'In a good partnership you can take on the world together'
For Hilton hotels and other hotel brands, partner and market leader Hilton Supply Management handles the procurement of food, non-food and services. Worldwide, 19,000 hotels rely on the agreements Jelle Hessel and his colleagues make with suppliers. Together with Gert Kap, he explains that a good price is important, but not the only thing that matters. “Ultimately, you want a partner who understands what you need and adds value.”
Aan een vergadertafel in Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, met uitzicht op het 42 meter hoge atrium, zijn Jelle Hessel en Gert Kap eensgezind: kennis is macht. Als Senior Manager Customer Engagement Noord- en Centraal-Europa behartigt Hessel namens Hilton Supply Management (HSM) de belangen van klanten. Eerder was hij verantwoordelijk voor de inkoop in de Benelux, maar die taak heeft hij overgedragen aan collega Valérie Bogaers-de Laat. Kennis van de markt is in hun rol essentieel. “Als je de markt begrijpt en vooraf goed hebt nagedacht over je strategie, kun je er voor iedereen het beste uithalen.”
Solution-oriented partner
From sandwich spreads to tableware, toilet paper to linen: all the products and services a hotel consumes can be supplied through HSM. ‘Solutions’, Hessel calls them. “Our customers use solutions that we negotiate, develop and innovate.” Because the company doesn’t just supply, it also thinks about ways to better design processes in hotels.
“For example, we came up with a system to make smarter use of frying fat. With fewer deliveries, always sufficient stock and a plastic reduction of 30-40%. As a result, quality can go up. This way, we really try to be a solution-oriented partner that unburdens hotel and management groups on a daily basis. A one-stop shop for owners and operators."
Being there for each other
To fulfil this role well, HSM is close to the hotels it serves. “Owners and operators trust us on commercial and operational arrangements. They know that the deals we make also work.” Price is not the only factor in this. “Of course you want a good price. But in the end, it is about the overall package and the long term. You want everyone to be happy with the deal that is there.”
Only then can cooperation develop into a true partnership. Especially with linen, such a partnership can make all the difference. Hessel: “Housekeeping in a hotel is hard work, so there is a major focus on efficiency. It is essential that there is always enough linen and that deliveries are well organised. That sounds very simple, but can determine whether a hotel is successful behind the scenes”.
We try to be a solution-oriented partner that unburdens hotel and management groups on a daily basis. A one-stop shop for owners and operators.
Substantive knowledge
Nedlin handles laundry for HSM for two German and two Belgian hotels. Hessel: “Ultimately, you want a partner who understands what you need. Gert, Commercial Director at Nedlin Hospitality, could list our full brand standards off the top of his head. That’s incredibly convenient”. Hessel and Bogaers-de Laats own team also knows exactly what ‘their’ hotels need. The type of linen, the sizes, the desired efficiency: these are all technical issues that HSM, but also Nedlin, must understand.
“Take the jacquard-patterned linen from Hotel Indigo in Brussels”, says Kap. “You know: when you sleep in the Indigo, you sleep under that special linen”. HSM makes sure that is in order at all times, in consultation with Nedlin. When new linen is needed, both partners know how important it is to order on time, because special linen is not routinely in stock. “That is knowledge and skill, but also interest.”
No surprises
Of course, hotels can also arrange their own procurement. But HSM’s commitment, scale and knowledge can prevent hotels from being taken by surprise, Hessel explains. “Before our customers take a decision, we put all the facts on the table. Commercially, operationally and contractually. We map out the strategy for the coming years and include all aspects. We are good at that.” And if any issues come up, everyone helps figure it out. Kap: “We know that we are there for each other. If HSM does not have a laundry for one of its hotels, we see what we can do”. This is another reason why hotels choose HSM, Hessel explains: “With good cooperation, suppliers are always there for you. With us, hotels know that they don’t stand alone. This is crucial. That is why hotels are almost always immediately interested in becoming partners when they hear what we do and how commercially interesting it is”.
We know that we are there for each other. If HSM does not have a laundry for one of its hotels, we see what we can do.
Source with purpose
HSM can also help hotels in their journey towards sustainability. There is demand for this, Hessel notes. “Hotel owners and operators need clarity. They want to know how to comply with European Union rules. Or with Dutch CO2 reporting, or German E-Rechnungs-Pflicht. These are things we can help with.” The ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategy ‘Source with Purpose’ provides a framework to achieve sustainable goals through three principles: responsible business, sustainable business and inclusive business.
Hessel: “70-90% of an organisation’s carbon emissions come from the supply chain. That does show how much of a mark you make on the world simply by placing an order”. HSM specialists regularly sit down with suppliers and other partners to make the supply chain more transparent and sustainable. “Hotels can order only free-range eggs in our ordering system, for example, or an even more sustainable option. We make a difference by simply not offering the unsustainable choice.”
Working on solutions
Partnering with local suppliers is also part of the principles. Data reveals where products come from. HSM helps hotels by actively highlighting opportunities to buy locally and sustainably. Among other things, the procurement organisation uses the EcoVadis tool for this, which offers insight into the sustainability of suppliers. It is also a member of the Hospitality Alliance for Responsible Procurement (HARP), an alliance of organisations in the hospitality sector in collaboration with EcoVadis, which all the ‘big names’ are part of.
That commitment is important, says Hessel: “When it comes to these kinds of things, you cannot think like a competitor. You have to come up with solutions together”. In the system, they see how suppliers are doing compared to others in their industry. This allows them to set new goals together using so-called ‘corrective action plans’. “With partners like Nedlin, we can take the next step in the ESG field, mostly due to the efficiency, the cooperation and the focus on solutions. When you have that in a partnership, you can take on the world together.”
