Murray Roberts writes about hotel amenities HK Magazine January issue | Page 31

COMPETITIVE PRICING FOR ALL
OF YOUR HOTEL’S NON-FOOD NEEDS
M
any businesses are developed out
of necessity, and Hotel Buyer is a
classic example. In founder Jon
Shepherd’s case, the opportunity
was too great, too pressing, to ignore.
During 15 years supplying technological
solutions to the hotel sector, Jon found he
was helping to fulfil an ever-wider set of
requirements. Requests in the form of “Could
you source…?” or “Do you know anybody who
can supply us with…?” appeared regularly.
Hotel Buyer Store was created four years
ago to address this supply gap and to allow
hotel and guesthouses to purchase non-food
supplies online.
Over the years, the business has proved
itself to be a touchstone of procurement
can-dos, with clients discovering they can
cross off every item on their shopping lists
with a single visit to the online store.
The founding principle was to provide
Hotel Buyer’s customers with the broadest
range of supplies, with the highest levels
of availability. Whilst the current selection
of products is the UK’s largest, the range
continues to expand, creating a
veritable one-stop-shop, taking in
everything from toiletries, bedding
and cleaning materials to hotel
furniture and kitchen machinery.
Perhaps one the best measures
of Hotel Buyer’s success is its
selection of toiletries. Early on in
TESTIMONIALS
“How did you do that? I ordered these
goods online at 4:30pm yesterday;
and they were delivered at 9:45 this
morning. That is sensationally good
service! All in all, first-class service
and a pleasure to buy from you. You’ll
certainly be top of my list for my future
needs, and I’ll be recommending you...”
- Roger B of Norfolk
the business’s lifetime, Jon spotted a trend
for hotels replacing their high-end branded
shampoos, soaps and shower gels with
lower-cost luxurious alternatives. Today, Hotel
Buyer offers over 40 ranges of toiletries,
including upmarket favourites such as Baylis
& Harding and Duck Island. Part of the appeal
is the larger range of amenities available to
complement the toiletry ranges, while still
enjoying lower overall costs. Customers,
found that they could offer guests a larger
selection of product in their bathrooms,
whilst reducing the overall costs.
A good example was when one hotel
calculated it had saved in the region of
£40,000 per year by switching to their Aqua
Viva 300ml Pump Bottle, and using 5 litre
refills. What previously cost the business £6
per litre of product was reduced to a mere
£2 per litre! They were then able to add in a
dental kit, shaving kit, shower cap and vanity
kits and still reduce the overall cost per room.
“It’s already arrived! Many thanks for
your excellent customer service.” -
Guest house in Isle of Man
“Good customer service, a rare commodity
these days. The way you’ve dealt with the
whole order from start to finish has been
excellent.” - Catriona M in Bath
“Great service as always” -
Inn in Derbyshire
Meanwhile, personalised
toiletries have proved to be
an increasingly popular. The
demand for elegant, self-branded
shampoos and shower gels has
always been there, of course.
Until recently, however, the high minimum
quantities, even higher costs and long lead
times meant the barriers of entry to smaller
boutique hotels were correspondingly lofty.
Solving this issue, Hotel Buyer can now offer
these establishments their own range of fully
artworked bath and shower essentials, in
quantities of as low as 200, in a little over a
week – bringing this delightful touch of luxury
within reach of all hotels.
As for the business’ growth, Jon puts
it down to old-fashioned business values.
“We set out to deliver a quality service at
reasonable prices”, he said. “We treat all
our customers with equal reverence, no
matter how small or large the hotel or
what star rating of hotel they operate.
“We do what we say we will do, when we
say we’ll do it. That mentality is instilled in
our entire team, and I believe that is the
formula for long-term success. We never
solicit testimonials, but we receive them
frequently and it is always pleasing to know
that someone has taken the time to tell you
that you are getting it right.”
www.hotel-buyer-store.co.uk
“A huge thanks to the whole team with
regard to my recent order. The customer
service has been exceptional from start
to after sales. My delivery needed to be
on a specific day as I had to come from
France to collect and this not only happened
seamlessly but you kept me up to date every
step of the way. The quality is good, the
parcels were well packaged. I will definitely
be using you again. Congratulations to the
whole team.” - Jane B in Somerset / France
Housekeeping management
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