Planning a Hotel Renovation with Minimal Disruption

For an excellent guest experience, your hotel needs to be in top condition. This means a hotel renovation. And unless your hotel renovation is planned carefully, it can very easily drive away business. Luckily there are a few strategies that if you stick to, will allow you to undertake a hotel renovation with minimal disruption. Let’s go!

Choose an experienced move management provider

We can’t stress this point enough. If you want to keep disruption to a minimum you need a move management provider who specialises in hotel logistics. Why? Because they understand the importance of keeping guests happy. They also understand the unique challenges that come with remodelling a hotel, and this is invaluable.

If your provider isn’t accustomed to the hotel industry, how can you expect them to have suitable contingency plans in place? And how can you expect them to devise a strategy which is not only effective for you, but also for your guests? Spoiler alert. You can’t. Which is why it’s so important to get this step right.

Stay flexible with your renovation plan

Note, this doesn’t mean starting your hotel renovation with a half-baked plan. You still need to thoroughly plan your refurbishment to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible. However, what you don’t want is the mindset of sticking to that plan at all costs. It’s no secret that life throws us curveballs, particularly when we’re carrying out a renovation. But combine this with the unpredictability of hotel guest situations and you can see why you need to allow for flexibility in your plan.

Learn to pause. Recuperate and modify your plans according to daily happenings to ensure your hotel renovation goes ahead with minimal disruption.

Implement buffer zones

The secret to any successful hotel renovation is to implement buffer zones. Zones which create a distance between your guests and any works going on. This could mean leaving an empty floor or empty block of rooms above and below the area you’re working on. Of course, this will mean doing less business. But it sure beats dealing with countless refund demands, damaging reviews and potentially losing formerly loyal customers.

Be transparent with your guests

If you’re not upfront with your guests about the works going on in your hotel from the start you risk some very, very unhappy customers. Even if you’re worried you’ll receive less custom, it’s not worth the negative reviews that can follow.

No one wants to feel lied to and your guests are no different. So be sure to inform all guests that a renovation is taking place, and understand the steps you’re taking to ensure minimal disruption.

Empower staff members to handles customer concerns

An already unhappy guest isn’t going to respond well if they’re told there’s nothing you can do. To avoid this, set guidelines with your staff members about how to handle customer complaints and give them the power to offer complimentary days, waive certain fees or award extra loyalty points. Customers want to know you empathise with their situation and will feel appreciated if you immediately suggest a way to apologise for the inconvenience.

So there you have it. With an experienced move management provider, buffer zones, staff empowerment, a flexible renovation plan and some good old fashioned honesty, you’ll be able to carry out a hotel renovation with minimal disruption to you and your guests.

If you’re looking to refurbish your hotel this year or have a relocation planned, get in touch with our team of logistics experts!