Ensure Guest Comfort With These Essential Hotel Supplies
Keeping a hotel running smoothly requires the warmth of hospitality—and a ready supply of everything a hotel guest could need for comfort and convenience. But maintaining the needs of even a single location often involves dozens or hundreds of vendors and careful attention to detail.
What are the most important items to have on hand, and what’s the easiest way to ensure consistent levels of hotel supplies? This article answers both of these questions. It also reviews essential goods in categories that help a hotel stand out and shares best practices and tricks for keeping your inventory shelves stocked without unnecessary effort.
Download the free tool: Hotel Budgeting Template
Most common hotel supply needs
Hotels use a lot of supplies, including everything from bedspreads and bin liners to toiletries and pool towels. Depending on location and market position, spending on hotel FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) needs can range from $4,000 to $35,000 per room. Hospitality supplies aren't merely about improving the functionality of a hotel or motel—they also enhance guests’ experiences.
The following categories of supplies and room amenities are those most commonly needed for running a hotel location. Using the right procurement platform as a one-stop shop for hotel and hospitality industry purchasing saves money and time for the entire team.
Hotel bedding and linens
- Duvet insert and coverlets
- Bed linens (fitted, flat, and sets)
- Pillows and pillowcases (standard, king, and queen)
- Mattress protectors
- Blankets (cotton, fleece, and down)
- Comforters
- Pillows (foam, down alternative, and feather)
- Bed skirts or box spring covers
- Bath towels (hand towels, bath towels, washcloths)
- Pool/beach towels
- Bath mats
- Robes and slippers
- Shower curtains
- Decorative throw pillows or cushions for lounge areas
Bathroom supplies
- Shampoo and conditioner (in bottles or a dispenser)
- Body wash or soap bars
- Shower caps
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Shaving kits
- Vanity kits (cotton pads, cotton swabs, nail file)
- Lotion
- Hairdryer
- Hand soap
- Tissue boxes
- Toilet paper
- Makeup remover wipes
- Wastebaskets
- Bathrobe hooks or hangers
Guestroom amenities
- High-quality bed frames
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- In-room coffee and tea-making tools
- Mini fridge
- Personal safe
- Iron and ironing board
- Alarm clock
- Flatscreen TV
- Desk and chair
- Reading lamps
- Full-length mirrors
- Laundry bag
- Room phone
- Electrical outlets and USB ports
- Blackout curtains or drapes
Cleaning supplies
- Disinfectant wipes and sprays
- Multi-surface cleaners
- Glass cleaner
- Mirror and glass squeegee
- Bathroom cleaner for tiles, tubs, and fixtures
- Toilet bowl cleaner and brushes
- Plunger
- Floor cleaning solution and polish
- Carpet stain remover and shampoo
- Microfiber cloths and dusters
- Heavy-duty garbage bags
- Air fresheners and odor eliminators
- Wood polish for furniture maintenance
- Stainless steel cleaner for appliances and fixtures
- Grout cleaner for tiled areas
- Laundry detergent for linens and uniforms
- Bleach for disinfecting purposes
- Protective gloves for cleaning staff
- Sponges and scrubbing pads
- Mop heads, brooms, and dustpans
Restaurant supplies
- Commercial-grade kitchen prep tools
- High-temperature commercial dishwasher
- Stainless steel pots, pans, and cooking utensils
- Heavy-duty oven mitts and aprons
- Industrial food processors and blenders
- Refrigeration units and freezers
- Cutting boards of various sizes and materials
- Food storage containers with tight-sealing lids
- Anti-fatigue mats
- Dining tables and chairs
- Table linens, napkins, and placemats
- Dinnerware sets
- Glassware
- Silverware sets
- Serving trays and platters
- Buffet servers and warming trays
- Coffee makers, espresso machines, and teapots
- Bar supplies, including shakers, jiggers, and corkscrews
Hotel Budgeting Template
Growing a hotel business calls for strong process, cost savings, and commitment to guest satisfaction. Download this hotel budgeting template to achieve all three.
Office supplies
- High-quality printers and copiers
- Ergonomic office chairs
- Desks
- Desktop computers and laptops
- Multi-line telephone systems
- Stationery supplies, including pens, notepads, staplers, and scissors
- File cabinets and storage solutions
- High-speed internet routers and Wi-Fi extenders
- Paper shredders
- Timekeeping systems
- Whiteboards and markers
- Laminating machines
- Batteries and power strips
- Label makers for organizing supplies, files, and equipment
Electronics
- Smart TVs for guest rooms and common areas
- POS (point of sale) systems
- Mobile charging stations
- Programmable thermostats
- Interactive kiosks for self-service check-in and checkout
- Surveillance cameras with remote monitoring capabilities
- Door locks with RFID technology
- Magnetic card readers
- Sound systems and PA equipment
- Conference equipment like projectors, screens, and teleconferencing units
Outdoor and recreational equipment
- High-quality outdoor furniture sets
- Umbrellas and sunshades
- Fire pits with safety features
- Outdoor lighting solutions
- Fitness equipment
- Tennis court supplies such as rackets and balls
- Binoculars, wildlife guides, and bird-watching charts
Signage and branding
- Welcome signage
- Wayfinding signage (for ease of use and ADA compliance)
- Branded “do not disturb” and housekeeping door hangers
- Weather-resistant flags for beach or pool areas
- Illuminated signs for nighttime visibility in key areas (reception, parking, exits)
- Digital kiosks with interactive maps and information
- Room number plaques with braille for accessibility
- Engraved name tags for staff uniforms
- Branded stationery sets, including notepads, pens, and envelopes
- Customized menu boards for restaurants and bars
- Safety signs for pool areas, gyms, and spas
- Event banners and special occasion signage
- Eco-friendly reusable bags with the hotel logo
- LED message boards at reception
- High-quality acrylic standees for tabletop promotions or room service menus
How to source the best hotel supplies
Implementing best practices in sourcing hotel supplies streamlines hospitality procurement to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Strategic sourcing, volume purchasing, and proactive forecasting help control spend while reducing understocking, waste, and storage costs. Establishing robust and repeatable procurement processes further improves efficiency in the purchasing process.
