It could be argued that the lifeblood of every resort and hotel is the maintenance team. Without their commitment and cooperation, resorts would lose guests and income and eventually close.
Yes, the friendly reception team are the first people guests experience. They are a reflection of your brand and have a significant impact on the success of the stay. Then there’s the housekeeping crew. They come in every morning, clean the apartments and regularly interact with the guests.
But it is the preventative maintenance team that, providing an unseen hand, that allows a resort or hotel operation to function smoothly. Their work keeps undesirable situations from happening and enables managers to focus on other aspects of their business.
As Lillian Connors explains in her recent article in HotelTechReport, trapped guests pounding on the broken elevator door isn’t a good look for any hotel or resort. Why wait until you’re full to learn about cable television or hot water problems?
Property managers understand preventing problems before they happen is preferable to waiting for visitors to complain. Then take their complaints and grievances online.
As a result, their responsibility is to ensure that all-important systems, such as heating, air conditioning, plumbing, cable, and Wi-Fi, are routinely checked by a proactive maintenance department.
The maintenance crew ensures the resort or hotel’s seamless operation. They must perform weekly, monthly, and yearly preventative checks, replacements, and repairs.
Changing a single burned-out light bulb is reasonably quick and painless. However, dealing with a more significant electrical problem is a considerably different situation. Maintenance crews have to work within the property, interacting with guests, and, as such, are responsible for their safety.
And it is not just when things break or go wrong. The maintenance team is responsible for all aspects of safety. This includes changing air filters and ensuring that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have working batteries.
They’re also responsible for the locks and access to the entrance, bedrooms, conference rooms, and other areas that require safe access. Moreover, they must clean pool filters and remove tripping hazards such as raised carpet edges or loose floor tiles.
If any of the systems mentioned above fails, the consequences can be disastrous, as the entire floor, block or possibly the entire resort may be affected.
If the entire building goes dark due to a power outage, you’ll have to deal with dissatisfied visitors and spend money finding alternative accommodations. It’s up to a well-trained and experienced maintenance team to immediately locate the situation, prevent a significant loss and guarantee a quick recovery. A good hotel maintenance crew should be able to repair all of the building’s major systems without needing outside assistance.
The majority of reservations are now completed online, with guests persuaded to book after looking at photographs of the property, suites and amenities. From the initial booking to their arrival, the exterior of the resort or hotel is the first thing a potential guest notices.
This is why the maintenance crew must pay meticulous attention to the building, parking lot, and landscaping in particular.
Chipped paint, garbage, fallen leaves, broken lights and other debris detract from a hotel’s reputation and first impression. Staff use a variety of supplies and equipment to complete these chores, such as power washers and leaf blowers. At the same time, a multi-purpose telehandler is essential for moving heavy equipment to high locations.
Subcontractors are frequently hired by large resorts and hotels for periodic overhauls. This work includes painting, wallpapering, and carpet replacement. On the other hand, minor, aesthetic touch-ups are the responsibility of the hotel’s maintenance department.
Maintenance is always on hand to repair any damage caused by a luggage cart scraping against a corner or ripping the wallpaper. They need experienced team members with skills as painters, glaziers, carpenters, etc.
In the hospitality business, the maintenance team never rests. In one apartment, the television remote may not operate, while in another, the hot tub may not produce enough bubbles. Guests will call maintenance to repair their difficulties if the sofa-bed mechanism jams or the shower runs cold at 3 a.m.
Resort managers know that if they don’t want to deal with an angry guest at reception during the morning shift, the maintenance team must be available for calls 24 hours a day.
Hotel reviews tend to focus on the superb meals and comfortable beds – unless things go wrong. However, most visitors are unaware their comfort relies on an unseen army of maintenance personnel who ensure everything runs smoothly. If these people go unnoticed, it signifies they’re performing their job well.