Ms. Locke

Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment

Professional Purchasing Is a Wise Investment

By Amy Locke, Director, Interior Design, Hatchett Hospitality

By definition, choosing your FF&E means making choices - and the right choice for many owners and property managers is to assign purchasing responsibilities to an outside source. So when people claim that they can do effective buying of products for you, how can you be sure you're selecting a reputable purchasing agent for your FF&E needs?

The short answer is "reputation, reputation, reputation."

The longer answer is to evaluate the company's track record on such important points as:

• portfolio of recent projects
• references from owners and vendors who are associated with these projects
• length of time in businessYou want a purchasing agent that can 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.

In short, with a designer's direction, a qualified FF&E purchasing agent will help transform individual furnishings into a coordinated "look." For your guests, it will translate a hotel "stay" into a hotel "experience" - and for you, it will translate into the referrals and repeat business you want.

All this means that your FF&E supplier must know not only what to shop for, but where to shop.

First, look for a firm that can provide you with "one stop shopping" for every item you need from the front door to the back door of your property - for your lobby, your rooms, and you public areas. You don't want to have to deal with one supplier for textile items, another supplier for case goods, yet another supplier for carpeting, and so on.

So you want a purchasing agent who has a rapport with vendors in many different product categories - but as importantly, you want a purchasing firm who has a credit line with vendors. This is important for two reasons:

• you want to ensure that the purchasing company doesn't experience financial troubles which would put your job and your purchases in jeopardy, and
• by using the purchasing company's credit line, you can keep your credit limits available for other business purposes.Still another question to consider when selecting an FF&E supplier is - what type of service staff does the company have?

Some companies have sales managers strategically located throughout the country who are responsible for providing customer service in their respective territory. This arrangement lets you know your service representative - and that person knows you - so you can work together closely and effectively to make timely decisions about products, prices, terms, and shipping.

The FF&E supplier you select should have an inside customer support staff that does nothing but provide service and assistance to customers. These should be detail-oriented purchasing professionals so every order, every request, and every situation receives immediate and undivided attention.

We've all heard horror stories about hotel owners who have paid for FF&E that was never delivered or that didn't meet specified quality. They probably listened to people who over-promised and under-delivered.

Don't be one of those owners - ask tough questions, then check out the answers for yourself. Reputable FF&E companies have nothing to hide and everything to be proud of - specifically, a track record of results, attention to detail, and dependable service.

Some owners still resist hiring a purchasing agent - they think they can save money if they handle buying in-house. However, usually in-house staff doesn't have the experience or has to neglect other responsibilities in order to devote time to purchasing. Perhaps most importantly, if you buy directly from a manufacturer, you won't get the pricing benefits and purchasing power that comes from volume buying - so you simply won't get the lower price that a purchasing company can negotiate for you.

Instead, consider having your FF&E buying done by a purchasing professional - after all, it's what they do best. Then, you and your staff can focus on what you do best - growing your business. The results will stretch your time and your budget - and make the value of your property soar.

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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