Pranab Puthukulangara, assistant purchasing manager at Mövenpick Hotel Apartments The Square Dubai, describes the shopping list involved when opening a new hotel
How long have you been in hotel purchasing?
I have been in the hotel industry for a total of eight years but have been in procurement for the last four. When I first moved to Mövenpick they seemed to recognise my potential and helped me to develop myself as a part of the procurement department. Thankfully my hard work was recognised and I was given the opportunity to move to Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments the Square Dubai as part of the pre-opening team.
What products are you on the lookout for?
The Mövenpick Hotel Apartments The Square is particularly passionate about providing quality food and beverage customer service. Being in charge of procurement, I work hard to provide for all the hotel’s F&B items, silverware, linens, etc, while trying to ensure that the products we bring in are of a high enough quality to meet our standards. Each supplier must therefore be registered onto Mövenpick’s specialist procurement platform that the group has developed to help maintain a consistent standard of quality across its services.
| Advertisement |
What area of your hotel are you most proud of?
I am proud of the property as a whole, from the quality of interiors to the equipment, food and level of service that the hotel team provides. We strive to be an enjoyable hotel property by providing quality food and service with a personal touch.
Tell us about one of your most successful deals?
There is one particular product that I am proud to say I took the initiative to introduce to my hotel, and is now common across all of the Mövenpick properties in Dubai. I undertook the initial market survey and compared the specification and price of the item with existing products, and realised there was a difference which could save the company around 15% in costs.
What does a supplier have to do to impress you?
Currently the supplier market is very competitive, so suppliers are really pushing themselves to try and provide the best quality products and services at competitive prices. This benefits us because Mövenpick is always trying to ensure that its quality and standards are strictly implemented and followed. Aside from product quality, I find that it is also essential that suppliers are reliable and can always be depended on to deliver goods on schedule.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
