Hotel Brokerage Tips: Holiday Staff Guide
As Christmas approaches, it’s important for your hotel to be prepared for the holiday season. Most hotels experience a bump in business during the holidays, so it’s important to have the right staffing strategy to keep up with the extra guests. In today’s Southeast International Hotel Brokers blog post, we provide some great tips on how to handle staffing over the holiday season.
Show Your Appreciation
Some of your staff will be asked to work extensively during the holiday season, and some will even work on the actual holiday. While most businesses offer time and a half wages for employees who work holidays, it’s important to go the extra mile and express your appreciation for your staff. Make sure to give your staff gifts for the holiday to make them feel appreciated. You can even write handwritten letters to each of your staff members to let them know that you are thinking of them personally.
Schedule Generously
Building a schedule for the holiday season is notoriously difficult. Not only will you be dealing with a higher volume of guests, but you will also have a higher volume of time-off requests from staff who are traveling for the holidays. While it is difficult, make sure to put in extra effort to schedule fairly and generously. Some businesses and hotels schedule shorter shifts so that their staff can work but also get home to their families. If you have staff who prefer to work on holidays, make sure to take advantage of that as well.
Plan Ahead
Most employees who work in the hotel industry know what they are signing up for. They will only get frustrated if they aren’t given proper notice. Let your staff know how holiday scheduling will work well in advance, so everybody has an opportunity to make arrangements. This also gives you more time to tweak the schedule and make it work for everyone. Staffing during the holidays can be complicated, but if you plan ahead, it is easier to work around.
Contact Southeast International Hotel Brokerage for More Info
As a hotel brokerage, we know all too well how difficult it is to schedule around the holidays. We also know that buying or selling a hotel is equally difficult. For more information on what we do as a hotel brokerage, get in touch with us at (417) 865-2520 or contact us online today.