For decades, the management of housekeeping labour has been reliant upon two pillars: the credit system and paying room attendants by the room. Now, with ever-increasing demands for operational efficiencies, is it time to review the basics of our management methodology?
The housekeeping department in a hotel typically has the largest number of staff in most hotels, but it the engineering team that has responsibility for maintaining and operating the ENTIRE facility. Whether it is a 25 rooms-only property, a 5 star luxury resort or a 3,000 room convention/casino hotel, it falls to the Chief Engineer to ensure the facility is comfortable, safe and efficient.
Steps Industry Can Take to Reduce Energy Consumption As energy consumption from 2000-2010 increased 28% and worldwide industrial energy consumption is expected to increase by approximately 50% , hotels and all businesses manufacturers need to develop an energy-management culture.
Did you know? • Every employee generates 75 kg of paper waste in a year • Possible examples: - paper – plastic cups - cardboard – cans - plastic bottles – general waste • Identification of contractors who pick up recycling waste
Over the past several years my team and I have worked with hoteliers and ozone technology providers successfully lowering natural gas spend, saving thousands of gallons of water while reducing chemical costs and diverting waste from local landfills. Ozone systems are one of the most proven technologies offering a sustainable alternative to traditional sanitation and cleaning in green hotels.
A Simple Approach to Measure Management Skill Do different hotel management companies produce significantly different profit results for their owners? After accounting for differences in branding, location, property age and condition, market size, and property type, do different management companies still produce significantly different results? This article shows that the answer is: YES.
Property Improvement Plans or PIPS,are a reality to today’s hotel owners and management groups. If a property is part of a franchised system, dealing with PIPS can be an expensive proposition both at the time of sale as well as in continuing operations. The purpose of PIPs is to keep properties in compliance with all existing and new brand standards, as franchisors strive to maintain brand standards to protect their brands as well as the investments of all the other franchisees.
The cost of PIPs could be staggering if they seem to all come crashing down at once, especially if a property is not meeting all of its current standards at a time when there is a potential change in ownership. Almost all franchisors have a Property Improvement Plan system, because their goal is to maintain the quality of each of their franchisees.
Pricing isn't a static venture: it should and must slide with changing market considerations, new products and evolving business goals. You've got to start somewhere, though, so before slapping that $5.99 sticker on your new widget, check out these 10 tips for pricing your product.
Lodging industry profits have always been measured by cost per occupied room; yet many owners and General Managers have incomplete information of their hotels’ specific costs per room, or more importantly, what it costs for a room to remain unsold.
This guide includes a list of definitions of the categories and assumptions that should be helpful to immediately understand cost centers in more detail and to take action to improve profitability. This program is designed to demonstrate your specific cost per occupied room vs. the industry average (provided in base model), fixed and variable costs, monthly and yearly cash flows, monthly and yearly budgets and a host of other information. Lastly, PLANNING FOR PROFITS allows you to perform “What if” scenarios for enhanced forecast planning.
Here’s some tax incentive news that isbound to make green hotel owners and designerssmile: owners of existing commercial buildings that improve their energy efficiency by at least 50% can earn a tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot! And so can designers of newly constructed high efficiencycommercial buildings.
And a partial deduction of $0.60 per square foot is available for those investing in lighting, HVAC, or building envelope upgrades that reduce consumption by less than 50%.
That means energy efficient green hotels that have reducedtheir energy consumptioncan earn a big break on their taxes – money that can definitely be used tohelp offset the cost of the upgrades.
Over the past several years my team and I have worked with hoteliers and ozone technology providers successfully lowering natural gas spend, saving thousands of gallons of water while reducing chemical costs and diverting waste from local landfills. Ozone systems are one of the most proven technologies offering a sustainable alternative to traditional sanitation and cleaning in green hotels. 
Pricing isn't a static venture: it should and must slide with changing market considerations, new products and evolving business goals. You've got to start somewhere, though, so before slapping that $5.99 sticker on your new widget, check out these 10 tips for pricing your product.
Story Highlights
Lodging industry profits have always been measured by cost per occupied room; yet many owners and General Managers have incomplete information of their hotels’ specific costs per room, or more importantly, what it costs for a room to remain unsold.