Opening a new hotel is a feat . With ever-changing variables such as construction delays or excessive city-agency bureaucracy , an opening can prove to be a challenge even in a compressed market with high demand . I ’ ve had the pleasure of opening properties in various cities both domestically and internationally . My experiences have varied as much as each hotel ’ s beautifully unique design .
Despite my familiarity with pre-opening preparations and transitioning from heavy construction to “ heads in beds ,” opening a hotel amidst a worldwide pandemic brought unique challenges that tested my perseverance and , at times , my patience . While I believe we are all hopeful to see a return to a new normalcy , our industry has forever changed and so must our approach .
The keys to success in any opening involve preparation , modification , and determination . While my recent experience required a bit more of the latter , I hope my insight can prove helpful to those who may have the chance to bring light to our industry with new designs , new concepts and , most importantly , new opportunities .
Every successful opening starts with a plan . Whether playfully termed a “ Pre-Opening Playbook ” or a more conventional “ Critical Path ,” it ’ s a general manager ’ s guide to every activity that requires execution prior to opening day . Just as furniture , fixtures and equipment traditionally have standard shelflives in our industry , our critical paths typically carry concrete action dates .
This was not the case in a pandemic . Construction and operating supplies required significantly increased lead times due to both the lack of available inventory as well as the lack of available transport . Products that would typically have immediate availability began to carry six-tonine-month lead times due to the impact of the worldwide shutdowns . While our project management team ordered most of the hotel ’ s case goods pre-COVID , the department managers ordered the hotel ’ s operating supplies at the height of the pandemic . With most vendors beginning to recognize the impact of the shutdowns , it was necessary to work with our procurement agent to cast a very wide net and source products from multiple vendors versus selecting a preferred partner . Typically , industry suppliers will have ample inventories of standard products such as hairdryers , irons or steamers . With the pandemic ’ s manufacturing closures shorting supply chains , we asked our procurement agent to contact multiple vendors to source the same products to piecemeal our full orders . For some products , this strategy still did not meet the hotel ’ s opening needs . In these instances , we directly worked with the manufacturer to understand if there was opportunity to ramp up to the full order as the hotel onboarded rooms , or if there was an opportunity to acquire product from another hotel opening that was delayed .
Conversely , marketing initiatives required inverse strategy . Traditionally , so much of the advanced pitching of a hotel involves personal contact . Whether donning custom hard hats for advanced tours or delivering samples of the delicious pastries from the hotel ’ s coffee shop , sales and marketing teams typically
King room with terrace
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