Reflections on how to maintain & upgrade hotel operations.
Recently, I’ve noticed a troubling trend after speaking and visiting with hotel management both in my local community and across the nation. As hotel doors are alway open, there is an industry-wide challenge of keeping track of hotel manager and maintenance engineer operations. This makes it extremely difficult to pass on information when the job is transferred to someone new. Post job turnover is high and many new hotel managers are left pondering questions like:
- What type of lightbulbs were used in this hallway?
- What color paint is in these rooms?
- How do we fix the ovens, the heating, the a/c, etc.?
I’m writing to acknowledge the difficulties that many hotel managers and heads of maintenance are experiencing, and to offer some encouragement, support, and a way to solve the problem. Despite the challenges of “starting over” with new staff and problems to fix, I’ve seen hotels take this as a time to refresh and re-energize, yielding amazing results.
Here are a few creative ways hotels are making the most of their new opportunity:
Set the tone with a new ambiance
Hotels are a gateway to creating an experience or a home away from home. Now is the time to consider the impression your hotel has on guests. How does the lighting look when a guest arrives on your property during the day and the night, as they walk into your lobby, the hallways, and in to the rooms?
At GoodBulb, we help you create a lighting strategy that matches the ambiance you want. Is it a warm comforting room in 2700 to 3500 Kelvin, or a brighter white 5000 Kelvin? Both are perfect depending on what you want the customer to experience. We have good bulbs and a team of Lumen Masters to design a lighting layout that brings your vision to life.
Create a lighting layout plan
Guests often don’t realize the extent of lighting required to maintain a property—the hotel exterior, pathway lighting, elevator lighting, stairwell lighting, parking lot lighting, etc. This is why we invest the time in building a relationship and understanding your hotels’ goals. Our team realizes that each hotel operates differently, which is why we make efforts to meet with you by phone, video conferences, and on-site consultations when possible. We ask what bulbs are used in each section of the property, we gather photos of the various lighting fixtures, and we create a thorough documentation of the entire lighting layout.
For hotels that have worked with GoodBulb, we maintain a history of the lighting layout and required light bulbs to maintain intended ambiance for years to come. This makes the information easily transferable between hotel management and staff, or when training a new hotel head of maintenance takes the reigns.
Stop using buying groups
Something I’ve experienced working with hotels is that before GoodBulb many rellied on buying groups for their light bulbs. These buying groups are removed from the property and do not understand lighting. I’ve seen buying groups send replacement bulbs without any regard for their existing lighting. This results in mismatched colors and shapes and can ruin the ambiance. It often causes more problems for my team to fix. With buying groups, when a new hotel manager or hotel maintenance engineer has questions, there isn’t anyone that can give a good answer.
The only thing worse would be the maintenance guy wandering the aisles of a box store, or scrolling the internet searching through an endless stream of options. Fingers crossed they ordered the right product.
My recommendation is to find a lighting team that will take the time to understand your hotel, creating a custom lighting solution for your property.
Upgrade equipment, save money
Perhaps you have not yet switched to LED lighting. If you have not yet switched you need to do it NOW. Old lighting is costing you dollars and it’s an easy upgrade. You will see the energy savings, maintenance savings, and a better quality of light.
Rejuvenate, re-energize, reopen!
You are open to the world, and people want to travel. Breathe life back into your hotel. Now is the time! And if you are need of lighting support we are just a phone call away. 701-205-4953 and ask for a Lumen Master. Or, send us a message at hello@goodbulb.com. Our team is here to listen, support, and provide the best lighting solutions possible.
P.S. If you’re in the hospitality/hotel industry, we have a TON of content specifically for hotel management and hotel lighting. You won’t want to miss it. Here’s how you can stay in touch for valuable hotel lighting tips:
