Welcome to Meet in the Lobby, a podcast by Avendra International, North America's leading provider of hospitality procurement services. Avendra's lobby serves as the perfect meeting spot for the latest Avindra's industry, including unique perspectives and innovative solutions from the industry's leading experts. Welcome back to Meet in the Lobby. So today, we get to dive into one of my favorite aspects of hotels, and that's the outdoor experience. And so we're gonna look at this from both the guest perspective and from an operational perspective. You know, we'll dig into what are guests asking for? What are the newest trends? And how do hoteliers find lasting products and time the delivery of those products just right? But before we jump into today's podcast, Dorian, I hear you have about eight pounds of news to update us on. Oh gosh, I do. I do have about eight pounds of news to update you on. So here at the at the Murphy compound, we just brought about new life. You know? We just brought about a new baby boy. His name is Brighton. And super excited to guide him on the latest trends and tips for a lifetime. And we do have a a great podcast lined up for today, for sure. We have one of the, I wanna say gurus, the gurus here, when it comes to, FF and E, products and supplies. Today we have with us Michelle Maguire Keckler, the brand manager at Janus AC. Thank you for having me, you guys. It's good to see you this morning. Definitely. Definitely our pleasure. Well, I mean, we're talking about outdoor furniture. Clearly, I need a little bit of r and r in some of that furniture. But before we go there, can you tell us a little bit about your background and and your role at Janus AC? Yes. Absolutely. I have been in the interior design industry for a little over twenty five years, specifically in the hospitality sector for around eleven. I've been lucky to be at Janus AC for over eight years, and this is my happy spot. So I'm I'm excited to be with them for that long. Alright. Summer is here. We know that hotels are really starting to curate their outdoor areas to maximize that guest experience. So the question I have for you, Michelle, is what are some of the latest trends in outdoor furniture and outdoor experience as a whole? Okay. So we are seeing quite a bit of the use of flexible furniture. So what does that mean? Flexible furniture are modular pieces that can be reconfigured to utilize a space for multiple functions or different events that you might need. People are loving the communal aspect, the longer tables, the areas where you may have a couple of different people coming together, but still having maintaining their own spaces. We're also seeing the also the opposite of communal spaces with private spaces, such as cabanas, areas that maybe a family has sort of a home base or a hub to go back to. So it's sort of a combination of both. Those are really, you know, really great, but basically getting to a spot where you're creating a comfortable environment for people to enjoy the outdoors? Michelle, I resonate with that so much. Back in my hotel operations days, we had two sections of our outdoor pool space. One with chase lounges and cabanas, and the other was a dedicated f and b space for outside guests as well as hotel guests. And the one thing I wished we had considered when we purchased our outdoor furniture was the configuration of it. We didn't have a modular setup, so we were kind of locked in place when we had guests coming in, we couldn't reconfigure anything. But to that, I actually have a story about the pool space I just mentioned. And I have a question for you at the tail end of my story. So at this property, you know, let me take you back to pandemic return. We're talking almost summer of whatever year it was. Maybe it was twenty twenty, I think. Twenty nineteen, twenty twenty. And we all came back, and the key was to usher guests out to the outdoor areas. Right? Because social distancing, keeping six feet was the key and keeping people outside was just the remedy for the pandemic. And before guests came, we needed to clean off the chaise lounges. I don't think they had been cleaned for a few years. And so I broke out some degreaser and a pressure washer, and I started going to town on these Chase lounges to turn them from this light, you know, speckled tan color to the original white color they should have been. And let's just say the color I got underneath was not exactly what I was looking for. Dorian, no. I took off a little more than the dirt. So what materials are best suited for outdoor furniture in different climates? And how do you balance those aesthetics and functionality in outdoor furniture? Great question. It's very important that you have a relationship with the rep, so that you understand how to clean things. We definitely suggest you start off slow with a mild detergent and some water and kind of work in, you know, work in a little tiptoe in a little bit. But you also want to be sure that you have different materials that are going to handle the outdoor elements where you have, you know, mold and dirt and grime and suntan oils and all of these different things coming together. It's really important that you understand how you can clean that not only to, you know, for aesthetic purposes, but also to maintain the quality of what you've invested in. So part of the important elements that we're speaking of are, you know, things like outdoor fabrics. You know, those come in a wide array of textures, colors, and understanding what those fabrics are made of because quite often, those can be bleached. They have you know, and possibly not bleached, but more often than not, they can be cleaned. And so if you can understand, you know, how to maintain these investments, you're gonna get the most bang for your buck over time. I'd say it's it's fair to say that I possibly did not have the understanding for that. And to any previous employer who I who I cleaned your outdoor furniture, you know, maybe the next one, you know, will be on me, possibly. I love that. Honestly, Dor that was such a relatable story, though. I mean, I feel like we have all done that. It came with such good intentions. You know, I just really wanted to have a pristine looking property. Right? After so many months of being closed down, you