Steps to Prepare for Peak Season

The peak season is an exciting time for any hotel. You get to see the fruits of your planning come together in the last few months of the year, and it’s great for your bank account after a long winter.

However, it’s also a challenging time of year.

QUARTERLY CYCLES

Most businesses plan in 90-day cycles (quarters). To make sure that you don’t fall behind during this busy time, you need to plan ahead.

PRICING AND PROMOTION

Don’t make important pricing decisions on the run. Make sure you have a good handle on your hotel’s peak season price points - how much you will charge for rooms, functions, packages, meals etc. during this season. Have a Plan B; for example, if you find yourself in early December with Christmas Day tables well below last year’s bookings level. Will you use selective pricing, or ramp up your promotional efforts? How much will you commit to advertising or an email campaign?

CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT IS IN TOP SHAPE

One of the most important things to tick off your peak season checklist is ensuring your equipment is in top condition. This includes everything from your kitchen appliances to your housekeeping equipment, to any communications equipment you may have. Make sure that you’re doing regular maintenance so that it doesn’t break down during peak season. If something does fail, you need a plan in place to repair it as quickly as possible.

STAFFING

One of the most common issues that affects hotels during peak season is that they’re simply too busy to keep up with demand. That means you aren’t maximising your sales if the bar is three-deep or people get impatient with slow table service and pass on dessert or another round of drinks.

The festive season is when hotels are busiest and in the current staffing crisis, the ratio of staff to patrons is probably at its lowest.

This is not going to change during the peak weeks of 2022.

If you can’t find more staff, then you either need to reduce patron numbers – or find more efficient ways to operate. For example, that might mean going over your menus (again) to make sure they are able to be prepared and delivered to the table in the shortest possible time, without impacting quality. If you are really short on staff, complex dishes may have to be sacrificed. Set menus may have to be introduced. Or they may have to be introduced earlier in December that would normally be the case.

Make sure staff understand what peak efficiency looks like. Now is the time to be training and holding refresher sessions. You might even consider offering incentives for teams that can cope with high load shifts with fewer staff on deck. Motivate them by giving them a share in your success.

Look after your key staff. Make sure you are not overworking any one person and causing burnout, especially a top performer you can’t afford to lose.

In making sure you have enough staff members to adequately service each guest, understanding your operation ‘inside out’ is vital. Get into the details or delegate this to someone you trust – but make sure you have a good grasp on how long each part of your operation takes so that you can properly schedule your staff members.

TECH EFFICIENCY

Are you maximising technology? Can your ovens handle the load or are you about to repeat the same bottlenecks as last year? Does your point of sale equipment allow for rapid transfer from one staff member to another, or is it old and slow? It may be too late to change this year but put it on the books for the future. Modern technology should always lighten the load. For example, make sure that you’re using a modern room booking system that enables rapid check in, which frees up staff time and also gathers guests’ booking information and needs for their best possible experience.

DATA

For larger hotels, use software to track your data. It’s important to track your data during peak season so that you can identify areas that need improvement. You can make adjustments during busy times and then use the information for next year’s planning.

Housekeeping is another area of your hotel that can cause major issues if it’s not up to par. Ensure that your team is efficient in their cleaning so that guests don’t have to wait too long for a clean room, that the job is done properly and see if time can be freed up for cleaning staff to be deployed into other areas of the hotel.

DON’T FORGET TO MARKET TO EXISTING GUESTS

Another important thing to think about during the peak season is marketing to your existing guests. Send out a welcome gift to your existing guests to show them that you appreciate their business and want to welcome them back. This gift can be as simple as a discount on their next stay or a free drink at the bar.

Offer perks like free WiFi, free breakfast, etc. during the peak season to make your guests feel appreciated. Survey your guests to find out what they like and don’t like about your hotel. This will help you to identify areas where you can improve.

THREE FINAL THOUGHTS

1. Be proactive - Don’t let peak season sneak up on you. Start getting ready far in advance so that you have plenty of time to make sure everything is in order.

2. Keep a positive attitude - You’ll likely be experiencing stress during peak season, but try not to let it get to you. Instead, keep a positive attitude and try to remain as calm as possible.

3. Keep an eye on your numbers. Make sure that you’re watching your key figures, so that you can identify areas that may need rapid action now, as well as forming the basis for improvement next year.