The nature of the hospitality industry means that regular refurbishment and renovation projects are inevitable. Aesthetics and comfort play a substantial role in the guest experience – and your guests are your greatest assets.

Therefore, it’s important for your hotel’s fit out and interior design to be updated with modern styles and the latest technology every few years to keep guests interested and maintain a competitive edge over your competition.

However, undertaking a refurbishment or renovation project is no small commitment. It can be a costly and time-consuming expense that will most likely impede daily operations or halt them altogether.

So, before starting your search for the best fit out contractors in Dubai, it’s best to first sit down and properly think through how it will affect business in the short and long term. To start you off, we’ve put together a list of a few considerations you need to keep in mind when refurbishing or renovating your hotel.

1. Does the market situation require you to upgrade?

Are other hotels in your area hitting high occupancy levels that your property can’t seem reach? If so, this is a strong indicator to step up your game and upgrade your hotel to attract more guests and keep up with your competitors.

This is especially important in areas with high competition and innovation. It can be difficult to see a strong, healthy bottom line if your property looks and operates the same year in and year out in an industry that thrives on change and new, exciting concepts and ideas.

The UAE alone is home to over a thousand hotels, which means that you need a significant competitive edge to maintain solid occupancy levels. Naturally, the easiest way to do this is by reinventing your hotel to appeal to the modern traveller – but only if the market and economy require you to do so.

2. Will the upgrades make a significant and noticeable difference?

Aim to refurbish or renovate with purpose. It’s not feasible to upgrade your hotel every time a new interior design trend or style enters the market, so you’ll want to deeply consider whether your project will enhance your business and attract more of your target market, or if it will be a waste of money and miss the mark.

3. Refurbishment or renovation?

Depending on the condition of your property and how much work needs to be done, you will need to assess whether you need to renovate your hotel or simply refurbish it.

The difference is that refurbishments refer to keeping your property well-maintained inside and out, while renovating your hotel will require much more effort and time as it refers to enhancing the property with the necessary fit outs and designs to be more appealing to guests than your competitors.

For instance, if your showers are leaking or the water pressure is low, you’ll require a refurbishment to fix the plumbing. However, if all the surrounding hotels in your area are offering rainfall showers and you are not, you’ll want to consider a renovation to upgrade your showers to be more desirable to guests.

4. Pay attention to the typical alterations

If you need a major renovation to your hotel, then there are a few areas of repairs and upgrades that should be on your list. These include:

• New furniture and equipment in guest rooms and communal areas

• Upgrades in interior design, such as artwork, wallpaper, carpeting, etc.

• Redesigning bathrooms and installing new plumbing

• Introduce new amenities and technology, like wifi, a gym and any other modern conveniences

• Add on new rooms by building in unused or newly created space

5. How will the project affect revenue and occupancy?

More often than not, refurbishment and renovation projects can slow down or stop hotel operations, which, in turn, can hurt revenue and occupancy levels.

You want to ensure that your project is completed in stages to limit interruption to everyday functions, or you can opt to close for some time and have a fresh opening once your renovations or refurbishments are done.

6. Are the reviews suggesting an upgrade?

If you’re going back and forth between deciding whether or not you should upgrade your hotel, then we have an easy solution that will help you pick a choice. All you need to do is read through your online reviews and customer feedback.

Why? Because it’s easy for you and your staff to miss a crack here and a leaky faucet there, but your guests most certainly won’t. Take the time to read through the bad reviews and attend to the issues at hand before they hurt any future business and your bottom line.

However, if there’s no mention of outdated facilities or shabby-looking décor, then you might not need to shoulder the expense of a refurbishment or renovation.

7. Spread your budget out appropriately

The worst thing you can do is spend the majority or all of your budget in one place. Yes, the main focus of the upgrade is to make your hotel look and feel better to attract more guests. However, this will all be for nought if nobody knows about it.

Make the smart move and allocate some of your project budget to marketing and advertising to get the word about your new and improved hotel.

8. When should the upgrades take place?

Whether you choose to carry out your project in stages or all at once, you’ll want to do it during a time of the year where your business receives relatively low bookings.

For instance, if you know your occupancy is highest during the summer months or end of the year, you’ll want to ensure that you are fully operational with no interruptions. However, if you have a seasonal downtime during the colder months or middle of the year, then this would be the best time to undertake a fit out project as it won’t affect occupancy to have the hotel partially closed.

Do you need a fit out specialist?

When the time inevitably comes for you to refurbish or renovate your hotel, you’ll need the expertise and help of a professional contractor and interior designer who have the necessary skills and experience to execute a successful fit out.

Contractors.Direct offers a curated database of thoroughly vetted, quality contractors, interior designers and interior architects who can bring your vision to life, on time and on budget. Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to connect you with the right people for the job.