The holidays are one of the busiest times of the year for travel, and New Year’s Eve is meant to be celebrated. This year, 43% of Americans will travel for New Year’s. People travel for New Year’s to celebrate the new year with their loved ones through dancing and fireworks. When the clock strikes 12, people cheer and dance in the streets. It is what is done on New Year’s. That being said, the noise on New Year’s can be disruptive to your other guests staying at your hotel. Nothing can be done about the noise from the street, which is to be expected. After all, it will be New Year’s. However, what you can control, to an extent, is the noise made within your hotel. Especially on New Year’s, this noise could be from guests who decided to throw a hotel room party with their friends.
While people should celebrate, it is essential to remember that there will be people staying in your hotel who may be there to rest. Having a group come to your hotel to party might not seem like a big deal. However, there are many ways it can hurt your business. If a group were to make a lot of noise on New Year’s Eve, it could result in many complaints from other guests. Additionally, throwing a party where guests smoke or drink excessively in the room could result in severe damage or even a fire.
Charge a security deposit
If you have a group of guests coming for New Year’s Eve that looks like a party risk, charge a security deposit. By doing so, you incentivize your guests to keep things more low-key while they are in the hotel room. One of two things will happen. Your guests will keep the noise down because they want to keep their deposit. Or, they will do as they please, and depending on the noise and damages they may make, you will get to retain their deposit. This is a win-win for hoteliers. Of course, the hope is that guests remain respectful of the hotel and other guests. However, it helps to have security deposits available if significant damages occur.
Include a screening process
Conducting a screening process for your incoming guests will help you to understand what your guests are coming for. Is their plan to visit family, explore a new city, or throw a hotel party with a group of friends? This information lets you prepare your staff ahead of time and reach out to any potentially troublesome guests beforehand. You should contact these guests to ensure they understand your hotel rooms’ rules and issue a refundable security deposit. Having clear communication with your guests doesn’t make any room for confusion. It also helps them from feeling blindsided upon arrival to hear the rules beforehand, so they can decide if your hotel is the best place for them to stay. Of course, you want to take advantage of a sale. However, if the guest’s travel plans are motivated by partying, their reservation may be more trouble than it is worth.
Prepare your staff
Consider training your staff before New Year’s rolls around on handling potential party guests if the situations arise. When your staff has clear steps to follow when handling rowdy guests, the situation will be handled more smoothly. No one intends to take away from a guest’s enjoyment, but there is a time and place for everything. And as hoteliers, there is a responsibility to ensure that other guests have an enjoyable and restful stay. If one group decides to throw a party in their hotel room, this can disturb neighboring guests and guests on other floors. These situations can result in many reported complaints and negative online reviews, which can seriously impact your business. It is better for your hotel in the long run if you prepare your staff for what to do when guests throw parties, during New Year’s, and in general.
How technology can help control the New Year’s noise
One way to help you keep the noise of your guests low, and avoid noise complaints, is by installing a privacy-safe noise monitoring device in your hotel’s rooms. A great one to use if you would like to eliminate the party risk is Alertify. Alertify uses sensor technology to monitor noise decibel levels, cigarette smoke, temperature changes, and occupancy levels. With Alertify, hoteliers receive real-time, customizable notifications about what activities are happening. This allows hoteliers to intervene before any potential damages or complaints occur. Hoteliers will also have access to an online portal. Here, they can view reports of what activities happened, when they occurred, and for how long they went on. Not only are hoteliers able to intervene with Alertify, but they can also prevent potential chargebacks that might occur with guests if you must retain their security deposit. Monitoring your hotel just became effortless with Alertify.
