Choosing the Right Color for Your Hospitality Uniform
When it comes to the hospitality industry, color counts. Color psychology plays a huge role in determining which uniform color is right for your workforce. From choosing a hotel uniform to the safest uniforms for your maintenance staff, you’ll want to consider your options.
Use Color for Each Department
First, before you decide on a color scheme, consider getting different color uniforms for different teams of staff. For example, your customer-facing staff should wear a different color than the chef uniforms. This not only helps keep your management organized, but it also helps your patrons know who is who. This is essential in maintaining an organized look for your business. Color-specific uniforms also give staff a sense of pride in their profession. Build up your team spirit with different colored uniforms.
Color and Psychology
One of the biggest factors in determining your company’s uniforms is color psychology. Science shows us that different colors signal different emotional responses. Reds tend to excite, while greens give a sense of calm. Therefore, the most important part of choosing a hospitality uniform is understanding color psychology.
Certain team members may need different color uniforms simply because their specific tasks should be associated with a particular feeling. For example, chefs should wear white to signal sterile and clean practices, while a spa employee may want a soothing tan instead. Ensure your hotel has an optimal mix of uniform colors to suit different tasks.
Choose a Color that Suits Your Brand
The second thing to consider when choosing uniform colors is your brand identity. Is your brand about excitement and thrills? Or relaxation and taking it slow? Do you cater to a younger, budget-friendly crowd? Or a more affluent elite? You’ll want to match your brand’s identity with the correct color scheme. This methodology combines color psychology with your branding exercises. Ensure your brand standards match the appropriate colors. Next, you’ll choose different colors for different departments. Check out this color guide below.
Bright Yellows and Reds
Bright colors signify excitement. If you’re looking to promote a business that’s creating a warm and vibrant vibe, go for hues of yellows and red. Keep in mind, sometimes too much red can be hindering, so tread lightly here. Yellow signals well-being and happiness. Muted yellows make for great business shirts if your brand is tailored to a high-energy crowd.
Purple, Silver, and Gold
For luxe brands, purple, silver, and gold evoke feelings of wealth and opulence. These luscious colors are geared toward a higher-paying clientele and make them feel as if they are receiving the very best service money can buy. Gold, in particular, evokes a feeling of wealth. Meanwhile, purple has ties to royalty and dignified service. When you aim to cater to the upper class, these colors boost your brand and service in the eyes of your customer. Choose these colors for luxury-based services, entertainment, or fine dining.
Green, Blue, and White
Greens and blues are both calming colors. There’s a reason why most businesses use blue in their color scheme — it gives the viewer a sense of trust. Who doesn’t want to be trustworthy? A lot of the hospitality industry relies on word-of-mouth for marketing. If a patron trusts your brand, then they go home and tell all their friends. So you may have just won more customers by simply wearing the right colors to work. Blue is always a great bet for company uniforms, especially for departments that deal directly with money, billing, or welcoming customers into their establishment. Green, the true color of nature, evokes a feeling of calm. Various shades of green aim to relax your customers (and employees). Not to mention, green is often associated with money. That’s why you’ll see a lot of casino floors utilizing lots of green.
Tans, Whites, Black, and Neutrals
Tan has always been associated with peace and tranquility. This natural hue works well for a relaxed environment, like a spa or wellness retreat. Lighter hues of some of the other calming colors (greens, blues) work well too. But don’t forget about white and black. White is typically associated with sterile, clean environments (think doctor’s coats). Save whites for back-of-house staff to signify a clean environment. Black is the color of power and authority. This color should only be used to convey knowledge and expertise. If it makes sense, have guides wear black to signify how they are an expert in their given field.
Different colors cue us into different emotions. If you opt for an overall color scheme, you keep the different emotional responses to color in mind. Also, if you’re opting to match your brand colors, think creatively. When you’re selecting company polo shirts, think about your potential client. Who are you targeting? Work with your branding team to develop a uniform color scheme that works in harmony with your brand image.