citizenM partners with Procore to ensure design excellence

The Challenge

citizenM, a fully integrated global hotel developer, operator, design and project management company, needed to maintain brand standards and design integrity across its hotel development projects. With a checklist of roughly 250 items for every room designed and built, ensuring that each element was upheld in order to create a unique experience for guests was challenging, to say the least. Initially, team members relied on a spreadsheet, but this method lacked visibility and reporting capabilities. Because designs were constantly evolving, it became increasingly difficult to track updates and share them with others.

The complexity of managing 10 to 15 projects simultaneously, with each project having 150+ rooms per building, made it difficult to maintain design consistency and ensure a seamless turnover to operations once completed. With this in mind, citizenM recognized the need for an efficient and effective project execution solution to uphold its design diligence standards while accommodating its expansion plans

The Solution

By adopting Procore, citizenM aimed to streamline its processes, enhance stakeholder collaboration, and ensure that design integrity remained consistently solid throughout its hotels. Now, citizenM has standardized its inspection process, not only making inspections more thorough, but also, more efficient. As Vincent Deresse, Project Design Manager at citizenM, told us, “We’re templating the process [through Procore’s inspections] to make it more efficient, so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

The Results

• 100% of design diligence items uniformly tracked, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks
• Time saved on $50M+ projects by maintaining design integrity for timely turnover
• A status snapshot of 2,000 rooms provides clear project visibility at a glance

Background

citizenM’s hotels stand out from the crowd with their distinctive and thoughtfully curated design, setting them apart from traditional hotels. Deresse stated, “Design is in the DNA of the company.” Every aspect of their interior is carefully considered, creating a unique atmosphere that immerses guests in a modern and vibrant experience. The company collaborates with renowned designers, artists, and architects to ensure that each location reflects the local culture and captures the essence of the city it resides in. Additionally, citizenM prioritizes functionality and convenience, recognizing the importance of providing a seamless and efficient experience for their guests by integrating cutting-edge technology.

Mastering Precision

When creating any luxury item, attention to detail is crucial. So, perhaps the most exciting part about using Procore’s Quality and Safety tools for citizenM is that inspection items no longer slip through the cracks — a major concern for those in the luxury construction space. As Deresse explained, “Procore records the level of detail we actually need.”

As such, the citizenM team refers to the inspection template from conception to completion, and beyond. Deresse expanded on the early use of the tool, saying, “We use the inspections tool up front to make sure we’re covered and that we did all of the due diligence that is required for the project before going full speed.”

Streamlining Success

citizenM uses the Procore inspection tool to save time on its massive projects, while still ensuring its design integrity for every detail, in every hotel room it constructs. citizenM asks that general contractors use its specific template in Procore for all design inspections, which ensures that general contractors are always aware of the correct processes and any design updates. This also allows the citizenM team to be aware of progress, complications and whatever else may arise. Deresse explained, “If I want to get a quick update on where my project is at in terms of inspection — number of items, changes in the last week, how many new items there are, how many new items got closed out — I can get all of that very quickly. When you use any other tool, or if information is scattered across different tools, you lose that ability.” With access to real-time data on the progress of any project, from any place at just the touch of a button, owners also have the power to get ahead of potential challenges before they turn into time-consuming, costly mistakes.

A clear, concise way to see what’s been done and what still needs to be done means that miscommunications between general contractors and owners, and having to perform multiple quality inspections, as such, are things of the past. Importantly, this streamlined method for quality adherence results in a timely turnover, which in turn, supports a more timely return on investment.

Driving Collaboration

When executing any project, getting every team member to be on the same page can be challenging, but is essential. This is especially true for citizenM in terms of guaranteeing high-end results before turning over a project. According to Deresse, "On the owner's side, we want to know how our project is doing — is the general contractor performing well? Are all of the items getting addressed? [Procore] allows us to be in sync with the general contractor and supports overall project success." By leveraging Procore's features, citizenM achieves synchronization with its general contractors, facilitating effective collaboration, which is exactly why citizenM is actively working towards achieving company-wide adoption of the Procore platform.

The platform's growing popularity within the organization points toward this goal being achieved in no time. Although the adoption process differs for general contractors hired by the company per project, it has become apparent that once they take the time to familiarize themselves with the Procore platform, they quickly realize its benefits and become enthusiastic users. Procore's ability to save time and provide valuable project data for visibility throughout the construction process seems to drive users’ engagement with it. Deresse expressed, "When the process is easier for us, it makes life easier for the general contractor. It's better to have the entire team on board.”

Partnering with Procore

Procore has proven to be a valuable partner for citizenM, understanding the company’s specific needs and nuances. As Deresse expressed, "Procore understands that our business model is very specific, and as an owner and a developer, we're trying to use Procore in a smart way." Recognizing citizenM's unique requirements has laid the foundation for productive collaboration.

According to citizenM, "As an owner and developer, we see that Procore tools can be applied to every step of our development — financial, quality processes, and so on." This comprehensive use of tools demonstrates citizenM's commitment to maximizing the platform's potential, and Procore’s commitment to crafting software that meets the needs of its customers. Deresse emphasized, "Procore has been really receptive to what we are trying to achieve here as a company."

With a shared commitment to achieving citizenM’s goals, Procore's willingness to adjust to citizenM's specific requirements, when possible, has gone a long way in building a mutually beneficial relationship. Deresse spoke to this, saying, "Procore has been really good to work with as a customized solution we need." This collaborative approach has created a solid foundation for continued partnership in the future.

What’s next for citizenM?

Moving forward, citizenM is taking a proactive approach to its development work and project management processes by implementing Action Plans. This decision stems from the desire to consolidate its work into a single, centralized location. With Action Plans, citizenM will be able to manage many processes, spanning large activities such as project startup to more granular tasks, like close-out. With access to necessary documentation, reference materials, and records all in one place, citizenM will optimize outcomes, with the end result aiming to standardize large processes for continuous improvement and design. As Deresse explains, "We can get to a really granular level of detail with Action Plans, and that's where we’re headed." He continued, stating, "Action Plans is a clear tool that will help a lot of people through processes, and it's a tool that can be used in a million different ways." The citizenM team is eager to continue collaboration through Procore.