Frequently Asked Questions
Hospitality Interior Design FAQs
How much does a hospitality interior designer charge to design a hotel?
Hospitality interior design fees depend on the hotel’s square footage, room count, and the project scope and level of service. Firms may charge a fixed fee, hourly rate, per-square-foot fee, percentage of project cost or a hybrid. Pricing is also affected by renovation versus new construction, brand requirements, model-room requirements, guestroom and public-area scope, customization level, documentation, count of included site visits, project duration, procurement involvement and construction administration.
What types of projects fall under hospitality interior design?
Hospitality interior design covers guest-focused environments such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, meeting and convention centers, cafés, lounges, spas, and private country clubs. Within a hotel, the scope may include guestrooms, corridors, lobbies, restaurants, meeting rooms, ballrooms, fitness areas and pool or amenity spaces. The discipline focuses on guest experience while also accounting for operations, durability, maintenance, brand standards and staff needs.
How long does hospitality interior design take?
Hospitality interior design from concept to brand approval can take up to six months for a focused-service renovation, and considerably longer for a large or complex new construction hotel project. The schedule depends on design phases, owner and brand review requirements, permitting, construction coordination, procurement lead times and whether work must be phased around hotel operations. Custom furniture, decorative lighting and imported materials can add time, so hiring the interior designer well at least 12 months in advance of the PIP deadline for a soft goods renovation provides ample time to achieve project timeline goals.
How far in advance should an interior designer be hired for a hotel renovation project?
The ideal lead-time depends on the type and complexity of the project.
Renovation of Focused-Service Hotels: We recommend engaging an interior designer 9–12 months before the renovation start date. This allows adequate time for design development, brand and owner approvals, FF&E budgeting and procurement, and longer-lead-time items.
Renovation of Full-Service Hotels and More Complex Projects: We recommend engaging an interior designer at least 12 months before the renovation start date. These projects often involve additional design milestones, presentations and renderings, more extensive brand and stakeholder approvals, and highly customized FF&E that requires additional time for shop drawings and manufacturing.
How far in advance should an interior designer be hired for a new-construction hotel development?
For a new-construction hotel project, an interior designer’s insights can be especially valuable to the hotel development team. AKDG would suggest engaging the interior designer for early coordination and insights needed to mitigate the risk of architectural re-design expenses while keeping the project on schedule. This is often 12-18 months before the projected hotel ground-breaking.
Specific guidance by segment is as follows:
Full-Service, Lifestyle, and Boutique Hotels: For new-construction lifestyle-branded or boutique hotels, the interior designer is often engaged earlier and during the architectural schematic design phase.
Focused-Service Hotels: For new-construction hotels that are closely aligned with brand prototype architecture, the interior designer is engaged slightly later, commonly during the design documention phase of the architectural services.
Is restaurant and bar design considered hospitality interior design?
Yes. Restaurant and bar design is considered a core segment of hospitality interior design. Like hotel and resort design, it focuses on creating memorable guest experiences while balancing brand identity, atmosphere, circulation, lighting, materials and operational needs. Hospitality interior design can encompass restaurants and bars as standalone concepts or as part of hotels, resorts and other guest-service environments.
What is hospitality interior design?
Hospitality interior design is the design of hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, spas, clubs and other spaces built around the guest experience. It combines aesthetics with operations, durability, maintenance, safety and brand standards. Designers coordinate layouts, finishes, lighting, furniture, artwork and technical requirements so the environment supports both the guest journey and the staff who operate the property.
How often do hotels renovate?
Hotels renovate on different cycles depending on property condition, brand standards, guest expectations, competitive pressure and planned Property Improvement Plans, or PIPs. Soft-goods refreshes may happen more frequently than full guestroom, bathroom or public-area renovations. Rather than using one fixed schedule for every hotel, owners typically evaluate wear, brand requirements, market positioning and capital planning to determine when each area needs work. The brands also use regular quality assurance audits to evaluate condition which is often referenced by hotel owners planning capital improvements.
How much does it cost to renovate a hotel?
The cost to renovate a hotel depends on room count, renovation scope, property condition, market tier, location and brand requirements. A limited soft-goods refresh is very different from a renovation that includes bathrooms, corridors, public areas, restaurants, building systems or structural work. FF&E quality, custom products, labor conditions, permits, freight and phased construction also have a major effect on the total project budget.
How much does a hotel renovation cost per room?
Hotel renovation cost per room—or cost per key—depends heavily on the property tier, scope, PIP requirements and FF&E package, so a single average can be misrepresentative. Owners should calculate per-key cost from the actual design, construction, bathroom, FF&E, freight, installation and contingency scope for the specific property.
Can a hotel stay open during renovation?
Yes, a hotel can remain largely open during renovation by phasing work across floors, wings, room stacks or public areas. The phasing plan must account for life safety, code requirements, contractor access, dust and noise control, deliveries, brand standards and the guest experience. Some areas may still need temporary closure, and the operator should coordinate occupied-room inventory closely with the construction schedule.
Who is responsible for a hotel renovation?
A hotel renovation is typically shared across the owner or asset manager, brand, project manager, interior designer, general contractor, FF&E installer, and procurement team. The owner establishes goals and budget; the brand may set standards, PIP requirements; designers develop the project; the GC manages construction; procurement manages FF&E purchasing and delivery; and project management coordinates scope, schedule, decisions and communication among the parties.
