When it com
es to par level management, we’re going to borrow a well-known slogan: Just do it.
Too many properties don’t invest enough time, money and resources into managing their pars, and it makes everyone’s jobs more difficult—and it risks making guests less satisfied.
Giving a bit more oomph to the advice of just doing it, here are some par level management do’s and don’ts.
Do: Have Enough Pars
How many pars is enough? Generally speaking, the recommended number is four.
Four pars:
- 1 in the guest room
- 1 that’s dirty and leaving the room
- 1 in storage waiting to go into the room
- 1 in the laundry room or with your commercial laundry service
Don’t: Skate By and Hope for the Best
Not having enough pars on hand at all times has a whole host of risks and consequences, some of them pretty costly.
Given the rigors and high temperatures of the laundry process, linens need to rest between uses. If you aren’t giving your luxury hotel sheets and towels a chance to cool down and chillax between turns in your guest rooms, you’re increasing wear and tear and decreasing their lifecycle.
Not having enough pars also puts you one emergency or unexpected event away from running out of linens when you need them most. Especially if you’re running an on-property laundry operation with no back-up, you need to have pars on deck in case something happens to your laundry equipment.
Do: Conduct Inventory Regularly
If you’re looking to get your par levels on track, you’ll need an accurate count of where you are now. Properties that have the best par level management conduct laundry inventory every month. You read that right: every month.
If your property isn’t doing inventory regularly, it’s never too late to start, even at the height of the leisure travel season.
Putting inventory on the calendar every month at the same time makes it routine rather than a chore, and everyone involved will be able to plan time and resources. You’ll want to set aside an inventory time when linens aren’t moving, either in the evenings after housekeepers are done for the day or in the morning before they start.
Don’t: Inventory Without Action
Knowing how many sheets, towels, robes—and don’t forget pool towels—that you have at a point in time is just the beginning. You need to take the next step and use that information to make decisions and to order linens as you go.
Consistently ordering new linen as you need it will save time, reduce chaos and increase the chances that you’ll get the quality of items that you want.
Do: Plan for High Season
Higher temperatures, fuller rooms and maximum demand for linens can only mean one thing: leisure travel season.
The relatively calm months when you have mainly business travelers can lull you into a false sense of security about your par situation. Business travelers, on average, are more likely to travel alone and use fewer linens.
Leisure travelers pack in more people per room and are more likely to strain the limits of your linen supply.
Don’t: Make Emergency Linen Purchases
Sometimes, the emergency linen buy is unavoidable, but it isn’t ideal. More than likely, if you need linens in a hurry, your preferred distributor won’t be able to get them to you in time, and you’ll have to rush order from someone you wouldn’t ordinarily choose.
Careful planning and taking the steps above will make it less likely that you’ll have to order now, now, now.
Just Did It
Whether you’re a par level management pro or just getting the hang of it, the right tools and approach can save you time, money and stress.{{cta(‘d023df5e-9bec-4f38-97d2-98acff84ce4d’,’justifycenter’)}}