Pre-opening amenity checklist for a new hotel

Six months out: decide the standard

Fix the category and the guest profile. Decide the full list of amenities for each room type, from bottles to slippers to tea station items. Agree the budget per occupied room night. Choose the fragrance direction and whether you need custom packaging, since custom work takes the longest.

Appoint one person to own amenities. Without a named owner, tasks fall between purchasing, housekeeping and the design team.

Also agree on what the hotel will not stock. A short list of excluded items prevents last-minute additions that no one has costed, and keeps the room clean and consistent from day one.

Four to five months out: sample and approve

Request samples from two or three suppliers.
Trial them in a show room or a mock-up room.
Score them using a shared form.
Approve the packaging artwork, with a printed proof.
Place the first order, with a buffer for late changes.

If you are weighing options, remember that a custom range lengthens the timeline, while a catalogue range is quicker.

Allow for bad news. Samples sometimes fail, artwork returns with errors and shipments arrive late. A plan that has two weeks of slack survives these; a plan that has none does not.

Three months out: calculate quantities

Work out the opening stock from the number of rooms, expected occupancy in the first months and the par level. For example, a 60-room hotel expecting 50 per cent occupancy in the first month and 1.6 guests per room will need to supply around 48 guests a night. Multiply by the number of items per guest, by 30 days, then add a first-fill quantity for all 60 rooms, a store buffer and a spare for training.

New hotels often run higher consumption at the start, because of inspections, staff training and extra checks, so be generous with the first order.

Do not forget items that are not amenities but arrive with them: signage cards, laundry bags, key sleeves and tea station items. They often use the same ordering route and the same deadline.

Two months out: storage and systems

Allocate a dry, ventilated store with shelves off the floor.
Label shelves with item names and par levels.
Set the reorder point and the person who places orders.
Prepare a simple stock sheet or register.
Check the trolley layout and loading sequence.

See the notes on par levels and storage for how to set up these routines. Small decisions made now prevent a rush later.

Check that the store can hold the delivery. A single pallet of cartons can block a corridor and slow the whole opening. Confirm the delivery date, the unloading team and the route to the store a week ahead.

One month out: staff and rooms

Train housekeepers in the exact set-up of each room type, using a photo standard. Run a mock turn-down and a mock make-up. Time how long the restock takes, and adjust the trolley or the item layout if it is too slow. Place the amenities in a few rooms and have the opening team walk through them as guests would, from entrance to shower to bed.

Check the bathroom with the lights as they will be at night. Labels that read clearly in daylight can disappear in dim light.

Take photographs of every finished room type and use them as the reference for training and audit. They will serve for years.

Opening week and the first review

Stock every room to the standard the day before opening. Keep a small reserve at the front desk for requests. During the first two weeks, record what runs out, what goes unused and what guests ask for. Hold a review after the first month and change the par levels and the item list accordingly.

Treat the opening list as a first draft, not a final answer. Use supplies information to plan reorders, see products to build your list, and request samples early in the timeline.

Keep the soft-opening feedback form short. Three questions are enough: what did you use, what was missing and what was never touched. Early guests, friends of the owner and staff families give honest answers if asked kindly, and the replies will shape the first reorder more than any spreadsheet.

Finally, record the opening quantities and the date of each delivery. That record becomes the baseline for every future par level.

Questions on this topic

When should I order amenities for opening?

Start sampling four to five months before opening, longer if custom packaging is involved. Place the first order with a margin for late changes.

How much opening stock is enough?

Enough for a full first-fill of every room, plus a month of expected consumption and a buffer for training and early demand.

Do I need custom branding at opening?

Not necessarily. Many hotels open with catalogue items and add custom packaging in the first year when the brand is settled.

Keep reading

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