You rely on many resources as a hotel designer. Your project wouldn’t get off the ground without the money, time, and inspiration to get there.
Don’t underestimate the impact your vendor has on helping or hindering hotel project management.
Your vendor supplies what you need to bring your design to life (sometimes all of it if they’re a one-stop-shop). That’s a big responsibility. Your company of choice should be invested in your work as if it were their own.
1. CHOOSE RESPONSIVE VENDORS
Designing a hotel is a large and complicated undertaking.
You don’t need anyone else to make it harder. You do need someone there to answer those late-hour phone calls and emails and to tailor product orders to your needs.
Vendor communication can make or break your project. Your vendor should be ready, open, and available from start to finish -- and beyond.
2. STICK TO YOUR BUDGET
A full hotel design project has a lot of moving parts. The supply chain must be delicately balanced to bring everything in -- or under -- budget. Failure could result in financial issues for you and your contractors, and can impact future project bids.
A great vendor will provide realistic and reasonable cost estimates for the materials you need. They can also provide value engineering to make production more affordable.
3. SET HARD DEADLINES
Time is money. Don’t tolerate a vendor that wastes your time. Hotel design requires timeliness and efficiency to stay on track.
Your vendor must meet your deadlines, or have a responsive answer to time emergencies. No ifs, ands, or buts.
4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VALUE ENGINEERING
Whether your vendor is a middle man or a one-stop-shop manufacturer, value engineering is an option for project optimization.
The success of your project relies on taking advantage of cost savings where possible while still maintaining the overall design and emphasizing high-quality materials and processes.
5. PROVIDE THE BEST MATERIALS
It’s important to monitor spending on even the most lavish of designs. But, as an extension of #4, your vendor should be able to provide you with the best possible materials (or alternatives) for your dollars.
Again, the consequence of shoddy materials is greater total costs for your hotel furniture and fixtures. Your source should also avoid materials mistakes that can lead to breaks in the supply chain.
6. STAND BY YOUR VISION
Your vision may have evolved from a napkin sketch, to a CAD rendering, to unfolding before your eyes. You have the hotel design down to the square inch and you’re set on a color scheme. You didn’t order Roma headboards only to receive Genoa. Your vendor needs to respect this.
However, this ties into the next point:
7. ACCEPT VENDOR FEEDBACK
Your vendor also has a responsibility to inform you if your specs exceed the budget or are otherwise impractical or unachievable.
Your vendor can certainly respect your vision while providing optimization recommendations. But as long as it’s physically possible, you should get the final say.
8. CHOOSE A VENDOR FAMILIAR WITH INSTALLATION
The job isn’t done when they deliver your product. Your vendor should offer to assist with installation, even if that means referring another company that can help.
A one-stop-shop manufacturer/vendor may even offer their own installation services.
Do your homework. Research your vendor choices and ask questions.
