Adding a playground set to your hotel can be a great way to encourage families to book with you and keep their children entertained during their stay. However, there are several things to keep in mind when you’re deciding on the right set, and one of the most important is whether you’re going to look for metal or wood.

Metal playgrounds can make an excellent option for certain environments and purposes, but the larger play structures typically demanded by hospitality businesses should really be made from timber.

Here are just a few reasons why.

Style

Perhaps the most important reason to opt for wood is that it looks a lot better than metal. You don’t want to detract from the visual appeal of your property, and wood’s natural and timeless appearance tends to work well with that overall goal. Metal structures will look a little out of place as part of your outside space, not offering the same naturally appealing atmosphere as timber play structures.

Durability

Any playground equipment used for commercial rather than residential purposes is naturally going to have to put up with plenty of wear. Luckily, wood offers exceptional durability. It will not fade like the paint used with some metal structures, and neither will it dent if it suffers impact. Of course, wood can still take a little bit of damage. The difference is that wood doesn’t tend to show damage nearly as visibly.

Maintenance

Metal playground equipment needs to be coated with special paint to make sure it doesn’t rust. Even the smallest scratch can compromise that protective layer and lead to ugly corrosive marks across the structure. Wood does need to be treated with special wood preservative to prevent splitting and warping, but applying that treatment is easy. And if any repairs ever do need to be made, you’ll find it a lot easier with wood than you would with metal.