Dressing down your hotel contract beds in time for the 2012 Olympics

Yes, the countdown has truly begun to the start of the ceremony of ceremonies! London Olympics 2012 is within reaching distance. It’s only a few months to go until it arrives. For all the hoteliers out there; there is still time to get prepared.

The guests started booking their places months ago and the big hotel franchises are already beginning to turn away customers as they are booked out. If you want to compete on this level you have to step-up to their level!

Provide your guests with the best you can possibly give them. Invest in your hotel facilities and accommodations in order to bring in bigger and better business. It’s really that simple. Our specialty is of course contract beds, but that in no way overshadows the other elements of a hotel that need to be maintained or improved upon.

That said, hoteliers know that the quality of their hotel contract beds can mean the difference between a satisfied customer and a complaint. Sleep is an important factor in everyone’s lives and it is especially important for the hotel industry where positive customer satisfaction is crucial to a successful business. The hotel contract beds make all the difference by providing a focal point for any room and assist in creating the perfect holistic experience for guests. Word of mouth spreads if you provide a satisfying enough experience.

There’s still time to get those tongues wagging!

Busy hotels often need contract beds that offer longevity, universal comfort and versatility. Millbrook’s International Collection predominantly caters to hotel businesses with a range of sizes and a variety of options that can be customised to suit the practical and aesthetic requirements of individual hotel brands. If you are willing to offer the best in your hotel rooms then guests will want to stay with you for the duration of the Olympic Games.

Millbrook supplies its contract beds to businesses large and small where the quality and value of our designs can suit high end hotel chains or smaller independent bed and breakfasts. We know what makes a good contract bed, how to tailor them to the hospitality industry’s needs and how to ensure that they give a good night’s sleep to its guests.

Millbrook Contract Beds has been in the bed manufacturing game for more than 60 years and we understand this industry more than any other hotel contract bed supplier. Trust us to help you bring in more customer satisfaction and up your street cred in time for the biggest event in the world this year!

Are you thinking of getting a rating in 2012?

For many hoteliers, having the very best in terms of star classification ratings is extremely important.  And during what is a tough economic time for many businesses, it is now more important than ever for you to maintain your level of customer service and comfort to guests.

The star rating system is an extremely effective way of telling potential guests about the standards that you have as a hotelier and can be the difference between what is considered ‘okay’ to what is deemed as ‘luxurious’.

Of course décor is extremely important along with the very best service and food, but the contract beds will also be important as that’s where your guests will be sleeping and indeed, any reviewer will be getting some shut-eye.

In terms of comfort, you can opt for lower budget contract beds, which will offer a quality of sleep that will be welcomed and certainly with Millbrook Contract Beds you will find the quality at this level to be extremely good.  But for superior levels of ratings and luxurious guest comfort, you will need to invest to get the best.

The good news is that should you be thinking of improving your contract beds in your rooms, a mid to high range contract bed from Millbrook has longevity and is therefore a very good investment if you’re seriously looking at improving your star rating.

Ratings look at pretty much every aspect of what you do and how you do it, right down to the type of towels that you use, but surprisingly perhaps while many hoteliers maintain a high level of service across most aspects of their hotel, they often forget about the beds.

It seems that there is an assumption that a new bed and mattress (especially if it’s really cheap) is going to suffice. However, there are safety implications between using commercial beds and the types of beds purchased by the general public.  It is these tiny details that hoteliers at times can get lost with, but that does not mean they should be ignored.

So, if you’re in the market for a contract bed, try not to opt for the cheapest if you’re serious about getting rated during 2012.  Go for real comfort as an investment in your establishment’s future and you will be surprised at the difference it will make to what you achieve.

We all like a good night’s sleep and expect it when we stay in a hotel, as every little detail is important to us.  We do not expect a bad back or neck ache, from an old contract bed and mattress that is past its use by date.

This will be even more important as we head towards the Olympics this year, when you can really optimise on people visiting the UK to watch the events, especially if you see it as a chance to really prove what you are and how you really excel against your competitors.

If you want advice on contract beds or you are preparing for updates in readiness to the Olympics or a star rating, do contact us for some impartial advice.

