The toolbox for the #management of the operational services of your establishment.
Let’s together go through the departments that will generate the company’s profits, the customer journey, the expenses to be forecast, the activity forecasting tools to adapt the resources.
Let’s share together the keys of our industry !
Once upon a time in hospitality …
Housekeeping
Why do guests come ?
The first criterion by a guest for visiting a property, during, is generally destination. Then, different criteria are taken into account to make his choice, or will then be decisive in order to retain him. The ranking, in order of importance, varies according to the types of clients and their expectations, but the main factors on which the hotelier will be judged are :
- Cleanliness and safety
- Room quality and soundproofing
- Choice of services offered
- Price
- Courtesy and efficient staff
- Ambiance and style
- Atmosphere and views
- Location and surroundings
According to the importance of each criterion for the guests and positioning, it is a question of working its factors and allocating the necessary budgets for a good functioning.
Housekeeping expenses
The expenditure items are to be fixed either by ratio (cost per room sold or per customer), or by allocated budget.
- Payroll costs (including charges, benefits, bonuses, taxes)
- Maintenance products
- Intermediary commissions
- Cost of gifts, customer gifts
- Subcontracting
- Decoration
- Miscellaneous subscriptions
- Welcome products
- Laundry
- Miscellaneous purchases (Newspapers, small equipment, etc …)
- Stationery
- Uniform cleaning
The hosted customer journey
At each stage of the customer’s journey, there is a place or a team in contact. With each contact, there is an opportunity for sales, advice, experience // Let’s break down these steps to adapt to each establishment according to its configuration :
Example of a guest journey (EXCLUDING RESTAURANT SERVICES & OTHERS)
Reservation– Website , Phone
———————————————————————
Arrival- Surroundings
Arrival- Parking, Driver
Welcoming- Driver, Bellboy
Welcoming- Receptionnist Concierge
Installation- Receptionnist, Butler
Stay- Housekeeper
Stay- Receptionnist, Concierge
Stay- Waiter, Housekeeper
Departure- Receptionnist
Departure- Bellboy, Driver
Departure- Driver, Parking
Departure- Surroundings
———————————————————————-
Feed-back- Satisfaction questionnaire
Based on the customer journey and the key success factors, the hotelier must define his service protocols with his teams. “The words to say it” // “The gestures to do it” // “The special attentions”.
We will discuss together the importance of creating emotion in our service professions in the EXPERIENCE section.
Preparation & anticipation of the activity
Activity forecast by customer segment // Anticipating your activity well is crucial in order to adapt your expenses. Precise work must be done with the department or person in charge of reservations or the sales department to transcribe the results of actions into future reservations. If in some structures, the ideal is to have a day by day study, it is a priority at least to have visibility month by month until the end of the year.
Activity planning by department // Once the activity forecasts are established, the job is to prepare its schedule over several weeks to adjust the number of people to the planned activity. This exercise also makes it possible to plan the necessary recruitments if the activity is on the rise (extras, seasonal or limited-term contracts) or the vacations and rest of the teams to be planned during the quietest periods. The company must set staff ratios according to its activity (Example: number of rooms per person per day depending on the type of room). Examples of hotel services // Reception – Concierge – Baggage handlers – Butlers – Valets – Housekeepers – Maintenance of common areas.
Key hotel performance indicators (KPIs) // Some key indicators to follow on a daily basis or at the end of the month in order to monitor the hotel’s economic performance and make adjustments to improve results. These indicators must be part of the objectives of department managers.
Food & Beverage
Why do guests come ?
The food&beverage business evolves each year in relation to new customer expectations but above all the experience they find. In this section, we will discuss the importance of the #concept for the customer, how to define it so that it is consistent, precise and easy to understand. The restaurateur prepares meals for his customers but also provides a social environment. We are in #entertainment! Besides the location of the restaurant in its environment, one of the selection criteria, the main factors on which the restaurateur will be judged are :
- Hygiene and cleanliness
- Quality of food and preparations
- Variety of choice
- Price
- Courtesy and friendliness of staff
- Speed of service
- Atmosphere and ambiance
- Choice of portions on the plate
Depending on the importance of each criterion for its customers and its positioning, it is a question of working its factors and allocating the necessary budgets for a good functioning.
