Your hotel laundry service is one of your most valuable vendors, ensuring that the sheets, towels and linens at your property keep doing their part to contribute to an exceptional guest experience.
You’ve made a wise decision in outsourcing some or all of your hotel laundry operations, but are you getting the most out of your relationship with your hotel laundry service? Partnering with the service is saving you and your staff time, resources and floor space, and there may be even more you can do to maximize your investment.
Here are some tips to keep in mind to make sure you’re getting the most out of your hotel laundry service.
Ask for a Tour of the Hotel Laundry Service’s Facilities
Pulling back the curtain, so to speak, on a hotel laundry service’s facilities will give you valuable insight into how they run their business and whether it aligns with your property’s values. Is the machinery modern and well-maintained? Is the facility clean? Are the operations well-organized?
A tour will give you an opportunity to see their sustainability efforts in action, from the equipment to the detergent. Ask to see the features and technology that make their laundry machines energy efficient.
A behind-the-scenes look at their operations will give you peace of mind that your linens are being cleaned and handled in a way that meets you – and your guests’ – expectations. Be sure that any new housekeeping managers, facilities staff or anyone who plays a key role in your relationship with the hotel laundry service also get tours of their facility as part of their employee orientation.
Inspect the Data
Your hotel laundry service partner likely has a mountain of data at their disposal as they track everything from the energy efficiency of their operations to their on-time delivery statistics.
If they aren’t already sharing relevant data with you, set up a system that gives you access to information that can help you with housekeeping planning and forecasting. If they are already sharing information, see if there are different ways to analyze the data that will help you meet goals or benchmarks.
Meet Frequently to Discuss How Things Are Going
A good hotel laundry service partner is just that – a partner. Your relationship should be a collaboration, and you should work together to meet your property’s goals. Meeting regularly – once a quarter or even once a month – will give you a chance to discuss issues before they become problems and challenges before they become costly.
Do Your Part
Some common hotel laundry issues, such as damages and loss, can and should be managed on the property’s end. For instance, making sure your hotel laundry chutes are well maintained will prevent tears to fabrics. And providing housekeeping staff with adequate cleaning materials means they won’t turn your washcloths as wash rags.
Proper training on your end will also help your property’s cleaning and facilities staff understand the importance of issues such as treating linens well before and after your hotel laundry service is done with them and providing the right amount of linens to each room.
Shop Around
Just as you don’t take your guests’ business for granted, your hotel laundry service shouldn’t take for granted that your property will always work with them. As the time approaches to renew or re-negotiate your contract, take the time to shop around and see what other laundry services may offer. You may find a provider with stronger sustainability results or that helps you meet some other business goal, such as working with minority suppliers.
Making sure that you’re getting the most out of your hotel laundry service will take time, but it’s an important step in maximizing your savvy outsourcing investment. Building a collaborative relationship with your provider will ensure that they’re as invested in meeting your goals as you and your staff.
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