You can have the most beautiful interior (Article 1) and the smileiest receptionists (Article 2), but if a guest finds a hair in the bathtub or a stain on the sheet, it's all over. You get a 6/10 rating and lose future bookings.
At the “Hoteliers Academy – Bansko“", Part 3, we take off the white gloves and get to work. Cleanliness in a mountain resort is a huge challenge – we have mud, slush, sand, road salt and guests who enter in ski boots. Here, operational excellence is not a luxury, but a matter of survival.
The harsh truth about reviews
Guests can forgive outdated furniture (“it’s vintage”). They can forgive slow Wi-Fi (“we’re in the mountains”). But they never forgive lack of cleanliness. This is a direct insult to their dignity. Dirt = lack of respect.
The Nightmare “Banska Zima”: Mud, Salt and Carpets
Unlike city hotels, in Bansko we are fighting an aggressive external environment. The streets are covered in sand, and the slush is a mixture of mud and chemicals. When this gets into the hotel, the carpets suffer.
“Three Barriers” Strategy”
The best hotel cleaning is prevention. Don't let dirt get into the room:
- Outdoor area: A hard rubber doormat in front of the entrance for the “rough” mud. It needs to be hosed down every 2 hours on peak days.
- Entrance area (Windshield): Professional moisture-absorbing walkway (minimum 3 meters long). A person takes an average of 3 steps to clean their feet. If the walkway is short, the mud continues.
- Ski wardrobe: Strict rule – no ski boots in the rooms! If you don't have a ski wardrobe, provide plastic shoe trays in each hallway.
High-Touch Points: Where do we touch most often?
Housekeepers often clean “what is visible” (the floor, the bed, the mirror). But the modern traveler is paranoid about germs. Here is a list of “High-Touch Points” (frequently touched areas) that are often overlooked but noticed by guests:
| Object | Why is it critical? |
|---|---|
| The TV remote | Statistically the dirtiest item in a hotel room. It should be sanitized after every change. Wrap it in “Sanitized” paper tape for effect. |
| Door handles | Everyone touches them. Disinfecting them is mandatory, but often forgotten. |
| The lighting switches | They often have dark fingerprint stains around the frame. |
| The water jug | Check inside! Guests cook all sorts of things in them (even sausages). Scale is also unacceptable. |
Maid Checklist: The Success Algorithm
On a Sunday, when you only have 4 hours to turn over 20 rooms, chaos is guaranteed without a system. Here's the pro algorithm for hotel cleaning (clockwise, top to bottom):
- Ventilation: The first step is to open the window. The air should be fresh.
- Collection: Dispose of all waste and dirty linen.
- Preparations: Spraying the bathroom (the product needs 5-10 minutes of technological time to take effect).
- Pollination: From high (chandeliers, wardrobes) to low.
- The bathroom: Wash and dry (Chrome should shine, without water drops!).
- The bed: Standard tension.
- Vacuuming and mopping the floor: Always at the end, leaving the room backwards.
A guest's biggest phobia is a foreign hair in the bed or bathroom. Train your maids to do a final check with a powerful flashlight or phone flash on the white sheets and tiles. One hair equals zero stars.
Personnel management: How to motivate maids?
In Bansko, finding staff is difficult. Maids are physically demanding and often undervalued. If they are unhappy, the rooms will be dirty.
Gamification (Turn work into a game)
Instead of just scolding for mistakes, introduce a bonus system:
- “Mystery Guest”: Once a month, your friend stays overnight and fills out a checklist. If the result is 100%, the maid receives a cash bonus.
- The chocolate game: Hide a small chocolate bar in a hard-to-find spot (e.g. under the bed or on top of a tall wardrobe). If the maid finds it and leaves it on the pillow (or returns it to you), she's cleaned there too. The prize? The chocolate bar + bonus.
- Types: Encourage guests to leave a tip. Include a small card: “Your comfort today was taken care of by: Maria. Thank you!”. Personalization increases the chance of a tip dramatically.
Are you ready for the next level?
Cleanliness is the basis. But what do we do when, despite our efforts, something goes wrong? There is no hot water? The neighbors are making noise? In the next article we will talk about “Dealing with crises and difficult guests”.
English (UK)