Hotel Plants Boost Guests’ Mood and Productivity

Plants do more than elevate a space’s aesthetic. Indoor flora can boost happiness, relieve stress and increase productivity. But you don’t have to stay home to enjoy these health advantages. Increasingly, hotels around the world have introduced decor programs that integrate the calming effects of greenery into the travel experience.

Take Kimpton. In April 2023, the global hotel brand introduced a complimentary Plant Pals loaning program at more than 20 properties, curated by influencer Christopher Griffin. Plants are available on an à la carte menu. Guests order their greenery, learn how to care for it, and then return it to the front desk upon checkout. It may have started as a novelty, but now plant rentals are a staple in Kimpton’s guest experience.

“For people consistently traveling or on the go, enjoying the simple comforts of home can be difficult,” says Kathleen Reidenbach, a senior vice president for Kimpton’s parent company, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “We wanted to introduce an amenity that offered travelers that immediate mood booster and a way to brighten their day.”

Mood improvement is a major houseplant benefit, but that’s only the start of their potential. Adding houseplants to a home or hotel room can bolster cortisol levels and decrease blood pressure. Even seeing images of indoor greenery can foster stress reduction.

Greenery can aid in productivity and sharpen focus. A study of elementary school students showed that participants near houseplants demonstrated improved attention and increased comfort. During two additional studies, one with college students and one with office workers, both sets of participants were shown to work between 12 and 15 percent faster when they had plants nearby.

While mood boosting and productivity increases are a houseplant perk, some species go above and beyond with naturally healing properties. Aloe vera, an easy-to-grow option, can help moisturize skin, battle infections and treat sunburns. Spider plants, another beginner-friendly species, are believed to improve air quality and aid breathing for those with respiratory issues such as asthma.

Hoteliers like Kimpton have extended the houseplant benefits even further. They source greenery from local nurseries and greenhouses to support business and help guests learn about regional flora. At participating properties such as the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, guests can enjoy plants like ostrich ferns, while the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington, D.C., has New York ferns. The Kimpton Canary in Santa Barbara and Kimpton The Alton near San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf offer local delights such as white sage and prickly pear cactus from women-owned plant shops and nurseries. And while Kimpton was the first hotel chain to introduce a full program around greenery rentals, it’s now joined by several hospitality brands harnessing the healing power of houseplants.

The “plant-friendly” Elwood Hotel & Suites in Lexington, Kentucky, invites travelers to bring their own houseplants with them on getaways—just as they would a pet. The program includes a series of rooms and amenities for plant parents who’d prefer to travel with their favorite flora.

Catbird, Denver / Photo: Courtesy of Catbird

Catbird, a boutique hotel in Denver’s River North Art District, hosts a rental program where guests can tote their favorite lobby plant up to their room, then enjoy it for the duration of their stay. Sustainable h2hotel in Healdsburg, California, offers unique plant experiences through its Living Room program. The property works with Northern California organic flower farm Dragonfly Floral to style guest rooms with a selection of local plants. Guests with a particular affinity for all things greenery can stroll to the flower farm to admire its collection, which includes more than 1,500 rose varieties.

h2hotel, Healdsburg, California / Photo: Courtesy of Kim Carroll

1 Hotels is another hospitality brand incorporating calm-inducing plant species across its accommodations. Every hotel is adorned with thousands of plants, many in the lobby and gathering areas—such as a living green wall at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge—and a handful in each room. While the 1 Hotel San Francisco decorates rooms with local plants to help guests unwind, the property also takes its green thumb further with an on-site herb and vegetable garden, as well as an apiary.

Some programs, such as the Living Room concept at h2hotel, allow guests to bring home their favorite plants come checkout. Before taking advantage of this, it’s important to consider your lifestyle back home. Some plants are toxic and should be kept out of reach of children or pets. These include aloe vera, Easter lilies, azaleas, chrysanthemums and philodendrons.