If you are new to the hospitality industry the acronym FF&E may be one you’ve not heard of however, it’s an important term for describing a key aspect of a commercial setting, whether it’s a hotel, food and beverage or office space. As Unique Deliveries becomes an expert in the FF&E realm, we wanted to share useful terminology that you may find helpful – whether you are new or a commercial pro.
What is FF&E?
FF&E stands for Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment. According to Wikipedia, FF&E is defined as “moveable” furniture, fixtures or other equipment that has no permanent connection to the structure of the building or utilities.
So, in essence FF&E are the pieces inside of a commercial building setting that give the space dimension and purpose. However, consumable products are not included in FF&E. During a hotel installation, Unique Deliveries will handle thousands of pieces of furniture, decorative lighting fixtures and equipment for food and beverage operations that need to be placed within each room of the hotel to complete the space.
How FF&E Works
FF&E becomes important during the installation into a new or remodeled space. For instance, a hotel installation is an elaborate organization plan that groups each piece of furniture together in order to be taken and installed in guest rooms, reception areas, restaurants and any other room/area in the hotel that requires furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Imagine a large hotel ballroom (prior to the grand opening) filled with groups of sofas, beds, headboards, chairs, lamps, desks, artwork and the list goes on. Depending on the number of rooms, so lets say 200 guests rooms, will require 200 of each piece of furniture, so a total of perhaps 10 specific pieces of furniture per room.
Sounds like a lot to keep track of – that’s why organization is really important. Utilizing a careful organizational plan and team work our professional staff ensures each piece follows the provided room plan and key for placement.
Storage for FF&E
Interior Designers determine and designate the specific items ordered for each room of the space. The FF&E order will be delivered to the hotel at the time of installation or to a storage area prior to installation. Orders typically are delivered in large batches and need to be held in short-term storage areas, then delivered to the hotel.
Finding a climate-controlled warehouse space is important to keeping the FF&E order in good condition. Cold temps or high-humidity and even bugs in some locations in the US all need to be avoided as climate controlled warehouse storage from these conditions.
Learn More about FF&E
FF&E is an integral and critical part of any commercial environment. Want to learn more about FF&E? Please contact Unique Deliveries and we’ll help you learn the ropes or if you’re already a pro looking for a bid, we can help there, too.
Contact Unique Deliveries at info@uniquedeliveires.com