Hotel operations are very different during the holiday season than any other time of year. You need to think differently about the way you manage, the guests you are hosting and the responsibilities that tip slightly more toward the sentimental than the fiscal.
1. Check the parking lights every day and repair them quickly.
2. Check your security cameras for accuracy and proper recording.
3. Set up the ice/snow removal contract before you need it.
4. Check all outside doors for proper locking and unlocking.
5. Stock up on flashlights and batteries.
6. Train your staff to pay extra attention to who is in the hotel.
7. Schedule vacant rooms for regular dusting and vacuuming so that they are always fresh.
8. Put a MinLOS requirement on New Year’s Eve for 2 nights to avoid the overnight party-goers.
1. Decorate your hotel. Do not be afraid to shine.
2. Check into local schools for small groups of musicians who would play in your lobby.
3. Sponsor a charity that your guests and staff can give to throughout the month.
4. Be sure to always have sweets to give away at the front desk or in the lobby.
5. Fill up the empty rooms by offering half price hospitality suites for family gatherings.
For the few guests who have chosen to stay at your hotel through the holidays either because their jobs have prohibited them from going home or because they have no home to go to, you can make a huge difference in their lives.
1. Know who these guests are and give them a gift for Christmas from the staff.
2. Provide a Christmas dinner to serve them on Christmas day.
3. Keep music going in the lobby at all times.
4. Keep a list of restaurants and venues that are open on Christmas and Christmas Eve.
5. Keep a list of events in the area that are and are not holiday-related.
6. Encourage the staff and the guests to look forward with hope… set goals and plan for happiness.
June McCreight
June McCreight began her career in the hospitality industry as a housekeeper in 1996. In the years since, she has risen through the ranks, learning maintenance, front office, sales and revenue management, property management and district management, bench management and opening team management. She has trained hundreds of hoteliers and won many awards for her management successes. In 2011, June wrote and published, The Strangers in My Beds, a fictional novel based strictly on the strange events of her career in hotels. In 2014, June partnered with her father, a very accomplished software architect, and opened the business, Coba Enterprise Management, LLC with a very unique and specialized CMMS (Computer Maintenance Management System) software for hotels.
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