Boutique Design - May/June 2011 - 58

P u r c h a s i n g

s t r at e g i e s

“We use several very reputable freight forwarders for this and we competitively bid this service. We go through the same vetting process with the freight forwarders as we do with the furniture vendors.”
How to Source the Sources

The Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center in Washington, D.C., which was sourced by Becwood Purchasing Inc.

showed us their custom-colored leather goods. They had a slightly stiffer texture, but both the designer and the client agreed this was the perfect solution, meeting both the aesthetic and budgetary requirements, and their timing was key,” she says. To get an authentic local look, most project managers plan fact-finding missions in conjunction with preliminary site visits. But they also network with owners, operators, contractors, architects, purchasing companies and other members of the local team to find just the right artisan or millwork company to create a custom look for less. “Every project is different based on client criteria and location,” says LeClair. “Any hotel can blend local with nation-

ally or even internationally supplied items. It helps to tap into the contact lists of everyone involved in the hotel.” Because so much furniture is now made out of the country, The Parker Co., a Miamibased purchasing company, arranges for the designer and client to visit the factories of the short-listed vendors, whether in China, Vietnam or Colombia. “In this way, a comfort level can be established prior to any purchase orders being issued,” says Linda Hein, senior vice president. “We also frequently travel to the selected factory when the furniture is starting to come off the line.” Logistics and freight forwarding are extremely important issues, Hein adds.

Finding manufacturers willing to work with the small scale of boutique orders means casting a wide net. The down economy has made that easier. “With the market the way it has been for the past two years, manufacturers are more willing than ever to produce higher quality for less,” says LeClair. Still, some vendors are less than eager for boutique-sized orders. But designers will have to work around that. Stapleton and McCoy point out that old-fashioned persuasion can help. “I like to point out the publicity it may indeed bring to the supplier to be involved in a boutique project,” says McCoy. Stapleton adds that sometimes it’s more a question of “beg, plead and cajole” if a reluctant manufacturer has the perfect product. Whatever the approach, bundling orders by category of item rather than room is a powerful tool, argues Langmade. That’s because it allows even limited-quantity orders to leverage economies of scale to get more value. Sourcing pieces that don’t appear in more standardized hotels is also a challenge. “You learn quickly as a designer that not all projects are the same and not all budgets allow you the freedom to use custom products,” says Bernard Holnaider, a principal at Baltimore-based RD Jones. That’s sending buyers and specifiers to crossover catalogs from residential, especially for seating and casegoods, and sometimes even to retail vendors for fresh looks for anything from lighting to surfacing. But it may be a case of caveat emptor. Durability is the biggest issue for upholstery fabrics, chairs, sofas and bedding. Then, there’s the cost question. “Most crossover suppliers do not understand the hospitality price points and it

Boutique Design | May+June 2011

Boutique Design - May/June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - May/June 2011