Trade file · Furnishing
Hospitality Radar follows 5,780 hotel projects in planning, construction and renovation. For curtains, upholstery and soft furnishings, about 1,190 of them are being specified right now, while the products are still being chosen, and about 710 are buying. A product that is already in the spec goes into the tender with the best odds.
Hotel projects entering specification for curtains, upholstery and soft furnishings, by quarter.
Hotel projects entering the purchasing window for curtains, upholstery and soft furnishings, by quarter.
Estimate from each project's opening year and typical lead times for this trade. Later quarters fill up as new projects are announced, so a lower bar further out is not a falling market.
Cities with the most hotel projects being specified for this trade right now. The city file opens with your trade on top.
Projects being specified now or entering specification in the next 12 months, by region.
Share of projects with a known class. Our coverage is strongest in upscale and luxury hotels; midscale and select-service projects are being added.
For curtains, upholstery and soft furnishings, specification typically runs from 20 to 10 months before opening and purchasing from 14 to 5 months before opening. There are two ways into a project: through the specification or through the tender. A product that is already in the spec goes into the tender with the best odds.
Interior design studios specify curtain, drapery and contract fabrics as part of the FF&E concept, working within fire-code requirements such as NFPA 701 or BS 5867 and, for branded hotels, within the operator's soft-goods standard. FF&E purchasing agents or the owner and operator place the order once the specification is approved, often against brand-approved supplier lists for international chains.
Design studios lock in fabric and colour schemes months before a hotel opens, and brand standards and fire-code approval add further lead time. Suppliers who reach the project before specification closes get considered; those who wait see the order go elsewhere.
Striped curtain and upholstery collections, from quiet textured weaves to bold contrasts, were the standout pattern direction at BDNY 2025. Several major soft-goods suppliers showed striped lines at the same fair, pointing to a shared design direction rather than one brand's choice.
Source: cover-magazine.com
Saturated jewel-toned colourways appeared alongside solution-dyed, wash-durable materials in new hospitality textile ranges at BDNY 2025. The combination points suppliers toward fabrics that hold colour and withstand heavy hotel laundering cycles.
Source: cover-magazine.com
Qualified attendee numbers at BDNY rose 6 percent in 2025 versus the prior year, a measurable sign that hospitality soft-goods buyers are active again after a slower period. Exhibitors described the show floor as busier than in recent years.
Source: cover-magazine.com
NFPA 701 in the US and BS 5867 in the UK and Commonwealth define the flame-propagation tests that curtain and drapery fabric must pass before it can be specified for hotel rooms and public areas. Compliance is checked as part of fire-code enforcement, making certification a precondition rather than a differentiator.
Source: nfpa.org
Furniture1,190 specifying now
Lighting1,190 specifying now
Bathrooms & sanitaryware700 specifying now
Beds & mattresses950 specifying now
OS&E & tableware950 specifying now
Flooring1,080 specifying now
Art1,080 specifying nowEvery Monday: new signals, a city and a trade in numbers. Free, one click to leave.
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As of November 2026. Figures are estimates, rounded, and recalculated with every update of the radar.