Most hotel and HMO refurbs end up with four suppliers, four delivery windows, and four invoices to reconcile. That is not a supply chain — it is a coordination job you did not budget for.
Kent Traders supplies the complete UK hotel and HMO refurb in one catalogue: BG Evolve and BG General wiring accessories, Geberit and Grohe bathroom suites, Corby of Windsor hospitality appliances, Luceco commercial LED lighting, Astroflame fire protection, and Emco emergency signage. One supplier, one trade account, one delivery window. Trade pricing, next-day dispatch on stocked lines.
Jump to your stage
Why single-supplier sourcing cuts your real refurb cost
The headline price of any product is not what it costs you to receive on site. A 30-room hotel refurb can generate 80 to 120 separate purchase orders across four or five vendors. Each PO needs to be raised, approved, tracked, received, and reconciled. Industry benchmarks put that admin burden at £35 to £60 of management time per PO — on a 100-PO refurb, that is up to £6,000 in invisible overhead before a single switch plate is fitted.
Then there is lead-time risk. When the bathroom supplier slips a week, the electrical first-fix cannot start. The trouser press order becomes irrelevant. Single-supplier refurbs collapse that fragility into one supply chain you can phone.
The third cost is snagging at handover. A mismatched flush plate. A socket finish that does not match the light switch. A fire-exit sign ordered from a different vendor than the emergency luminaire it sits next to. Three vendors, three RMA processes, three credit notes. This is the snagging diary of nearly every multi-vendor hotel refurb.
| Cost type | Multi-supplier refurb | Kent Traders single-supplier |
|---|---|---|
| PO administration (100 POs) | £3,500–£6,000 management time | One PO process, one account |
| Lead-time risk | Slowest vendor dictates programme | One delivery window to manage |
| Finish mismatches | Common — different vendor batches | Eliminated — same catalogue |
| Snagging and RMAs | Multiple processes, multiple contacts | One returns flow |
| VAT and trade-account setup | Four separate applications | One trade account application |
The 6-stage hotel refurb workflow
A typical UK hotel or HMO refurb runs through six stages. The order matters — each stage's first-fix locks in what later stages can install.
Survey and risk assessment
Before ordering anything, two surveys must be completed.
Electrical Condition Report (EICR). A registered electrician inspects the existing installation and produces code 1 (immediate danger), code 2 (potential danger), and code 3 (improvement recommended) findings. Anything code 1 or 2 must be remediated under BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 before the property reopens. This survey determines what you actually need — do not order first-fix materials before it is done.
Fire risk assessment. Required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, updated by the Fire Safety Act 2021. The Responsible Person must commission a written assessment covering fire detection, means of escape, signage, and equipment. For hotels undergoing structural works, a new assessment is required on completion — not just a review of the old one.
These two surveys together define your bill of materials. Run them before placing any orders.
First-fix electrical
First-fix is the wiring stage before walls are closed. This is where you specify socket positions, switch gang counts, USB charging locations, and lighting circuits. Get these wrong and second-fix costs you three times as much to correct.
Minimum spec for a UK hotel double room (2026 standard):
- 6 x 13A sockets (ideally 8 for premium rooms) — two at bedside, two at desk, two near TV
- 2 x dual-USB-A/C sockets at bedside — BG Evolve USB sockets are the standard choice
- 1 x hotel key-card switch — BG Evolve PCDMBKYCSB (matt black) or matching finish
- Dimmer on bedroom lighting circuit — trailing-edge for LED compatibility
- Shaver socket in en-suite, outside Zone 2 — IP44-rated
- Emergency lighting to BS 5266 in corridor positions
BG Evolve's screwless flat-plate system in your chosen finish keeps every plate consistent from check-in to checkout corridor. The full Evolve range — matt black, brushed brass, satin brass, pearl white, polished chrome, and more — is available here.
Browse BG Evolve Range → USB Sockets →
Also: Dimmer switches | Hotel key-card switches | Emergency lighting (Luceco) | Shaver sockets
Bathroom suite and brassware
The bathroom is the most expensive line item per room and the most common source of guest complaints. Spec it as one coherent set — mixing brands at cistern and flush-plate level guarantees a snagging issue at second-fix.
Swiss-engineered. The standard for wall-hung toilets and minimalist hotel bathrooms. Sigma frames and flush plates are guaranteed-compatible with Geberit ceramics. Pair with Grohe brassware.
Browse Geberit →German-engineered taps and showers. Eurosmart and BauEdge cover mid-spec hotel refurbs. Grohtherm thermostatic valves are the trade standard for hospitality installations where scalding liability is a concern.
Browse Grohe →UK-made. The go-to brand for electric showers where mains pressure is limited. Quartz Smart is the best digital shower option for premium hotel rooms. Quartz Blue covers mid-market.
Browse Aqualisa →Solid quality at the right price for budget hotel and HMO refurbs. Connect Air and i.life ranges cover full suites. Faster lead times than premium brands in most cases.
Browse Ideal Standard →Also: Toilets | Toilet seats | Flush plates | Installation frames | Basin taps | Shower valves
For a deeper bathroom-only workflow with room-by-room BOMs, see the UK Bathroom Refurb Supplier Guide.
