Inside Look: Transforming Hotels with FF&E Expertise

In the world of hotel development and design, success not only comes from architectural visions but also from meticulous attention to detail in the furniture, fixtures, and equipment. 

Jo Street, co-owner of Furn-Niche, shared her expertise and insights into the FF&E sector at The Urban Developer Hotel Summit at the Ivy in Sydney on March 22.

Street highlighted the importance of pragmatic fitouts, budget management and effective team collaboration. She finished with a deep dive into the Hyatt Place Melbourne Caribbean Park [pictured, top] to demonstrate how all these elements can contribute to the delivery of a successful hotel.

▲ Deep dive: Furn-Niche co-owner Jo Street shares insights into the key drivers of the design delivery team.

Interior Design is the soul of any hotel and will shape the guest experience. It is the job of the FF&E team to deliver this design in an affordable, practical and authentic way. And to ensure every piece of furniture, cutlery or art is carefully selected to align with the hotel’s theme, brand identity and target clientele.

Street discussed the typical range of fitout costs for standard studio guestrooms. She highlighted the many variables among projects, including the scope of inclusions, the location of the property, the complexity of the installation, the install program, the product materiality and the currency conversion.

The presentation highlighted some typical levers Furn-Niche uses to hit target budgets.  

These include:

1. Changing the material specs

2. Adjusting some products to accommodate sheet yields in manufacturing

3. Reducing the onsite customisation to decrease installation labour costs.

Street emphasised the importance of seeking approvals from the interior designers, the operators and the developer at every step of the process to ensure all stakeholders are happy with the outcome.

The 200-plus crowd of hotel experts gained insight into the key drivers of the design delivery team, including the asset owner, operator, builder, architect/interior designer, FF&E supplier and developer. 

Street noted that all teams are nuanced but mostly driven by time, money, aesthetics and longevity. Understanding all these motivators helps with the effective collaboration between project teams.  

In the case of Hyatt Place Caribbean Park, Furn-Niche built a replica mock-up room just offsite, which guaranteed all stakeholders, including SJB Interiors, were comfortable that their expectations were met with the furniture and joinery solutions.

Street highlighted that the installation is the biggest risk for an FF&E company, reinforcing the importance of understanding the site parameters and program to ensure upfront budgeting is suitable.

Being on a live construction site to install joinery requires constant negotiation with the construction team who are under time pressures and balancing many sub-contractors.

Being flexible, transparent, and communicative is imperative onsite. 

Whether the fitout is procured or custom-made, FF&E demands a careful balance between design aspirations and budget constraints.

Managing the design expectations and budget early in the project optimises the hotel’s revenue by ensuring competitive pricing and customer satisfaction.

The Urban Developer is proud to partner with Furn-Niche to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.