FF&E FAQs
What does FF&E mean?
FF&E means furniture, fixtures and equipment—the movable or replaceable items used to furnish and operate a property. In a hotel, that can include beds, casegoods, seating, decorative lighting, mirrors, artwork, televisions and window treatments. FF&E is generally distinguished from permanent building systems and structural components such as walls, plumbing, HVAC and elevators.
Are flooring and wallcovering considered FF&E?
Flooring and wallcovering are generally classified as finishes rather than FF&E. However, on hospitality projects, these items are often purchased and coordinated by the FF&E procurement company as part of the overall procurement scope. AKDG can manage the purchasing, coordination and delivery of flooring, wallcovering and other specified finishes alongside the project’s FF&E.
What is FF&E procurement?
FF&E procurement is the end-to-end process of sourcing, budgeting, purchasing and coordinating the delivery of furniture, fixtures and equipment. It typically includes vendor pricing, bid comparisons, purchase orders, expediting, freight, receiving, warehousing, installation coordination, punch-list follow-up and closeout. The goal is to keep the specified design aligned with budget, quality requirements and the project schedule.
What is considered FF&E in a hotel?
Hotel FF&E includes the movable furnishings, fixtures and equipment used throughout guestrooms and public areas. Typical examples include mattresses and box springs, nightstands, dressers and other casegoods, desks, chairs, sofas, lobby seating, decorative lighting (both hard-wired and plugged), window treatments, mirrors, artwork and decorative accessories, as well as guestroom appliances and equipment such as in-room safes, microwaves, dishwashers and refrigerators. The responsibility matrix can vary significantly by owner, hotel brand, and project.
Which hotel expenses are classified as FF&E?
Typical hotel FF&E expenses include furniture, casegoods, seating, tables, decorative lighting, mirrors, artwork, window treatments, televisions and similar durable items used in guestrooms and public areas. Guestroom appliances may include in-room safes, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, cooktops, and disposals. Freight, warehousing, sales/use taxes, installation services, and procurement services fees are also common in FF&E project budgeting. Accounting classifications can vary by ownership policy, capitalization rules, brand requirements and the specific item.
What does FF&E stand for in interior design?
In interior design, FF&E stands for furniture, fixtures and equipment. Designers select and specify these items by product, dimensions, material, finish, quantity and location, then document them in schedules or specifications. Those design decisions connect directly to procurement, where vendors are priced, orders are placed, production is tracked and the approved items are coordinated through delivery and installation.
What is FF&E in interior design?
FF&E in interior design is the selection and specification of furniture, fixtures and equipment needed to complete a space. The work can include product selections, finish development, specification writing, FF&E schedules, quantities, budgeting, vendor coordination and installation requirements. On hospitality projects, the FF&E package may cover guestrooms, corridors, lobbies, restaurants, lounges and other guest-facing areas.
Is FF&E a capital expenditure?
FF&E is commonly included within a hotel or commercial property’s capital project budget, but its accounting treatment depends on the owner’s policies and the individual item. The final classification should follow the owner’s accounting guidance.
What is the difference between FF&E and OS&E?
FF&E covers longer-life furniture, fixtures and equipment, while OS&E covers operating supplies and equipment used in day-to-day hotel operations. FF&E examples include beds, desks, sofas, casegoods and decorative lighting. OS&E examples include linens, dishes, glassware, cookware, housekeeping tools, small appliances and guest supplies. Hotels often budget and procure the two categories separately even though both support operations.
What is the difference between FF&E and finishes?
FF&E covers movable or replaceable furniture, fixtures and equipment, while finishes are materials applied to floors, walls and other surfaces. FF&E examples include mattresses and box springs, casegoods, seating, decorative lighting and artwork. Finishes include flooring, wallcovering, tile and paint. Although finishes are classified separately from FF&E, they are often purchased and coordinated by the FF&E procurement company on hospitality projects, and AKDG can manage these items as part of the overall procurement scope.
What is an FF&E reserve?
An FF&E reserve is money set aside for the future replacement, refurbishment or renewal of a hotel’s furniture, fixtures and equipment. In hospitality, it is often required by the franchisor and is often set as a percentage of room revenue. The reserve helps ownership plan for recurring capital needs instead of funding every refresh as an unexpected expense. Reserve levels and timing vary by property, lender, brand, management agreement, age and condition, so the reserve is often tied to an asset-replacement plan rather than a single universal percentage.
What is considered FF&E?
FF&E includes movable furniture, decorative fixtures and equipment used to furnish and operate a space, such as seating, tables, mattresses and box springs, casegoods, lighting, artwork, televisions and in-room appliances. Permanent building systems and structural elements are generally excluded.
What is FF&E for a hotel?
Hotel FF&E is the furniture, fixtures and equipment used to furnish guestrooms and public spaces. It typically includes mattresses and box springs, casegoods, seating, tables, decorative lighting, mirrors, artwork, televisions, appliances, and window treatments. These items are planned, specified, purchased and periodically replaced as part of a hotel’s design, renovation and capital-improvement program.
What does FF&E installation include?
FF&E installation typically includes requesting and receiving items at the project site, staging items, moving them into the correct rooms, unpackaging and assembling furniture, placing and leveling items, coordinating approved wall-mounted pieces and documenting damage or deficiencies. The installation team also supports punch-list corrections and closeout. Electrical, plumbing or permanently installed construction work may require separate licensed trades depending on the project.