Building Resilience Through Strategy and Relationships
Rising costs are likely the biggest challenge to hotel development and renovations—but they’re far from the only one. Procurement teams today navigate global supply chain disruptions, fluctuating production times and shipping delays, and increasing client expectations—all at once.
To manage through these dizzying factors, we define and deliver procurement services as a disciplined, strategic, and deeply collaborative effort—one that requires foresight, flexibility, and strong relationships across teams and time zones.
We asked Anne Hiter, Senior Director of Procurement, and Jackie Tolmie (Milkovich), Project Manager, to share how their team is evolving procurement strategies to meet the moment.
Managing Risk, Relationships & Resilience
Unsurprisingly, global economic instability is rattling the entire hospitality supply chain. Tariffs, the rising cost of raw goods, energy prices, interest rates, taxes, and trade (dis)agreements shape nearly every aspect of a project.
To stay ahead, we track the impact of these variables at every stage of every project—from design kickoff to final installation.
This requires that we monitor and assess our vendor partners by performance, price, and stability. In today’s environment of increased risk, we ask harder questions: How adaptable are they? Are they financially sound? Are they true partners—or just suppliers?
"We don’t just react to disruption—we plan around it."
Anne Hiter Senior Director, ProcurementPricing Power and Protection
Our Procurement team leverages a proprietary database of product pricing and performance insights, informed by billions of dollars in FF&E and OS&E purchasing across thousands of projects and hundreds of vendors.
We don’t just issue POs—we manage payment schedules, enforce contractual commitments, and oversee communication and performance from kickoff to punch list.
Balancing Pragmatism and Creativity
Even the best-planned project will require re-sourcing and value-engineering. That’s where we bring not only our vendor relationships but our design sensibility and operational experience as part of a fully integrated development team.
We act as a strategic lens—evaluating and reallocating budgets to protect performance, design intent, and perceived value
Vendor Relationships Are Our Resilience Strategy
We treat our vendors like partners, not suppliers. We stay in constant contact to monitor shifts in availability, cost, logistics, and business health. That real-time dialogue allows us to anticipate problems before they affect a project.
Procurement is evolutionary—and often unpredictable. It takes trust, data, and ongoing management.
"Procurement isn’t just about transactions—it’s about trust."
Jackie (Milkovich) Tolmie Project Manager, ProcurementDomestic & Global Sourcing
Where hospitality-grade FF&E is produced has become one of the most urgent considerations in project planning. The cost and accessibility of goods from overseas are shifting again.
We maintain strong relationships with domestic suppliers and prioritize them where appropriate. But every decision requires a cost-benefit analysis—balancing tariffs, shipping timelines, quality, reliability, and budget.
Our role is to help clients understand those trade-offs and make informed, forward-looking choices.
Final Thoughts: Procurement Starts Early
Procurement is more than purchasing—it’s partnership. When we’re involved from the very beginning, we bring clarity on budgets, sources, and timelines that allows teams to manage risk before it materializes.
In today’s unpredictable market, we counter volatility with reliability—procurement grounded in transparency, adaptability, trusted vendor networks, and deep expertise.
That’s Gettys Procurement.
