Hotel Desk Chairs for Guestroom Projects: Five Sourcing Routes for FF&E Contractors
Five sourcing routes for hotel desk chairs, and what to put in the schedule so quotations can be compared line by line.
A hotel desk chair sits at the edge of two worlds: it must look like part of the room set and it must work as a work chair for a guest at the desk for an hour or more. Because it is small, it is often left to the last line of the schedule and quoted from a catalogue picture. For an FF&E contractor the question is which type of maker is right, and what the brief must say so that the chair that arrives is the chair the designer drew.
This guide sorts the supply side into five sourcing routes so a project team can send one brief to the right makers and compare the answers fairly. It is not a ranking. No factory is named or scored here, and no claim is made about the strength, durability, stability or fire performance of any product. The brand standard, the designer and the local authority define those requirements, and each maker must show evidence for the exact model it offers. For office-grade chairs see our page on task and meeting chairs. FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers.
What should a hotel desk chair brief state?
A brief that says only “desk chair, velvet, 200 pieces” produces quotations that cannot be compared. State at least the following, copied from the designer’s guestroom schedule and elevations.
- Item code and room type: one code per chair type, with the quantity per room type, suite or phase.
- Chair type: fixed four-leg, swivel, tub, side chair or lounge-style, with the relationship to the desk in the drawing.
- Dimensions and seat height: the overall size and the seat height against the desk height, as the designer draws them.
- Frame and base: frame material, joints, and whether the base is legs, a swivel base or castors, with the floor finish it stands on.
- Seat and back build: foam, support and how the seat and back are shaped and attached, described for the model quoted.
- Covering: the covering reference, pattern direction, who supplies it, the approved sample and the cleaning method the operator uses.
- Arms and details: arm height, piping, stitching or buttons, drawn on the elevation and approved on the sample.
- Floor protection: glides or castors suited to the floor finish.
- Packing: how chairs are protected, whether they ship assembled or flat, and how cartons are marked by room type.
Five sourcing routes for hotel desk chairs
1. Upholstered chair factories
These factories make padded side chairs, tub chairs and desk chairs in volume, often with several covering options on one frame. Ask for the frame and foam description, the covering reference and a finished sample, and for how the seat is attached to the frame. Request the sample in your own covering, because a sample in a house fabric proves little about your reference.
2. Timber frame chair makers
Woodworking factories make chairs with a solid timber frame and an upholstered seat or back. Ask which timber is used, how the joints are made and how the finish is applied, and request a sample joint and a finished chair. Settle the finish reference before bulk production, because stain and lacquer vary from batch to batch.
3. Metal frame and swivel base makers
Chairs with a metal frame, a swivel base or castors are made by metalworking workshops that also supply the upholstery or buy it in. Ask who builds the seat, how the seat is fixed to the base and what the base is made of, and request a finished sample. Check how the base meets the floor finish.
4. Casegoods workshops that also supply loose seating
Some casegoods workshops include the desk chair in the guestroom package so that the finish matches the desk. Ask for the chair on its own line with its own drawing and finish sample. Seating is a different skill from casegoods, so ask which line makes the chair and show similar chairs they have made. See our guide to hotel guestroom casegoods.
5. Full guestroom package suppliers
Some suppliers quote the whole room, from beds to soft goods. This gives one party to coordinate, but ask the supplier to show capability for chairs and to quote the desk chair on its own line. For the supply side of the wider range see FBM Sourcing’s guide to hotel furniture manufacturers.
How to compare desk chair quotations
- What is included: frame, seat build, covering, base or castors and packing, shown in separate columns with the unit of measure.
- Item match: each line tied to an item code on the schedule.
- Size and model: the exact dimensions and seat height quoted for each chair, compared with the drawing.
- Covering reference: the covering quoted, with the approved sample it refers to and the pattern direction.
- Base and floor protection: the glide or castor named for the floor finish.
- Packing: assembled or flat, number of chairs per carton and how cartons are marked.
- Exclusions and substitutions: any change of frame, foam or covering the maker proposes.
Send your guestroom schedule
Send the room schedule, drawings and quantities, and we will tell you which chair details are missing before factories quote.
The chair and the desk are one pair
A chair that suits the desk in the drawing can still be wrong in the room if the seat height, the arm height and the knee space do not meet. Ask the factory to confirm the seat height and the arm height against the desk drawing, and approve a sample chair at a sample desk before bulk production. Where the chair has arms, check that they clear the desk top and the drawer fronts.
Write both item codes on the same sample approval, so that a change to the desk is reviewed against the chair and the other way round.
Covering, matching and cleaning
A desk chair is covered in the same family of fabrics as the room, so matching matters. State whether you supply the covering or the factory proposes one, record the reference against the item code and approve a cutting before the covering is used for bulk production. Where a pattern must run in one direction across all chairs, say so in the schedule and on the drawing. Ask for the covering maker’s published cleaning guidance for the reference quoted, because the operator, not the factory, chooses the cleaning method. Our article on cutting for approval and strike-offs in contract upholstery explains the approval step.
Also decide what happens to spares. A desk chair is one of the pieces most often damaged in the first year, so agree in the brief whether spare covers, spare glides or a small number of spare chairs are quoted, and how they are packed and marked so the operator can find them.
Samples, approval and acceptance on delivery
Approve a finished sample chair in your own covering, not a photograph, before bulk production, and record the approval in writing against the item code. Keep the approved sample as the reference for the bulk order. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out the approval sequence.
Before shipment our own team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, fabric and foam, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification, and you receive a QC report with photos and video. Your own project team is welcome to attend the inspection with us.
Name the rules in the specification
The rules that apply to upholstered guestroom seating depend on the destination, the building and the materials. 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. Your specifier or certifier decides what applies to your project.
What evidence to ask each route for
- Upholstered chair factories: frame and foam description, covering reference and a sample in your covering.
- Timber frame makers: the timber description, a joint sample and a finished chair.
- Metal frame and swivel base makers: who builds the seat, how it is fixed to the base and a finished sample.
- Casegoods workshops: which line makes the chair and a sample of the chair on its own line.
- Full package suppliers: a separate product sheet and sample for the chair, quoted apart from the package.
Specification gaps to close before quotation
- Which chair type does the designer draw, and which desk does it sit at?
- What are the seat height, arm height and overall size, and which dimensions must be held?
- Is the covering supplied by you or proposed by the factory, and is the reference named?
- Which glide or castor suits the floor finish?
- Do chairs ship assembled or flat, and who assembles them in the room?
- How are cartons marked by room type and floor?
FBM Furniture is the furniture-focused team of FBM Sourcing; our minimum order is a full container, and items from several factories can share one container. See also our pages on hotel guestroom furniture and contract seating and upholstery, and our case studies.
Frequently asked questions
Should the desk chair be quoted with the desk?
You can ask the same factory to quote both so the finish matches, but keep each item on its own line. Seating and casegoods are different production lines, and a package price can hide a weak line.
Can we supply our own fabric for desk chairs?
Yes. Say in the brief whether you supply the covering or the factory proposes one, record the reference against the item code and approve a cutting before bulk production.
Which floor protection should a desk chair have?
The floor finish decides. State the finish in the brief and ask each factory to name the glide or castor it proposes for that floor, then check it on the approved sample.
Do we need a sample before ordering?
Yes. Approve a finished sample chair in your own covering and keep it as the reference for the bulk order.
How does FBM Furniture charge for hotel seating?
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.
Send your guestroom schedule
Send the room schedule, drawings and quantities, and we will tell you which chair details are missing before factories quote.