know, you just want the guests to return back to a space that looked like, you know, it had been taken care of. So that was where my heart was. That is the perfect place for your heart to be. But, you know, you bring up a good point in having a comfortable space and a clean space and inviting space for people to come to. Now I was in Europe last month and I had a very long day of meetings. And so after that day of meetings, I slowly made my way up to the rooftop bar and lounge. I wanted a nice glass of champagne, look out over the sea, and I sat down and I was absolutely assaulted by a wicker chair. And I think I still have the mark to prove it. You know, and so I looked around and the furniture that, you know, some of the wicker had broken and become a little bit worn, and it it impacted my experience and not necessarily in the best way. And so Michelle, when when hoteliers are looking at outdoor furniture and taking all things into consideration, how do they create an environment that's inviting? Because this looked very inviting, but is also a comfortable space. I think it's very important to look at a few different elements such as soft seating, fibers that Right? Fibers that are smooth, that have have taken not only the aesthetic part, but the function of the piece into consideration. I think that's that's a big part of it. You want to see all of that come together in in a beautiful design, but it has to function at a certain level, just like you've experienced. And that is, you know, that's part of bringing together the balance of the aesthetics with the design and having the team behind you understand not only that, but you're in a commercial setting. So the function is raised to a level that is nothing like a residential situation. So it's important to know that all of those items are coming together. You're absolutely right. You you have to plan for the volume of use and, not just the aesthetic of the pieces. That is a very important point to look at when you are in a hospitality space. Planning out the function and the purpose of your outdoor space, bringing in elements that are not only beautiful but can function for what you need. So if you have a footprint that's used for different events or different setups, being sure that your furniture can be stored properly. One of the things that we offer is we do make our own covers. So when you have, let's say, stackable chairs, we can make a cover that will cover an entire stack versus individual chairs. So that's gonna help with the longevity of your product, and it's gonna look beautiful in storage because maybe you don't have a specific space to place these items. But thinking through the function of the space, the storage of the items, and and like you mentioned, how to clean them, all of those elements need to come together. So that's a very important point when you're considering outdoor, you know, furniture and FF and E. And thinking about planning, right? So in my LinkedIn, right now, I have several messages from Avendra and non Avendra hoteliers asking about when they should plan their outdoor furniture purchases. And while I think I know, Michelle, I think you are best suited to answer this question. This is the burning question we all wanna know. Oh, it's the million dollar question. It is. It is. And it is such an important thing to think about. With many hotels, you have these different points within your year, your planning. Obviously, finances come into play, but you really need to think ahead. So, for example, we just had Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a huge opening day for a lot of outdoor spaces. And if you're looking for furniture for Memorial Day, there are quite a few things to think about ahead of time. First of all, you're gonna have, you know, it doesn't happen overnight. So you're gonna have a design aspect, a layout aspect to think about. How, you know, how is this gonna function? What do we need? What colors are available? What's gonna, you know, what's gonna work for the space? But when you're looking, for example, for Memorial Day, we do recommend that that conversation starts four to five months ahead of time. And so that's when you're, you know, you're gathering all the information from cost to, you know, transportation and the logistics of getting it to your space, who's gonna unpack it, who's gonna put it out, how does it go together, you know, what are those needs to happen? But the further out you can think, the better off you're gonna be. And the more questions you will have answered, and it won't be a rushed situation where maybe you're, you know, you're not thinking through all of the elements or the functions that need to happen within your outdoor space. So, Michelle, what you're saying is is at a minimum, you can begin this conversation, let's say, here in the States, just after the holiday season. So maybe just after Christmas, but you probably should be thinking about this as you conclude your previous year's pool season. That's what you're saying? Absolutely. But the flip there is a flip side to that. For example, we stock over sixty one thousand products at a time. So we do prepare, you know, after forty five years of being in the business, we understand the hospitality schedule. So we do prepare for times like Memorial Day or the holidays. And it it it's it changes depending on where you are in the country. You know, there are areas in the northeast, the northwest even that don't utilize their outdoor space year round as opposed to in the south where we're using the outdoor space, you know, three sixty five days out of the year. So, know, conversations are really important and if you can find someone who's been in the space for a while, you can talk through, you know, all of those elements and maybe think about the different things that don't come to mind right off hand. Does it stack? Can we move it? Does it have wheels? Does it, you know, how's it going to handle the wind or the salt air or the snow? Those types of conversations can happen so that you do get the most out of your investment. And you bring up a really good point there because you had mentioned in the South, three hundred and sixty five days a year. But outdoor space, that's valuable real estate. And so, do you have any tips or tricks on how