Addressing Challenges & Optimising Guest Comfort is a priority of any venue owner or manager. It leads to more profits, allows your staff to wait more tables and keeps your guests coming back. In our experience, most venue managers – especially in the hotel industry – are too busy to take the time to deeply analyse their venue and think about its issues for long enough to solve them. Thankfully, most venues have the same problems and each of them a simple fix.
Common Hotel Furniture Challenges
Below are the top 5 questions that we hear when a venue approaches us for hotel furniture consultation.
- Space Adaptability: How do we ensure seating options cater to diverse group sizes? We want to cater for big groups, but most of the time we are serving 2-4 people per table. How do we allow for more flexibility?
- Inefficient Layout: How do we fix our unoptimised layout, it is affecting our operational efficiency? We want to prevent overcrowding and maximise space utilisation.
- Wobbly Tables: Why are our tables are breaking down faster than we can fix them? This causes spillage and lowers the dining experience of our restaurant. How can we avoid this?
- Table Wear and Tear: Why are our tables are looking older than they should? Discoloration, warping, or cracking are bringing down the aesthetic of our venue. Is this due to quality or misuse of our current furniture?
- Purpose-Centric Design: does it feel like furniture is either durable or aesthetically pleasing. Over time we have had to replace our furniture and now it doesn’t feel like it fits together. Is there furniture that can withstand hotel demands but also stylistically align with our brand?
Do any of these sound familiar? If so, you might be interested in how we usually solve each of them – it starts with choosing the right furniture for the job.
Our recommendations for Hotels selecting furniture
The most important thing you need to know is that yes furniture can be stylish and durable, its all about making sure you select the right furniture for the application.
- Alignment with Brand: Furniture should reflect your hotel’s ethos and dedication to guest care while also considering how said guests will treat your furniture. If your hotel guests are mostly conference attendees, they will be more likely to stop in for a few minutes to check emails and grab a coffee. You might consider whether there is room for a laptop and food if you want them to eat more while also matching the aesthetic with your hotel rooms to retain comfort through familiarity.
- Durability Over Cost: The bottom line is replacing furniture will always our weigh the cost of quality furniture. Quality furniture, though potentially costlier initially, proves economical in the long run. Avoid substandard pieces that might lead to damages or hazards. Engage only reputable hotel furniture suppliers.
Planning & Layout Recommendations
Effective space planning can elevate guest experience but it’s a balance between increasing capacity and avoiding a claustrophobic layout. To serve a large variety of group sizes and maintain your hotels aesthetic you need to do the following groundwork.
- Venue Mapping: Draft up a detailed 2D plans to visualise effective use of space, table placements, and patron flow. Most venues have never done this, but it is critical for finding the best layout for your space. If creating a 2D plan appears challenging, head to our homepage where you can get your free venue layout and style guide.
- Differentiate Areas: Clearly mark distinctions between dining, bar, and lounge spaces. Especially in a hotel setting, you will find a mix between guests wanting a drink after eating elsewhere, or those simply wanting coffee without breakfast. Wasting a table intended for four covers on a single cover will cost you when your venue is at capacity. Provide clear areas with the exact comforts your guests are looking for.
- Ensure Ease of Movement: Plan for unobstructed movement paths for both staff and patrons. If your payment station shares the only path from your dining area to the kitchen, you are going to find a significant bottle neck. Consider not only how your walkways effect your staff efficiency, but also how constant passers-by distract your patrons.
Hotel Bar & Lounge Furniture Insights & Key Takeaways
The right furniture sets the mood for your bar and lounge areas which can have a big impact on whether guests stop by or go elsewhere. Here are 3 rules to follow that can guide your choices.
- Indoor seating allows for more traditional design preferences: For a classic aesthetic, consider upholstered or timber seating with deeper colour palettes. The added benefit is that timber is perfectly durable indoors so you won’t have to think about the longevity of your furniture. Timber or marble-patterned tabletops can complement this style.
- Modern design preferences provide more flexibility: For a contemporary aesthetic, opt for colourful polypropylene chairs and stools. Their varied colour options offer design flexibility. The flexibility is increased by the fact that you can now place your furniture indoors and outdoors with no concern for your furniture’s lifespan.
- Bar layout & furniture encourage different interactions: Depending on the bar’s layout, select furniture that communicates the intended experience, be it private seating or a more communal setting. Think not only about spacing but also different palettes impact your guest’s mood and behaviour.
Does your hotel need a furniture refresh?
Adage Furniture has helped thousands of Australian venues create an ambiance that boosts their bottom line. With locations in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne we are perfectly positioned to provide everything from consultation to a furniture demo in your own venue. Enquire or give us a call today to hear more about what we can do for you, or if you are still researching you can check out our ultimate guide to commercial hospitality furniture.