What should you budget for greenery in a hotel or restaurant renovation?

Greenery for a hotel or restaurant renovation is easiest to budget when it is treated like any other finish trade — priced zone by zone and ordered on its own timeline, not tacked on after the furniture and fixtures are selected. That starts with a $75 consultation and a $300–$750 proposal, with installation typically beginning on a 50% deposit and a two-to-four-week sourcing lead time. Renovations add one extra wrinkle beyond a standard new build: construction dust, phased reopening schedules, and finishes that are still being finalized while plant decisions need to move forward.

For hotels and restaurants on the Front Range, that extra wrinkle is worth planning around early. A full gut renovation, a lobby refresh, and a dining-room-only update all carry very different plant scopes, and knowing which one you are doing shapes both the budget and the timeline.

Why a renovation budget differs from a new build

A ground-up build-out and a renovation both need the same consultation-to-proposal process, but a renovation usually layers in a few extra variables. Existing finishes may limit where planters can sit or where a living wall can tie into water and light. Construction phasing often means some zones — a lobby, say — reopen weeks before a back-of-house dining room is finished, which can mean two separate install dates instead of one. And because renovations are frequently done in phases to keep part of the business open, plant decisions sometimes need to be made zone by zone rather than all at once.

None of that changes the core pricing structure. It does mean the proposal should spell out which zones are included in this phase and which are a later phase, so the budget reflects what is actually being installed now versus what is planned for later.

What the budget actually covers

The $75 consultation is where a designer walks the renovated or soon-to-be-renovated space and reads each zone for light, traffic, and access — lobby, bar, dining room, meeting spaces, and any patio. The proposal that follows, generally $300–$750 and ready in about two weeks, breaks the plant and planter palette out by zone along with a living-versus-faux recommendation for each. From there, installation is priced separately and scales with scope: a lobby refresh with one or two statement pieces is a much smaller investment than a full renovation touching the lobby, bar, dining room, and an outdoor patio.

Thinking in terms of "per zone" rather than one blended number makes it easier to adjust if the renovation budget tightens partway through. A hotel can prioritize the lobby — the space guests see first — and treat a secondary lounge or hallway as a later phase without redoing the whole plan.

Timing plant orders around construction

Sourcing is the step most likely to collide with a renovation schedule. Larger specimen plants, designer planters, and anything built to a custom size can take two to four weeks to arrive, and that clock does not pause for construction delays. Approving the proposal and placing plant orders as soon as the finish schedule is set — rather than waiting until the space is move-in ready — keeps install day focused on placement instead of waiting on a shipment that was ordered too late.

It also helps to build in a short buffer between the plant install and the public reopening date, especially on a renovation where the general schedule has already slipped once or twice. A few days of cushion gives room to adjust a planter position, swap a piece that did not travel well, or finish lighting once the space is fully furnished.

Choosing living, faux, or a hybrid through a renovation

Construction dust, temporary HVAC changes, and inconsistent access during a renovation are hard on tender living plants, which is part of why many hospitality renovations lean on a living-and-faux hybrid. High-quality faux pieces can go in early and survive the last weeks of construction without maintenance, while living plants are often best introduced closer to reopening, once dust and major foot traffic from trades have settled. A lobby statement tree, for instance, might start as faux during the final construction push and be swapped for a living specimen — or stay faux permanently — depending on the light and traffic the finished space actually gets.

Once the doors reopen, ongoing care is a separate, optional line at $75/hour, available weekly, biweekly, or as-needed. Deciding that cadence during the proposal stage, rather than after reopening, keeps the renovated space looking as sharp in month six as it does on opening day.

Building greenery into the renovation plan

Treat plants the way you would treat any other renovation trade: get the consultation on the calendar as soon as the scope is set, approve a proposal early enough to order before the final weeks of construction, and plan zone by zone if the project is phased. You can see how we approach entries, dining rooms, and patios on the restaurant and hospitality plant design page, or read how we handle timing on a tighter schedule in how to budget and time greenery for a restaurant opening.