Comfort zone – a guide for the hotel sector

It’s been a while since we covered the basics of comfort in hotels and hotel contract beds. Our main interests lie in helping people find their comfort zone when it comes to sleep. In the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics we think the pressure on hotels meeting the demands of service and quality is going to be pretty huge, so our back-to-basics advice on contract beds is probably timely. Continue reading »

Hotel interior design options Part 1 – the Millbrook Contract Beds way

What are the benefits of hotel interior design? That’s the question that comes up quite a bit amongst the hotelier community when assigning limitations or increases on their budgets towards the process. Many consider hotel interior design as a one way expense, yet this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Admittedly, for some hotels there isn’t much need for a change-up in interiors and contract bedroom furniture, perhaps because they have recently undertaken refurbishments or there is nothing that really needs to be replaced or replenished at the time. However, there are many hotels in the hospitality industry that do need to undertake some serious interior design solutions.

Ask any hotel that has gone through the redesign process and they can tell you – a refurbishment can repay dividends; especially when you do it the Millbrook Contract Beds way!

An introduction to the Millbrook Contract Beds Way

Our 60 years of experience supplying the hospitality industry with contract beds gives us plenty to base our advice on. Hotel interior design is a highly important element of maintaining a consistent level of customer satisfaction. In our opinion, the better the standards of aesthetic, quality, service options and variety, the happier your guests will be.

But how do you do it effectively?

If you have read any of our blogs on maintaining contract bedroom furniture, specifically contract beds, you will know how to check for signs of wear & tare. It is important to know what needs replacing and when!

You want to find a balance between operational functionality and aesthetics. Through getting these two areas right you can conjure an ambience reflective of your hotel brand and experience. It really makes a difference if you want to stand out from the competition. Every hotel, B&B, guesthouse and residence has its own unique flavour and signature. You must recognise what it is that makes your business different and optimise the strengths inherent within that. For instance, perhaps your hotel has a running theme of medieval features from four-poster contract beds in every room to candle chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. It might be merely a quirk of the hotel interior design or it could be its defining feature, but you want to make sure you have fully optimised these qualities to stand-out and represent your unique selling points.

Your best course of action is to take inventory throughout the hotel and explore just what needs to be refurbished:

• #Guest rooms
• #Corridors
• #Reception
• #Dining room
• #Bar
• #Gym
• #Spa
• #Other

Once you have taken not of what needs the work done (if not the whole hotel) you can start drawing up design plans.

In the next part of this blog we will go into greater detail of the hotel interior design process in order to help you navigate your way through what needs to be done.

Contact Us at Millbrook Contract Beds for information on your contract beds and for impartial advice on contract bedroom furniture. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay in step with our community.

Rebranding the hotel sector – Advice from Millbrook Contract Beds

In the last blog we addressed what Hotel Refreshment involved and how the hotel sector was preparing for the expected boom of 2012. You can read that blog HERE.

This second part in a two-part blog series from Millbrook Contract Beds is here to address the other approach to hotel refurbishment – a complete overhaul in the branding of a hotel, large or small.

It’s called Hotel Rebranding and it is a program like hotel refreshment that is implemented by many hotels – sometimes on a rolling schedule every 7 years or alternatively whenever it comes due.

London in a snapshot

So what is hotel rebranding?

Rebranding is different to refreshment as it is a bigger job and involves a lot of work including reassessing marketing strategies, aesthetics, design and its sector positioning. Room rates are usually increased during a hotel rebrand, and you are more likely to see bigger chains go through this process. It is a much more corporate approach to refurbishment and it is on a massive scale.

The process can involve creating new guest rooms out of redundant or unused space, replacing facilities such as bathrooms and communal areas, changing layouts, introducing new guest facilities and services, updating technologies and new entertainment capabilities.

Basically, this rebrand starts from the contract beds on up!

In a hotel rebrand it is possible to see so much change occur that the brand itself is reborn leaving no corner of the property untouched, from bedrooms to public areas to restaurants and event spaces.

However, due to the nature of upheaval and the cost of time and money, huge rebrands are not as common as hotel refreshments. As we are looking at the arrival of 2012 sooner rather than later, many hotels don’t have time to rebrand themselves like this.

What are Green Refurbishments all about?

