As leisure guests returned to hotels in the spring and summer amid the pandemic, hotels have had to stay on top of their housekeeping game.
A portion of these travelers are visiting in larger groups, are staying longer and are leaving bigger messes in the rooms, all of which is harder on the assets in general. Combined with new sanitary procedures and tighter labor pools for housekeepers in some markets, hotels are facing more challenges to keep guest rooms clean and fresh.
"We've definitely witnessed a change in guest behavior when it comes to linen use and how frequently towels are abused beyond recovery," said Ashley Manley, director of sales for Fairfield by Marriott San Diego North/San Marcos in San Marcos, California. "It puts even more pressure on housekeeping and laundry attendants, who already are taking extra steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19, to inspect as carefully as possible."
Being smart about staffing and purchasing helps, especially when vendors frequently have items on back-order, Manley said. Communication between hotel departments is also very important in managing housekeeping.
Two changes in guest preferences have allowed the housekeeping team at the Fairfield by Marriott San Diego North/San Marcos to spend more time detailing and inspecting rooms: More guests staying longer and fewer guests wanting staff entering their rooms.
Housekeeping room attendants also are using different chemicals to clean while wearing additional protective equipment and paying attention to high-touch areas like door handles and phones. Technology such as electrostatic sprayers are new ways the hotel has been able to enforce a higher standard of cleanliness, Manley said.
The hotels that Radisson Hotel Group manages currently don’t clean rooms for stays shorter than three days, and staff have worked to educate guests about this policy, Judd Wadholm, the company's vice president of managed hotels, said.
But room cleaning in the middle of a stay is still possible, if the guest requests this service.
"Since we aren’t cleaning during the guest stay at our managed hotels, we’ve found that upon guest check-out rooms require additional time to return them to the highest level of cleanliness," Wadholm said. "Prior to the cleaning policy change, a guest room would take about 30 minutes to clean, whereas now, it will take about 45 to 50 minutes to clean."
To address staffing challenges, Radisson's properties emphasize competitive wages and a positive work environment, Wadholm said.
Gabriel Ibarra Macías, director of sales and marketing at Mexico Grand Hotels, said the majority of his properties' guests are family groups or adult groups traveling together. The cost per room increases in terms of towels, linens, water and housekeeping time consumption.
"We receive mostly families, but when we get the younger crowd traveling together, staying in the same suite, we might struggle a bit with them," he said. "We've all been locked down for almost two years and our guests just want to forget, relax, de-stress and enjoy their vacation. At the most, we see more alcohol consumption for sure, but travelers also spend most of their time on-site rather than off-site."
Mexico Grand Hotels also have increased security in all areas and emphasize the alcohol consumption limit in its restaurants and bars, he added.
Ron Pohl, senior vice president and chief operations officer at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, said traveler behaviors have shifted due to the pandemic.
"There’s no denying that the way people travel has been forever changed by the pandemic, and the hotel industry has been quick to adapt to the evolving wants and needs of today’s travelers," Pohl said. "As the pandemic lingers on, customer expectations continue to change, and we must react to meet those expectations."
One of the greatest challenges that hotels face today is ensuring a consistent guest experience, Pohl said. Each hotel may have to comply with different governmental standards or requirements, resulting in modified or limited services and amenities. The hospitality sector is also in the midst of a labor crisis, which is impacting what offerings hotels are able to provide to their guests.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Best Western responded to the health crisis with its "We Care Clean" program, which ensures that all public spaces are more frequently sanitized and disinfected. The protocols also extend some flexibility to ensure a personalized experience in the guest room, Pohl said.
"Most customers prefer for us not to be in their hotel room unnecessarily, so we have eliminated daily housekeeping services; however, the option of daily housekeeping is always available upon request," Pohl said. "This allows the hotel to adjust their housekeeping procedures to ensure guest expectations are met."