What weiser.lighting does

weiser.lighting is a Cologne-based lighting design consultancy operating as a sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen) owned and led by Martin Weiser. The firm provides qualitative, perception-oriented lighting design services for hospitality, gastronomy, cruise ships, office buildings, and media facades, with a core philosophy grounded in Richard Kelly's three functions of light: ambient luminescence (Licht zum Sehen), focal glow (Licht zum Hinsehen), and play of brilliants (Licht zum Ansehen). The firm articulates a 'Licht statt Leuchte' (light instead of luminaires) stance that places the perceiving human at the center of design and prioritizes qualitative atmospheric outcomes over purely quantitative standards.

The service offering spans the full project lifecycle: project development consultation, concept and conceptual design, qualitative planning, visualization/renderings, procurement management, and object monitoring. Technical differentiators include biodynamic/artificial lighting systems that simulate natural daylight sequences and co-developed innovations such as the Wave Wall integrated lighting control system (developed with OCEAN ARCHITECTS) and large-format LED luminous ceilings used in cruise ship public spaces. The firm has 6 employees and works in close partnership with interior architects including OCEAN ARCHITECTS (cruise ships), JOI-Design (hotel concepts), and AFK Studios (Adina Apartment Hotels).

The business model is project-based professional services delivered directly through field/enterprise sales: long-cycle engagements with hotel operators, cruise lines, and developers, typically routed through architectural and interior design partners. The client base spans tier-1 international hospitality brands, including Marriott (Moxy, Residence Inn, Westin Grand, Tribute Portfolio), TFE Hotel Group's Adina Apartment Hotels (continuous since 2014), Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (three expedition ships), Radisson, Ruby Hotels, SV Group's Stay KooooK brand, HENRI Country House, b'mine Hotel, and TT-Line ferries, plus select commercial and broadcast projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows standard architectural consultancy fee structures quoted per engagement.

Name

weiser.lighting

Legal name

weiser.lighting (Inhaber Martin Weiser)

Website

https://weiser.lighting

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

weiser.lighting is a Cologne-based sole proprietorship founded by Martin Weiser providing perception-oriented lighting design consulting for hospitality, gastronomy, cruise ship, and commercial clients across Europe. The 6-person firm delivers qualitative lighting concepts, biodynamic systems, and visualizations for tier-1 hotel and cruise brands including Marriott, TFE Hotels, and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Lighting Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Lighting design consultancy
• Hospitality lighting design
• Perception-oriented lighting
• Cruise ship lighting
• Biodynamic lighting systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln (Cologne)

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Lighting Design Consulting Services: Professional lighting design services for hospitality projects including project development consultation, concept and design development, planning (design and execution), object monitoring, and visualization services. Project-based fee structure typical of architectural consultancy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

weiser.lighting is a professional lighting design consultancy that provides qualitative, perception-oriented lighting planning for hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, and commercial buildings. Services span project development consultation, conceptual design, planning, execution support, procurement management, and visualization, following founder Martin Weiser's 'Licht statt Leuchte' philosophy based on Richard Kelly's three forms of light.

Product overview

weiser.lighting is a lighting design consultancy led by Martin Weiser, based in Köln, Germany. The company provides qualitative lighting design services for hospitality, gastronomy, cruise ships, office/administration buildings, and media facades. The core offering is lighting design (Lichtplanung) following a philosophy of 'Licht statt Leuchte' (Light instead of luminaires), with services spanning project development, conceptual design, planning, execution, procurement management, and visualizations. The company works primarily with hotel chains (including Marriott, Adina Apartment Hotels, Stay Kooook, Moxy, Radisson), cruise lines (Hapag-Lloyd Cruises), and commercial projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lighting Design (Lichtplanung)
• Project Development (Projektentwicklung)
• Conceptual Design (Konzeption / Entwurf)
• Planning (Planung)
• Procurement Management (Beschaffungsmanagement)
• Visualizations (Visualisierungen)

Quantifiable outcome

• HANSEATIC nature awarded five stars as best boutique ship in Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2020
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AFK StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Interior design partnership for Adina Apartment Hotels projects including Vienna property. Ongoing collaboration since 2014 for TFE Hotel Group brand expansion across Europe.
• OCEAN ARCHITECTScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing interior design partnership for cruise ship projects including HANSEATIC expedition vessels. Jointly developed the 'inspired by nature' lighting philosophy and wave wall integrated lighting control system. Co-developed biodynamic lighting concepts and specialized LED luminous ceiling designs.
• JOI-DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior architecture partnership for multiple hotel projects including Moxy Bern Expo and Stay KooooK Bern Wankdorf with SV Group. Joint development of residential-style lighting concepts for contemporary hotel brands.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio DL: Berlin-based lighting design office led by Dinah Dohrmann. Directly comparable boutique German lighting design practice working on cultural, hospitality, and architectural projects with qualitative design philosophy.
• a·g Licht: Cologne/Bonn-based lighting design studio founded by Michael Langer. Directly comparable German lighting design practice with comparable scale and project portfolio spanning museums, hotels, and public buildings — competes for the same DACH architecture clientele.
• Licht Kunst Licht: Berlin-based lighting design consultancy working across architecture, museums, hospitality and urban masterplans. Directly comparable as a German specialist lighting design firm serving premium architectural projects with a similar perception-led, qualitative design approach.
• Lichtvision: German lighting design consultancy focused on architectural, museum, and urban lighting projects. Directly comparable boutique practice with similar qualitative, perception-driven approach and target market in premium DACH architectural commissions.
• Bartenbach: Austrian lighting design and research institute based in Aldrans near Innsbruck. Directly comparable European lighting design consultancy combining applied lighting research, daylight engineering, and architectural lighting design — broader scale and R&D capacity than weiser.lighting but overlapping methodology and client base in hospitality and cultural architecture.
• Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design: US-headquartered architectural lighting design firm with hospitality and cruise sector experience. Comparable specialist practice serving premium hotels and passenger vessels with a qualitative lighting design approach.
• Speirs Major: London-based architectural lighting design practice with strong track record in hotels, cruise ships, and high-end hospitality. Comparable in qualitative, perception-led methodology and in serving luxury hotel and maritime clients globally.

Broad incumbents

• Arup Lighting: Global multidisciplinary engineering firm with a dedicated architectural lighting design practice. Comparable in offering perception-oriented lighting design for hotels, cruise terminals, and large-scale hospitality, but operates as part of a much broader engineering portfolio and at significantly larger scale.

Others

• JOI-Design: Interior architecture firm based in Hamburg specializing in hotels. Listed as a co-development partner with weiser.lighting on Stay KooooK and Moxy projects. Related as a design collaborator in the same hotel project pipeline rather than a competitor.
• OCEAN ARCHITECTS: Maritime interior architecture firm and weiser.lighting's co-development partner on the HANSEATIC expedition cruise class. Related as a strategic design collaborator in the same hospitality/maritime project pipeline rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/C_H3-pzsr23/?igsh=MmF3Y282NzRteWVr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weiser-lighting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about weiser.lighting