Best Practices in Hotel Operations

Abstract

A wide-ranging study conducted by researchers based at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration identified a diverse group of hotel companies that have implemented outstanding practices to improve operations. Some of the hotels and management companies selected as best-practice champions improved specific departments' operations, while others took a hotel-wide approach to improving operations. Several operators have sought out distressed properties with an eye to renovating the physical plant and upgrading operations. Another group of operators has implemented some form of quality-assurance system. The two specific functional areas that received the most attention were maintenance (including housekeeping) and the front desk, especially check-in and check-out. Respondents in this study reported an increase in guest and employee satisfaction, along with considerable profit improvements. Significantly, in several cases the hotels shared with employees the savings from revised work practices, particularly those that prescribe standard times for each activity.