Ms. Willis

Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment

10 Common Sense Ideas to Create Uncommon Impact at Your Property

By Kalen Willis, Senior Interior Designer, Hatchett Hospitality

Today’s economic environment calls for an FF&E strategy that carefully blends common sense and financial sense. Here are 10 tips to make your property stand out from the competition in practical, yet cost-effective ways.

Capture the Style & Spirit of Your Site

Whether it’s for business or for leisure, travelers are away from home and that is always a little disorienting. Your design choices can help create a soothing “sense of belonging” for your guests – which will almost certainly make their trip more productive and more memorable, thereby increasing their chance of returning and of recommending your property to others.

Examples of accenting your location and reflecting local culture include:

• With architectural design and finishing materials – rough stone and exposed timber for a rugged look in mountain or desert locations; polished marble and dark woods for a “board room” or “country club” look
• With paintings, wall hangings, and sculpture that bring the character of your community inside
• With colors – reds and yellows are warm colors, desirable in destinations that are “hot” in temperature or in action such as a gaming resort, while cool colors such as blues and greens are suitable for business locations and sites designed for relaxation
• With fabrics – light weight and smooth texture for bed coverings, window treatments, and wall coverings typically convey a more relaxing, luxurious atmosphere than fabrics that are heavy in weight and rough in texture

Accessories With Attitude

The innovative and influential American interior decorator Dorothy Draper wrote, “It is just as disastrous to have the wrong accessories in your room as it is to wear sport shoes with an evening dress.”
For hoteliers, this means selecting accessories and accent pieces that make space more warm and home-like – and make guests more comfortable.

Accessories come in many forms – lamps, vases, plants, and knick-knacks to name just a few – and they are most important in the lobby and public areas, which are focal points that should be “dressed to impress.”

Avoid items that are too small to be seen properly or that invite being stolen, and make sure items are used in a suitable space – for example, don’t put a large vase of flowers on a small end table where it will overpower the furniture.

Sometimes the best use of accessories is “invisible” – namely, the items are meant to blend into the background so effectively that guests are barely conscious of their presence. Other times, accessories are meant to stand out and to dramatically reinforce a room or space – whether it’s due to their size, shape, color, quantity, or placement.

With either approach, use accents selectively – if you overdo a certain item or technique, it becomes the norm and loses its novelty as an “accent.”

Make a Dramatic Entrance

It takes only four to six seconds for the human mind to form a first impression, so that’s how long you have for your lobby to set the tone for a guest’s visit. Ideas to make your lobby “pop” include:

• Architectural elements such as a row of columns, stained glass windows, or a domed ceiling
• A prominent central feature such as a water fountain, a large sculpture, or a dramatic chandelier
• An unusual mix of seating styles and mini-meeting areas that encourage people to congregate and conduct activities

Remember that “direction” is important, with floor and ceiling elements leading the way to the registration area. But keep things clean and simple – don’t overwhelm the senses and be sure the check-in desk is visible from the entrance.

Bed-dazzled

A good night’s sleep is why people check into your hotel, so expand your bedding budget and give them what they want.

• Splurge for a higher quality mattress and box spring that will increase satisfaction plus wear longer
• Enhance the bed area further with higher thread count sheets, plusher pillows, decorative bolsters, luxurious throws, and woven duvet covers with down or faux-down duvet inserts

See the Light

Each space requires three types of lighting:

• Task lighting – bright, direct light for reading, computing, food service, or other work
• Ambient lighting – soft, comfortable general light for watching TV or having a conversation
• Accent lighting – decorative emphasis light (often achieved with halogens) to create drama and mood, for example, by drawing the eye to a specific area, architectural effect, or piece of artwork

Remember that beyond being functional, lighting is also a design element:

• In public space, oversized fixtures can serve as a focal point for the area
• In hallways, alternate fixture styles to create interest – for example, among a line of recessed cans, change the ceiling height at door drops and use a semi-flush oversized fixture to throw light onto the ceiling
• In bathrooms, use a creative combination of decorative sconces, ceiling lights, and recessed cans – with an especially high level of brightness near the mirror for shaving and applying make-up

Guestrooms Outside the Box

Brand minimums can be enhanced in the guestroom at minimal cost but with impressive results, for example:

• Use a granite top on the nightstand – it improves durability and makes the furniture piece plus the entire room look more upscale
• Feature one piece of accent furniture whose unique style, finish, or upholstery makes the whole room special – and the entire guest experience memorable
• Create one accent wall – often the headboard wall is a good choice – by painting it a different color or covering it with vinyl that’s textured or boldly patterned

Bathroom Buzz

The bathroom is the second-most frequented area of a guestroom, exceeded only by the bed. Make it more attractive, comfortable, and easy-to-use with these improvements:

• Granite or marble for countertops, showers, and tub surrounds
• Decorative lighting instead of fluorescents – and sconces beside the mirror
• Framed mirrors
• Free-standing furniture-style vanities which provide convenient towel storage – and several manufacturers offer metal ferrules that protect the legs and base from cleaning products used on the floor
• Larger decorative tiles for the walls
• Curved shower rods that give guests an extra 15 inches of shower space – and fabric shower curtains that create an upscale feel with their heavier texture and weave

Art and Soul

Say “artwork” and many people think of framed paintings and prints, however, there are many other options available to you, including:

• Collages
• Sculpture
• Wall hangings
• Murals
• Mirrors
• Water features

Beyond format, consider the style that best captures and conveys the spirit of your setting. This means going beyond predictable country scenes in rural properties and boating scenes in coastal or lake areas. For example, bright colors and impressionistic pieces create a contemporary look while bold black and white photography is suited when the desired ambience is dramatic reality.

Design is in the Details

Hoteliers often start the design process by assembling photographs of things they like at other properties, in magazines, and online. This is useful for identifying a general design direction, but an interior designer will help you move beyond “a la carte design” to a comprehensive scheme that establishes a coordinated and consistent look throughout the property.

Good interior designers are more than decorators. Yes, they are skilled at tying together your various design elements – and yes, they know how to find the best products at the best price.

However, designers are typically familiar with a variety of construction issues including building codes, architectural and electrical systems, security, and acoustics – and as such they will facilitate your work with a variety of contractors.

Perhaps more importantly, designers – especially at experienced full service FF&E firms such as my employer – can enhance your relationship and expedite your dealings with your franchiser.

Your Perfect Partner

There are hundreds of decisions and thousands of dollars in expenditures during any FF&E project, so choose a design and purchasing partner that you’re comfortable working with. For example, you want a purchasing agent who is familiar with your brand and its specific requirements, but who will still represent your interests as the owner.

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

Also, ask candidate companies to name the suppliers they usually use – and why. Answers should include the advantages and disadvantages of various manufacturers, including such factors as reliability, shipping costs, craftsmanship, durability, and pricing.

While there is no hard rule of thumb, a good purchasing professional can extend your original budget by 10% to 20% – plus considerably reduce your headaches and sleepless nights.

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

There are no problems – just opportunities for solutions.

That line from a recent movie is certainly worthwhile guidance as you undertake your next FF&E challenge – and may the tips in this article indeed be useful for turning some of your “opportunities” into solutions.

At Hatchett Hospitality, Kalen Willis specializes in interior design for the hotel industry, with responsibility for project design, pricing, and management. 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. Her approach to the design of a project is driven by the target audience and by the end-use of the space. She believes that beautiful surroundings enhance our state of mind and enrich our lives. Ms. Willis can be contacted at 866-783-5980 or kalen.willis@hatchetthospitality.com Extended Bio...

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