Green refurbishments are in keeping with green policies that many hotels are adopting around the world. 30 per cent of hoteliers are looking to install more energy efficient green technology using renewable power for their properties. Sustainability has emerged in the last decade as a dominant trend in hospitality and hotel refurbishments. Guests are getting into a mindset where luxury ratings are simply not enough. A hotel’s green credentials go a long way to sealing the deal.

Many design principles being used or flirted with in the UK hotel sector include recycling water conservation, energy efficiency and maintenance/longevity.

Hotels Go Green

How can Millbrook Contract Beds help?

We provide a service to our customers that helps provide quality contract beds and contract bedroom furniture of the highest ilk to their operations. Our design philosophy is uncompromising in terms of how the beds are made, so you know you are getting the best of the best.

Many hotels and businesses come to us for our advice and our quality of product. In the build up to the big boom or bad bust year of 2012, Millbrook Contract Beds wants to be at the centre of the demand and in the thick of the action. If you are planning a hotel refurbishment, whether it is a refreshment of guest rooms and contract beds, or a major rebranding overhaul on everything, we know we can help. Contact Us for some impartial advice or you can always follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Fuelling the demand for UK hotels – Millbrook Contract Beds

A drop in overseas travel this year has seen an increase in the demand for UK hotels. Millbrook  Contract Beds has been keeping an eye on the goings-on of the travel and hospitality industry in order to stay in step with what the needs are from people and businesses for this year and next.

Key tourist destinations in the UK such as London have welcomed the stronger demand from within the country for internal holidays from British travellers.  The Office for National Statistics stated that holidays to the UK had hit their highest levels since the early 1960’s. This is not just from British residents but also from overseas visitors, which is a very positive thing.

Millbrook Contract Beds has taken a closer look at the figures from 2010 and listed them here…

The countries who visited the UK the most in 2010:

• France 3.6 million
• Germany 3.0 million
• USA 2.7 million
• Irish Republic 2.6 million
• Spain 1.8 million
• Netherlands 1.8 million
• Italy 1.5 million
• Belgium 1.1 million
• Poland 1.1 million
• Australia 1.0 million

These statistics have continued a positive growth into 2011, and are set for an even bigger increase when the London Olympic Games begin in 2012 (see our Hoteliers Guide to the 2012 Olympics HERE). The nation’s capital, London, attracts a large majority of the overseas visitors, making it the most visited city in Britain. The next most popular holiday hotspots in this country are Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

These encouraging signs for British tourism show that we are still very much open for business.

But how do we meet this demand effectively? The events of the London Riots tarnished this good news somewhat by projecting a negative image of the UK to the rest of the world, but that image is recovering as we head towards the end of 2011 with the aspirations of 2012 being a booming success for the country, in particular the hospitality industries.

Millbrook Contract Beds believes that the answer in living up to the expectations and continuing a prosperous growth into the future is quality. For sixty years we have been delivering quality to all of our customers with our contract bedroom furniture which goes a long way to creating a great guest experience. If you’re a hotelier looking to capitalise on what’s ahead, reflect on what can be improved and optimised within your business.

If it ever comes to a problem with your hotel beds, you know who to contact to get them replaced. Millbrook Contract Beds has a fine selection for you to view HERE, or alternatively, Contact Us for some free, impartial advice. You can always like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to join our community too.

Buying a Contract Bed could get you some tax savings

You could be forgiven if you’ve missed a few significant things over the summer.  Especially if you’ve been busy keeping guests happy and running your hotels.

We’ve seen many hoteliers have a reasonable summer and they have had good fill rates overall and some at least have had brand new contract beds, which the feedback so far is telling us has reduced their complaints from guests – so we’re glad to see things are working well.

However, while we like to see clients do well in their business, we also like to keep an eye on the industry and bring you news which we feel is of interest to clients – especially when it can save them money!

So, we’ve got some news which you may find has some bearing on what you spend on any upkeep or renovations at your hotels over the autumn period.

So what’s the news then?

Basically from April 2012, capital expenditure allowances for businesses will drop to £25’000, which for anyone who is planning to spend money on expensive refits etc. will want to know about.

If you take note now and integrate your spending in line with what’s going to happen, then you could actually still get a lot of benefit from it in relation to your tax relief.

