How Much Hotel FF&E Attic Stock Do You Need to Keep?

Simply put, “attic stock” refers to extra items hotels keep on hand so they don’t run out of something important that would negatively impact the guest experience or prevent them from selling a room. Maintaining attic stock for operating supplies has been a common practice for years. However, in today’s world of supply chain delays, incorporating attic stock for FF&E products also has proven very beneficial to hotel operators.

In this post, you’ll learn which items to have on hand, how much to keep, and what you can do to ensure you’re not caught short-handed due to damaged or missing FF&E items. The last thing any hotelier wants is to take a room off-market, displacing revenue and disappointing a guest.

FF&E Attic Stock Items

Having certain attic stock items on hand can make all the difference between whether or not you can sell a room and meet guest expectations. For example, HVAC units, light bulbs, microwaves, refrigerators, hair dryers, irons, and ironing boards are essential items to keep in storage for the moment when one might break in a guestroom.

Typically, most soft seating or hard good furniture such as headboards, nightstands and desks are not part of a hotel’s attic stock. However, customized top-of-bed, bed skirts and accent pillows required by the brands are beneficial to have in attic stock in the event of damage or staining. Product lead times, or how long it would take get a replacement to arrive, may also be a factor in deciding which items to keep on hand.

FF&E Attic Stock Numbers

Attic stock quantities can depend on the individual property, available storage space, occupancy, market, and more. To help maintain your attic stock levels, we recommend that you inventory them on a regular basis and establish a par based on the demand you see at your individual property. This will also help in the budgeting process and in managing your costs.

Usually, attic stock contains a few extras, not an enormous amount. Some FF&E items come in “case packs” with a set quantity. So initially, the attic stock may be the rounded-up number of what comes in a case pack.

For new hotel projects, you might start by rounding up to the nearest case pack and then tracking your inventory moving forward to get more specific numbers. But regardless of the inventory’s cycling, if it’s a “must-have” FF&E item with a long lead time (such as lighting), definitely keep extras on hand.

FF&E Attic Stock Storage

Where you store your attic stock depends on the item. For example, mechanical-type products like HVAC units might be in the chief engineer’s office or maintenance area. On the other hand, lamp shades, linens, and hair dryers might be in housekeeping storage areas on each floor.

Because there’s a security risk in keeping products in multiple locations, you can keep all extras of one specific item in one area. For example, you can designate each floor’s storage area to a particular attic stock item. This makes it much easier to keep accurate numbers so you know when you need to order what.

FF&E Attic Stock SOPs

Along with being systematic about tracking how quickly you go through attic stock items, if you have a standard operating procedure for replenishing this inventory, you’ll never be stuck without an item you need.

When considering whether to keep an item in attic stock, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Will it prevent you from selling a room? (If yes, have it in attic stock)
2. Will it impact the guest experience? (If yes, have it in attic stock)
3. Can it be replenished quickly? (If no, have it in attic stock)