Representatives from procurement and design company Carver & Associates are attending both Hotec Operations this week at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando and Hotec Design, running June 16-18 at the Fairmont Scottsdale (Ariz.) Princess.
At the conferences, presented by Questex, the parent company of Hotel Management, buyers meet one-on-one with hospitality-focused suppliers to learn about new products and services and to keep up-to-date on emerging trends.
Ahead of the events, Georgia Harper, business development manager at Carver & Associates, shared her thoughts on how artificial intelligence is affecting hotel operations, health and wellness in hospitality and sustainability efforts across the industry.
1. What are you most excited about for your company in 2025 (and beyond)?
We are very excited about our continued growth. In January of 2025, we acquired Jaguar Hospitality Procurement. This strategic acquisition marks a significant milestone in our mission to deliver unparalleled value and innovative FF&E and OS&E hospitality solutions to clients worldwide. One of the most exciting outcomes of this acquisition is our newly-formed strategic partnership with Aimbridge Hospitality, the world's leading third-party hotel management company. As Aimbridge’s primary partner for FF&E and OS&E procurement, Carver & Associates will play a key role in strengthening purchasing capabilities and delivering tailored solutions to their vast portfolio of owners and properties.
With 2025 poised to be a transformative year, we are energized by the opportunities this acquisition brings. We are also growing rapidly in the MENA region, in 2024 we formed Carver Global in partnership with Global Ventures Group out of Chicago. Carver Global is focused on providing interior design as well as FF&E and OS&E procurement services to the MENA region, and is backed by the powerhouse of Carver & Associates and our 42-year track record of exemplary performance. And last but not least, we are actively expanding to the LATAM region with active projects in Chile and Mexico. We will be opening our Latin America headquarters this year, so stay tuned!
2. What are some of the biggest operations- and design-related changes you’ve seen in the hotel industry over the past year?
We have seen AI integrating into operations, with virtual concierge and chatbots coming in for brands like Marriott and Hilton. We continue to see a lot of mobile check-ins and digital room keys taking place as well as integrated payment systems.
As the Hybrid work culture continues to grow strong, we continue to see a demand for co-working spaces as well as owners requesting for flexible environments that blend work, wellness and leisure.
As hotels strive to offer more immersive, efficient and meaningful experiences there are several trends that we have seen. Smart rooms and technology integration has played a huge role in our design realm. Guests expect seamless tech driven experiences and hotels are incorporating smart room technology that enhances convenience and personalization. From mobile key access and in-room voice assistants to app-controlled lighting, temperature, and entertainment systems. With just a tap of your phone, your guests can now have a more comfortable and connect experience. We are also seeing health and wellness being included into design. Health and wellness overall have become priorities in today’s world.
3. How has your business adjusted to these changes?
As designers we have been focusing on relaxation spaces through wellness suites, soft design elements, in-room fitness options. Through different lighting options, soundproofing, and ergonomic furniture, we can enhance both mental and physical well-being into the interior design of our projects. With this we have also seen an increase in flexible and multifunctional spaces. As hotels are blurring the lines between work, leisure and socialization, we are creating more versatile spaces. Utilizing modular furniture has become an increasing trend to allow a space to be used all day and night. Lastly, we have seen storytelling design throughout our hotel projects pop up more often. Guest and our clients crave a unique experience when staying at the projects we work on. Incorporating storytelling into our designs, we can provide these immersive experience – whether it’s through local décor, art installations, or custom design spaces that reflect the location of the property. We are moving into projects that demand a more authentic and memorable experience for all. We excited going into 2025 and beyond to see our projects that are either in production or down the pipeline come to life.
4. What are some trends you think will have staying power beyond 2025?
Smart technology integration as well as AI. Sustainable and biophilic elements in public spaces, as well as immersive/Instagramable spaces.
Guest will continue to ask for unique lobby and public area concepts, and traditional lobbies will continue to be replaced by lobbies that feel like social lounges with interesting designs.
5. How are you incorporating new technology, especially AI, into your business?
Carver & Associates continues to lead the way by integrating cutting-edge digital tools into our FF&E/OS&E procurement process as well as design. Over the past couple of years, we have made significant advancements in how we manage projects, analyze data, and deliver seamless solutions to our clients—all with the goal of increasing efficiency, transparency, and innovation. One of the greatest tools we’ve incorporated is Sigma Sourcing, a software platform designed specifically for FF&E and OS&E procurement. This software streamlines the procurement process, from specification entry [to] RFQs, bid analysis reports, budget reports, expediting and cash-flow management. Through this software we are able to present to our client’s real-time insights and improve our decision-making capabilities resulting in greater efficiency and savings for a project.
