Renovation dollars are hard to come by these days, but your guests still expect a positive experience when they put their heads in the bed. What do you do to give them a reason to come back?

Here are 10 comparatively inexpensive, yet impactful things you can do now while you wait for the big renovation that keeps getting delayed.

1. Replace any and all brass lamps or lighting fixtures. Brass is out of date, and you will get a nice visual boost by utilizing silver (or other colors if you are daring) colored guestroom lamps or overhead fixtures throughout.

2. Are your door handles and knobs scratched, faded, or chipped? If so, it's time to make that first impression a positive one for your guests as they pull the handle.

3. Consider a "soft" renovation consisting of the towels, bedspreads and window treatments in guestrooms. You'll be amazed what new colors and textures will add to the guest experience.

4. Dress up the bathrooms with new (curved) shower curtains with color. This could be done in conjunction with the soft renovation above.

5. New mattresses and tops of beds will help ensure the most important outcome for the guest-- a good night's sleep. Work with a company that can give you the "one-stop shop" for both the bed and its decorative items for a better deal.

6. Consider a show-stopping chandelier or two in your lobby areas.

7. Have you replaced your worn out artwork lately? There are choices galore to bring some fresh and inexpensive artwork into guestrooms and hallways in keeping with your current design scheme.

8. If you are still using TVs in the armoire, it might be time to think about new flat screen televisions (that consistently gain high user impact ratings from guests). You can even make use of the armoire by cutting off the top and adding a flat granite surface for the TV to sit on.

9. Repaint with bold colors that create an up-to-date feel as you are walking the property, both inside and out.

10. Update your pool and balcony furniture. These items may be visible from the road or parking lot, and can create a sense of luxury and relaxation even before the guest enters the property.

You don't have to bust the budget to convey a fresh sense of style and comfort to your guests.

Michele Evanger can be reached at Michele@doti.com. DOTI has been in business since 1983, and specializes in helping hotel and resort owners within all price points nationwide with their furniture and furnishings needs.

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(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) DOTI is responding to the challenging economic times of hotel and resort properties nationwide with its recently launched "Hotel Refresh and Rejuvenate Program" that will be discussed by Michele Evanger and Joanna Mulhall at an upcoming NFHLA event in Florida.

The program will serve properties with a "pay as you go" program that enables the hotelier to make necessary updates to the property over time without having to budget large expense all at once. For example, in one package offered by DOTI, the facility can replace all of its guest room desk chairs, lamps, and top of bed ensembles over 6 months to achieve a quick "refresh" that might otherwise be put off until a major renovation was undertaken. DOTI will manage each installation and assist the hotelier with planning a program that is right for that particular facility's needs and budget.

DOTI provides turn-key furnishings, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) for hotel, time share, resort, and other hospitality facilities nationwide. To learn more, please call (904) 280-1432 or email info@doti.com

[Ponte Vedra Beach, FL] - Prior proper planning helps you avoid poor results. How many times have we heard that advice? DOTI Global Sourcing puts this practice to work while it assists architects, engineers, space planners, and designers with the important furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) budgeting process before it's too late.

DOTI is a proud member of organizations like the American Institute of Architects, where its services are valued by the members. "We hear time and again how the architect has designed a beautiful building only to find sub-standard furnishings placed at the last minute due to budget constraints," says W. Cliff Oxford, DOTI's Vice-President of National Sales & Merchandising.

"By helping the architect or designer at the beginning of the process develop a menu of options for the end user, DOTI provides a valuable service that ensures the integrity of the final project. We can work side by side as part of the team to help everyone gain comfort with what the FF&E might entail before the money is allocated," he says. The entire process is more efficient and eliminates surprises at the end, something everyone appreciates.

DOTI has been in business since 1983 and has manufacturing partners throughout the world that enable it to work on the client's behalf to source, procure, or install everything from furniture, lighting, window treatment, accessories, carpet, office systems, and other FF&E items for their facility. DOTI can provide complete, turn-key design services or simply source the items already specified by the space planner or designer on-site.

Please visit www.DOTI.com to learn more about DOTI's sourcing capabilities.

[Ponte Vedra Beach, FL] - DOTI Global Sourcing is redefining furnishings, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) sourcing for operators, space planners, and end-users of hospitality and commercial buildings through its continued expansion. President Jim Evanger asserts that an innovative new approach to FF&E procurement is tailor made for its target client. "People in charge of specifying, designing, or procuring furnishings are looking for variety and budget containment today," said Evanger.

DOTI has been in business since 1983, and began as a small design studio targeting upscale consumers with home decorating needs. Since that time, it has participated in the opening of over 30 retail furnishings stores from coast to coast. This expansion enabled it to develop relationships with diverse manufacturers of product from around the world that represent everything from office systems furnishings, hotel guest room and common area furniture, window treatments, top-of-bed, mattresses, accessory items, carpet, lighting and even technology solutions.

The company's unique approach mixes its sourcing capabilities with experienced interior design talent when the client has more needs. "Clients expect the process of designing and procuring furnishings to be easy," said Evanger. "DOTI breaks the mold of the traditional FF&E process by becoming a project manager on the client's behalf to find the best value - regardless of the manufacturer. We aren't tied into one or two brands, but instead search all of our sources for the best solution for our client."

DOTI works closely with clients in their facility to assure the project reflects the desired style while staying true to the budget guidelines that are established up-front with no surprises. Currently, the company is doing major installations in Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago to name a few. Please visit www.DOTI.com to learn more.

[Ponte Vedra Beach, FL] - DOTI Global Sourcing is installing furnishings for hospitality and commercial building clients that desire an eco-friendly option as they build or remodel their facility. Jim Evanger, DOTI's President, says that the need is increasing. "Every day we hear about how the need for eco-friendly solutions are important to our clients," says Evanger, "it's not just about the lighting and waste discharge any longer."

DOTI sources furnishings from around the world, depending on the desired solution for its client. The products could include everything from office systems furnishings, hotel guest room and common area furniture, window treatments, top-of-bed, mattresses, accessory items, carpet, lighting, technology solutions and other needs associated with furnishings, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).

"One of the first questions we get asked is where the wood or materials come from that make up the furniture", says Evanger. "We have manufacturers that can ensure that the wood was legally harvested from responsibly managed forests." In addition, DOTI can provide low to no volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in furniture finishes by substituting water-based finishes that do not release harmful pollutants into the air of the facility.

Transportation is the second major contributor to greenhouse gasses. DOTI can source furniture closest to where the end user resides, and use raw materials that were sourced within 500 miles of their manufacturing facility. Buying local will cut emissions and support local economies.

Please visit www.DOTI.com to learn more about DOTI's sourcing capabilities.