Ms. Locke

Architecture & Design

Five Ways Your Interior Designer Adds to Your Bottom Line

By Amy Locke, Director, Interior Design, Hatchett Hospitality

An interior designer has the knowledge and experience to make a hotel stay more efficient, more beautiful, and more exciting for the guest – and more profitable for the owner.

Yet some owners resist using an interior designer because they question the amount of value added compared to the amount of additional fees. Or because they suspect an interior designer will “pad” the recommendations with items that add to overall cost. Or because they want to avoid having an undesirable design imposed on them.

However, these concerns are being overcome for more and more owners as they see how in today’s crowded hotel marketplace, an interior designer can create the kind of comfortable, functional, up-to-date property that generates more return visits and referrals, higher room rates, and increased market share.

Let’s take a closer look at five ways that an interior designer can add to the look of your property – and your bottom line.

1. Planning Space Specifically For You

An interior designer is more than simply a decorator. At different times of the FF&E process, he or she is part artist and part engineer – combining both aesthetic and technical capabilities.

First, the engineer portion of the designer must help structure the space in collaboration with architects and contractors. The goal is to make the area as functional as possible based on knowing how the space will be used and by whom, plus knowing any special needs of the occupants.

This requires being able to read blueprints plus being familiar with a wide variety of construction issues such as building codes, electrical and HVAC systems, plus security, safety, and acoustics.

2. Decorating With the “WOW” Factor

Next, the artist portion of the designer must decorate the space – namely, make the area look and feel great. This must be done by taking into consideration such factors as budget, geographic location, and type of hotel, for example, is it a resort or business destination. It requires a thorough knowledge of fabrics, colors, textures, lighting, furniture, accessories, and other components of style.

While designers are typically familiar with a wide variety of styles, they should have the ability to balance their own tastes with the tastes of their clients – and they certainly should know how to put the tastes of their clients first.

You want a designer who can enhance any ideas you have plus inspire new ones. He or she then must be able to bring your design decisions to life in a realistic manner – without overspending and without sacrificing quality.

It is your designer’s job to make sure all colors, furniture, and accessories will work together effectively in specific areas of the hotel, as well as throughout the property as a whole. It is then your FF&E supplier’s job to obtain all these items within your deadlines and budget.

3. Facilitating the Relationship With Your Franchiser

Every hotel brand focuses on slightly different details and requirements in its FF&E package. You want a designer who is familiar with your flag and its brand standards – and who has a strong working relationship with your franchiser – so the franchiser, the owner, and the contractor are communicating clearly and working together effectively throughout all phases of the project.

This will ensure that your interests as an owner are represented properly, that decisions about your project can be facilitated or expedited as needed, and that you get the look you want while meeting all brand requirements.

You certainly want a designer with a proven reputation for being thorough, dependable, cost-effective, and a good communicator. Get references – and if possible, visit some of the properties that the person has designed and furnished.

In fact, management and interpersonal skills are essential for a good designer. He or she must continually demonstrate superb ability to budget both time and money, to manage both materials and manpower, and to communicate with a wide variety of audiences, from contractors to executives.

4. Getting the Best Look With the Best Products at the Best Price

Using a professional designer experienced in hospitality is vital to getting the look you want at the price you want to pay. While there is no hard rule of thumb, a good designer and purchasing company can extend your original budget by 10% to 20% – plus considerably reduce your headaches and sleepless nights.

One way is by helping to choose the right product for every application – and then finding the best source for that product. Experienced professionals look not only at initial price of a product, but also how well the product will hold up under active hotel usage.

For example, purchasing a table or chair or bed or other item may seem simple. However, there are literally dozens of manufacturers for every type of hotel product – not just in the United States, but in Canada and Mexico, and even in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Professional designers and purchasing agents know the advantages and disadvantages of these various manufacturers – including but not limited to reliability, shipping costs, craftsmanship, durability, and pricing. Typically, designers have established relationships with key vendors, which can be of valuable assistance to you with custom orders, expedited deliveries, and damage claims.

As your partner in the purchasing process, your designer should explain to you the difference in “hard” costs between various manufacturers – namely, price. However, he or she should also review the difference in “soft” costs – namely, poor quality or late delivery – which can quickly eat up any price savings and which can actually double or triple the real cost of a product over its usable life.

To make your project go as smoothly as possible, find a designer who is part of a company that provides one-stop “turnkey” service for the four stages of FF&E – design, purchasing, transportation, and installation. It’s preferable when a company performs these services in-house, without sub-contracting them to other vendors.

5. Giving Travelers What They Want

Hotel design trends, just like occupancy rates, go in cycles. Professional designers know what’s “hot” and what’s not at any given time.

Today when Americans go on the road, they want the lifestyle they have at home – with a little extra luxury or fantasy thrown in for good measure.

Not too many years ago, hotels provided a luxurious experience that was often better than what most travelers had at home. Now, however, most people have home bedrooms, family rooms, and bathrooms that are nicer than the traditional hotel guest room and bathroom.

So travelers want to be equally pampered on the road. Guests simply don’t want to give up the “creature comforts” they’re accustomed to at home and take what they perceive as a step backwards when they check into a hotel.

If they’re used to finer things at home, that’s the level of quality they expect in their hotel. If they’re surrounded by technology at home, those are the gadgets they want in their hotel room.

You may be getting the impression that hoteliers are no longer just designing properties and checking in guests. And you’re right – they’re also managing expectations and massaging egos.

Your interior designer helps make sure this happens – by selecting FF&E that’s practical yet appealing. Intimate yet dramatic. Elegant yet every day.

Summary

FF&E is more than just an exercise in purchasing and getting the best price. It’s a chain of decisions that are closely integrated and dependent on each other – decisions which start with space planning and don’t end until products are properly installed. As we’ve seen here, pulling it all together and adding value at every step is the job of your interior designer – by keeping one eye on style and the other eye on profitability.

Amy Locke is director of interior design at Hatchett Hospitality. She works with franchisers and franchisees on a wide variety of hotel brands, styles, and themes – from economy to luxury, from resort to business conference, and from traditional to modern. Previous to joining Hatchett, she held a position in interior design with Ethan Allen Interiors. Ms. Locke earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta. She is completing a degree in feng shuiand is an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Ms. Locke can be contacted at 770-227-5232 or Amy@HatchettHospitality.com Extended Bio...

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