We are also able to request live access to certain reports, providing our clients ability to stay informed throughout the procurement process. Additionally, Carver & Associates has recently integrated NetSuite, a leading cloud-based enterprise resource planning system into our accounting operations. This ensures that our financial processes are seamless, accurate, and highly efficient as it syncs directly with our Sigma Sourcing software.
Beyond procurement, we have embraced AI-driven tools in marketing and design. Canva and Adobe, both equipped with advanced AI technology, have allowed us to optimize branding materials, content creation, improve efficiency in document editing and visual design.
6. What steps are you taking to improve sustainability in the industry?
Sustainability has become a huge priority for many of our clients and projects in the past year. Hotels are adopting eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems, and waste initiatives to minimize their environmental footprint. Our designers and managers have been incorporating eco-friendly spaces and using these eco-friendly materials. Many of these include energy efficient lighting (LED fixtures), recycled materials (bamboo, cork, reclaimed wood), and recycled carpet tiles. Guests are seeking brands that align with their values and we make sure to provide sustainability options for our clients and projects.
7. What is the biggest challenge you have overcome over the past year? How did you overcome it?
I think many of us can agree that supply chain and lead time delays as well as finding the right talent in this industry still is a huge challenge. We will always face issues in this industry; however it seemed we faced significant challenges in 2024 due to supply chain disruptions. We have over 42 years of relationships and partnerships with different logistics vendors and relied heavily on these partnerships in order to stay alert and be able to provide our clients with alternate options when looking to procure overseas. Knowing the issues that we have with certain ports, we can redirect if needed in order to minimize delays to schedules. We also understand that this industry can be quite niche and finding the right interior designs and project managers can also be a challenge. Thankfully through our acquisition of Jaguar Hospitality, Carver & Associates has been fortunate enough to be able to merge some of the talent from that team. We are very lucky to have additional team members that have done a fantastic job and welcome them to the Carver Family.
8. What is the value of meeting hospitality suppliers one-one-one?
In this industry, success is built on the relationships, communication and the ability to problem solve. At Carver & Associates, we recognize the value of meeting with suppliers one-on-one, is essential to strengthening partnerships, gaining industry insights, and ensuring seamless project execution. We believe that the key benefit of these meetings is building relationships with suppliers who play an important role in the FF&E/OS&E procurement process. By having these direct conversions, our team is able to gain better insight into each facet of the industry. Rather than relying on solely digital or phone communication, these face-to-face interactions is how we build trust and collaboration in this fast-paced world of hospitality. We can also use these one-on-one meetings to problem solve in real time. Knowing which vendors might be participating ahead of time, we can coordinate appropriately depending on what current projects we are working on and how we work together to come up with solutions on the spot.
There will always be challenges in our world of procurement and design, it’s how we work with our partners in the industry to solve these challenges to make sure that our projects are completed with success. Many times, our supplier have knowledge of emerging industry trends, new product innovations, and upcoming projects that they will share with us based on our relationships with them. With the way the world is today, things are always changing, it’s important to foster these relationships in order to stay up to date while also being a resource for these suppliers as well. Here at Carver & Associates we believe in investing that one-on-one time with suppliers not only through shows/events but inviting them to stop by our office when they are in town. Our team is always ready for a quick introduction meeting with different suppliers as well as learning a bit more about each company and their thoughts on different aspects of the industry. As we move forward into 2025, fostering these relationships will remain a high priority to our commitment for excellence.
9. What do you hope to accomplish at Hotec this year?
Carver & Associates is excited to attend Hotec because we will have first-hand access to key vendors, products and firsthand information from our industry partners as things continue to change quickly this year and we need to be as informed as possible with options regarding production, factories, lead times, tariffs and continued changes in order to keep our teams as well as our clients informed. Our goal is to connect with industry partners, explore opportunities for collaboration and strengthen relationships in order to provide success in our projects for 2025 and beyond. Hotec provides a unique platform for face-to-face engagement with suppliers, hoteliers and industry experts. We are excited to be able to gain deeper insights into the industry. Through these conversations, we aim to better understand the needs of our vendors and partners, exchange ideas, identify ways to enhance procurement/design, as well as gain insights into how each supplier is tackling challenges going into 2025. These discussion will help us as well as support our clients to provide long term success.
Carver & Associates believes that collaboration is a main factor to delivering the results we have been able to maintain while also leaving room in order to grow and excel even further. Through Hotec we commit to staying ahead of market trends, optimizing procurement strategies, and delivering exceptional solutions to our clients worldwide. We truly look forward to the connections, discussions and opportunities that will come out of participating in Hotec this year.
Hotec Design will take place June 16-18 at the Fairmont Scottsdale (Ariz.) Princess. Applications are open for buyers and suppliers.