A long-term suites division of an American extended stay hospitality chain had to adjust its staffing models and protocols to deal with the Covid 19 pandemic.
Labor predictability had become an issue and the guest stay profile had changed, ultimately impacting the operating model that had proven successful for over 20 years. These changes in the marketplace had impacted profitability and had strained an already lean staffing model.
During the assessment, we recognized an opportunity to bolster property-level planning, standardize role-specific tasks and reset room cleaning times. Furthermore, a focus was placed on generating accountability to performance at the property-leader level.
The Results
The specific changes included:
- Installing a weekly labor forecasting practice to account for intra-week check-ins and check-outs
- Deployment of leader-standard work that focused on following up on the daily activity plan
- Creation of standard housekeeping times by room type built upon specific activities needing to be performed
- Visibility to the reasons of variances when comparing planned vs actual labor
- Integration of a leader accountability framework to support district managers’ attention to key property levers
- Implementation of maintenance program to increase PM adherence by 170%.
Labor Standards:
- 13% YOY improvement in labor standard attainment
- Attainment improvement was achieved within a 6-month transformation period
Cost per Occupied Room:
- 5% reduction in cost per occupied room
- Improvement was focused on reducing out of service rooms, scheduling labor effectively, and establishing standard checks for quality of cleans
