How Chinese New Year 2023 Will Affect Hotel FF&E Orders
Chinese New Year (CNY), also called the Lunar New Year, is an annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities worldwide. It begins with the new moon between January 21 and February 20, and the “Spring Festival” festivities last until the following full moon. Many people travel back home to be with their families during this time.
The holiday is the Lunar New Year because the celebration dates follow the moon’s phases. Since the mid-1990s, people in China have enjoyed seven consecutive days off work during CNY.
In 2023, Chinese New Year begins January 22nd and extends until February 5th.
Hoteliers must be aware of CNY and its impact on FF&E production coming from Asia. Orders can be significantly delayed since all Chinese production stops during this period, including movement of exported goods through shipping ports. Even North American manufacturers experience delays during this time due to their reliance upon raw materials and components sourced from China.
Therefore, if production orders don’t ship before December 31, you may not see them ship until March 1st once production and shipping ports are again at full capacity. Then it’s another five to seven weeks on water and customs clearance.
Chinese New Year 2023 and Hotel FF&E
CNY will be nine days earlier in 2023 than it was in 2022. When combined with today’s longer lead times and supply chain issues, hoteliers expecting their FF&E to arrive in the first and second quarters of 2023 could feel a negative impact, depending on when they are placing orders.
With this in mind and given the complexity of the global logistics market, Innvision understands the importance of staying in lockstep with our vendor partners regarding the cutoff dates for shipping orders. Last year, we saw some manufacturers with a September cutoff date if hoteliers wanted their shipment to depart China before the CNY shutdown. This year, we are seeing the cutoff date shift back to October, which is a slight improvement.
Chinese New Year FF&E Advice for Hoteliers
Whomever your FF&E procurement provider may be, it’s critical that they have open and active communication with the vendors for your project.
Innvision, with a nationwide team of high-touch FF&E design and procurement consultants, keeps you informed every step of the way. Armed with the right information about Chinese New Year, you can work with Innvision to place orders early and minimize delays.
Whether during the production phase or shipping process, we track the timing of your product all the way to the job site to ensure its delivery will align with your property’s needs. Our production partners work within Lean manufacturing principles to communicate accurate shipping details, which we relay to you for your awareness and peace of mind.
To learn more about how Innvision can minimize FF&E delays for your next hotel project any time of year, reach out! We would love to connect and we are here to help.
