5 Questions You Must Ask Before Hiring a Hotel
FF&E Provider
When working on a new construction or renovation, the quality of the team you assemble will directly impact the property’s success. A hotel project can span years, and plenty of unforeseen circumstances will occur. Your relationship with your procurement consultant will be close and longstanding, and how they handle challenges can make or break your timeline and bottom line.
As you evaluate different FF&E providers for your hospitality project, here are five questions you must ask to help you determine who would be the best fit for your project:
#1: Are you a brand-recommended partner?
Word-of-mouth can be incredibly useful in selecting an FF&E provider. This is especially true when discussing an FF&E provider with your hotel brand.
It is common for hotel franchisors to keep a list of preferred procurement companies on hand. If an FF&E provider is on your brand’s list of recommended partners, you can rest assured they’ve gone through proper vetting. Ask your brand contact who their pre-approved FF&E providers are and be wary of anyone who is not on their list.
#2: How will you help me meet my budget and timeline?
For hoteliers, staying within budget and keeping with the timeline are two critical measures of success in a renovation or new construction project. Experienced FF&E procurement providers such as Innvision can save you money and time by recommending the right mix of trusted, financially sound, and strong-performing FF&E vendors who fall within your price range.
End-to-end procurement providers such as Innvision also actively manage and handle the details of brand submittals, delivery scheduling, project management, and freight logistics. Ask how your procurement provider selects the most reliable FF&E manufacturers and how they will give you the best chance of receiving product when you need it without extending the budget.
#3: Do you offer credit terms?
Hotel new constructions and renovations are big investments. A project involves many moving parts, and you want to ensure that your FF&E is in working order before having to pay for it. With the above in mind, a hotel FF&E provider who offers credit terms that don’t require 100% to be paid before delivery can be extremely helpful.
Innvision extends credit terms to all qualified clients, allowing them to pay up to 30 days after receipt of goods. Innvision works with each hotelier individually on a payment plan that suits their needs. For your project, seek to find a procurement provider who offers credit terms to lower your interest costs and ensure your satisfaction with the product before asking you to pay for FF&E.
#4: What is your involvement?
Your hotel project extends far beyond just placing orders with FF&E manufacturers. There are hundreds of products and thousands of variables in a new build or renovation project. To manage the many moving parts, you need a hospitality procurement company that rolls up its sleeves and plays an active planning and problem-solving role until your project is complete.
An FF&E provider such as Innvision takes a hands-on approach, making visits to the project site at key moments, communicating updates, and staying available and responsive throughout the process. Be sure to ask how accessible your procurement provider will be. How will they communicate with you and the team, and how often? Will they perform any site visits? Conduct phone calls and in-person meetings to get acquainted with their team and ensure a good fit.
#5: Do you have references?
Happy hoteliers are the #1 sign of a good FF&E provider. After all, nobody knows the quality of services better than a customer who has experienced them first-hand! Speak with a procurement consultant’s past clients to get a sense of their capabilities, and request references for project types that mirror yours so you know they have ample experience related to your specific needs.
Here at Innvision, you’ll find us on most brands’ pre-approved procurement provider lists. We prioritize your budget and timeline. We offer credit terms and take a very hands-on approach to your project. Our clients appreciate our level of involvement and communication, and we are always happy to provide various references who can share their experiences with us. If you’d like to ask us any more questions before you select your FF&E provider, contact us!
