Spring is on the horizon and we all know what that means… it’s time to Spring clean! Just after Winter and right before Summer, Spring is the ideal time to open the windows, let the sun shine on all the cobwebs, dust, and dirt. Here’s the thing about the hospitality industry – you’re expected to look ‘spring clean’ all year round. In the eyes of the guests, a hotel should always be welcoming, clean, and hospitable, there is no winter slump in our industry. Regardless, though, Spring is still an excellent time to get down and dirty with the cleaning and believe us, there are plenty of tasks to keep every hotel busy all Spring long. There are two main areas that require extra attention: the small tasks that often become brushed aside throughout the busy seasons and a general review of all cleaning procedures. Now is the time to consider a hotel spring clean.
Details, Details, Details
It happens to the best of us. Business is moving rapidly, there hardly seems time to keep up with time-sensitive tasks, let alone get to the seemingly smaller, more detail-oriented tasks that drain us of time. What truly sets apart a five-star hotel from the rest of the average properties. is its ability to attend to the smallest details. Hospitality competition is fierce, your hotel cannot afford to ignore the details, because the details can make or break you. Are more than a few of the shower heads in the rooms clogged partially? Is the furniture in need of a deep shampooing? When was the last time you inspected the banquet inventory? Though the busy season may seem far away, it’s not. Spring break, Summer vacation, and wedding season will be here before you know it, and now is your chance to fully prepare.
Take a Look in the Mirror
When life gets hectic, best practices seem to fall by the wayside. This is a normal occurrence, but it must be addressed when there’s time to breathe. Spring is the time to focus on process improvement. Do the cleaning schedules make sense? Are the linens being done in a timely fashion? Is the housekeeping team overstaffed or understaffed? Is there cross communication between departments? The key is to widen your vision from a task-by-task evaluation to a process outlook. When the proper cleaning, detailing, and maintenance processes are in place, your hotel will operate like a well-oiled machine year round. The next time “Spring Cleaning” rolls around, you might just find that you have little to nothing out of the ordinary to do. Now wouldn’t that be a nice change of pace?
Remember, guests typically only give your hotel one chance. An untidy hotel, or even a tidy hotel that still needs some extra loving care, will suffer from lack of repeat business and consumer recommendations. Attend to any and all detailing now, before the chaos of Spring break, Summer and wedding season begins. Take the extra time and energy now to prevent enormous headaches and reputation damage later on. Freshen up the inside of your hotel, and everyone on the team will heave a satisfying sigh of relief. Really spending quality time cleaning and reorganizing will not only positively affect the future guests, but it will also invigorate the team, which will in turn positively affect customer service, which will then increase positive reviews, all of which will result in more business. More business = a very positive bottom line. Just think, it all started with a little Spring cleaning!
If you need assistance getting your Spring cleaning organized this season, let the experts at HMG Hospitality assist you. Contact us today.
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