Outline a policy
A documented approval policy ensures consistency and accountability in the procurement process. This policy should outline who has the authority to approve purchases, set budget limits, and detail vendor selection and evaluation steps. By establishing clear guidelines, hotels maintain quality standards while controlling costs. Moreover, they minimize the risk of unauthorized spending and facilitate smoother operations by clearly defining procurement procedures and responsibilities.
Create an intake process
Implementing a standard purchasing intake process for hotel supplies streamlines sourcing by establishing a structured system for submitting, reviewing, and approving supply requests. This ensures that all purchases are necessary, fit within budgetary constraints, and align with the hotel's quality standards. A well-defined intake process minimizes errors and overspending, optimizes inventory levels, and prevents acquisition delays. It enhances operational efficiency and guest satisfaction by enabling timely updates and maintenance of hotel amenities.
Assign approvers
Having an order approval process for hotel supplies helps procurement teams control spending and sourcing. It offers a crucial checkpoint to verify that each purchase request aligns with budget allocations and operational needs. Involving key stakeholders in the approval phase fosters budget accountability, curbs maverick spend, and supports informed decision-making.
Evaluate your needs
Conducting an audit to understand supply needs helps teams assess current inventory levels, identify frequently used items, and anticipate future demand based on occupancy rates and seasonal trends. Understanding supply requirements aids purchasing teams in making informed decisions and buying appropriate quantities of necessary supplies without excess. This prevents waste and ensures the hotel operates smoothly while maintaining consistent quality standards for guests.
Set your budget
Establishing a budget for hotel supplies is a cornerstone of financial and operational strength in the hospitality industry. A well-managed budget, especially a dynamic one with software-based controls, guides the procurement process toward more strategic spending and cost-saving opportunities. It ensures supply expenditures align with the hotel's financial goals and operational requirements, preventing overspending and maximizing resource utilization. Some businesses start out using a hotel budgeting template before fully centralizing spend information with software.
Compare vendors
Strategic sourcing and vendor comparison play pivotal roles in sourcing hotel supplies. By evaluating suppliers' performance, hotels can identify those offering the best value, which includes balancing cost, quality, and reliability. This comparison makes negotiating more effective, thus reducing overall expenses.
Vendor performance analysis also helps teams understand supplier strengths and weaknesses. It enables hotels to establish strong partnerships with vendors who can reliably meet their needs and adapt to changing demands, ensuring consistent supply and quality levels.
Analyze past spend
Spend analysis is an essential tool in sourcing hotel supplies, as it helps hotels spot patterns and identify future needs. It offers a clear view of past expenditures and highlights areas where companies can optimize costs. Spend analysis also aids negotiations, helps consolidate suppliers, and pinpoints areas for reduction or streamlining.
Hotel Budgeting Template
Growing a hotel business calls for strong process, cost savings, and commitment to guest satisfaction. Download this hotel budgeting template to achieve all three.
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4 Ways to make hotel supplies purchasing easier
There are many improvements to the procurement process that can make supplies purchasing easier and more efficient. Building best practices into your organization's process unlocks valuable benefits, streamlines operations, and helps increase visibility.
Consider integrating the following four best practices into your hotel supplies procurement process:
- Build strong supplier relationships: Researching high-quality vendors and developing a preferred vendor pool helps reduce the pitfalls of transactional procurement. Establishing rapport with reliable suppliers can lead to more favorable terms, such as bulk discounts, flexible payment options, and priority during supply shortages.
- Adopt a centralized purchasing strategy: Centralizing the purchasing process for multiple properties under the same management can achieve economies of scale, simplify supplier management, and ensure consistency in product quality across all locations.
- Practice spend analysis: Make spend analysis a regular practice rather than a one-time or ad-hoc activity. Continuous monitoring of expenditures helps hotels identify new saving opportunities, track budget compliance, and adjust strategies according to market trends.
- Leverage technology: Use hospitality procurement software to streamline the purchasing process. These tools can automate orders based on inventory levels, predict future needs, and even integrate with suppliers for real-time availability and pricing. Lark Hotels uses Order.co to centralize and manage purchases for its fast-growing hotel chain.
By implementing these strategies, hotels simplify supply chain management processes, improve efficiency in purchasing hotel supplies, and ultimately contribute positively to both guest experiences and bottom-line results.
How a procurement platform streamlines hotel supplies purchasing
A procurement platform simplifies procurement of hotel supplies by centralizing the purchasing process into a single, intuitive interface. Consolidation enhances efficiency and unlocks better pricing through aggregated buying power and access to a broader network of suppliers.
Procurement platforms also enable the automation of repetitive workflows that pertain to requisitions, approvals, invoice processing, and payments. They significantly reduce manual tasks and potential errors while ensuring hotels can maintain inventory levels, respond to operational demands, and allocate resources as needed.
Order.co is an all-in-one, user-friendly procurement platform that improves visibility and accessibility for ordering hotel supplies in every category. The platform combines the ease of a curated supplies catalog with strong process automation, accounts payable features for invoice and payment processing, and in-depth reporting so teams always have granular access to spend data.
To learn more about streamlining hotel procurement, schedule a demo of Order.co.
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