HotelsMag May 2022 | Page 79

“ EMPLOYEES VALUE SCHEDULE FLEXIBILITY AND A WORK- LIFE BALANCE . EVEN WITH IMPROVED EMPLOYEE ATTRACTION AND RETENTION MEASURES , GUEST EXPECTATIONS ARE DIFFICULT TO MEET . THIS REQUIRES HOTELIERS TO GET CREATIVE WITH STAFF PRODUCTIVITY TO MEET GUEST SATISFACTION GOALS WHILE MANAGING STAFF BURN OUT .”
– MARK HEYMANN some hotels have been forced to turn guests away as they lack staff members to operate at full capacity .
“ The hotel industry is desperately seeking to minimize their human resource needs . Tactics range from automated check-in to grab-andgo limited meal service to reduced frequency of housekeeping . Some of these developments likely will remain even when labor supply recovers ,” Grossman says .
Suggesting that hoteliers and companies need to adopt an “ employer-first ” mindset , Heymann says even increasing wages has not been enough to retain employees .
“ Employees value schedule flexibility and a work-life balance . Even with improved employee attraction and retention measures , guest expectations are difficult to meet . This requires hoteliers to get creative with staff productivity to meet guest satisfaction goals while managing staff burn out ,” he adds .
FUTURE OF HOUSEKEEPING With the persistent labor crunch at hotels , will housekeeping become an opt-in service at hotels ? Although travelers have become accustomed to hotels not providing daily cleaning services , there seems to be emerging a 60:40 ratio between those wanting the service and those who don ’ t , Sledge says . “ Because of staffing issues , hoteliers are finding creative ways to reduce the amount of stayover cleaning they perform on a daily basis . From offering points in lieu of providing housekeeping services to only providing stayover cleaning only upon request .”
Housekeeping will become opt-in for many brands , although compulsory cleaning will be done every three to five days , Grossman suggests . “ Some of the higher-end properties will continue with daily housekeeping . Many guests prefer less frequent housekeeping , so assuming this desire continues , less than daily service will remain . One caveat is that leisure guests tend to cause greater wear and tear than business travelers . So , some hotel managers want at least to inspect rooms frequently to minimize any major guestroom damage .”
Eventually , housekeeping will have lower room quotas , offer higher wages and attendants will spend more time per room , Grossman says , adding that while housekeeping was mostly a behind-the-scenes act , it will now become intentionally more visible .
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