As we move into the fall season, many states are making changes to their pandemic-related safety regulations and guidelines. What does this mean for your hotel? As your state changes its guidelines to reflect the status of the pandemic, proactive preparation will be key to a smooth transition back to normal hotel life.
Stay in control and confident with these 4 tips to effectively transition safety guidelines at your hotel.
Keep Your Finger on the Pulse
Checking local and state guidelines weekly has been important throughout this entire year, but doing so while states return to normalcy is now of heightened importance. Sign up for newsletters and alerts that notify you any time major changes in litigation occur, and consider researching what other hotels in your area are doing to make sure you’re on track with not only the laws, but the norms, of your area. As of September 15, California’s lodging guidelines can be found here.
Prepare for Ebbs and Flows
Even though we’ve seen slowdowns in the number of new cases, it doesn’t guarantee this is all over. It is important that you build your safety guidelines to be adaptable – they should be able to ebb and flow as regulations tighten and loosen over the coming months. In order to do this, it is important to be fully prepared with both PPE products and your normal service supplies. There is no way to guarantee the outcome of the next few months, and you should be aptly prepared for all circumstances. There will likely be periods of both surges and slowdowns of reservations, so make sure you are prepared for the ebbs and flows that come with uncertain times.
Display Confident Leadership
One of the most important factors to take into consideration to effectively implement new safety guidelines is your leadership. The guest’s perspective of your leadership directly affects their quality of stay – if they feel that hotel managers are taking the correct steps on the path to reopening, they will feel much more comfortable during their time with you. Displaying confident leadership means thoroughly updating your staff as the safety protocols and procedures change, as well as displaying signage throughout the hotel to educate guests on your efforts.
Anticipate Logistics Delays
Safety guidelines are changing constantly, at all levels of government. In order to prepare for all possibilities in the coming months, restocking on important supplies is essential. Every hotel is in the same boat, and the fall season is always a prime time for restocking your hotel supplies. This year, backups are likely (especially for personal protective equipment) so ordering these items before you think you need them is the only way to guarantee you don’t run out of anything. Standard lead times on custom products stand at about 2-4 weeks, so waiting until the last minute because budgets are tight may leave you shelling out even bigger bucks on expedited shipping. Your budget should prioritize these types of supplies and account for logistic delays in your planning.
Running a successful hotel during these times includes thorough preparation to effectively implement new safety guidelines and help keep guests protected and comfortable. Having fully stocked supplies in place, including PPE, is vital to ensure your hotel functions safely and efficiently.
Unsure about how to continue functioning successfully during these changing times? Download our Free Hotel Checklist. This list provides your hotel with information on how to keep your doors open safely and successfully.
Many of the items on our checklist are available for purchase on our new website.
Want to learn how to make your guests' stay more memorable and your hotel more profitable?
Download our free hotel design and branding guide.