THE IMPORTANCE OF BUYING RELIABLE PRODUCTS
BY MURRAY ROBERTS, SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR, ASLOTEL
I n the world of hospitality it is true to say that guests want and need a level of service that meets – or goes beyond – their expectation during their stay. A consistent and genuine desire to welcome and satisfy guests’ needs is the bedrock of creating long-term relationships with guests, building loyalty, and creating a positive reputation.
This is where the reliability and trustworthiness of products and equipment you provide are key as they form an essential element of your brand standard. Whether your hotel is part of a group or an independent hotel / B & B and no matter what star rating, there is little justification for not investing, and buying, the best quality products- as the adage goes‘ buy cheap, buy twice.’
Customers have an expectation that what has been provided for them, by the hotelier, is in their best interests for a pleasant and comfortable stay. This is, perhaps the reason why people choose a recognised brand or chain of hotel, as they can anticipate that the selection of equipment and branded toiletries will be of a high standard and carefully selected for them, and in addition a level of quality with attention to detail- but shouldn’ t this be the objective of every hotel operator?
It is not just the obligation of hotel operators- suppliers and designers of hotel products have a responsibility to ensure their products, and services, are safe for the hotel environment. Working with internationally recognised brands, and industry names with impeccable safety standards, whose manufacturing facilities adhere to a rigid corporate social responsibility provides reassurance.
Suppliers must ensure the safety and conformity of all products they supply whether it is equipment or toiletries. In the instance of toiletry products, this responsibility extends to registration of ingredients and finished products, to correct marking on packaging and batch coding for effective traceability. All cosmetic products and their ingredients should have a cosmetic file, recorded with organisations such as the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients( INCI) and the CTFA( Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association) to guarantee conformity. It is also incumbent upon suppliers of equipment to ensure products are CE marked to confirm EU regulatory compliance. This conformity must be supported by relevant test certificates such as TUV and VDE to verify the validity of the CE declaration.
Suppliers who comply with such organisations and whose factories adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices to ISO 22716 and ISO 14001 standards offer comfort for all accommodation providers and customers – who can be secure in the knowledge that equipment and toiletry products and their ingredients are safe to use. It is always advisable to ensure that your hotel equipment and toiletry supplier complies with good practices and EU safety regulations; it is of supreme importance that such declarations can be verified for ultimate peace of mind.
Housekeeping Management is at the very core of the hotel operation and a significant factor in hotel operations, which is why buying reliable products from reputable, well-known suppliers, is so important – for everyone involved.
8 Housekeeping management