If you’re a business looking for a combination of ‘autumn improvements’ while making some significant savings on the tax you pay on your (hopefully successful year) then it’s worth making some purchases before April this year for sure.

In 2010, many businesses were able to gain benefit from tax relief on the first £50’000 of their purchases, which was potentially very good for business and while that amount increased this year (2011) to £100’000 the drop in April could really make a difference as it’s quite a cut in the scheme of things.

Further Advice

For more information on this it will be worth speaking to your accountants for specific information as there is even talk of benefits to businesses who shorten their tax year – but obviously Millbrook Contract Beds specialises in contract beds and not tax, so we’re merely pointing out an opportunity which you’ll hopefully get a chance to make the most of.

So, if you are looking at reinvesting your money in to your hotel for Christmas and beyond and feel that contract beds will be something you’d like to look at updating, do Contact Us for some free and totally impartial advice on the matter and remember to speak to your accountants for advice on tax relief as it could be the best purchase you make in a while.

We can help you through the options and also advise you on how to dispose of your old contract beds and you can always look through our blog to get information on looking after your contract bed too!

Millbrook Contract Beds explores the future – A hoteliers guide to the 2012 Olympics Part 2

In the previous blog Millbrook Contract Beds took you through the future of the UK hospitality industry as it stands in the shadow of the fast approaching 2012 London Olympic Games next year.

The question was stated; Are we ready?

The answer resoundingly seems like yes from the hotel sector. Other sectors of the tourism industry are looking to reap dividends from 2012. Estimations see restaurants and caterers will be providing over 18 million meals to athletes and visitors. That’s a lot of goods and services that will need to be prepped and ready to go in time – in turn it means that there will be a lot of revenue generated in return. The hopes of the UK hospitality industry are that this will reinvigorate and revitalise the UK economy.

As a contract bed supplier we are very much interested to see the outcome of all the build-up, supply and demand, but we also need to anticipate it. Contract bedroom furniture will be in ever greater supply come the start of the Games.

What can hoteliers expect from 2012 Olympic Games in the UK?

Well, the Olympics are set to strengthen the UK hotel industry by fostering more public-private partnerships. The long-term effects of such partnerships will have a powerful knock-on effect throughout 2012 and beyond; increasing tourism and perpetuating a long-term legacy of the Olympic event for years to come. In light of the recent London Riots, it will be a boost to the economy and the UK’s international image.

Prime Minister David Cameron pledged his support to making this event a success, placing the hospitality and leisure industry at the forefront of the country’s economic recovery. The government’s view is that the Olympic Games will act as a catalyst for this new business environment, particularly with substantial investments made to infrastructure and regenerating areas of London.

The end game here is to strengthen “Brand Britain,” which means opportunity will be knocking for almost all hoteliers.

How can hoteliers maximise this opportunity?

As with any opportunity, to take it with both hands requires work; striving to uphold the quality and finest standards of customer service. If the 2012 Olympics is to be a global event about the quality and hard work apparent in international sportsmanship, then the hospitality industry must measure up and reflect those same standards.

Millbrook Contract Beds has been supplying contract beds to this sector for the better part of 60 years. Our experience has taught us that quality has a trigger effect on everything that comes after it. If we as a nation of industry wish to be held in high regard, then we must continue to aim for the very best.

Hotels need their facilities and amenities to match-up to this. Contract beds and contract bedroom furniture are essential ingredients to this success. The quality of our contract beds and contract bedroom furniture measure up to expectations every single time, so if you’re looking to create the right aesthetic and comfort levels for the approaching waves of Olympic visitors – Contact Us to ensure that 2012 is just as big a success for your business as it will be for the country’s economy.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Millbrook Contract Beds explores the future – A hoteliers guide to the 2012 Olympics Part 1

The first question we have to ask is;

Are we ready?

The 2012 Olympics are only a blink of an eye away and the UK hospitality industry will be caught up right in the middle of events. It’s going to be a big year for the UK economy.

As a contract bed supplier, we here at Millbrook Contract Beds thought it was time to delve into matters by addressing the expectations and possibilities of next year’s radical shake-up of approaching trade. As demand for more space, rooms and beds goes up, so too will our responsibilities. We have a duty to our customers to deliver the finest quality hand-crafted contract beds in time for this boom.

