The housekeeping conundrum

As the travel rebound moves closer to pre-2019 levels of hotel demand, one question on the minds of owners and operators is whether housekeeping should also returns to pre-COVID service levels.

Finding the right formula can present a complicated balance, according to Maxine Taylor, executive vice president of asset management firm CHMWarnick, Beverly, Massachusetts. “On numerous levels, we had to change to come out of COVID with a new and improved model, but in many cases, housekeeping and other areas have simply gone back to status quo. The most critical question brands need to consider when refining brand standards in this new hotel era and inflationary environment is: What does the guest expect and desire for the specific trip they are on, and how do we empower them to make that choice?”

As Forbes Travel Guide recently noted with the announcement of their 2023 Star Award winners, the hospitality industry is in the midst of a major travel resurgence where guest expectations for service are on the rise. Hotels are advised to staff in preparation of increasing guest demands for high quality and fewer pandemic-related flexibilities. This includes automatic daily housekeeping service at upscale and above properties, moving away from every few days or only on request.

Companies like giant Marriott International are taking a blended approach, consulting with hotel operations, owners and franchisees to modify housekeeping protocols that take into account evolving guest expectations and varying economic realities. For example, guests staying at premium and luxury brand Marriott hotels can expect daily cleaning service. Marriott’s select brands and extended-stay hotels receive every-other-day housekeeping. However, Marriott also places emphasis on guest preferences and standards centered on providing guests with the ability to personalize their housekeeping preference during the booking process. Marriott VP of Global Communications and Public Affairs John Wolf added, “By enabling guests to personalize their stays, properties are better equipped to ensure proper staffing levels and control costs based on demand.”

A recent experience at a full-service resort left hotel consultant David Berins perplexed at the complication of scheduling and managing housekeeping functions when there is a combination of conflicting service standards at a single property. “The guests’ desires should always rule, and their preferences be known in advance,” said the Berins & Co. managing partner. “Ideally, somehow during the reservations or pre-arrival process, the guest should be asked about their housekeeping preferences and confirmed at the front desk during check-in. Put them into the loyalty database. If pre-arrival preference is not known, then, of course, it must be documented at check in, not after the guest gets to the room and finds a card on the desk.”

Berins added, “Once upon a time in hospitality, the idea of cutting back on basic services like housekeeping and bell staff and automating many touch points was unthinkable. I can’t imagine any full-service brand where the in-season rates are over $450 [requiring the guest to opt-in to daily housekeeping].”

Check the data

While certain brands and upscale to luxury properties have already returned to daily housekeeping standards as a matter of guest expectation, adjusting rates to accommodate for the wage and inflationary expenses, many midscale and select-service hotels are turning to a data-driven approach.

The ability to identify a business traveler on a short stay who may prefer not to have anyone attend to their room and indicate cleaning preference during booking (and confirmed at check-in) versus a leisure traveler who expects more frequent service enables a hotel to optimize their staffing schedule and productivity. Hotels that measure and track data, modifying staffing accordingly and balancing that against customer expectations, can better set schedules and staffing and more accurately forecast revenue and expenses.

Many pandemic-related challenges have prompted changes in guest behavior and expectation, such as self-check-in and light or opt-in-only room cleaning, especially in response to staff reductions and safety protocols. However, many travelers are no longer willing to accept COVID-era excuses to service standards, especially with inflationary cost increases. Hotels must determine how to offer excellent service with a reduced number of staff, whether that’s turning to technology, revising operational processes to be more efficient, or a combination of both.

Technology certainly can help streamline the housekeeping process, improve efficiencies and reduce overhead expenses for the property. Hotels can utilize labor management tools and leverage data to assist with staffing and scheduling based on productivity tied to revenue/occupancy forecasts. Tools that assign rooms to housekeepers in real time to reduce distance between rooms and assist with general productivity are recommended by CHMWarnick’s Taylor. “Technology can also be used at several points before and during the guest stay as to what their preference is – during the reservation process, in the confirmation email, or during check-in.”

The learning through COVID was that a room certainly needs to be cleaned and disinfected, but there needs to be a better process for cleaning a room more efficiently, said Tom Healy, president and COO of Rockbridge Hospitality Management, Columbus, Ohio. Whether through better training, better tools or products, or leveraging technology to automate some tasks. “Technology can’t replace the human element of cleaning and detailing a room,” he said. “But we can create more accountability to self-inspect rooms, improve the guest experience, and improve efficiency all while paying people more.”

Managing costs

The staffing shortages in the last few years have led to dramatic increases in wages and benefits, and despite the gains in hospitality employment in the last several months, those shortages are expected to continue. Taylor noted that some brands have been open to the idea of charging guests additional fees for requesting daily housekeeping services to help offset higher costs, but that hasn’t been a popular move by most brands.

The increase in product cost used to clean the rooms and in bath amenities has compounded the issue, prompting many properties to move away from single-use amenities in favor of large-format or refillable supplies. Reducing the number of rooms cleaned or the amount of cleaning performed during stays can further reduce the amount of product used and therefore assist with unit cost reduction. Additionally, creating bonus incentives among the housekeeping team to take more rooms, and use tech and scheduling tools to manipulate the schedule to help staff with productivity and efficiency.

Union agreements in many urban cores typically don’t allow for incentives in exchange for reduced housekeeping services, posing a significant challenge for both operators and owners “at a time when labor is scarce and overtime pay is incurred on a more regular basis,” Taylor said.

Simultaneously, guests are asking hotels to employ more sustainable practices, given the waste in daily laundering of linens and towels. Taylor said for non-union hotels, it doesn’t need to be all or nothing, with some hotels offering ‘Light Touch’ housekeeping services for stayovers, which can cut the time housekeepers spend in the room by more than half and still meet guest expectations for a clean room, with limited waste.

Asset managers note that there is a push and pull in scheduling and room occupancy, requiring thoughtfulness and strategic forecasting.

“Business owners are going to find ways to keep their asset value,” Healy said. “We have to maintain rate integrity, it’s not just wages – it’s productivity and delivering on the guest experience amid all the economic pressures. If you don’t deliver on service, you’re not going to deliver on the investment, so how do we balance the service delivery.”