What is FF&E?

In the circles of hotel and hospitality renovations, this is a common term. To the lay man, not so much.

So what does FF&E mean? It means Furniture, fixtures, and equipment. In this context it is directly related to the hotel and hospitality industry and relates to all the interior furnishings of a hotel location.

The furniture, fixtures and equipment is all the “removable” furnishing and equipment inside the hotel. These objects can be removed at any time. They are not “fixed” assets inside the hotel such as wiring, air conditioning, elevators, security systems, etc. It represents all the equipment that makes it a hotel.

As an example, this includes beds, nightstands, chairs, tables, desks, computers, electronic equipment, tables, bookcases, and partitions.

Most all hotels, unless they are privately owned, typically go through a lengthy bid process to complete their FF&E. It goes without mentioning that this is an expensive part of the process of building and furnishing a hotel.

The other challenge besides the high costs of FF&E is the selection of the right mix of furnishings and equipment that compliment each other and the hotel itself.

Most larger hotel brands, hire experts in the field of FF&E to assist them in determining all the various choices, costs, discounts, deliveries, installations, returns, and updates.

It’s an exhaustive process to furnish a hotel; some of which can consist of hundreds of rooms, restaurants, gyms, pool and fitness areas, bars, restaurants and meeting rooms.

As you can now see, this is an entire industry in and of itself right within the hotel and hospitality industry. There are hundreds of companies nationwide that specialize in FF&E Fulfillment and services related to it.

If you’re interested in learning more about the standards, one organization to look to would be BOMA which stands for Building Owners and Managers Association International.

We hope this helps with a brief overview of FF&E.