DIY, Design Firm, Or Hybrid Compared: Saving Money And Time
Should I do it myself or pay somebody else? What’s cheaper? What’s faster? These are the important questions to ask when deciding on a design process for your next hotel renovation or new build. It’s important to choose carefully and plan ahead because mistakes can be very expensive when it comes to hotel design.
There are three options for design processes: Do It Yourself (DIY), Design Firm, and a new hybrid (Hotelfurniture.com). We will share all of them with you and explain the pros and cons of each.
Do It Yourself
When you run the project yourself, you are in charge of producing the design, whether through your own work or a design firm, getting brand approval in the case of a franchise, finding a vendor, manufacturer, and contractor, and keeping everybody on task and on time. Choosing each of these players comes along with a substantial research process. Choosing an inexperienced hospitality furniture manufacturer can cost you a fortune in missed deadlines and mis-produced goods. After you’ve done your research, you’ll enter the negotiation phase with each actor and work out the best price you can get. Finally, when each role is filled, you’ll act as a project manager and stay on top of all the moving parts until the project is done.
This sounds like a whole lot of work, so why bother? Managing the project yourself can save you big design firm fees and because your time belongs to you, it’s technically free. If you’re willing to put in the extra hours or pay to delegate to your staff, this can be a good budget option. Most advice you’ll see about saving money on your renovation or new build will stress the importance of staying on top of all moving parts, keeping everyone in communication with each other, and following up on everything.
Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash
Design Firm
If you hire a design firm for your project, they will work with the vendors, manufacturers, and contractors that they know. This cuts out three obstacles for you. You will work with the firm to finalize a design, you will get brand approval, you will order your items through their contacts and coordinate with the contractor. A design firm is less work for you, but can be very expensive and doesn’t typically expedite the process by very much.
HotelFuriture.com
Traditionally, DIY and Design Firm have been the only two options. Now, HotelFurniture.com (HF) offers a hybrid solution. HF is an all-in-one, brand-approved platform that streamlines room renovations and new builds. Our digital platform provides an end-to-end experience, from design to procurement to delivery of furniture, fixtures, and equipment. The way it works is you will choose from a number of pre-approved brand packages created by our designers, customize the design by choosing elements within the package, and view it all through a 3D rendering or your guest room. Once you’ve found something you like, our designers will work through the logistics of making that design work in your hotel and ensuring you meet the PIP and brand requirements. The entire project from this point forward is our responsibility. You can return to running your hotel while we manage procurement, brand-approval, and shipment.
With Hotelfurniture.com, you can take a months-long, complicated, and stressful project and turn it into a simple, easy 15 step process:
- Identify the need for renovation or new build.
- Go to HotelFurniture.com and start a project.
- Select your brand flag.
- Choose the design and color scheme you want and see a quick, visual overview of the designs.
- Enter the number of King, Queen, and Double rooms you have.
- To proceed with your project, add in your details and create an account so you don't lose your work.
- From a 3D rendering, select brand-approved items you wish to place in your room and swap out possible, brand-approved items to see what they look like.
- You'll get a preliminary quote for the rooms based on the brand standard of room size and items - you can see a breakdown straight away of the total cost, cost per room type, and cost per item.
- To proceed with your project, place a deposit.
- Our designer will look at your PIP (if applicable) and floor plan to ensure you have all the items you need and that the brand requirements will fit in your individual hotel.
- HotelFurniture.com will provide you with a final quote.
- You can now sign off and place your order.
- We manage brand submission and approval.
- We procure and track all order items and manage any issues
- We ensure you are kept up-to-date and happy along the way: before, during, and even after your rooms have been completed
Now that you know the pros and cons of each option, think about what will work best for you and your next project.
Check out a free demo of our design process or contact us at hello@hotenfurniture.com.
