Hilldrup Case Study: Tampa Element Hotel

Whether your stay is for drifting into relaxation or gearing up for business, the Tampa Element Hotel in Midtown offers the amenities and comfort guests are seeking in the city. Hilldrup’s goal to bring the vision of modern luxury to life within the hotel’s brand new, seven-story space was made possible thanks to our dedicated team, company-owned assets and our unfailing agility along the way.

Challenge

Hotels require many furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) to be installed and ready for opening day. From the obvious items like mattresses and mirrors, to the minor but important details like luggage benches and modern TVs, comfort and functionality matter. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new hospitality projects felt the stress of products, appliances and technologies being delayed from vendors due to the ongoing health crises. In this case, many of Tampa Element Hotel’s FF&E items were delayed by several days, other times weeks, while other FF&E items were backordered entirely.

Solutions

Hilldrup’s Logistics teams quickly realized that we would need to be ready to install FF&E items as they arrived on-site. Thankfully, as an asset-based company, Hilldrup was able to pivot seamlessly to accommodate our client’s timeline and needs. Our local install and service teams provided the flexibility where we could deploy them at a moment’s notice as well as scale up or down the size of our team based on Tampa Element Hotel’s needs. Many times, the plan for the following day would need to be changed the night before the project in order to accommodate the latest updates onsite. Hilldrup’s agility and flexibility made adapting to fluctuating timelines not only possible, but seamless!

Timeline

The FF&E installation timeline for Tampa Element Hotel was originally projected to begin in early November 2020 and wrap up by mid-December. However, due to FF&E shipment delays due to COVID-19, Tampa Element Hotel’s installation projects were completed by January 2021. Our accommodating teams worked efficiently to ensure that the timeline for the project did not exceed what was absolutely required for getting all FF&E items onsite and ready for install.

FF&E Stats

• 7-story hotel
• 47 sofas
• 115 guest rooms
• 115 desks
• 115 mounted TVs
• 115 vanity mirrors
• 115 luggage benches
• 115 task chairs
• 178 mattresses

From Our Client  

Hilldrup worked closed with Nate Kirwan, Senior Development Director of Concord Hospitality, which operates Tampa Element Hotel, from start to finish.

“I met with Hilldrup and immediately knew that they understood how a successful FF&E installation process works for a client in the hospitality industry,” shared Nate. “Everyone with Hilldrup communicated very well throughout the project and the team did an excellent job of pre-planning prior to the work starting as well.”

To ensure the success of the install project for Tampa Element Hotel, Hilldrup specifically focused two critical components of any install project: the pre-planning phase and the overall project management. Preparation was key to be able to install all FF&E items in the order, frequency and volume that they arrived on-site for installation.

We were more than happy to work with Nate and support Tampa Element Hotel’s install project. We appreciate their team’s trust and confidence in us to provide consistent, quality service!

Tampa Element Hotel invites guests to enjoy the modern luxury feel of their new, seven-story hotel in Midtown Tampa, FL.

Hilldrup’s Logistics team is ready to assist with a variety of FF&E installation projects. Our teams ensure that every detail is what you envision for your business and what your customers expect from your brand.

Contact the preferred partner of hotels and resorts, Hilldrup Logistics! We look forward to discussing your next project and the customized solutions we can offer you and your business.

Charlie McDaniel Author