'Canopied outdoor terrace boosts turnover'

As a hotel operator, you are always looking for ways to increase your turnover. To be less dependent on good weather on the outdoor terrace, an elegant slat roof, a large hospitality parasol or tent canvas is an ideal solution. Awning manufacturer Warema offers numerous options for canopying outdoor areas. "As a result, you never have to sell guests 'no' again because it is raining," says Roelof Rozema, managing director of Warema Benelux BV.

Founded in 1955 as a small family business, German Warema then grew into today's renowned awning manufacturer, with global sales of €750 million and 5,500 employees at branches in the Benelux countries, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy. "In the field of sun protection, no other company offers as complete a package as we do," Rozema knows. "Our main pillars are quality, service and reliability. This expressly includes keeping our promises. The latter may sound like an open door, but it is definitely an added value these days." 

BENG requirements

Rozema explains that with its unprecedentedly comprehensive product range, the company contributes substantially to the energy efficiency of buildings. "For example, in view of the BENG requirements - for Nearly Energy Neutral Building - we are very much concerned with CO2 reduction. Solar shading can play a crucial role in this. For example, on hot summer days, exterior blinds can keep out much of the sun's heat, significantly reducing a building's cooling load."

Slatted roof

Within the hospitality industry, Warema, with its Outdoor Living business unit, has extensive experience in roofing outdoor terraces. "Particularly in Germany, Warema's home country, we have already equipped the terrace of many a large hotel with a high-quality slatted roof and large hospitality parasols. Our pergola awnings, articulated and cassette awnings and sun sails - which we can make in any shape - are also real eye-catchers on the outdoor terrace that extend the season. As a result, even in bad weather, the terrace is always full and you never have to sell your guests 'no' again. On top of that, these high-quality awning products are increasingly used to offer guests a better ambiance. All in all, this works strongly to increase turnover, so an investment in such terrace awnings quickly pays for itself." 

When it comes to sun blinds, Rozema says hotels still have a lot to gain: "Most hotels still don't use sun blinds, but ordinary curtains in hotel rooms. The first thing I always do when I enter a hotel room is to check whether the air conditioning is on. When blinds are applied, it significantly reduces the need for air conditioning, especially on hot days. Just think how much energy this can save, especially in a large hotel with hundreds of rooms! Hotel managers should be more aware of this."

Exterior blinds

In Germany, Warema has been the market leader for many years. In the Dutch sun protection market, the company wants to focus more heavily on outdoor blinds. "Actually, the Netherlands is more a country of screens, but when you talk about energy saving and CO2 reduction, outdoor blinds are much more effective. Moreover, it is an aesthetically very attractive product," Rozema says. 

In doing so, Warema stands out in particular with slanted exterior blinds, which is an ideal solution for slanted windows under a roof, for example. An additional advantage of an exterior blind is that there is always some incidence of light and visibility to the outside, which creates a pleasant working environment in office environments, for example. Rozema concludes: "With a closed screen or roller shutter, on the other hand, there is no light coming in from outside at all, so you are often forced to turn on the light inside, which is obviously not very energy-efficient."