Reception Desks and Concierge Counters Built to Your Drawings: What to Specify for Hotel, Office and Public Projects

Reception desks, concierge counters and service counters are built to a drawing, not chosen from a range. The same hotel lobby or office reception can need a long desk in sections, a lower accessible counter, a back wall with shelving and a feature front in stone or timber, and these parts are often made by different workshops. Quotations that look alike can leave out the back unit, the cut-outs or the lighting, so the specification has to name every part.

FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send the plans, elevations, quantities and the project location, so we can compare the same drawing line by line.

Product scope

• Hotel reception desks, concierge counters and check-in stations, in sections or as one unit
• Office and corporate reception desks, including low accessible sections
• Service counters for retail, clinics, aged-care entrances and public buildings
• Back units and wall-mounted shelving or feature panels that belong to the desk package

Guestroom pieces, lobby seating and restaurant tables come from different production lines. See our pages on fixed furniture and joinery, hotel lobby and lounge seating and hotel guestroom furniture.

What to specify before requesting quotes

Schedule field	What to record
Item code and quantity	One code per desk or counter type, with the quantity per site, floor or phase.
Plan and elevations	The drawing numbers for plan and elevation, the overall dimensions and the sections the unit is made in.
Heights and accessible section	Counter height, any lower or accessible section and the clear space the drawing shows, as the project states it.
Top	Material, thickness, edge profile and joint position, with the finish code and approved sample.
Carcass and front	Carcass material, front finish and any feature panel, with the finish codes and samples.
Cut-outs and services	Cut-outs for equipment, cable routes, power and data entries, and who supplies the parts that fit into them.
Lighting and branding	Built-in lighting, logos or signs, with who supplies the electrical parts and the evidence the project requires.
Fixing and joints	How sections join, how the unit is fixed to floor or wall and what site work the drawing assumes.
Evidence required	The test report or declaration the project specification asks for, with its edition, for the materials offered and the destination named.
Packing	How sections, tops and loose parts are protected and marked by site and item code, and which parts ship separately.

The table is a checklist. Add a line for anything your project needs that is not listed, such as card readers, privacy screens or storage inside the counter.

Build to the drawing, then confirm on shop drawings

A reception desk is made to the plan and the wall it stands against, so the shop drawing is the real specification. Ask each factory to redraw the unit from your plan and elevations, to mark the dimensions it relies on and to show section joints, cut-outs and fixings. Approve the drawing in writing before production, and treat any later change as a recorded change.

Tops, fronts and feature panels

The top and the front are what visitors see first. Name the material and the edge for each, give the finish code and ask for a sample that shows the surface, the edge and a joint. Where a stone or composite top sits on a joinery carcass, ask who confirms the joint, how the top is supported and how it is packed and marked so that it can be matched to its carcass on site.

Services, cut-outs and lighting

Cut-outs and electrical parts are where reception desk packages go wrong. Mark every cut-out on the drawing, say who supplies grommets, trays, lighting and power parts, and ask what evidence the factory can provide for the electrical parts of the exact assembly for the destination. Compare the answers before comparing prices.

Sections, delivery and installation

Long desks are delivered in sections. Ask how sections are numbered and marked, how the joints are drawn, which parts ship separately and what the installation team needs on site. Approve a packing and marking description that matches the item codes on your schedule.

Name the rules in the specification

The rules that apply to reception desks depend on the destination, the building and the materials, including any wood-based panels, stone and electrical parts. Name the requirement in the specification and ask each factory what evidence it can provide for the exact model offered. Our United States, Canada and Australia and New Zealand compliance pages explain how we approach the main rules. For a United States project, the accessible portion of a reception counter is read against the 2010 ADA Standards; our note on reception and service counters reads sections 227.3 and 904.4. Your specifier or certifier decides what applies to your project.

What to request from the factory

• Shop drawings for each item code, with dimensions, sections, joints, cut-outs and fixings confirmed against your plan.
• A description of the top, the carcass, the front and any feature panel, with the sample reference.
• A finished sample of each top, edge and front finish.
• Evidence the specification asks for, issued for the materials offered and the destination named.
• A packing and marking description by site and item code, and a statement of any proposed substitution for approval before production.

Send the plans, drawings and quantities together. For the wider range, see our fixed furniture and joinery page and our case studies, including reception, seating and storage for Australian office projects.

FBM Furniture is the furniture-focused team of FBM Sourcing, which manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. FBM Sourcing’s guide to reception desk sourcing covers the supply side, and its guide to hotel lobby and reception furniture covers the lobby range.

Frequently asked questions

What should a reception desk specification include?

Give the plan and elevations with the overall dimensions, the counter heights and any lower accessible section, the top material and edge, the carcass and front finish, the cut-outs and cable routes, the lighting or branding elements built into the unit, how sections join and how the unit is fixed to the floor or wall. Add the evidence the project requires, with its edition, for the materials offered and the destination named.

Why are reception desks quoted from drawings and not from a catalogue?

A reception desk is usually built to the plan, the wall and the services of one site. Quotations are only comparable when every maker prices the same drawing, with the same sections, the same top and the same cut-outs, so give each factory the same drawing set and ask for shop drawings before production.

Who is responsible for site dimensions?

The project team confirms the site dimensions and services before shop drawings are approved. Ask the factory to mark the dimensions it relies on on its drawing, and approve the drawing in writing so that a later site change is a recorded change and not a dispute.

Can the top and the carcass come from different makers?

They can, for example a stone top on a joinery carcass, but the join becomes your responsibility unless one factory quotes the whole unit. Give both makers the same drawing, name who confirms the joint and approve a sample or a mock-up before bulk production.

How does FBM Furniture charge for reception desks and counters?

For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.