How far ahead should you order hotel furniture?

How do you work out when to order the furniture?

Backwards, from opening day. Each stage has its own lead time, and the order date comes from adding them all up with some margin. In reverse order:

1. Installation on site and a margin for surprises: one to two weeks before opening.
2. Customs at the port of arrival and the truck to site: one to two weeks.
3. Sea freight from Java: 30 to 40 days port to port.
4. Production, packing and loading the container: the weeks the quote confirms, depending on pieces and quantities.
5. Technical drawing and sample approved: before production starts, never after.

The stage that runs longest is rarely the ship. It is the approval. A drawing that waits two weeks for an answer pushes everything else back two weeks.

How long does shipping from Java to Spain take?

A container takes 30 to 40 days port to port from Semarang, the port of Central Java, to Valencia, depending on the carrier and the route. From sailing to furniture on site, allow about eight weeks.

Carriers publish port-to-port times. Door to door, the real lead time is usually two to three weeks longer, for loading, transshipment, customs and the last leg by truck.

In 2026 carriers began returning to the Suez Canal, which saves 10 to 15 days against the route around the Cape of Good Hope. By October they had moved 63% of their Asia to Europe capacity back to Suez, and a full return is expected in the first quarter of 2027. Ports may be congested while the switch lasts, so for a 2027 project it is still wise to plan on the longer lead time.

Which dates matter for opening in 2027?

For Easter 2027 (Holy Thursday is 25 March), furniture made in Java has to leave Semarang by mid-January. For a 1 June opening, by the end of March. The table allows eight weeks from sailing to furniture on site, and two weeks of installation before opening.

What does the EUDR change for a 2027 order?

From 30 December 2026, every wooden piece of furniture entering the European Union needs a due diligence statement that geolocates the plot it came from. Micro and small businesses have until 30 June 2027, except for products the EUTR already covered: a teak table comes in in December and a chair in June.

The statement is filed by whoever first places the furniture on the EU market, usually the importer. If you buy from a distributor, ask for its reference number with the invoice. We explain it in full in the guide to EUDR, SVLK, FLEGT and FSC.

How do you save time when opening day is close?

By separating what already exists from what has to be made, and settling first what takes longest.

• Order the pieces in stock first. They can leave straight away while the rest is made.
• Approve the timber finish and upholstery even if details of other pieces are still open. With the sample approved, the factory can prepare the timber.
• Set quantities by room type, not by room. It is quicker to quote and to make.
• Group the order into one shipment. At Kadek the furniture travels with the lighting, mirrors and decor for the same project.

What is not worth cutting is the sample. If you are unsure how that step works, we cover it in how a custom furniture order from Java works.

How often should a hotel's furniture be replaced?

Hotel chains replace textiles and upholstery every seven years and guestroom furniture every fourteen. Their franchise agreements say so: IHG's 2025 documents, for brands such as Crowne Plaza and EVEN, require soft goods at least every seven years from installation and case goods at least every fourteen.

A hotel furnished in 2012 or 2013 is now in that second round, and it is not alone. EY's The Hotel Property Telescope 2026 report identifies 212 hotel refurbishment projects in Spain. With so much renovation under way, factory slots fill earlier, and planning ahead makes more of a difference.

If you are preparing a refurbishment, start with the list of pieces for each room type and what each area of the hotel needs. We help with both in hotel furniture.