Rethinking the TV Armoire
DECEMBER 8, 2006. As the hotel industry moves rapidly toward adopting new technologies, one basic piece of furniture is quickly heading toward obsolescence: the TV armoire. With stunning new flat panels becoming standard in room amenities, big bulky cabinets meant to hide tube televisions are quickly becoming the buggy whip of the hotel room.
But parts of the armoire are still critical since this piece of furniture typically houses such important elements as the minibar, glassware, and drawers for the guest's personal items. In a perfect world, the solution would be to simply throw out the armoire and replace it with a brand new piece of furniture. However, chances are the unit was a significant financial investment that is being amortized over seven to 10 years or more.
According to Mario Insenga, President of The Refinishing Touch, a Georgia-based furniture refinishing and asset management company, this has quickly become a significant issue for the lodging industry. "Every hotel owner is now in the position where they have to upgrade their rooms to meet the new television standards," he said.
Fortunately, The Refinishing Touch has the ideal money saving solution that will not only transform an armoire into a stylish piece of furniture ready for today's TV revolution, but the process can be done at a fraction of replacement cost.
"When we get done with an armoire, it looks like it just arrived from the factory," said Insenga. "With our precision cut process, the furniture will still match the room d'ecor exactly. When you buy something new, that is rarely possible to achieve."
Utilizing highly specialized technologies, The Refinishing Touch achieves incredible results with its complete turnkey solution. This modification combined with non toxic odorless waterborne refinishing is completed in the room with no down time. The room is back into inventory within the same day.
Depending on the particular job, up to 25 armoires can be refreshed and repurposed in a single day. The process is completely safe, dries fast and holds color properly.
"We have built our reputation doing very specialized engineering and operations work," said Insegna. "We engineer the correct fix for every job we do. And the older the piece of furniture, the better we like it frankly. We are able to extend the life of your armoire for years."
When the armoire is converted into a cabinet, the Refinishing Touch can also cap the piece with high-quality stone too, at a price competitive with even the largest stone importers.
The Refinishing Touch specializes in three to five star hotels with their fully warranted work, and the company has been recognized nationally by the United States Federal Government's when it was presented with the Evergreen Award. "Every designer has specified a TV armoire for the guestroom, and no matter what the specs are we are able to come in with the right price." said Insegna.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
