Renovating or expanding a hotel is hard enough without surprises behind the walls.
With 3D laser scanning, you get a precise digital record of your existing hotel – rooms, corridors, plant rooms, façades, and back-of-house areas – so designers, builders, and owners can make decisions with confidence.
At Hamilton By Design, we use LiDAR and 3D laser scanners to capture millions of accurate measurement points and convert them into usable engineering and architectural information: floor plans, BIM-ready models, and fabrication drawings for services and structures.
Why Hotels Need 3D Laser Scanning
Hotels are complex buildings:
- Guest rooms on multiple levels
- Tight ceiling cavities full of services
- Kitchens, laundry, plant rooms, and back-of-house
- Pools, gyms, restaurants, function spaces
Over time, changes and small upgrades make original drawings out of date. 3D laser scanning gives you current, reliable as-built data before you commit to design or construction.
Common reasons hotel owners and project teams use 3D scanning:
- Refurbishments & Fitouts – capture the exact existing conditions before redesigning rooms, bathrooms, corridors, reception, bars, and public spaces.
- Services Upgrades – document congested ceiling voids, risers, and plant rooms before installing new HVAC, plumbing, fire, or electrical systems.
- Extensions & Additions – scan façades, roof levels, and structural elements before adding new floors, balconies, lifts, or external stairs.
- Compliance & Safety – verify clearances, escape routes, accessibility upgrades, and structural modifications.
“If you want your upgrade to fit the first time, you start with LiDAR scanning.”
– Anthony Hamilton
What We Scan in a Typical Hotel
We tailor each scan to the project, but a typical scope might include:
Guest Areas
- Room layouts, doors, windows, and joinery
- Bathrooms and service penetrations
- Corridors, lobbies, and stairwells
Public Spaces
- Reception and concierge areas
- Restaurants, bars, function and conference rooms
- Pools, gyms, and spa facilities
Back-of-House & Plant
- Kitchens, laundries, and stores
- Plant rooms: HVAC, boilers, pumps, switch rooms
- Service risers, shafts, and ceiling voids
External & Site
- Hotel façades and architectural features
- Roof levels, plant decks, balustrades, and access paths
- Driveways, porte-cochère, loading docks, and carparks
From Scan to Model: Our Deliverables
We don’t just hand over a point cloud and walk away. Hamilton By Design specialises in turning scan data into engineering-ready deliverables for architects, builders, and hotel operators:
- Registered Point Clouds (RCP, E57, LAS, etc.)
- 2D Drawings – floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, sections, and elevations
- 3D CAD / BIM Models – Revit/IFC/SolidWorks models of rooms, structure, and services
- Clash & Coordination Models – to plan new ductwork, pipework, cabling, and structural changes
- Fabrication-Ready Models – spools, frames, and modular components that go together first time
We can align our outputs to your preferred software platforms, layering and naming conventions, and BIM execution plans.
Benefits for Hotel Owners & Project Teams
1. Fewer Surprises, Less Rework
Accurate as-built data dramatically reduces site clashes, rework, and RFIs, especially in congested ceilings and plant rooms.
2. Faster Design & Approvals
Architects and engineers can design directly from trusted geometry, speeding up design iterations and approvals.
3. Better Cost Control
Knowing what is actually on site helps QS and project managers build more reliable budgets and programs.
4. Minimized Disruption to Guests
We can scan off-peak, overnight, or floor-by-floor to fit around hotel operations – reducing downtime and guest impact.
5. Improved Asset Management
A digital record of your hotel becomes a long-term asset for maintenance, future upgrades, and compliance.
Our 3D Scanning Process for Hotels
We follow a clear, repeatable workflow to protect your operations and deliver the data you need.
1. Project Brief & Scope
We work with owners, facility managers, architects, and builders to define:
- Areas to be scanned
- Required outputs (2D, 3D, BIM, clash checks)
- Time windows to avoid guest disruption
2. On-Site 3D Laser Scanning
Our team attends site with compact, tripod-mounted LiDAR scanners and:
- Capture high-density 3D scan data of the agreed areas
- Record colour imagery (if required) for visual context
- Work quickly and discreetly in live hotel environments
3. Registration & Quality Checks
Back in the office we:
- Register and align all scans into a single, accurate point cloud
- Check for gaps and ensure tolerances meet project requirements
- Apply control to survey grid if required
4. Modelling & Documentation
We convert the point cloud into:
- 2D drawings for planning and design
- 3D models suitable for interior design, services coordination, and structural changes
- Optional analysis (clearances, volumes, compliance checks)
5. Handover & Support
We provide all agreed files along with:
- Viewer options for non-technical stakeholders
- Support to integrate the data into your design/BIM workflows
- Ongoing scanning for staged refurbishments or future works
Who We Work With in the Hotel Sector
- Hotel owners and asset managers
- General managers and facility managers
- Architects and interior designers
- Services engineers (mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, fire)
- Builders, fitout contractors, and modular/fabrication workshops
- Investment groups and property developers
Whether you’re refreshing a single floor, rebranding an entire property, or planning a major extension, we can scale the scanning to match.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will scanning disrupt guests?
We plan scanning around your occupancy and operations – often working off-peak, out of hours, or level-by-level. The scanners are quiet, fast, and compact.
How accurate is the data?
Our hotel scans typically achieve millimetre-level accuracy suitable for detailed design, services coordination, and fabrication.
What if we don’t use BIM?
No problem. We can provide 2D drawings, PDFs, and viewer files alongside BIM models so all stakeholders can benefit.
Can you scan just part of the hotel?
Yes. We can focus on specific floors, wings, plant rooms, or public areas, then expand the dataset over time as projects progress.
Ready to Scan Your Hotel?
If you’re planning a refurbishment, services upgrade, or extension, 3D laser scanning is the most reliable way to start with accurate information.
Talk to Hamilton By Design about 3D laser scanning for your hotel.
Share your plans, existing drawings, and timeframes, and we’ll propose a scanning scope, deliverables, and timelines tailored to your property.
3D Point Clouds Are a Game-Changer for Your Projects
Your Experts in 3D Laser Scanning & Mechanical Design