Bed manufacturer Hypnos puts planning and communication front and centre with its hospitality partners…
Hospitality businesses are currently operating in a new landscape, as they adapt to overcome the unique set of challenges that the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have thrown at them, coupled with more cautious guests.
However, one thing that remains universal is the need for high-quality and environmentally friendly products and trusted brands with hassle-free service experiences, either as part of a refurbishment project or the opening of a brand-new property.
Barry Owen-Smith, Area Sales Manager at Hypnos Contract Beds (HCB) outlines the benefits of the historic British bed manufacturer and its specialist hospitality team working closely with and supporting the industry as many of its partners, big and small, face a difficult landscape.
“2020 was extremely challenging for all our hospitality partners, whether international hotel chains, independent boutique hotels or serviced apartments – not only in the UK but across Europe and the rest of the world. However, we’re continuing to work even closer than ever before with these brands and their interior design and procurement teams to understand their challenges and help them move forwards.
“There can be no hiding from the fact that both the practical needs of the hospitality guest and the mindset which they have at the point of purchase has significantly changed from where it was this time last year. Guests are looking for even more reassurance from their hospitality accommodation provider but the core need at the heart of the industry is providing supreme comfort and a memorable night’s sleep. Indeed, it’s one of the few things that has remained consistent when it comes to guest satisfaction.
“Hospitality accommodation providers, whether operating a boutique hotel with 40 bed rooms or an up-scale international branded hotel with 400 bed rooms, all need to manage refurbishments and new bed installations in a seamless and efficient way – both in terms of cost, safety, timings and logistics.
“We know that there are a range of issues facing every hospitality business when they tackle large scale renovations or refurbishments and need to kit out bed rooms and suites. Lots of these centres around: cost, design specifications, staggered delivery, health & safety during installation & disposal and keeping disruption to guests to an absolute minimum – all of which can be managed with prior planning and detailed preparation.
“Providing a bespoke yet structured project plan and solution is key to ensuring that any of our hospitality partners is able to receive exactly what they’re looking for and with complete satisfaction. At the heart of this is two-way communication, regardless of the size or complexity of the product and service solution. Hypnos has a step-by-step process to manage this and seeks to be part of their team – from initial enquiry right through to product aftercare.”
Hypnos’ eight step sleep plan:
- An individual project manager is allocated, who then works with the brand to pull together a detailed set of requirements for the job including products, sizing, design influences. This is used to create a timeline and schedule of delivery with a programme of all costs
- HCB then produces a bespoke design specification encompassing the likes of headboards, mattresses, divans with hidden underbeds, zip and link beds, sofa beds and whatever else is required
- Importantly, as cashflow can be an issue for hospitality businesses at this time, an alternative finance agreement such as leasing over the life of the bedroom can be made available, enabling HCB to provide relief to its partners
- HCB works with the partner brand to agree a sleep system covering a choice of comfort, with all products conforming to Crib 5 Fire Retardancy Standards. All of this is then backed up with a five-year quality guarantee to ensure absolute peace of mind
- The project manager works in partnership with the site personnel to create a meticulously planned logistics and delivery plan for the provision, taking into account all safety and efficiency elements to ensure installation and old bed disposal with minimal disruption to guests
- Providing an end of life solution for old beds is crucial for the sustainability of the industry and HCB takes old products away to secure waste transfer sites, so 100% can avoid landfill and be recycled back into materials that add value and benefits to other industries
- Hypnos does not stop at product delivery, as there are a range of essential extras that can provide an added layer of sustainable sleep comfort, such as pillows, mattress protector’s and toppers. HCB works with the partner on any additional provisions needed to enhance the sleep experience of guests
- Finally, HCB works in partnership with clients once the provision is completed in order to constantly provide sleep support – whether that’s with the addition of sofa beds, new bedding, upgrades for superior suites or from a marketing perspective in terms of sharing their brand and sustainability story with guests
Owen-Smith said: “Whether it’s with smaller boutique hotels or large hotel chains, we’ve seen similar trends emerge across our partner portfolio. There is an increased level of consideration going into the configuration of rooms and how these are set out in terms of social distance, with people often staying in these rooms with family or friends within their ‘bubble’. Therefore, hospitality accommodation providers are needing to manage higher occupancy with space saving pull out underbeds and sofa beds.”
As restoring confidence in the hygiene and safety of their properties is of the utmost importance, hospitality providers should be actively involving their suppliers and installers in the process, creating proactive and robust new measures to meet and go above and beyond both government and industry guidelines for health and safety.
Owen-Smith continues: “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from clients who appreciate the lengths we’ve gone to, particularly in terms of provision of Personal Protective Equipment for delivery teams. For instance, our team will arrive wearing face and shoe coverings as well as protective outerwear, which has been very well received by our hospitality partners. As well as this, our team has received training in social distancing and contactless interaction and this is something which could be a long-term impact of the pandemic on our practices moving forwards.”
“Whilst our processes have of course been adapted slightly due to the pandemic with further risk assessments needed for example, the foundations of our process – communication and co-operation – have become even more pertinent.
“As we look to the future and the evolving landscape of the hospitality industry, we look forward to continuing to adapt to be able to support our partners in the most sustainable and long-lasting way.”
Hypnos is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.
Main image credit: Hypnos
