Exceeding Your Own Standards

Your standards are: the style you intend to use in your business; what your guests look for as part of their experience at your inn; how you respond and react to your guests needs and comments. Exceeding your standards ensures you'll be the best you can be. That is part of your formula for success.

Why would you want to exceed your standards, as opposed to just meeting them? So you can shine in the category you have defined as your level of business and service. If you want to be a three-diamond or -star establishment you need to not only adopt the requirements for that category of service, but also incorporate some of the suggestions for the next level. You will stand out in the crowd and that will improve your business and reputation.

Cleanliness

The underlying question is "How clean is clean enough?" I believe that your paying guests deserve to see a clean house -- that's part of what they are paying for, after all.  Bathrooms are cleaned daily but what about dusting and vacuuming the common areas daily?  How often do you dust and vacuum all surfaces? Have you set up a schedule to mop floors in the kitchen, public bathrooms, and your wood floors? 

Cleanliness is a huge factor in impressing clients and is certainly one of the first things they look for when entering your property.  Make sure you are spotless!

Hospitality

Do you have oodles of hangers in your guestroom closets? Not everyone travels with hangers.  Place hand towels at the sink, not across the room on the towel rack so that guests can dry their hands quickly and easily without dripping on your floor. You can place the towels in rolls or stacked on the counter, in a basket, or from a towel ring. Have you reviewed your bath amenities? In addition to soap (bar and soft) you could offer Q-tips and cotton balls. Is your food service adequate or ample? Breakfast is expected but do you offer snacks during the day, or even with a 24 hour availability? If you don't have a phone in every guestroom, do you at least have one separate line for the guests so your business isn't impacted by their phone use and their phone use isn't impacted by your business? Is that phone in a private space with a desk and good lighting?

What about options like individual climate control, TV, VCR, sound system, and gas fireplace? Do you have a guest letter that reviews important hours, how to use the phone, a reminder of your gift shop, and generally welcomes your guests? This would be a great place to inform your guest of kitchen and refrigerator use and where and how to find you, as well as one more chance to state your policies (which I trust you have stated at reservation time, in the brochure, on the web site, and in your confirmation letter). Have you provided extra blankets and pillows in the guestroom? Don't make your guests ask for them or go outside their room to get them. Do you have a system for recording your guest's likes/dislikes, personal details like birthday or anniversary, or their partner's, children's, and pet's names? What about placing an umbrella stand, with umbrellas by your front door, or in the guestrooms? Guest refrigerators with individual creamers in the guestrooms is a plus too. I guess if you are going to place cream in the room refrigerators, providing a hot water pot for making coffee, cocoa, and tea would be a plus too; and be sure to wash the pot and filter cone after each coffee use.

People are increasingly aware of drinking pure water: what about providing a filter in each room? The filter could be at the sink or it could be a free-standing filter, like britta, that could go in the refrigerator. You know lighting is a big issue for me. Is yours welcoming, especially on cloudy days and at night? Are the bedside lights fitted with 3-way switches and 3-way bulbs? Do you have lights on desks and at reading chairs too? Is there good lighting in the shower/bath area as well as at the sink? For mood lighting at the bath, how about a dimmer switch?

What have you done about noise control? Even if you have an older building there are little things you can do to help muffle noises, such as carpet runners on wood floors, not placing headboards against common headboard walls (no two headboards share a wall), and using solid doors for the guestrooms. If you are renovating or building from scratch, pay attention to insulating water-walls, guestroom walls, guestroom floors and ceilings too.

There are so many little ways to raise your standards above what you have defined for yourself that will make a big difference in your guests' enjoyment.

Some of the suggestions I have offered are expensive, but most of them are inexpensive and easy. Are you going to meet your standards or exceed them? Are you going to meet your income expectations or exceed them? It's your choice.