The client
The client is a large hospitality group headquartered in Dubai, with hotels and operational properties across the Middle East.
Departments in every hotel need supplies, equipment and services, and a central procurement team buys them. Purchases were getting done, but tracking each request took a lot of emails and follow-ups.
The challenge
Purchase requests moved by email and were tracked in spreadsheets. Approvals were manual, and teams kept writing to each other to find out where a request stood.
- Requests were tracked through emails and spreadsheets.
- Manual approvals caused delays.
- There was little visibility of request status.
- Processes differed between hotels and departments.
- Teams spent time on repeated communication about each request.
What they set up in Asset Infinity
The group moved purchasing into Asset Infinity’s Suppliers feature, with one request process, configured approvals and purchase orders tracked in one place.
Central purchase requests
Departments at every property raise purchase requests in one system, replacing emails and spreadsheets. (Suppliers)
Approvals by responsibility
Approval steps were configured without code to match the group’s business responsibilities, with reminders when an approval waits. (Platform)
Purchase orders tracked
Approved requests become purchase orders, and their progress is tracked through to receiving. (Suppliers)
Purchasing in view
Dashboards show requests, approvals and purchase order progress across hotels and departments. (Insight)
How it works day to day
Here is how a hotel department now gets what it needs.
- Department head: raises a purchase request. A kitchen, housekeeping or engineering department raises a request in the web app with items, quantities and a reason.
- System: sends it for approval. The request follows the approval steps configured for it, and each approver is notified in turn.
- Approver: approves or returns it. The approver acts in the app. A request left waiting triggers a reminder, so it does not stall.
- Procurement team: places the order. The approved request becomes a purchase order to the chosen supplier, linked to the original request.
- Requester: follows progress. The department sees whether its request is pending, approved or ordered without sending another email.
- Hotel stores: receive the delivery. Goods are received against the purchase order, completing the record.
- Group procurement: reviews every property. Dashboards show open requests, pending approvals and orders by hotel, so delays are spotted early.
Before and after
| Before | With Asset Infinity | |
|---|---|---|
| Raising a request | One request process for every property | |
| Tracking | Spreadsheets | Requests and orders tracked in one system |
| Approvals | Manual, with delays | Configured approval steps |
| Visibility | Limited | Central view of every request |
| Consistency | Differed between hotels and departments | Standard workflows across properties |
How it rolled out
- Process reviewed. The team reviewed purchasing processes, approval delays, manual workflows and visibility gaps.
- Workflows and approvals configured. Purchasing workflows and approval steps were set up across departments and properties, with central tracking.
- Teams trained and supported. Procurement teams were trained, and workflows were monitored and refined after go-live.
The results
- Fragmented manual purchasing replaced by one digital process
- Faster processing through visible approval workflows
- Central visibility of requests and procurement progress
- Fewer spreadsheets, emails and repeated follow-ups
- Standard purchasing across hotels, departments and properties
- Better coordination between requesters, approvers and procurement
Why it worked
Matched to responsibilities
Approvals follow the group’s own business responsibilities, so the right people sign off without new rules to learn.
Email out of the loop
Requests, approvals and status live in one place, so nobody has to search inboxes to find a purchase.
Refined in use
Workflows were monitored after go-live and adjusted where they slowed teams down.
Looking ahead
The hotel group moved from manual purchase coordination to one digital procurement process across its hotels, departments and properties.
Requests, approvals and orders are tracked in one place. That has reduced manual effort, improved visibility, sped up purchasing and made procurement more efficient across the group.