Food & Beverage expenses
The expenditure items are to be set either by ratio (cost per cover served), or by allocated budget envelope.
- Payroll costs (including charges, benefits, bonuses, taxes)
- Cost of goods (food cost, beverage cost)
- Equipment purchases (crockery, glassware, cutlery)
- Maintenance products
- Intermediary commissions
- Cost of gifts, customer gifts
- Subcontracting
- Decoration
- Miscellaneous subscriptions
- Animation (music or other)
- Equipment rental
- Consumable products
- Laundry
- Miscellaneous purchases (Newspapers, small equipment, etc …)
- Printing menus
- Uniform cleaning
| The restaurant / bar customer journey At each stage of the customer’s journey, there is a person from the team in contact. With each contact, there is an opportunity for sales, advice, experience // Let’s take a look at these steps to adapt to each establishment according to its configuration : Example of a restaurant customer journey : Reservation– Website , Phone ———————————————————– Arrival- Surroundings Arrival- Parking, Driver Welcome- Hostess, Manager Installation- Manager, Maître D Menu- Maître D’, Head waiter Order- Wine waiter, Head waiter Service(s)- Head waiter, Waiter Clear- Waiter Order- Wine waiter, Head waiter Service Head waiter, Waiter Clear- Waiter Bill- Head waiter, Hostess Departure- Hostess, Manager Departure- Driver, Parking Departure- Surroundings ———————————————————— Feed-back- Satisfaction questionnaire Based on the customer journey and the key success factors, the restaurant owner must define his service protocols with his teams. “The words to say it” // “The gestures to do it” // “The special attentions”. All these elements must be notified in the “Brand Book“, the bible of the restaurant or bar which defines the rules: An essential tool for the consistency of its concept approaching product marketing in all these details. | |
Preparation & anticipation of the activity
Brand book – Define your concept // The success of a restaurant is judged in the long term. Generally, a market study allows you to position your restaurant in a market to differentiate yourself. Then, you have to precisely define the product marketing of the restaurant, what I call the Brand book which references what the restaurant is, to whom it is addressed, what are its codes and its rules of service.
Management Tools // In the management of a restaurant, the cost of each dish and its selling price make it possible to follow the target margins and ratios. A support called a technical sheet makes it possible to value the cost of each dish, each drink or cocktail served. We must not forget each ingredient and allow a margin for the loss. The study then of the best sales of the card compared to the best ratios or margins (Smith study or Menu Engineering) guides the restaurateur to adjust his variables // Price, Cost of the recipe, Cost of purchasing materials as well as the losses during preparation or storage.
Activity planning by department // Workforce planning document based on planned activity. A distinction between services should be made to adjust the number of people expected. This exercise also makes it possible to plan the necessary recruitments if the activity is on the rise (extras, seasonal or limited-term contracts) or the vacations and rest of the teams to be planned during the quietest periods. The company must set staff ratios according to its activity (Example: number of covers to be served per person per day depending on the type of restaurant). Examples of services on a restaurant // Service – Kitchen – Stewarding – Maintenance of common places.
Restaurant key performance indicators (KPIs) // Some key indicators to follow on a daily basis or at the end of the month in order to follow the economic performance of your restaurant (s) and make adjustments to improve results. These indicators must be part of the objectives of department managers.
Spa & Wellness
A dynamic and essential activity
The Spa & Wellness activity in an establishment requires mastering various expertise in the fields of fitness, health, nutrition, stress management and sometimes medical treatment. The financial success of a Spa largely depends on market research and strategic positioning as well as good marketing. Finding the right niche market and adapting your marketing and merchandising to this segment are essential to endure.
Today, we talk about Spa for everything: from a spa bath to an exclusive resort dedicated to treatments and adapted catering …. Spas are also, more than ever, a travel destination that allows customers to relax. escape stress, eat better, have a level of relaxation and well-being, all in a pleasant environment. The interest of Spas is growing and the market quickly saw new entrants take market share from more traditional structures. However, it is a sector that will remain dynamic for a long time to come. The demand for well-being, health, time for oneself are now a priority and even a determining factor in the choice of a trip.
