Purchasing for Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry is a multibillion income generating industry for many nations around the world especially for those nations that have incorporated tourism as one of the nation's income generating earners. This is because due to the diverse flora and fauna in these nations tourists prefer to visit them and have a feel of Mother Nature. One of the nations' that has established herself on the international market as a leader in the hospitality industry is Kenya. The nations' flora and fauna ranges from mountains, national parks to beaches; it is important to note that 8^th wonder of the world, the wild beast migration is found in this great nation located in East Africa. One of the challenges that face nations that have invested in the hospitality industry is when it comes to the purchasing of non food expenses and services.

The purpose this paper will be to focus on the criteria that nations' and investors should consider when it comes to purchasing of non food expenses and services. The paper will look at things that the proprietors need to consider when they plan to purchase furniture, equipment and other fixtures. Under this the paper will discuss the impact that the choice of design will have when it comes to attracting tourists and the sales of the place. It will also look what ought to be taken into consideration when it comes to advertising, insurance, this is because in any business the marketing strategy that it adopts to will greatly determine the response it will get from its clients. When a tourist opts to stay at a particular lodge, one of the things that they take into consideration is that if the package they are given is inclusive of compulsory insurance cover, this is what the paper will expand on under the insurance segment. In conclusion waste removal and pest control factors will be discussed when it comes to sanitation.  In conclusion, the paper will give a summary of the important points that were mentioned and discussed in the research paper.

Purchasing for Hospitality Industry

Purchase of Furniture and other Equipment

The first thing that catches the attention of any person visiting a hospitality place is the type of furniture that the owner has used. The design and type of material used for the furniture will give the visitor a glimpse of the type of services he/she will be offered. According to WF, there are different types of wood furniture that can be purchased for the hospitality industry, this however have been categorized into two main categories, hard and soft wood furniture (WF, 2010). Examples of hard wood furniture include Oak, Walnut, Sherry and Rosewood whereas softwood includes Pine, Fir and Cedar. It is therefore important for the proprietor to consult with his/her interior designer on the best type of wood suited for different sections of the place. For instance, in a tourist lodge, the type of wood to be used for the furniture in the dining area should be different from the one that will be used in the construction of beds.

It is important to understand that wood is not the only material that is used for the making of furniture in the hospitality industry. Another most unique but commonly used material is wrought iron. According to Caxton, wrought iron can be used for both interior and exterior decorations of a place. For the interior, wrought iron which is soft iron and easy to work with can be used for making switch plates, patio furniture, dining furniture and bedroom fitting among others. For the exterior wrought iron can be used gazebos, gates, benches among other (Caxton, 2007). Having mentioned the two main materials mostly used for the furniture in the hospitality industry, the responsibility lies with the interior designers and decorators to ensure that the material they will settle for will be of the best quality, easy to use and environmental friendly.

Advertising Strategy for the Hospitality Industry

The success of most business depends on the advertising strategy that the sales and marketing of the company or business venture role out. Advertising strategy is the plan that a company uses to create awareness of its existence and market its products and services to the end user (consumer). In the hospitality industry especially the tourism sector there are pick and off pick seasons when business is low and high and therefore a good business should have different strategies for both seasons. According to Advertising Strategies, there are five main marketing plans that the players in the hospitality industry can use as a marketing tool and they are, how to define the companies SWOT analysis, the companies brand, how to understand the Psycho-Dynamics of the market, how to involve consumers in improvement of the business and finally how to penetrate the minds of consumers (Advertising Strategies, 2010). Apart from the above mentioned points, the proprietor can also use other marketing strategies like use of websites and billboards to create awareness of the existence of the business.

In the modern day business world, there are thousands and thousands of insurance companies and each of them claims to be offering the best package in the market; however while some are genuine there are others that are fakes and are out to swindle the hard earned cash of investors. There are a few things that need to be taken into consideration by the investors in the hospitality industry who are looking for an insurance cover. They are people and property and income and liability. Depending on the nature of hospitality investment, the proprietor should be made aware of what the insurance policy says about the persons it covers, does it give comprehensive or third party cover to the workers? In the hospitality industry and more specifically the tourism segment, most buildings are made of highly flammable materials like makuti, wood and grass. It is therefore important for important for the investor to be made aware of what the policy says about its compensation package when it comes to fire related accidents. The success of any business depends on how the management minimizes the liability and increase the income, it is therefore important that the insurance cover that an entrepreneur settles for will be one which will not interfere or "suffocate" the business during the low season.

In any environment, the most difficult challenge that faces the people in that area is how to control pest. There are different types of pests that invade our homes, offices and other places of work and in many situations people use the wrong method to terminate/control them. In the hospitality industry, there are a number of pests that can be found in a place; there are those pests that will be found in the kitchen, bedroom and depending on the geographical location of the place then there are those pests that will be found in the environment near the place. Herbicides are those drugs that control pests that are used to control pests that affect the growth of vegetation, insecticides pest control drugs are used n insects that are harmful to humans and finally fungicides are meant to destroy the growth of fungus which is a very dangerous (Agropages, 2005). It is however not easy for an unskilled person to administer these drugs and therefore it is recommended for investors in the hospitality industry to outsource for skilled personnel to help them in dealing with pests that can be a nuisance to the business.

It has been said time and again that "cleanliness is next to godliness", this saying is more practical in the hospitality industry. The general cleanliness of all the sections in the hospitality industry should be in an excellent condition; this is from the kitchen, washrooms up to the bedroom. The purchase of this service can be a tricky affair in the hospitality industry; however there are two ways in which an entrepreneur can purchase this vital service.

The first approach that can be used is by hiring and training permanent personnel for the assignment. For the services to be done thoroughly, each individual should be allocated an area to clean be it wastes removal, bedroom sanitation, kitchen cleanliness or washroom sanitation. There should also be personnel who are responsible for the trimming and keeping the hedges in a good condition. The challenge of this however is that the cost of implementing this can be a bit expensive for the management of the place. The second approach that can be used in acquisition of this service is by outsourcing; this is where already trained personnel are hired on a contractual basis for the task of keeping the place in a sparkling clean condition. It however the responsibility of the management of the place to come up with the best strategy that will ensure that the sanitation and waste removal ran effectively and that it does not take too much of the company's' budget.

Summation of the Paper

The hospitality industry is one of the most diverse industries in the world, this is because each region has different cultural practices and this applies to the way investors purchase services for their hospitality industry. This research paper has covered some important factors that ought to be taken into consideration when making purchases for the hospitality industry. In the first section, the paper has discussed about the purchase of furniture and other equipment for the hospitality industry. The different materials used for the making of furniture and other equipment have been extensively mentioned in the paper and what the investor needs to know before settling for the best material. In the second part, the paper has critically discussed the advertising strategies that can be used in the marketing of the business to the consumers. In the last two sections, the paper has discussed the different ways that the investors can use in purchasing of insurance services and waste removal and pest control services.