Groups and multi-site
A group does not simply buy cheaper: it clears thresholds a single property never reaches. Co-branding, dedicated formats and guaranteed lead times unlock on consolidated volume — provided it is genuinely consolidated.
The volume that counts is the contract's, not the site's. Five properties ordering separately stay five small customers. The same five under one framework agreement clear minimums none of them would reach alone.
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A single framework agreement keeps this volume consolidated even if each site orders separately. Five independent purchase orders do not.
On supplier and format, almost always: that is where the volume, the negotiated lead times, the operational simplicity and the ability to co-brand sit. On range and scent, it depends what the group is. A chain with a strong identity gains from imposing the same signature everywhere; a group of deliberately distinct houses loses what makes it valuable by making everything the same.
The most common solution, and the most robust, is a single framework agreement leaving each site a choice within a restricted catalogue. The volume stays consolidated and the local identity survives.
Because branding carries a fixed cost — tooling, set-up, a production minimum — that only spreads above a certain volume. A 60-room property never reaches it alone. Five identical properties do. It is the main concrete advantage of scale on this line, well ahead of a discount on price per litre.
Group branding creates a thread: a guest who recognises the bottle from one property to the next understands it is the same house. Per-site branding strengthens local identity but splits the volume, and can drop each item back below the minimum. Check the threshold per branded item, not only in total.
The group for the supplier, the format and the contractual framework; the site for the choice within the catalogue and for operations. A fully centralised decision taken without housekeeping's agreement produces the same failures as at a single property, multiplied by the number of sites.
Guaranteed lead times and the stockout policy, multi-site distribution, minimums per site rather than per order, taking stock back if the range changes, and the exit cost. On a framework agreement these are the clauses that cost money later — not the price per litre shown at signature.
Supplier comparison grid → the 15 criteria to have answered before any framework agreement
Par stock calculation → volumes and safety stock per site
Real cost calculator → the cost per occupied room
Consolidated volume = group room nights × consumption per night × number of products. The branded-bottle requirement is brought back to a yearly figure using the replacement cycle you enter.
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