. Artificial planting removes watering, soil, pollen and leaf drop, and it keeps a scheme looking the way the designer drew it. What it does not remove is the need to specify properly: fire performance in escape routes and public areas, UV stabilisation outdoors, stable weighting in busy spaces, and enough stock depth to dress every floor the same way.

Specify by zone

Most hotel schedules become simpler when you work zone by zone and decide the properties each zone needs before you choose species.

• Entrance and lobby: large statement trees at 180cm and above set the scale. Palms, ficus, bamboo and olive give very different moods. Check ceiling height and sight lines, and allow roughly a third of the tree's height as clear space around the canopy. See extra large trees and the large trees by height finder.
• Corridors, stairwells and lifts lobbies: these are usually where fire performance matters most, and where there is least floor space. Trailing plants on high shelves or planters, and slim trees, work better than wide bushes.
• Restaurants and bars: planting is seen at close range, so realism of leaves and stems matters. Our restaurants, bars and cafés page covers this zone in detail.
• Spa and wellness: calm, low, green planting: orchids, bonsai, ferns and grasses. See orchids and bonsai trees.
• Guest rooms: small potted plants that sit on a desk or shelf and can be wiped during a room turn.
• Terraces and entrances outside: only UV-stabilised lines, weighted or ballasted against wind.

Fire-retardant lines for public areas

The finder below shows our 36 fire-retardant lines. They range from 30cm stems to 210cm trees: a 210cm fire-retardant areca palm, a 200cm bamboo, a 210cm cherry blossom, 180cm ruscus, ficus, olive and lychee ball trees, bushes and stems sold individually, a 190cm palm garland, and 15 hanging trailing plants that are both fire-retardant and UV-stabilised, such as the 71cm trailing pothos.

Our fire-retardant lines are made from fully tested fire-retardant materials. Testing is carried out at material level to EN 13501-1 (reaction to fire, classification B-s2, d0) and NFPA 701, and the same tested material is used across the range's styles. Test reports are available to trade customers on request, and your venue's fire risk assessment decides what is acceptable in a given location. Only lines flagged fire-retardant carry this material. Whatever you specify, keep all planting clear of heaters, candles, cooking equipment and naked flames.

If your scheme needs a species that is not in the fire-retardant range, talk to us before you order: substituting a flagged line of similar size is usually easier than finding the documentation later.

Terraces, courtyards and bright atriums

Outdoor and glazed positions need UV-stabilised stock. Our UV-stabilised range covers topiary pairs, cypress, buxus balls and spirals, bay, yuccas, palms, grasses and the hanging trailing lines. There is no UV-stabilised olive or wisteria in the range at present, so keep those indoors.

UV-stabilised lines contain UV inhibitors that slow colour fade in bright and outdoor positions. All artificial foliage fades gradually in prolonged direct sun; UV-stabilised stock fades far more slowly than untreated stock. We don't publish a lifespan, so plan to inspect exposed pieces each season and rotate or replace them when the colour drops.

Outside, weight or ballast every tree. A weighted pot inside a heavier large planter, packed with ballast, is the usual approach. The commercial outdoor planting page goes further.

Quantities and multi-site rollouts

Every product page and the finder below show exact live stock, so you can filter to lines with 25, 50 or 100 or more units before you put a species on a schedule. For a group refurbishment, pick lines with stock comfortably above your total count, and order the same SKU for every site in one go where you can. We do not reserve stock and do not publish restock dates, so if a project is phased, email us with the SKUs and quantities and we will tell you what we can about continuity. Trees, stems and small bushes are all sold individually.

Housekeeping and handover

Give housekeeping a simple routine: dust with a soft brush or low-suction vacuum weekly in public areas, wipe leaves with a damp cloth when needed, and check that trees are still upright and stable. Record the SKU of every piece on the room or zone schedule so replacements match. Our care and maintenance page has full cleaning guidance you can pass on.

Ordering for a hotel project

Prices are ex VAT with a VAT invoice supplied, orders are paid proforma, and larger orders usually travel on a pallet, so give us any site delivery instructions when you order. Our unpriced trade catalogue is useful for sharing options with clients before you commit.

Register online, log in to see trade prices. The minimum order is £150 ex VAT and UK mainland delivery is free on orders of £300 ex VAT or more; full terms are on ordering and delivery. Register online to see trade prices, or email sales@leafdesignwholesale.co.uk to book a visit to our Louth trade showroom (by appointment).