No matter how well-run your hotel is, it is not immune to unexpected situations that can occur. That being said, it is crucial to prepare yourself and your staff as best as you can ahead of time. Being prepared for these events allows you and your staff to deal with the problems with more ease as they come. And not having any kind of plan for unexpected situations could be detrimental. Especially if the person dealing with them has no guide to go off of. So, let’s take a look at how your hotel can handle unexpected situations.
Train your staff
Of course, training your staff is something you already do. And while unexpected situations can be unpredictable, providing your staff with general steps to follow in different events will save them lots of stress and lots of time. This will allow them to handle the situations better and give them more confidence in these situations. It would also be a good idea to include some solutions to unexpected maintenance problems, wifi problems, or guest problems in your staff’s handbook. Of course, many of your staff might not need it unless there is a very specific protocol you would like for them to follow.
Unexpected Maintenance Problems
When unexpected maintenance problems occur, the most important thing to do is schedule a repair and communicate the problem to your guests as soon as you can. Of course, it is no one’s fault when these instances occur. And most of your guests won’t have a problem, as they understand that this is something out of your control. However, there may be times when you encounter unreasonable guests that are made very upset by these types of situations. If you are able to, give a small gift to your guests. In these situations, it will go a long way in restoring the peace and securing some positive reviews. A small gift could be anything from a later check-out to free drinks or a free meal if your hotel has a restaurant. Letting your staff know what small gifts are okay to provide in these situations will allow them to handle these unexpected situations faster and more independently.
Unexpected wifi problems
While wifi problems can, or at least should be, rare, they can still happen. In these situations, the best thing to do first is to troubleshoot by restarting the router. If restarting the wifi is not solving the problem, there may be a bigger issue at hand. At that point, you will want to notify your guests of the problem. It is also helpful to let them know that it is scheduled to be fixed. In this scenario, if you can provide any small gifts to your guests, it would be a good idea to do so. These gestures help to keep guests happy. And when your guests are happy, your staff are better able to complete their tasks in a timely manner.
Unexpected guest problems
Unanticipated problems with guests can arise in a variety of different situations. One of the most popular scenarios that occur in hotels is when guests become too loud. These situations often result in noise complaints that your staff must now focus on rather than other tasks. However, the noise complaints that don’t go reported to staff may actually be more harmful to your business. This is because these complaints appear in online reviews and can severely impact your online standing and future bookings. Of course, this is not the only guest problem you can have at your hotel. It could happen that a guest decides to smoke in one of your non-smoking rooms. Unwarranted smoking can be a huge cost when it comes to cleaning the room and fixing damages. What is even more difficult about these situations is figuring out when the incident occurred or tying the incident back to a specific guest to receive compensation for damages. Luckily, there is a solution for these situations.
Room monitors to help unexpected situations at your hotel
Room monitors are the best tool for hoteliers to utilize to minimize unexpected guest situations at their hotels. Because most room monitors only monitor for noise, it can be difficult to find one that meets all of your hotel’s needs. This is why the best room monitor to help with unexpected situations at your hotel is Alertify. Alertify is a small room monitoring device that uses sensors to detect excessive noise, indoor smoking, elevated occupancy levels, temperature changes, and air quality. Once Alertify is installed, users receive real-time customizable notifications if excessive noise, indoor smoking, elevated occupancy levels, or temperature changes are detected.
With Alertify, hoteliers can intervene in guest violations in real time before potential noise complaints or damages occur. Hoteliers also have access to Alertify’s online dashboard. This is where they can view live reports of what activities occurred and when, providing hoteliers with proof of guest damages. Alertify’s after-incident reports also help provide hoteliers with proof of guest damages. The after-incident reports can be used in the event of deposit disputes with guests.
