Good housekeeping is a thankless job, but it’s one of the most important aspects of providing a top-notch stay. When done well, guests likely won’t notice a spotless room. But done poorly, and you can bet the complaints will roll in, both online and to your front desk staff. As the first signs of spring emerge, it’s the perfect opportunity for small hotels to dust off their housekeeping routines and embrace the annual ritual of spring cleaning. Whether you’re coming off your busy season and are keen to clean up after the winter rush or you’re just gearing up for the summer influx of traveler ..read more

In 2024, arrival is often your guests’ first IRL experience of your hotel—and it’s a key opportunity for small hotels to shine brighter than their larger competitors. When you don’t have hundreds of rooms full of guests to manage at one time, you can take the time to really get to know each guest individually and provide them with a unique hotel arrival experience a large hotel could never replicate. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to elevating your hotel arrival experience, and like all things hospitality, what matters most is understanding each guests’ unique needs and preferences ..read more

Price your rooms too high and you might not get enough bookings, but price them too low and you sacrifice revenue in the name of higher occupancy. If creating a hotel pricing strategy has you feeling like Goldilocks plundering the house of the three bears, you’re not alone. Hotel pricing strategies define how you set room rates based on booking date, room class, and guest type. There are seemingly infinite hotel room pricing methods to consider, but ultimately, you have to find just the right price for your small hotel to maximize occupancy and revenue. We know small hotel owners are busy ..read more

We’ve all given ourselves a new year’s resolution or two at some point in our lives—eat healthier, finally get our household clutter under control, travel more...you know the drill. Most of the time, our well-intentioned resolutions are abandoned within the first few weeks of the year. No judgment—we’ve been there too! Whether or not you buy into setting new year’s resolutions, when you operate a small hotel, the start of a new year is always a great opportunity to evaluate your performance and set goals for the coming year. To help you kickstart 2024 off strong, we’ve whipped up 7 goals—or ..read more

There are many metrics by which to measure the success of a small hotel: guest reviews, revenue, and of course, occupancy rate (just to name a few). Occupancy rate is one of the simplest—and most important—success metrics for small hotel owners and managers. It may technically be simple to calculate (especially if you have an all-in-one property management system to do it for you), but understanding your occupancy rate may not feel so straightforward when you’re busy managing the day-to-day operations of your small hotel. The truth is, there is no such thing as one universal “good” occupan ..read more

It’s easy to set aside small repairs and preventive maintenance when guests are checking in and out every day and your staff is focused on managing all the demands of your busy season. But when your peak season has come and gone, you may not be able to ignore all that wear and tear. With fewer guests to work around and (generally) cooperative weather, the end of your busy season is the perfect time to tackle maintenance tasks you’ve been putting off all summer. It’s also a great time to get started on your hotel preventive maintenance routine before your seasonal staff finish for the year ..read more

Read Part 7 of 8 of our Complete Guide to Small Hotel Property Management Software to learn more about installing and implementing hotel operations software, hotel PMS integration, and more. Jump To: 1. Installing Hotel Operations Software So you’ve found the perfect hotel property management software—otherwise known as hotel operations software—now what? How do you get your new hotel operations software up and running? The first step to implementing a hotel PMS at your small hotel is to install it—or, more accurately, not install it in some cases. For cloud-based hotel operations sof ..read more

Read Part 5 of 9 of our Complete Guide to Small Hotel Property Management Software to learn more about the importance of property management systems, along with 10 compelling benefits of property management systems for small hotels. Jump To: Ten Benefits of Property Management Systems for Small Hotels If you’ve been running your small hotel for years using the same methods, systems, and workflows, it’s easy to underestimate the importance of a hotel property management system (PMS). After all, if something isn’t broken, why fix it? This logic may make perfect sense in some situations ..read more

Read Part 6 of 9 of our Complete Guide to Small Hotel Property Management Software to learn more about what factors to consider when it comes to choosing the right property management system in small hotels. Jump To: 1. 11 Factors To Consider When Choosing Property Management Systems for Small Hotels Property management systems in hotels can help owners and property managers handle a number of key functions. Small hotels in particular can profit from implementing property management system software, with a variety of features that improve or simplify many aspects of their day-to-day o ..read more

Read Part 4 of 9 of our Complete Guide to Small Hotel Property Management Software to discover the key functions of a property management system for small hotels, as well as what small hotel PMS features you should look for. Jump To: 1. Functions of a Property Management System The key function of a property management system is to help property managers or hotel owners organize and coordinate some or all aspects of their hotel operations. Using a variety of features (more on these in a moment), a hotel PMS can support a number of separate functions that will make it easier to manage ..read more