Insider: Hotel FF&E: What's Hot & What's Not For 2008

By Brenda Lookadoo, Senior Designer, Hatchett Hospitality

Ms. Brenda Lookadoo

Baseball great and famous philosopher of life Yogi Berra once said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” 

That’s how I felt as I started to put a few thoughts together for article about design and purchasing trends "Hotel FF&E: What's Hot & What's Not For 2008" which is featured in the Hotel Business Review. 

However, I did indeed dust off my crystal ball to assemble a series of observations and tips for your 2008 FF&E decision-making.  Some of my suggestions may seem obvious, some are a little less so.  Some may be new ideas for you, others may be updated versions of thoughts you’ve heard before.  Some will be easy to implement, while a few may require more planning and resources. 

A basic fact of our business is that your guests expect a good hotel stay – and with the right FF&E you can give them more.  You can provide a special hotel experience that builds loyalty, traffic, and your bottom line. 

Sound expensive?  It doesn’t have to be because there are literally hundreds of manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and even Europe, Asia, and South America.  All this competition means attractive pricing – and by working with your FF&E supplier, you can compare “hard” costs with “soft” costs such as quality.      

The result will be a hotel property that looks fresh and exciting – where both you and your guests can feel good about the money spent for a hotel room. 

Of course, whether it’s new construction or a renovation, hoteliers want to get their rooms into service as fast as possible – after all, empty rooms don’t contribute to RevPAR.  This means that a hotelier must carefully coordinate the four main aspects of FF&E – design, purchasing, transportation, and installation. 

In today’s economy, you want an FF&E supplier who works hard physically but who also works smart. That’s why we at Hatchett Hospitality have structured our staff and our services to finish FF&E projects with minimum hassle and maximum efficiency. 

I hope my column is helpful in keeping you ahead of the industry curve.  After all, another quote from Yogi Berra sums it up well – “If you don’t know where you’re going, chances are you’ll end up somewhere else.” 

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Sincerely,    

Brenda Lookadoo

Senior Designer

Hatchett Hospitality

901-373-8860

brenda@hatchetthospitality.com