Hotel FF&E Project Pain Points & How to Avoid Them

Hotel new constructions and renovations have many moving parts, and FF&E is just one piece of the larger puzzle! Still, hoteliers must do their due diligence to plan and prepare for a successful FF&E project. If not, this seemingly small portion of the larger hotel project can quickly escalate into the biggest headache.

Read on to learn how to avoid common hotel FF&E project pain points.

Hotel FF&E Project Pain Point #1: Lead Times

Because of supply-chain factors resulting from the pandemic, hotel FF&E lead times are still volatile. As a hotelier, if you wait too long to get started and place orders, you may not be able to complete your project on time. While hotel new constructions and renovations can face a variety of challenges on several fronts, long lead times for products both domestic and foreign have been the most common issue since 2020.

To avoid getting blind-sided by ever-changing lead times, start your project as early as possible. Work with an experienced FF&E provider that closely monitors the varying lead times for different products. At Innvision, we regularly communicate with our suppliers to ensure our clients receive the most accurate lead times possible. Furthermore, where necessary, we reselect manufacturers so our clients can meet their desired delivery timelines. As a result of our proactive procurement, Innvision clients can avoid wasting valuable time and money suffering from unexpected delays.

Hotel FF&E Project Pain Point #2: Freight Fees and Surcharges

Tariffs are nothing new, but more recently, overseas surcharges and fuel fee surcharges have become common. While some FF&E procurement providers make clients aware of these new charges in the early going, others provide no warning and then bill these fees later so their prices look lower and more appealing up-front.

Innvision knows that nobody likes unpleasant surprises, so we give our clients complete and accurate pricing as early as possible to avoid sticker shock and unexpected fees in the later stages of a hotel project. In addition, when managing freight, in some instances Innvision will combine orders from multiple vendors instead of allowing those orders to ship separately. This makes for a more affordable shipping rate for our clients and enables us to keep a close eye on their valuable goods’ timeliness and safe delivery.

Hotel FF&E Project Pain Point #3: Unknown Brand Standards

Some hoteliers choose to go their project alone, without a professional hospitality interior design and FF&E provider. Flying solo in this way can lead to unnecessary suffering down the road for hoteliers if their FF&E selections aren’t in-line with brand standards. In that case, they drain the money they saved up-front fixing mistakes, and their opening is delayed even further.

To avoid this, we recommend working with design and procurement experts well-versed in your brand standards. The risk of getting this wrong isn’t worth the money you might be (or think you are) saving. A good design and FF&E procurement provider will make the entire process from start to finish much smoother and faster. Besides, they can often find cost savings you probably wouldn’t find on your own.

Hotel FF&E Project Pain Point #4: Disorderly Installation

There’s an art and a science behind every successful and pain-free FF&E project. Timing is everything and calculated order phasing makes for easy installation if done correctly.