Imagine your guest walking in, admiring the soaring ceilings of the lobby and the friendly smile of the front desk clerk, only to sit down in a cozy nearby chair and...OUCH...feel a sharp poke from a seat cushion spring out of place.
Your furniture makes a big impression in the minds of your guests, and that pendulum swings both ways. If you don't keep your furniture updated and stylish, they'll check out - or worse, leave a review - filled with disappointment over a hospitality experience that was more shabby than chic.
But when is the right time to swap out or upgrade your hotel furniture?
4 Ways to Tell It’s Time to Replace Your Furniture
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Guests can spot visible wear and tear.
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The styles are dated.
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Other parts of the hotel are being renovated.
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Your technology is dated.
Not sure if these apply to you? Here’s how you can tell:
1. Your Furniture Doesn't Pass the "First Impression" Test
If your furniture has gotten to the point that a new guest could walk in and immediately notice wear and tear issues, it's time to replace it - period. There's no "fix" for rub-worn chair and sofa arms or missing drawer escutcheons - you can cover it up, but the covers will honestly only draw attention to it.
The same goes for attempting large-scale cover ups (think: anything larger than a quarter) with paint or similar materials. Your well-intentioned attempts won't do much to sway your guests, they'll only draw their eyes to the damages in your furniture.
2. It Was Cutting Edge....Ten Years Ago.
There was a time when brassy fixtures and deep burgundy drapes exuded luxury, when paisley lined the hallway carpets, and emerald green paint unabashedly claimed every inch of door and window frame real estate.
These days, it would look like a garish circa-1993 nightmare. With most of the leading hotel chains undergoing full refreshes every 5 to 7 years, by the time your "look" has faded from Pinterest and Instagram feeds, you should already be planning your next decor move. While durable hospitality-intended furniture will last for many years, it doesn't necessarily mean it should.
Don't hesitate to periodically cycle out your entire palette of pieces, even if they aren't showing their physical age quite yet.
If you’re looking to renovate and replace your furniture soon, we’ve put together a guide for 2019 hotel design trends!
3. Your Furniture Might Get Renovation Envy.
When you're already planning to disrupt schedules and guest foot traffic with a renovation - rooms, lobby, facilities, and more - why not get everything done at once?
While work crews are toting building materials in and out of freight elevators, they could also be moving out your outdated furniture and bringing in new pieces. There's no sense working around two disruptive periods when you don't have to.
Additionally, you don't want to "jar" your guests' senses with an abrupt transition between color palettes or themes; whenever possible, your facility decor should be consistent from the front door on through to the individual rooms.
4. What's That Charger Supposed to Be For?
A modern hotel without wi-fi is as quaint a notion as a roadside motel proudly declaring they offer color television. Tech is an inevitable and vital part of nearly every guest experience, and that means furniture, such as nightstands and headboards, built to work with it.
If your nightstands have built in charging cables for iPhones that are three generations old, or USB mini sockets when everyone is charging up with USB C cables, you're going to have a tech clash.
Update your tech-connected furniture freely and frequently to prevent getting "left behind" by the evolution of tech.
Is It Time For You to Fix Your Furniture Problem?
While replacing your hotel furniture is by no means a minor undertaking, it's one of the fastest, easiest ways to keep your hotel looking and feeling contemporary.
Follow these four guidelines and be judicious when it comes to giving outdated hospitality furniture, fixtures, and accents the axe.
