By far, labor is the largest expense for a hotel operator. In fact, according to CBRE Hotels Americas, total labor costs and related expenses totals on average 42.8 percent of all hotel related expenses.
So, it’s no surprise smart hoteliers are always looking for ways to cut costs. But for many, cutting back on guest services, for example, is a non-starter. That means finding ways to operate the hotel more efficiently.
One hotel zone ripe for reinvention is housekeeping. By switching from manual to mobile, hoteliers are saving hours of downtime and eliminating wasted dollars by operating more efficiently. Rather than rely on potentially outdated printed reports and the hope housekeepers will quickly find rooms to clean, utilizing mobile connectivity means the latest check-out and check-in data is always up to date.
With a cloud based PMS, such as the SkyTouch Hotel OS®, the housekeeping department functions more efficiently, thereby lowering hours required to keep the hotel in tiptop shape. A mobile ready PMS helps housekeeping staff always know which rooms are occupied, which ones must be cleaned immediately, and what rooms can be put back into service next.
Before, staff wasted precious on-the-clock time going back and forth trying to determine which room should be cleaned next. Then they’d have to call the front desk to alert them. With mobile, once a room is ready for rental, the PMS immediately knows, eliminating the need for excess conversations between housekeeping and the front desk staff.
Lori Andrew, the GM of Canada’s Best Value Inn (CBVI) Calgary, says using a mobile ready PMS at her property, is very positive. “For housekeeping, it was phenomenal. They have a little tablet in the back, and up until that point they always had to call in room status updates. We wouldn’t know if the room was ready until we heard from housekeeping. Then, they didn’t call each time a room was cleaned as it became annoying when only one person is staffing the front the desk. With mobile, it’s always updated on the tablet so we know which rooms are ready to go,” said Andrew.
A robust, mobile cloud based PMS, also provides hearty reporting capabilities, according to Rocky (Rakesh) Patel, Owner and General Manager of the Americas Best Value Inn Starke, FL. “Housekeeping, and all the reports available. There’s so many different reports you can pull, and that’s good. If I want to know every little detail, I can. It’s great. Housekeeping is very easy,” said Patel.
Another way it helps is scheduling. “To coordinate and staff efficiently, and to see if we’ll need extra front desk staff on this shift, or extra housekeeping staff on this day, or to see we do not need to call people in,” said Jay Shah, Owner of The Wharf Inn, San Francisco, CA. “To fluidly and to efficiently do that is great.”
There are so many ways for hoteliers to combine mobility and housekeeping efficiencies, SkyTouch is hosting an entire webinar dedicated to this critical piece of hotel software. During the event, you’ll learn some cost saving tips and ways to boost staff productivity. This one-time live presentation takes place February 22, 2017 at 11am PST/ 2pm EST. It’s complimentary to attend. Sign up today!