Factors that influence the guest in choosing a Spa
- Hygiene and cleanliness
- Quality of care
- Location and attractiveness of the destination
- Price
- Orientation of the proposed program and variety of treatments
- Quality of facilities, structure
- Brand awareness and expertise
Spa expenses
The expenditure items are to be set either by ratio (cost per customer) or by allocated budget.
- Payroll costs (including charges, benefits, bonuses, taxes)
- Cost of goods (cost of care products, boutique products)
- Equipment purchases
- Maintenance products
- Intermediary commissions
- Cost of gifts, customer gifts
- Subcontracting (intervention of coaches)
- Decoration
- Miscellaneous subscriptions
- Animation (music or other)
- Equipment rental
- Consumable products
- Laundry
- Printing care card and flyers
- Uniform cleaning
The positioning of a Spa
The strategic choice of positioning its Spa is a combination between the choice of its program and the price.
The choice of program varies between the client’s expectations on the expected results :
| Spiritual | |
| Fitness | |
| Beauty | |
| Cosmetic | |
| Health |
Guest expectations at the Spa
- Relaxation // Take care of yourself.
- Welcome // To be recognized.
- Valorization // Each guest is unique.
- Fair price // Quality / price ratio.
- Accessible luxury// Make your VIP comfortable.
- Efficiency // Purchase of a result.
- Innovation // Surprise him with new experiences.
The customer journey to the spa :
Reservation– Website , Hostess
———————————————————–
Arrival- Surroundings, parking
Welcome- Hostess, Manager
Installation- Therapist, locker
Treatment(s)- Esthetician, Therapist
Relaxation- Therapist, Relaxation area
Relaxation- Pool, Therapist
Invoice- Hostess, Manager
Departure- Parking, Surroundings
————————————————————–
Feed-back- Satisfaction questionnaire
As soon as a Spa works with a brand, a partner, it benefits from the expertise of the latter to adapt its treatment protocols. The training part of the Spa teams is an crucial step and must be repeated regularly to ensure the regularity and improvement of the service.
Preparation & anticipation of the activity
Engineering menu of the Spa menu // In the management of a spa, it is necessary to know its cost prices and the costs of each treatment to set a fair price. The treatment time is one of the elements, like the price of the products, but the fixed costs of the Spa must also be included. The study of the best sales of the spa menu compared to the best margins (Menu Engineering) then guides the Spa manager to adjust his variables // Price, Treatment cost and Cost of purchasing products.
Treatment sells well with a good margin // What to do ? Keep it and keep it ahead on your spa menu! See to slightly increase the price to improve its margin without risking a drop in sales.
Treatment sells well but leaves little margin // What to do ? See to increase the price to improve your margin and see if sales go down. Possibly change the type of treatment to improve its cost and test another protocol.
Treatment does not sell well but has a good margin // What to do ? See to lower the price slightly without degrading its margin too much to see if sales increase. Reposition it in the spa menu to push it for sale, promote it over a period and highlight it in any advertising material.
Treatment does not sell well and leaves a small margin // What to do ? Remove it from the spa menu and change the treeatment to make it more attractive by another.
Activity planning by department // Workforce planning document based on planned activity. This exercise also makes it possible to plan the necessary recruitments if the activity is on the rise (extras, seasonal or limited-term contracts) or the vacations and rest of the teams to be planned during the quietest periods. The planning must adapt to the activity of the spa and also take into account that for recruitments, the staff must absolutely be trained in treatment protocols.
Spa key performance indicators (KPIs) // Some key indicators to follow on a daily basis or at the end of the month in order to monitor the economic performance of your Spa and make adjustments to improve results. These indicators must be part of the department manager’s objectives.
My 12 rules to succeed as a manager !
- Challenge your teams to improve and do it regularly;
- Take care of your teams, they will take care of your returning guests;
- Celebrate the successes of your teams, not yours;
- Know what you’re good at and keep improving;
- Get it right and get it done right away. Be in the action;
- Communicate by listening to your customers, your teams and your competitors;
- See and be seen: Get out of your office, preach the good word, make yourself visible and accessible;
- Success is always in the details;
- It is more important to recruit your teams on good attitudes rather than on particular experiences;
- Customer needs may change but their quality bias never;
- Always recruit people smarter than you;
- See every problem as an opportunity to grow.
Bill Marriott
Let’s continue to explore the #hospitality toolbox and explore the sections // Experience & Support Services.
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