To many people, the holiday season means travel: planes, trains, automobiles and hotels. Take a closer look at the surfaces in your hotel. Many hotel chains have realized that ceramic and porcelain tile from Tile of Spain is an ideal product for interiors.

“Starwood is really starting to understand hard surface and wants to promote their hypo-allergenic rooms,” says Ryan Fasan, Tile of Spain Ceramic Tile Consultant. “They are going with a porcelain plank from Porcelanosa. Hilton is also looking at going to a much more hard surface versus carpet.

Chances are you will also see more large format tile on walls. Inkjet technology on tile has made it possible to recreate the detailed look of wallpaper without the hassle of wallpaper. Tile looks great for years, while wallpaper can peel or fade after two or three years.

Tiles aren’t just for walls and floors in guest rooms. NH Hotels in Europe is experimenting with headboards and platform beds designed with tile.

Using tile in hotels also allows for easier maintenance, especially when it comes to cleaning. “With tile, a cleaning staff can go in with a hot bucket of water and a mop and squeegee,” says Fasan. “If they even can shave off one minute [per room] and there are 300 rooms, that’s a big time savings. It makes a big difference having rooms ready for guests”.