Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 - (Page 46)

46 Design CASEGOODS H&MM June 2 , 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition BY HEATHER GUNTER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Furniture gets new life Renovations help hotels stay competitive, but what can be done with the old furnishings? This is the ﬁrst question a hotel should ask, according to Don Hayes, president, National Content Liquidators. “[Old furnishings] have to be out of the building before any new carpet, wallpaper or painting can be done,” Hayes said. “Many hotel owners have all the plans in place for the new [furniture, ﬁxtures and equipment], and the last thing to be determined is how to get rid of the old FF&E.” “We’re basically recyclers of hotel goods,” said Donald Fenning, owner, Hotel Surplus Outlet. “We can provide prices for complete room packages on a discounted basis.” Working with professionals on any level will improve the outcome of the entire project, said Tom Scholet, president, National Hotel Liquidators. “You avoid surprises and can get back to what you do best—taking care of your guests,” Scholet said. By liquidating casegoods, you save the cost of disposal, he said. “Usually the value of the furniture will pay for the labor of taking the furniture out. You have a team that will stay on schedule. And you can feel good about being green.” Liquidation logistics For hoteliers renovating a property, working with a liquidation company can streamline the process. On-site liquidation is the most proﬁtable, said Don Hayes, president, National Content Liquidators. “Even if the decision is made to keep the hotel open during the renovation, FF&E can Hayes be sold from NATIONAL CONTENT tents in the LIQUIDATORS parking lot, meeting rooms, even hotel garages.” Furnishings can be removed completely from the property to shopping centers or warehouses, but at a higher expense, he said. For hotels purchasing liquidated FF&E, deal with reputable companies and ﬁnd out the schedule of the pulls, said Tom Scholet, president, National Hotel Liquidators. “It is always less expensive to buy furniture that goes directly from one hotel to another, but that is sometimes tricky scheduling because you are at the mercy of the liquidating hotel,” he said. face LIFTS The Plaza in New York completed its two-year, $400-million lobby-torooftop renovation in March. The new Plaza features rooms adorned with opulent Louis XV decor, including 24-karat gold-plated Sherle Wagner sinks and ﬁxtures, private residences, destination restaurants, a retail collection, and meeting and event spaces. Danfords Hotel & Marina in Port Jefferson, N.Y., began a multimillion-dollar renovation. Each of the 86 luxury guestrooms will receive a $60,000 investment. Refurbish your outdated armoires Flat-screen TVs have made armoires undesirable for guestrooms. Now they are a difﬁcult item to sell, according to several hotel liquidation companies. Instead of sending them to the landﬁll, armoires can be refurbished to be functional with new TVs. “The modiﬁed armoire continues to match existing furniture within the room,” said Mario Insenga, c.e.o., The Reﬁnishing Touch. The cost beneﬁt to armoire modiﬁcation is 60 percent to 70 percent savings, he said. “If the existing armoire is modiﬁed, including engineering to brand speciﬁcations, engineering the back for support and An armoire (left) gets a new look structure, installation of granite and (above) from The Reﬁnishing Touch, a completing the work on-site in the guestroom, company that refurbishes armoires to it is roughly $300 a unit,” Insenga said. make them more functional with ﬂatTo date the company has revitalized screen TVs. more than 1.5 million rooms of furniture, and Insenga estimates the company has prevented Tips for selling liquidated FF&E more than 500,000 trees from Have a plan in place early in the renovation project. being cleared for furniture Bring in a qualiﬁed liquidator who is licensed, bonded and insured to inventory production. your hotel. THE REFINISHING TOUCH Atlanta’s largest hotel, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, is undergoing a $138-million transformation. The redesign will accommodate two simultaneous meetings of 800. The renovation will be completed this July. Sage Hospitality Resources completed the renovation of Chicago’s historic Blackstone Hotel. The project began in May 2006 and the 23-story hotel was gutted to its skeleton, except for historic areas, where original decor was restored. For more info Company Circle No. AMC Liquidators. . . . . . . . . . 285 Fort Pitt Furniture . . . . . . . . . 286 Hotel Surplus Outlet . . . . . . . 287 IRCA Showrooms . . . . . . . . . 288 National Content Liquidators . 289 National Hotel Liquidators . . . 290 Nueva Sol Partners. . . . . . . . 291 The Reﬁnishing Touch. . . . . . 292 Southwest Surplus . . . . . . . . 293 After shutting its doors in 2006, Dallas’s new Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa debuted in March. The $36million renovation reﬂects the landmark building’s original art deco design while incorporating modern elements including a fullservice spa. The Rosen Plaza in Orlando completed a renovation of its 60,000square-foot meeting space. Beds in the 800 guestrooms also received makeovers with new mattresses, linens and duvet covers. Compiled by Heather Gunter, hgunter@questex.com Tips for buying liquidated FF&E Be prepared to make decisions quickly. Know what you wish to purchase. Are you looking to purchase complete room packages or just softgoods and artwork? Complete room packages sell quickly. Be prepared to take the inventory you have purchased immediately, as time is of the essence in clearing the hotel for the new FF&E. Source: Don Hayes, president, National Content Liquidators Quotable “ With the proliferation of ﬂat-screen TVs, armoires have become obsolete. There is no home for them.” DONALD FENNING, owner, Hotel Surplus Outlet http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition

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Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008 Contents State Programs Help Define Green Hotels AmericInn Boosts its American Presence Questex, The Bench to Host Russia Event Perspective Letter to the Editor Legally Speaking Guest Column Marketing Matters Consultant's Corner Satisfaction Trends On Finance Travel Trends Cornell Insights Energy Star Update Maintenance Doctor Management Trends Trends & Stats Finding Financing Challenges Developers Credit Crunch Still Tops List of Lawyers' Concerns Mixed-use Funding Bleak, Panelists Say Luxury Landscape Keeps Pushing Higher PTACs Events Casegoods Seating Energy Controls and Sensors Pest Control Electronic Locks Transactions Supplier News Timeshare Misconceptions Still Prevalent Awards People Ad/Edit Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - June 2, 2008

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