As far as research into matters are concerned, studies and predictions have yielded positive results. UK hoteliers will need to position themselves in order to capitalise and meet the large demands ahead. Those based out of London from the small independent hotels to the large franchises will be in the thick of it, although the Olympic Games will spread far and wide around the country.

Current projections have speculated that London should expect 350,000 foreign visitors per day during the Olympic period.  At this point in time the UK hospitality industry is well-equipped to absorb this increased demand thanks to the creation of an extra 13,000 rooms in the region.

To help meet this demand there will be need for beds. Lots of beds.

That’s where Millbrook comes in.

Our mission has always been to equip hotels and residences with all the contract beds they can handle. It’s been our speciality for over 60 years. 2012 will be just another notch on our belt. For those area specific hotels, guest houses and B&B’s that will be looking to reap the dividends of such a prosperous influx, they will be needing quality contract bedroom furniture.

Our International Collection was tailor made for this kind of situation with The President and The Executive providing fine quality sleep experiences for tourists, guests, visitors and even competitors. In a previous blog we even addressed the 2012 Olympics revelation that beds were being custom built for athletes in order to provide them with the ideal night’s rest!

The Executive contract beds

What makes a hotel worth satying in is how good the guest experience is. What makes a guest experience so satisfying is the quality of the services and facilities and the comfort of the beds. It’s a no-brainer really and it’s not like we haven’t covered this in detail in the past.

Operators are quite rightly preparing themselves for a long, hard but ultimately profitable summer next year. Estimations predict that caterers and restaurants will be providing over 18 million meals to athletes and visitors during the event. That’s a lot of people making plans to come and stay with us here in the UK.

Optimists think that the 2012 Olympics is very likely to strengthen the UK hotel industry and the overall UK economy due to its fostering of more public-private partnerships. If all goes according to plan then we should be looking at a more robust, government-backed business environment for operators in general.

It looks set to be a very busy, but very successful 2012. Just make sure that you have covered your bases and that you are supplying the right contract beds so that you optimise your guest experience for one of the most important years in the hospitality industry for a very long time.

Part 2 in this Olympic blog series is coming soon. In the meantime follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

It’ll last forever wont it? Contract Beds and their life span

We all like to think that in buying quality when it comes to contract beds that we can get more use out of them.  While this is relatively true it’s very easy for us to forget that the amount of use will have an affect on its lifespan and can lead to a neglected bed which in turn can mean neglected clients!

For example, after a busy summer season in the hotel industry, many hoteliers are now thinking about the autumn and all the work they need to do to ensure that they’re ready for their Christmas season.

They will get the painter out, have that squeaky floorboard fixed and simply can’t forget about that dodgy handle –but the beds within the rooms are the one thing that seem to be forgotten about.

So, in this blog today we’ve come up with a pre-autumn season checklist for all hoteliers with contract beds to enable them to see just how much more wear and tear their contract beds might have!

1. Have you had any complaints about the beds?  This may seem obvious but it’s surprising how we can blame broken air conditioning, a small room, a window that won’t quite open properly and noise from the room next door, but the bed is the one thing that is never mentioned or forgotten about!  If you’ve had a complaint then why not do an overall check?

2. Have you checked your contract beds personally?  That’s to say, what do the mattresses look like?  Are they in good shape or have they seen better days?

3. Is the base of the bed secure?  Is there a screw loose?  Is there visible wear on the actual bed frame or divan base itself?  Again, this often gets forgotten as most of our efforts are spent on changing linen each and every day during busy periods – not really allowing us enough time to check things properly.

4. Is the headboard nice and secure?  If you’re looking for better star ratings in the future, you may want to know that a loose headboard is one of the things you can get marked down on in the hotel industry.  So, it’s important with your contract beds to ensure that the headboard is secure.

5. Is the contract bed mattress looking worn?  Are the springs sounding squeaky?  Is there a dip in the mattress from constant use?

These are just a few things worth looking for when it comes to your contract beds this season.  It’s worth not forgetting it because you’ll find clients who have a good night’s sleep are far happier than those who have experienced a contract bed that has seen better days.

If you want advice on new contract beds for the Autumn, then Millbrook Contract Beds can give you free, impartial advice – whatever your budget may be. Contact Us for more information or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for regular tips and updates.