Incomplete project specification, oversized facilities at the expense of rooms or poor acoustics. We have compiled common mistakes in the preparation and management of hotel construction. As specialists, our job is to protect investors and correct mistakes before they cost them dearly.
First, a few numbers to stake out the terrain. Between April and June 2023 (Q2), 1.95 million people stayed in Prague hotels and guesthouses. guests. Statisticians counted 4.41 million in the same quarter. overnight stay. Slightly older data from 2022 states that there are 873 mass accommodation facilities with a total of 98,446 beds in the capital.
And these are figures from Prague only. Often there is news in the media about the opening of a new hotel and we at OM Consulting feel that there is a great interest in hotel construction or reconstruction. We currently have 6 such projects on the table, each in a different phase. Here are a few aspects to look out for in similarly challenging projects.
A hotel is a complex organism. Accommodation, catering, catering, housekeeping, parking and other services are not isolated variables. If this complexity is underestimated in the brief, it is easy for problems to arise in the later stages of the project, increasing costs and pushing everyone into unfavourable compromises.
In practice, we encounter, for example, that the assignment does not reflect the operational links. The communication between the different operations must be smooth to avoid unnecessary clashes between, for example, maids, receptionists and waiters – each of them needs space to work, but with good planning the size of the operational areas, such as corridors or staircases, does not have to be at the expense of the size of the rooms, restaurant and other functional areas.
For new hotel buildings, the structural system and modular network chosen by the designer is crucial. Improper sizing will affect the size of all spaces, from garages to room standards.
The hotel operator usually places requirements on the investor regarding the size of the facilities. In general: the larger the facilities the designer designs, the more comfortable the operation will be. However, it must not be overdone. If the facilities are oversized, the project must be redesigned to make the hotel viable.
The choice of air-conditioning, heating and related distribution systems also affects the investment and operating costs of hotels. If the selection is underestimated, the construction will become more expensive and inappropriate technologies will deteriorate the quality of the hotel environment and operating costs will increase.
The thoughtful design of the rooms, restaurants and common areas is pleasing to the eye and pleasant for visitors. However, if you design too many design elements into the hotel that are difficult to dust off or their regular revisions cripple the hotel’s functioning for half a day, the operation becomes unnecessarily expensive.
It is annoying for any hotelier when guests complain about poor sleep. Excessive noise in hotels is often caused by poorly chosen air conditioning units, lifts, thin walls, leaky windows or inappropriately located noisy areas such as bars. Unfortunately, acoustic deficiencies are difficult to address in the later stages of construction or reconstruction and must be considered from the start.
If you are planning to invest in the construction or reconstruction of a hotel, get in touch. We can help you at any stage of the project. For example, our colleagues in Project Management will make sure that you as investors get the peace of mind you need and that the project turns out well.
If you as an investor embark on a construction without a general contractor (GC), you will usually save 10-20% of the cost just by doing this. However, there are other benefits to well-done construction management (CMA), especially for complex construction projects or renovations.
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