hotels can maximize the use of their outdoor space year long? So, absolutely. We are seeing hotels and different properties utilize spaces for different functions. A great example of that are cabanas. You know, you think of cabanas in the summertime, by the pool, you know, that sort of thing. But we're also seeing hotels get into utilizing those cabana spaces for different events, such as, you know, wine tastings or private dinners or spa treatments. It's not always the poolside activities that are happening within those cabanas, depending on the size. They're rethinking, utilizing the outdoor space, which you think of as, you know, ten in the morning to six o'clock at night. They're utilizing that into the hours are expanding. And so they're getting, you know, more money out of that space the longer they can use it. And that's amazing. I would absolutely attend a wine tasting in a cabana in the evening. I await my invitation. Thank you. Oh, in the mail. In the mail. Yes, absolutely. As we know, Michelle, there can be a little bit of a sticker shock when purchasing FF and E furniture. And so I'm wondering if there are any tips and tricks you may have to help hoteliers protect that CapEx investment. Right. So, yes, there can be a little bit of sticker shock. I think it is important that you have the conversation upfront about the longevity of of the pieces of the furniture. Part of that is being sure that you're working with a company that has, let's say, replacement parts. So if you have, you know, we do a tremendous amount of umbrellas and we offer umbrella parts. And the reason for that is that we all know operations gets busy. That random storm comes up. Next thing you know, you've got an umbrella that's toppled over or something's happened to it. And all you need is this one little piece to be fixed and it's back in working order. So being sure that you work with a company that has replacement parts, has the ability to take what you've already invested in, and help you tweak it to get it back online, I think is a huge part of, you know, companies supporting our hoteliers so that they, you know, once they do make this investment, they can maintain it, and it will last as long as possible. So at the property I spoke of a little earlier, the it was all of the furniture was set on top of stone. And in the dining room portion of that outdoor space, you'd have people pulling the chairs in and out. We would be moving the chairs and tables around for banquet functions. And over time, we would scratch up the stone. Do you guys have the little I don't even know what they're called. But do you have the do Yes. Yes. The little plastic guides, some glides. Sometimes they're they're metal plastic and that fit in the bottom of the legs. And those are, you know, available for chaise lounges. We know how, you know, guests like to make the pool space their own like their living room and pull chairs around and move them here and move them there. But yes we do have replacement pieces like that and I think on that note it's really important that you have you know the conversation about taking care of these because the person that's purchasing it is not poolside and they they need to be sure that you know that information is relayed to the you know the operations person to be sure that they're monitoring these glides and making sure that, you know, once you hear that one little sound, that little shriek, you need to go, okay, we need to do something about this. Let's let's be sure that we're taking care of not only, you know, the substrate, but the piece of furniture itself. You know, I always thought they were called little booties. So, a glide sounds so much fancier. I love that. Exactly. I called it a doodad, so I like booties better. Don't Doodad was all encompassing. Right, right. We're all well versed in all of those, you know, all of those different names that we end up with. Yes. That is so true. Now, I have to tell you, I have learned a lot today. I can't thank you enough for being on our podcast. And for those that are listening, how what's the best way for them to get in touch with you, Michelle? Well, you can find us at janus ac dot com, which is j a n u s e t c I e dot com. Everything is available there online. You can get in touch with a rep there, but see all of our beautiful furniture and start your experience there. That's fabulous. Well, thank you again for a wonderful conversation. And for everyone out there, we'll see you next time in Meet in the Lobby. Thank you, both. So one thing that I took away from our conversation was working with a long standing supplier that has replacement parts and maintains the timeline and lifespan of the particular models that they offer. Oh, I couldn't agree more. The number of times when I was in ops as well that you had a great piece of furniture, It was damaged and then you had to find replacements and that replenishment aspect is so key. For me in this conversation, what resonated and we'll make a joke because it's about the wine tasting, but it's the utilization of that space. You know, what what I stated earlier, I wasn't kidding. Outdoor space is valuable real estate, and so how do you maximize that real estate not just during the day? So the tips she gave in the evening, you know, using it for the wine tasting or even spa days, things like that. And I'm also seeing in some of the colder climates, they're they're tenting it or putting up igloos. Right? So they're still able to utilize that space and that furniture. That was a huge takeaway for me, how to how to really utilize the the space year round through that furniture. Like you said, every aspect, of that square footage of a hotel is valuable real estate and converting areas from revenue generating, from non revenue generating to revenue generating, and ensuring you can use those spaces for longer is just so important. This was a really awesome conversation. I'm so glad we had it. Oh, me too, Dorian. Me too. Thanks for meeting with us today. Interested in becoming a member of Avendra's procurement services? Scan the QR code on the screen or visit us at w w w dot Avendra dot com to inquire. To learn more about Avendra International and the latest hospitality news and trends, learn more To learn more, click the link in the description.