Fire and life safety
This is the stage most operators order last. It should be ordered at the same time as electrical first-fix — mounting points need to be agreed during the wiring stage, and compliance equipment ordered late is the most common cause of refurb delays at final inspection.
Required for a typical UK hotel under the Fire Safety Act 2021:
- Fire extinguishers — water (Class A), CO2 (electrical risk near boards), wet chemical (commercial kitchens)
- Fire blankets — one per kitchenette, one per commercial kitchen
- Smoke detectors — BS 5839 Part 1 Grade D in guestrooms, Grade A in common areas
- Heat detectors — in kitchens and boiler rooms
- Carbon monoxide alarms — wherever a fixed combustion appliance is fitted in a sleeping room
- Emergency lighting — BS 5266-compliant, Luceco fittings across escape routes
- Emergency exit signage — Emco Group compliant exit signs at all escape route decision points
- First aid kits — HSE workplace kits sized to maximum occupancy
Browse Fire Safety Equipment →
Also: Emergency lighting (Luceco) | Exit signs (Emco) | Fire extinguisher signs | First aid kits | Astroflame fire door protection
Second-fix and decorative finishes
After walls are closed and decoration is complete, socket plates and switch plates are fitted, dimmers are commissioned, and bathroom fittings are finished off. This is the stage where finish mismatches appear on the wall — and the stage where single-supplier sourcing pays for itself visually.
BG Evolve's screwless flat-plate system is the right choice for hotels where the aesthetic matters. The same finish family runs from socket plates to dimmer plates to key-card switch plates to USB sockets — every item on the same backplate system, ordered from the same catalogue.
| Finish | Best suited for | Collection |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Black | Contemporary, boutique, design hotels | View range |
| Brushed Brass / Satin Brass | Premium, heritage, boutique properties | View range |
| Polished Chrome | Classic hotel spec, contemporary residential | View range |
| Pearl White (Evolve) | Clean, Scandinavian, mid-market hotel | View range |
| Antique Brass | Country house, traditional B&B | View range |
| White Moulded (BG General) | Budget hotel, HMO, student accommodation | View range |
The honest verdict on finish selection: for a 30-room independent hotel in the Lake District, BG Evolve brushed brass is worth the premium over white moulded — the per-room uplift is around £40 to £60 on fittings, and it shows in the photography that drives direct bookings. For an HMO or budget chain, BG General white moulded is perfectly correct and considerably cheaper. Pick by property tier and stick to it across the whole building.
Housekeeping and guestroom items
Final stage before opening. The Corby of Windsor range covers everything in this category — built specifically for UK hotel use, CE marked, and available in matched finishes. Pick your property tier and spec accordingly.
| Item | Budget hotel / HMO | Mid-market hotel | Premium / boutique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trouser press | Corby 3300 | Corby 4400 / 6600 | Corby 7700 / Executive |
| Kettle | Corby Kensington (plastic) | Corby Canterbury (0.6L steel) | Corby Buckingham (1.0L steel) |
| Hair dryer | Corby folding 1200W portable | Corby wall-mounted 1800W | Corby Remington ionic 2200W |
| Welcome tray | Basic tray + sachet holder | Corby Richmond butler tray set | Full Corby matched tray system |
Corby of Windsor is the authorised hotel-grade brand — not general consumer appliances repackaged as hospitality. The difference matters when a guest presses a trouser press at 06:30 on checkout day and it fails. Consumer-grade units are not built for that duty cycle.
Cost banding by property type
These are indicative supply-cost ranges for the products only — no labour, no tiling, no decoration. Final figures depend on room count, finish tier, and specification choices. All prices ex-VAT.
Budget hotel room / HMO room
- Electrical (BG General, white moulded)£180–£320
- Bathroom suite (Ideal Standard)£650–£1,100
- Fire safety (room allocation)£40–£80
- Guestroom items (Corby entry-level)£120–£200
- Per-room total (supply only)£990–£1,700
Mid-market hotel room
- Electrical (BG Evolve pearl white)£320–£520
- Bathroom suite (Geberit / Grohe)£1,400–£2,400
- Fire safety (room allocation)£60–£100
- Guestroom items (Corby mid-range)£220–£380
- Per-room total (supply only)£2,000–£3,400
Premium / boutique hotel room
- Electrical (BG Evolve brushed brass)£480–£780
- Bathroom suite (Grohe Allure / Geberit Acanto)£2,800–£5,000
- Fire safety (room allocation)£80–£140
- Guestroom items (Corby Executive range)£380–£600
- Per-room total (supply only)£3,740–£6,520
Got your room count and property tier? Tell us and we will quote the full BOM within one working day — with phased delivery options if your programme is staggered.
Request a Refurb Quote → Apply for a Trade Account →Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to quote your refurb?
Tell us your room count, property tier, and target opening date. We quote your full BOM within one working day, with phased delivery options to match your programme. One supplier. One trade account. No coordination headache.
Get a Refurb Quote → Apply for a Trade Account →