Hotel FF&E Delivery Mistakes to Avoid

The process of receiving furniture, fixtures and equipment during a hotel renovation or new construction is often an afterthought since it happens at the end of a project. But without early planning and frequent updating, mistakes will occur that can sabotage the success of your project. These mistakes impact the efficiency of the installation, adding unwelcome costs and delays.

In this post, you’ll learn which pitfalls to look out for during the delivery phase of FF&E that could cause unnecessary expense and disruption in your hotel project.

A successful FF&E delivery plan requires excellent communication and collaboration among all hotel project team members. Hoteliers must think through the receiving process early and articulate every detail to all parties involved. An attractive option is to delegate this task to an experienced FF&E provider, such as Innvision, who has first-hand knowledge of current shipping conditions, established vendor relationships, and an abundance of expertise in this area. They can implement best practices for scheduling deliveries and they will know which carriers require you to file a damage claim, should that be needed.

It can be easy to overlook the details of deliveries. By being involved in the scheduling process, you can ensure the labor and equipment are available when needed and avoid detention fees, storage fees, and onsite damage.

Common Delivery Mistakes

Deliveries Arriving Early, Late, or Out of Sequence

This one can occur if there is not a clear understanding of the installation process and if there is not someone who actively schedules and manages each delivery. Make sure team members receiving deliveries know what is delivering and when, and be prepared to handle unannounced shipments. You don’t want to receive something you’re not ready to properly receive.

Missing Scheduling Cues

There are many micro-schedules in play during any given project. These include different schedules from construction to architecture and design to operations and opening teams. Since even a slight delay or missed deadline could impact your delivery schedule, knowing these schedules will prevent mishaps. This knowledge will be critical to making delivery schedule adjustments on the fly as you go.

No Site, No Storage, and No Staging

A delivery site must be ready before it can receive scheduled FF&E shipments. This means having stable ground for heavy trucks and trailers to access safely. It also means allowing sufficient space to offload product and properly count and inspect FF&E before storing or moving into the hotel.

Reporting Issues Too Late

The receiving team has only a limited amount of time to report product count discrepancies, damages, or even potential damages. Untimely reporting could result in a claim not being covered by the vendor and/or carrier. This is a critical part of receiving and requirements have become stricter during the pandemic.

Inattention to Detail

Certain delivery details can make a big difference. Is the hotel elevator functional? What are shipment sizes, will they arrive on pallets, and is liftgate service needed? Without clear answers to these questions, a hotel may not be in position to offload a delivery successfully.