About us
Hospitality Sourcing Agents for Hotel Development and Fit-Out Projects
Jon Diboll is the Managing Director of Hotel Interiors and a hospitality sourcing specialist whose career has taken him through hotel operations, food and beverage, catering equipment, back-of-house facilities and project sourcing.
His experience has been built from working inside the hospitality industry rather than observing it from the outside. Jon has worked as a chef, Food & Beverage Manager, Hotel Manager, catering equipment supplier and with the planning of back-of-house facilities.
For more than 25 years, he has focused extensively on sourcing products, equipment and specialist requirements for a wide range of hospitality and commercial projects.
Today, that experience shapes the way Hotel Interiors approaches FF&E, OS&E, hotel supplies, supplier sourcing, inspections, logistics and fit-out.
For more than 25 years, Jon has worked as a sourcing agent across a broad range of hospitality and related sectors.
His experience includes sourcing and project involvement for:
- Hotels
- Golf clubs
- Wine estates
- Conference centres
- Game farms
- Stadia
- Offices
- Industrial catering facilities
- Other hospitality and commercial developments
The requirements of these projects can differ considerably.
A hotel may require guest-room furniture, operating supplies and back-of-house equipment. A conference centre may place greater emphasis on high-volume catering and event facilities.
A game property may introduce remote logistics and replacement challenges. An industrial catering facility may need equipment selected around capacity, durability and large-scale food service.
Working across these different environments has given Jon a broad understanding of how product sourcing needs to respond to the property rather than forcing every project into the same supplier list or standard specification.
This remains central to the Hotel Interiors approach.
The project requirement comes first. The supplier comes afterwards.
Experience on Major South African Industrial Projects
Jon’s experience is not limited to conventional hotels and leisure properties.
He has also been involved in the design and supply of catering equipment for major South African industrial projects, including MOSGAS and Saldanha Steel.
Industrial catering places different demands on equipment and facilities from a boutique hotel or restaurant.
Large workforces, service volumes, equipment capacity, durability, food production, storage and operational reliability become critical considerations. These projects added another layer to Jon’s understanding of how commercial equipment needs to perform in demanding operating environments.
That background remains relevant when Hotel Interiors assesses laundry equipment, catering equipment, storage, bar facilities and other specialist hospitality products today.
Hospitality Experience Across Africa
Africa has played a significant role in Jon’s professional experience.
His work has taken him to countries including:
Botswana
Rwanda
Kenya
Zambia
DRC
Zambia
DRC
He has also attended hospitality conferences, industry gatherings and networking events across the continent.
Working in different African markets gives a sourcing specialist a different perspective from working exclusively within one city or country.
Product availability changes. Delivery routes become longer. Local technical support may be limited. Replacement products can be more difficult to obtain. Packing becomes more important, and a product that is easy to return or replace in South Africa may present a far greater problem once it has been transported across a border to a remote property.
Jon’s interest in travelling throughout Africa, Europe and the Far East has also exposed him to different suppliers, products, manufacturing approaches and hospitality markets.
That broader exposure supports Hotel Interiors’ ability to consider both South African and international sourcing options according to the requirements of each project.
Staying Close to Suppliers and New Products
Hotel sourcing is not something that can be done effectively from an old supplier database.
Products change. Manufacturers introduce new ranges. Lead times move. Suppliers enter and leave markets. Materials become unavailable. Pricing changes, and products that made sense for one development may no longer be the right choice for the next.
Jon places considerable value on maintaining regular contact with suppliers and reviewing new products and their availability.
This gives Hotel Interiors a better understanding of what manufacturers and suppliers can currently offer rather than relying solely on historical information.
For a developer, this can make a meaningful difference.
A previously specified product may no longer be available within the required programme. A local manufacturer may have introduced a suitable alternative. Another supplier may have improved its production capacity or launched a product that better suits the operator’s requirements.
Regular supplier engagement helps Hotel Interiors approach sourcing as an active process rather than a static list of preferred products.
One of the principles behind Hotel Interiors is that the project should have access to the right professional at the right stage without carrying unnecessary permanent overhead.
Hotel Interiors therefore does not maintain every specialist as a full-time project resource for the duration of every agreement.
Instead, specialists and associated professionals can be brought into the project when their knowledge is required.
This allows Hotel Interiors to build a multi-disciplinary team around the actual development requirements.
A project may need specialist input on back-of-house facilities at one stage, furniture manufacturing at another and operational equipment later in the programme. Rather than applying the same internal structure to every development, the team can respond to the specific requirements of each phase.
The relevant professional is briefed according to the project requirement, and their input is coordinated into the wider Hotel Interiors scope.
Appointments are made with the developer’s approval.
This structure helps keep the project commercially lean while still giving the developer access to appropriate professional and supplier expertise when required.
It also allows Hotel Interiors to concentrate its own role on hospitality consulting, sourcing, supplier coordination, inspections, logistics and the agreed fit-out requirements.
Practical Experience Behind Every Sourcing Decision
Jon’s approach to sourcing is grounded in a simple principle: a product must work for the project after it has been purchased.
Price matters, but it is not the only consideration.
A sourcing decision may also need to consider:
- Product quality
- Operational suitability
- Brand requirements
- Supplier reliability
- Manufacturing capability
- Lead time
- Replacement availability
- Warranty support
- Packing
- Logistics
- Installation
- Future maintenance
For example, a lower-priced product may appear commercially attractive until the project discovers that replacement parts are unavailable locally.
Another product may be manufactured further from the project but offer a specification that cannot be sourced locally.
A South African manufacturer may provide shorter lead times and easier access to replacement products for one requirement, while an international source may make more sense for another.
Jon’s role is not to force every project toward one answer.
It is to help the project team understand the options and source according to the actual hospitality requirement.
Community Leadership Beyond Hospitality
Jon's experience also includes a significant period of community leadership.
For five years, he served as honorary chairman of an organisation working in the prevention of child abuse in South Africa.
During his involvement in community service, Jon received the title of Round Tabler of the Year.
This period added another dimension to a career otherwise centred heavily on hospitality, sourcing and project development, with responsibilities involving leadership, service and working with people beyond a commercial environment.
Meet the Experience Behind Hotel Interiors
Hotel Interiors reflects the experience Jon has accumulated across several sides of the hospitality industry.
He has worked in hotel operations.
He has worked with food and beverage.
He has supplied commercial catering equipment.
He has been involved in back-of-house facility requirements.
He has worked on large industrial catering projects.
He has sourced for hotels, golf clubs, wine estates, conference centres, game properties and other hospitality developments
He has worked across several African markets and maintained relationships with manufacturers and suppliers while following changes in products and availability.
That experience now informs how Hotel Interiors approaches sourcing, FF&E, OS&E, specialist hotel supplies, inspections, logistics and fit-out.
If you are planning a new hospitality development, refurbishment or fit-out and need practical sourcing input grounded in operational experience, speak directly with Jon about the requirements of your project.