The hospitality industry is brutal. And with the advent of social media and the internet, customers don’t even have to physically step into your hotel to see whether they want to stay with you or not. One negative aspect is all it will take for them to switch to some other hotel. Good maintenance practices will ensure your hotel stays in good condition that will appeal to the customers.
Relation Between Maintenance and Profitability
Take two scenarios:
a) There is a small hotel with extremely well-maintained amenities and infrastructure where customers rarely face any issues or have complaints and
b) A huge hotel of a reputed chain, however, it has infrastructure that constantly needs repair work and customers have frequent complaints about one thing or the other.
Which hotel do you think the customers would prefer – The first one, without a doubt.
You must understand that no matter what the size of your hotel is, maintenance is the one factor that will differentiate you from your competitors. There is a direct correlation between good maintenance practices and profitability of your business. In order to stay competitive in the cutthroat business of hospitality, you must pay attention to maintenance management. The senior management must place emphasis on controlling maintenance expenses. Don’t just invest in implementation; place importance on CMMS maintenance as well.
How to Prioritize Maintenance in Various Aspects
Making a maintenance plan and allocating funds can be somewhat tricky. If you are confused on how to approach it, then prioritize in the following way:
- The Exterior
Start off with the one thing that your customers will see first — the building’s exterior. Having a really good exterior holds utmost importance as it is the first thing that welcomes your guests. If the guests like what they see from the outside, the tone will be set and they would like to see what the inside holds. No matter how aesthetically pleasing the interiors are, if the exterior isn’t up to the mark, it will ruin the entire experience for all the visitors. Use CMMS to ensure that every detail that lies on the exterior is maintained well, like windows, reflective surfaces, steps, the walls, painting, doors, lighting, etc.
- The Interior
Once the exteriors have impressed the customers, it is time for the interiors to shine. Make sure that the fixtures, flooring and paint are maintained well. One tiny crack, one broken bulb or one section of peeled paint is enough to disappoint your customers. Don’t give them a chance to complain about water-stained ceilings or broken fixtures that need repair in the middle of the night. There is nothing worse than getting into the room to find the lights not working or stepping into the shower to see the tap is broken and then to learn that it cannot be fixed immediately. Be on top of such things and you can be assured of happy customers who will keep coming back.
- The Mechanical Infrastructure
Make sure that the mechanical infrastructure runs smoothly at all times. This is where you will have to shell out the most money if things don’t work or break down suddenly. Keep an eye on your HVAC system and check if it is working properly, if the air filtration system is fine or experiencing some issues, if all your kitchen equipment is working properly or not. Any kind of repair work for mechanical infrastructure will take a long time to sort out too. You can avoid such scenarios through preventive maintenance that can predict all those areas that need repair work much before they actually break down. Further, preventive maintenance using CMMS software will also help in prolonging the life of your infrastructure.
- Area Surrounding your Property
Don’t be so focused on maintaining just the interiors and exteriors of your property that you end up avoiding the grounds surrounding it. The gardens, plants, water bodies, if any, etc., must be taken care of. They would be the first things that the customers will walk or drive across and imagine their reaction if they come across unkempt and unmanaged grounds with dry plants or dried up water bodies!
Use CMMS to maintain various aspects of your hotel and watch the profitability rise through the charts. And not to mention, you will end up with some really happy customers too.
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