With a new year about to begin, the hospitality industry is expected to place substantial orders for hotel furniture as tens of thousands of new rooms open for business nationwide.
A report from the Hospitality Professionals Association (HOSPA) following its recent HOSPACE 2013 conference at the Sofitel Heathrow cites research by PricewaterhouseCoopers and STR Global.
The study predicts around 20,000 new rooms will be available in UK hotels in 2014 alone - and while that might sound like a substantial increase in supply, demand will also remain proportionally high.
As a result, rooms in London are expected to be occupied for 82% of the time, while elsewhere in the country a respectable occupancy rate of 71% is forecasted.
This nationwide average of more than 70% of rooms occupied on any given day of the year makes the UK the top-ranked country in Europe, according to the research.
"With international travel volumes increasing, all inbound to the UK, it is no surprise that the UK has the highest pipeline [of new rooms], followed by Germany and Russia," reports HOSPA.
In a subsequent Leaders Panel session, industry experts agreed that maintaining occupancy rates is a key priority for the hospitality sector over the coming year, along with a focus on pay rises when capital becomes available, tackling rising energy prices, and coping with increasing food costs.
The broad nature of these concerns demonstrates the breadth of the hospitality business as a sector, with owners and managers facing the need to remain profitable, reward staff for their efforts, and provide residents with a high standard of comfortable accommodation and related services such as catering.
With a large number of rooms needing to be furnished to a high standard in the coming months, placing the right hotel furniture orders should also be a priority in order to meet the core expectations of customers who want their room to provide them with a place to rest and relax both in the daytime and overnight.
Doing so should help to drive occupancy rates and profits higher, unlocking the much-needed capital that is required in order to tackle the other concerns raised at HOSPACE 2013.