It really is the question, isn’t it?
Small hospitality businesses: we say it is your time to shine!
In March 0f 2020, the pandemic hit and changed the way we all did business. We had to close for a time, and when our Inns and B&Bs were able to reopen there was a lot of uncertainty and a little bit of information. How does COVID-19 spread? Are surfaces the breeding grounds for the virus? How do we keep our guests and our teams safe?
We all stopped daily housekeeping services, and our guests were satisfied with that. We kept our teams out of their rooms, making it a safe space for the guests that started to travel. We figured out ways to get fresh towels and toiletries to our guests without entering their guest rooms. We pivoted, and it was enough at the time. Guests got used to requesting what they needed or wanted. We even switched guests to freshly cleaned rooms when they stayed for a long period of time. We wanted them to “Stay Small, Stay Safe” with us.
We are two years into this pandemic and life has pretty much gone somewhat back to normal. The mask ordinances have come and gone and in some cases, come back again. So what does this mean for our industry? CBS News seems to think that the basic level of guest service that daily housekeeping represents is gone forever. Check out this article from them, posted just last month: “…The days of returning to a wrinkle-free duvet are likely gone. Forget fresh towels, and accept that your room’s trash might never get taken out during your stay…”
Forbes, as you might imagine, has taken a more business critical approach. In this article from June of 2021, they suggest that the elimination of daily housekeeping service is “…more about savings than safety…” Sure, the lack of laundry and associates on staff may save an owner money, but it seems short-sighted.
With the traditionally busy summer season just around the corner, we’d like to assert that this is exactly the time to reinvest in your guest experience and your payroll. This is your time to shine! To set yourselves and your businesses apart from the larger hotel chains. You have the unique opportunity to up the guest services game and delight your guests with a clean, well-stocked, and tidied room when they return home after a day of seeing your city! It is time to save your guests from having to ask for toilet paper and soap. It is time to serve them with made up beds and freshened rooms!
When guests are delighted, they tend to write reviews, which future guests…the ones reading, planning, dreaming of finally booking a vacation, and looking to book with you right now for the summer and fall seasons…
The word will get out about your great guest services, and that word will spread! Of course, there may be guests who do not want your team to break the barrier of the door to their safe space just yet. Not a problem! You’ve gotten really good at managing that process in the last 2 years.
So we say that the answer to the question that we posed at the top is simple: it is time to freshen rooms again. What do you think? What are your plans for layering housekeeping back into your daily routines?
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