Filling a hotel with furniture is about more than just picking the right chair, it’s about working with your client to get the right product set up the right way for them. Our guest this week is a well rounded hospitality professional and expert in all things FF&E. Joining the show is COO - FF&E Division & Partner at The Parker Company, Mitch Parker!

Mitch sits down with Host Dan Ryan to dive into all things procurement. Mitch outlines the importance of planning for proper time, the intricacies that go into furnishing a hotel, and the need for designers to design for the requirements of the hotel.

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is all about service. In a hotel, it’s providing a place for others to feel comfortable. In procurement, it’s about providing efficient service that helps your client complete their project on time and under budget. 
• With every item, there is often an unseen level of customization behind the scenes. Multiple locations may use the same chair, but the color, texture, and finish can vary. Managing these changes is a behind the scenes responsibility of procurement. 
• Design never happens in a vacuum, but is shaped by the bounds of what you are designing for. When designing furniture for hotels, an aesthetically pleasing design isn’t enough, it needs to also meet the functional requirements of the hotel. 
• While it’s important to meet client needs, you also need to open a hotel on time. To help stay on schedule, highlight the importance of making decisions to clients, and try to reduce the number of 3rd party decision makers. 
• As a leader of a business you need to balance employee agency with your own oversight. It’s important to give your employees agency to make their own decisions, but you want to be involved enough that when problems arise, you are able to help out. 
• When furnishing a hotel, you need to understand how all the parts and pieces play into the overall guest experience. A single element can turn a positive experience negative for a guest, preventing them from returning to your hotel.  
• As a purchaser, time is your best friend. It’s common for clients to change their mind or ask for revisions half way through the process. By building in a buffer, you can meet client requests without delaying the project.  

Quote of the Show:

• “You can have a beautiful design, but if it can't be executed, you have a problem.” - Mitch Parker

Links:

• Website: https://parkerinternational.com/ 
• Website: https://wazi.com/ 

Shout Outs:

• 01:02 - Leonard Parker
• 04:23 - The Maxwell Company
• 06:39 - The High Point Furniture Market: https://www.highpointmarket.org/ 
• 09:13 - Marriott Courtyard: https://courtyard.marriott.com/ 
• 09:43 - Four Seasons: https://www.fourseasons.com/ 
• 09:44 - Rosewood: https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/default  
• 09:46 - The Ritz-Carlton: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/ 
• 33:45 - Carole Monestime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-monestime-5aa4192b/ 
• 34:11 - Linda Hein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-hein-6a49a423/ 
• 34:13 - Marilyn Webb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilyn-webb-a4024511/ 
• 47:38 - Gregg Parker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-parker-418a1131/ 
• 48:33 - Philip Parker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-parker-6b281a2a/ 
• 48:39 - Doug Parker
• 48:43 - Brad Parker
• 48:55 - Camp Waziyatah: https://wazi.com/ 
• 01:01:58 - American of Martinsville: https://americanofmartinsville.com/ 

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419