Concluding a four-month, on-time effort last week on the furniture portion of a massive upscale hotel renovation, AIMM, Inc. has again confirmed its reputation as the installation company of choice for the Philadelphia region’s most demanding commercial furniture projects.
Located in a prestigious Philadelphia district, the 12-floor landmark hotel property is surrounded by the city’s most notable artistic, cultural, culinary and boutique retail attractions. The $17 million renovation was designed to reflect the iconic contemporary style of a global upscale brand while maintaining the charm and heritage of the 87-year-old hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
AIMM is the FSN member company serving greater Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania, central and southern New Jersey, Delaware and northern Maryland.
GeographyPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Project EnvironmentHistoric 12-floor downtown hotel under construction for remodeling.
Time Frame for Field Work4 months, approximately Jun–Oct 2013
Installed ProductProduct from 25+ manufacturers for 429 guest rooms and suites and hotel lobby.
Management TeamD. J. Will, project managerKevin Kelly, sales
Project Overview
Working on behalf of the renovation general contractor, AIMM was responsible for removing and liquidating the hotel’s existing furniture; receiving, storing, redelivering and installing the new furnishings; and removing the related debris.
AIMM completed the project on schedule and within budget, with its field teams working amid intense construction activity for virtually the entire four months.
The project encompassed the hotel’s grand lobby and some 430 guest rooms including superior king rooms, executive king rooms, superior double rooms, suites and two “business class” floors offering upgraded amenities and services. The new furniture, millwork and accessories were sourced from more than 25 manufacturers. Many of the product shipments originated outside the United States.
Representative interior images prior to the hotel renovation.
Challenges
Product receiving and turnaround. A strong performance by AIMM's warehouse team was critical to the success of the installation work.
The products supplied by the more than 25 manufacturers were all received and stored at AIMM's warehouse in West Deptford, NJ, and were later redelivered from there to the hotel site. The combination of a complex product set and an aggressive project schedule with floor-by-floor completion deadlines meant that receiving, product pulls, staging and redelivery all required exceptionally tight discipline on a daily basis.
Multiple shifts. AIMM had to share dock and elevator space with the general contractor as well as other trades throughout the project. To accommodate this situation and complete each floor on schedule, AIMM's teams accomplished removal of the existing furniture and redelivery and staging of the new product between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Installation took place during normal daytime hours.
Follow AIMMProject management. The overall schedule for the renovation was aggressive. There was a contractually mandated penalty charge for failure to turn over a given floor according to the schedule. AIMM was removing old product and installing new product on each of 12 floors, with debris removal required for each phase. And there was daily competition for dock and elevator availabilities because all of AIMM's work was being performed in parallel with construction activity.
Excellent project management was a critical success factor for a project with this complexity, timing and public visibility. The project management effort included highly detailed planning, careful sequencing of the warehouse and trucking work, ongoing communication and coordination with the general contractor and the other trades working the project, and effective daily manpower scheduling to support the two-shift execution.
