Hotel & Motel Management - October 1, 2007 - (Page 54)

54 Special Report H&MM October 1, 2007 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition CLEANING & MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS Housekeeping evolution means efﬁciency By Jason Q. Freed ASSOCIATE EDITOR W RE cru The Gaylord Opryland expects employees to have more skill sets than they’ve had in the past. CO CON Special cleanin and continues to hospitality From c and res consistent roug dedication, industr Our co proven hotel and “Now, technology has brought us tremendous ways to improve customer service. It speeds up the process.” Lodging executives agree that housekeeping is the heart of the hotel. After all, the cleanliness of rooms and the ability to get amenities make the biggest impact on a guest. But it wasn’t until about a decade ago that management began focusing on technology, Kerrigan WINDSOR McCann GAYLORD • ROOM CLEANING • PUBLIC S • RES • LAUND • SUPPLEMEN The King of Clean 1.800.JANIKING | www.janiking.com ©2007 Jani-King International, Inc. | AD0707-0146 (*As Ranked by 2007 Entrepreneur magazine Franchise 500) eneur training courses and hiring standards to improve the efﬁciency of the housekeeping department. At the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., the department has experienced many changes. Because housekeeping staff is now expected to communicate with guests more, management is “extremely picky” with whom they hire, said Derek McCann, director of rooms. “The skill set of the individual has changed,” he said. “In the past, we just assumed anyone could do that job. Now we look for someone who doesn’t just go to work and clean rooms; it’s about going that extra step and getting whatever the guest needs.” An increase in guest interaction prompted Windsor HospitalSee Efﬁciency | page 56 CIRCLE NO. 129 GAYLORD OPRYLAND hen the guest in room 357 wants additional towels, he doesn’t want to wait long. In the past, the guest would call the front desk, which would contact the housekeeping ofﬁce, which would search around the storage room for towels and decide who was going to deliver them. It could have taken nearly an hour for the guest to get his towels. This facet of customer service falls squarely on the housekeeping department, which has evolved drastically during the past decade. Now, at many locations, the guest contacts an “at-your-service” employee, who is trained speciﬁcally in dealing with customers and knows where housekeeping staff members are at all times. A message is sent to a housekeeper’s handheld communication device, and he or she ﬁnds the nearest satellite closet and delivers the towels within a matter of minutes. “Twelve or 14 years ago, we thought beepers were pretty cool,” said Jim Kerrigan, regional vice president, director of operations for Windsor Hospitality Group. http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://www.janiking.com http://www.janiking.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - October 1, 2007

Hotel & Motel Management - October 1, 2007 Contents Independents Rely on Guest Feedback Models Showcase Aloft, Element Brands Trainers Emphasize Communication, Cooperation Perspective At Your Risk Satisfaction Trends Sales Clinic Energy Star Update HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Dressing Walls in 'Green' Music Programming Provides a Sound Solution Remote Check-In/Out for Leisure Travelers Q&A: Western U.S. Pipeline Softgoods - Beds and Bedding Transactions A Cause Célèbre Awards People on the Move Events Cleaning and Maintenance Solutions Marketplace Ad/Editorial Index Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - October 1, 2007

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