A successful hotel refurbishment starts long before contractors arrive on site. There are budgets to agree, surveys to complete, designs to finalise and deliveries to coordinate. If the hotel is staying open, you also need to consider how work will affect guests and day-to-day operations.
Getting these details sorted early can help avoid delays, additional costs and unnecessary disruption. So, before work begins, what should be on your hotel refurbishment checklist?
Define the scope and refurbishment goals
Start by deciding exactly what you’re refurbishing and what you want to achieve. Are you modernising bedrooms, updating communal areas, meeting new brand standards or carrying out a wider transformation?
Be clear about what needs replacing, what can stay and which areas take priority. This gives everyone a clear brief from the outset.
Set your budget and contingency
Your budget needs to account for labour, materials, furniture, fittings, specialist works and potential changes.
It’s also good practice to build in a contingency. Refurbishments can often uncover unforeseen problems that weren’t factored in during the planning phase, this is particularly true in older properties, so building in some flexibility in your budget can help you deal with the unexpected.
Survey the existing hotel
You need to understand what you’re working with before making final decisions. Surveys can assess existing services, finishes, structures and infrastructure, highlighting anything that could affect the refurbishment.
Finding an issue before work begins gives you time to plan around it rather than dealing with costly surprises on site.
Plan around guests and hotel operations
Consider whether the hotel remains open during the refurbishment. If so, consider which rooms or floors can be taken out of service, contractor access and when noisier activities can happen.
Deliveries, waste removal and the movement of guests and staff also need careful planning. Sorting these details beforehand can reduce disruption while allowing the hotel to keep operating.
Finalise designs, specifications and approvals
Agree designs and specifications before contractors start work. This gives everyone clear information and reduces unnecessary changes once the refurbishment is underway.
Check whether planning permission, Building Regulations approval or other permissions are required. Fire safety and accessibility requirements may also influence the design.
Build the programme and procurement plan
Furniture, materials, bespoke joinery and specialist products can have long lead times, so procurement should be planned around when each item will be needed.
Factor in the sequence of different trades too. Getting the timings right can prevent one delay from holding up the wider programme.
Choose the right refurbishment partner
The contractor you choose will have a major influence on the project. Look for relevant hotel experience, a strong track record and an understanding of working around live operations.
Involving your refurbishment partner early can also provide useful input on costs, phasing, procurement and practical delivery before work begins.
Planning a hotel refurbishment?
IH Group has extensive experience delivering hotel refurbishments while carefully managing quality, timescales and disruption. Get in touch with IH Group to discuss your plans and find out how our experienced team can support your hotel refurbishment.
