Views: 24 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 18-08-2026 Origin: Site
The rooms are new. The layouts are still being developed. Furniture can be coordinated with the building from the beginning.
Renovation projects are different.
The building already exists. Some rooms may remain in operation. Floor finishes, walls, electrical points and existing joinery may already be fixed. The hotel may also renovate only part of the property at a time.
From our experience, this changes the way furniture needs to be developed, sampled and produced.
We do not treat a renovation project as simply a smaller version of a new hotel project.
It needs a different approach from the beginning.
With a new-build project, furniture dimensions can often be coordinated with the interior from the early design stage.
In a renovation, the furniture has to work with what is already there.
That can include:
Existing wall positions
Existing flooring
Door openings
Electrical points
Existing fixed furniture
Ceiling and lighting conditions
Limited access for installation
A few centimetres can make a real difference when new furniture is being introduced into an existing room.
This is why renovation projects often require more careful site information and dimension checking before production.
We believe this should happen before the final sample is approved, rather than after the furniture reaches the hotel.
One of the biggest differences is the project schedule.
A hotel may not be able to close an entire property for renovation. Instead, rooms, floors or facilities are upgraded in separate phases.
That changes the manufacturing plan.
The supplier may need to:
Develop the first furniture package.
Produce and approve samples.
Manufacture the first batch.
Deliver according to the renovation programme.
Adjust the next batch based on the updated design or project requirements.
This is very different from receiving one final furniture schedule for a new hotel and manufacturing the entire package at once.
A good example is a multi-phase renovation project we have been supporting at Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort in Thailand.
The first phase in 2024 covered 63 guestrooms and 3 suites. The following phase in 2025 expanded to 60 guestrooms and outdoor furniture, while the 2026 phase increased further to 120 guestrooms and outdoor furniture.
Because the renovation programme developed over several years, the furniture requirements also evolved.
Each phase therefore required its own sample development and approval before mass production.
That is the reality of a long-term hotel refurbishment programme: the project does not necessarily stay exactly the same from one year to the next.
We already recommend samples for new hotel projects.
For renovation work, we often consider them even more important.
A sample allows the project team to check how the new furniture works with the existing room.
It can reveal issues that are difficult to identify from a drawing alone.
For example:
Does the furniture feel too large in the existing space?
Does the finish work with the existing flooring?
Does the new chair sit correctly beside the bed or desk?
Does the colour work under the hotel's actual lighting?
Is the proposed furniture height practical?
A finished sample gives everyone something real to review before committing to a larger production batch.
For multi-phase renovation projects, this also gives the hotel team an opportunity to refine the design before the next stage begins.
In a new-build project, a late design change can be frustrating.
In a renovation project, changes are often part of the process.
The hotel may discover something during the first phase that influences the next phase.
A designer may refine a finish.
The owner may decide to change a furniture detail.
An existing condition may require a different dimension.
The right question is therefore not:
“Can the design change?”
It is:
“Can the supplier respond to the change without losing control of the project?”
From our perspective, a strong renovation partner needs enough flexibility to manage revisions without allowing every change to disrupt production.
That requires clear communication between design, engineering, purchasing and manufacturing.
Hotel renovations often involve both loose and fixed furniture.
They should not automatically be handled in the same way.
Loose furniture can often be developed and manufactured centrally, then delivered to the hotel according to the renovation schedule.
Examples include:
Lounge chairs
Side tables
Coffee tables
Desks
Dining chairs
Sofas
Outdoor furniture
Fixed furniture, on the other hand, may need to respond directly to existing site conditions and can therefore require local fabrication and installation.
This distinction matters when planning the project.
For the Dusit Thani Krabi renovation, Tongda's scope focused on loose furniture, while fixed furniture was produced on site.
That division allowed the different parts of the renovation to be handled according to their actual requirements.
Renovation furniture cannot simply be manufactured according to the factory's preferred schedule.
It needs to match the project's handover plan.
This means production planning may have to consider:
Which rooms are being renovated first
When each room will be released for installation
Shipping lead times
Site storage conditions
Packaging requirements
Final inspection dates
For a hotel that remains operational during renovation, timing becomes even more important.
Furniture arriving too early creates storage problems.
Furniture arriving too late can delay room completion.
A reliable renovation supplier therefore needs to understand the project programme, not just the production order.
Phased renovation creates another challenge.
A hotel may renovate part of the property in one year and another part later.
The furniture may be produced months or even years apart.
The question then becomes:
Can the new furniture still match the approved design standard?
This is especially important for:
Wood veneers
Paint finishes
Upholstery
Metal finishes
Hardware
Furniture dimensions
Natural materials can change between production batches, which is why specifications, samples and material control need to remain part of the project record.
For a long-running renovation programme, consistency is not something to check only at the end.
It needs to be controlled throughout the project.
If we were preparing a hotel renovation furniture project from the beginning, we would focus on five things.
1. Measure Existing Conditions Early
Do not assume the original drawings perfectly match the hotel as it exists today.
2. Approve a Real Sample Before Bulk Production
A sample gives the project team a much better reference than drawings alone.
3. Separate Fixed and Loose Furniture Responsibilities
This avoids confusion about what is manufactured centrally and what needs to be completed on site.
4. Plan Production Around the Renovation Programme
The factory schedule should support the hotel's schedule, not work independently from it.
5. Keep Earlier Approved Samples and Specifications
This becomes particularly important when a renovation extends over several years.
A furniture factory may be very capable at producing standard hotel furniture.
That does not automatically mean it is experienced with renovation projects.
Renovation work requires a different kind of coordination.
The supplier needs to be comfortable with:
Existing-site conditions
Partial room releases
Phased production
Design revisions
Sample re-approval
Mixed production batches
Tight delivery windows
From our experience, the best renovation projects are rarely the ones with the most complicated furniture.
They are the ones where the supplier understands that the building, the programme and the furniture all need to work together.
We do not believe hotel renovation furniture should be treated as “new hotel furniture, but with fewer rooms”.
The constraints are different.
The schedule is different.
The way samples are reviewed is different.
And the relationship between the furniture and the existing building is different.
For that reason, the earlier a supplier understands the renovation programme and existing conditions, the easier it becomes to control the project later.
That is particularly important when a renovation is delivered over several phases and the furniture programme continues for more than one year.
Before appointing a furniture supplier for a renovation project, we recommend asking:
Have they completed phased hotel renovation projects before?
Can they work with existing site conditions?
Do they develop samples before bulk production?
How do they manage design changes between renovation phases?
Can they separate loose and fixed furniture responsibilities clearly?
Can their production schedule follow the hotel's handover programme?
How do they maintain consistency between different production batches?
The right supplier does more than manufacture furniture.
They need to understand what changes when the hotel already exists.
Is hotel renovation furniture different from furniture for a new hotel?
Yes. Renovation projects need to work around existing spaces, finishes, services and operating schedules, so site coordination and phased production often become more important.
Why are samples particularly important for hotel renovations?
A physical sample allows the team to check the furniture against the existing room, including dimensions, finishes, proportions and overall appearance, before committing to bulk production.
Can a hotel remain open during furniture renovation?
Yes. Many refurbishment programmes are carried out in phases so parts of the hotel can continue operating while rooms or facilities are upgraded.
Should loose and fixed furniture be handled differently?
Often, yes. Loose furniture can usually be manufactured centrally, while fixed furniture may need to respond to existing site conditions and be completed locally.
Can a renovation project change during different phases?
Yes. Design details, quantities and furniture requirements can change as the project progresses. A capable supplier needs a controlled process for sampling, revision and production.
