A hotel owners guide to furnishing

Hotel furnishing is a critical element in the overall value proposition of your hotel. Procurement Consultants can argue that it may be the most critical element (coupled with guest services). They may be right – it dictates brand standard, sense of aesthetic and even influences guestroom pricing.

For hotel owners, a new hotel can have a lot of moving parts – the project must be completed on time, within budget and exceed guest expectations. This cannot be accomplished alone. It begins with putting together the right project team that shares your vision and works hard to realize it.

Partnering with the right Procurement Consultant

Every hotel project is unique. However, partnering with the right procurement consultant is beneficial for first time hotel owners. Procurement consultants form an integral part of the primary hotel project team. Their expertise on lead time, vendor database, logistics and specialized knowledge on furniture can be of immense value, especially for first time hotel owners. Procurement consultants bring with them a wealth of experience from working across a variety of hotel, residential and commercial projects. This is especially important for FF&E procurement – successful FF&E procurement demands impeccable planning. This can take place far in advance of hotel opening or pre-opening. Procurement consultants not only advise on timelines in keeping with international holidays (which can have significant impact on manufacturing and production) but also procure from vendors that align with your hotels brand standards. Consultants also devise a critical path that gives an exact breakdown of tasks, deadlines and parties responsible. Procurement consultants are also responsible for FF&E items after they have been delivered on site making them essential to the process from design to delivery.

Stringent Vendor Pre-Qualification Process

Over the course of your hotel functioning, FF&E items are likely to develop stains, wears and tears. While this is inevitable, it must be accounted for very early on in the process. After all, picking the right FF&E manufacturers directly impacts the quality and appearance of hotel furnishing. Procurement consultants can ensure that a stringent vendor pre-qualification process is carried out, including but not limited to factory visits. Vendors must produce items that align with specifications provided and deliver without time slippages. For new owners, picking a procurement consultant with strong vendor ties can be especially helpful. Their vendor relationships can be leveraged in order to obtain optimum pricing and quality items. Additionally, their professional history of working together can reduce risk and inevitable delays in hotel projects.