01 — The framework: hotels are type O public buildings
Hotels fall under the French fire safety regulation for buildings open to the public, set by the order of 25 June 1980. It combines general provisions, including the fit-out section (AM articles), with provisions specific to each building type: type O for hotels, type N for restaurants, type L for meeting and event rooms. A hotel with a public restaurant and a seminar room may therefore combine several types, and requirements vary by location (bedroom, corridor, restaurant, meeting room) and by building category.
This guide explains the general logic. It does not replace the project’s fire safety notice or the inspection body’s opinion, which set the requirements item by item.
02 — Textiles, upholstery, large fixtures: three families, three proofs
The regulation does not treat all items alike, and each family is proven with different tests.
| Family | Examples | Usual proof |
|---|---|---|
| Hanging and wall textiles | Curtains, sheers, wall fabrics | Reaction-to-fire rating (M1 or Euroclass equivalent) on a test report, often under NF P 92-507 |
| Upholstered seating | Armchairs, banquettes, upholstered chairs, padded headboards | Tests on the fabric + filling assembly: NF D 60-013 ignitability, and very often EN 1021-1 and -2 in specifications |
| Large furniture and joinery | Reception desks, bars, panelling, screens | Reaction to fire of materials (M rating or Euroclasses under EN 13501-1), depending on the applicable AM article |
| Floor coverings | Fixed rugs, carpets | Reaction-to-fire rating; a loose decorative rug is assessed case by case |
03 — M1, Euroclasses, EN 1021: what they mean
The M scale (M0 to M4) is the historic French reaction-to-fire system for materials; M1 is still commonly required for textiles. Euroclasses (A1 to F, with smoke and droplet indices) are the European system defined by EN 13501-1; both coexist in French regulations.
EN 1021-1 and EN 1021-2 do not give a class: they check that an upholstered assembly does not ignite persistently under a smouldering cigarette (part 1) or a small flame equivalent to a match (part 2). The result is pass or fail. It is the most widely shared European reference for contract seating, which makes it valuable when one model is delivered to several countries.
04 — What to check on a fire test report
A report is only useful if it matches exactly what will be delivered:
- the issuing laboratory and the test standard;
- the exact fabric reference (and colourway where stated) and the filling;
- the test date and any stated validity;
- that the report covers the assembly (fabric on its foam) when the requirement concerns upholstered seating;
- for customer’s own material (COM): a test on the final assembly, or written approval from the inspection body.
05 — Common pitfalls on hotel projects
The first is a fabric change mid-project: a chair approved in velvet A is no longer approved in velvet B. The second is a flame-retardant treatment applied afterwards to an unrated fabric: it may be accepted, but its durability under cleaning is limited and it needs its own report. The third is the decorative item added late: a large rug, a dividing curtain or a wall hanging without a report. We keep a list of items with the expected and received proof for each, attached to the handover file.