The hospitality industry is one of the greatest contributors to economic growth across the globe. There are several reasons, which have made the hotel business to be very lucrative and profitable in modern times. More and more people spend most of their times in hotel rooms mainly due to business and leisure travels. Because of this increased business opportunities, many more business people are continuously building luxurious hotel rooms to accommodate the rising number of clients. These business people, however, understand that there are several factors which determine whether clients with chose their hotels or not. The basic factors, which may be considered by hotel guests, include amenities and cleanliness. There are those clients who are inclined to stay in particular hotels mainly because they have ample parking spaces, nature trails, swimming pools and other amenities. On the other hand, there are those clients who are drawn to particular hotels due to their cleanliness and general ambiance. An analysis of these two categories of clients establishes what drives clients to choose one hotel over others.
Cleanliness in hotels plays a significant role in determining the number of clients a certain hotel will secure as compared to other competing hotels. Hotel guests are usually attracted to hotels, which are clean in every sense from food, environment, rooms, bathrooms, and toilets. According to Zemke et al. (2015), modern day hotels must invest in knowledgeable housekeeping teams which are tasked with ensuring that hotels maintain the highest standards of cleanliness. This team can achieve this by ensuring that they make use of the best cleaning and disinfecting equipment which are available at all times. One way of doing this is maintaining hotel cleaner’s trolley, which is a large box on wheels with various shelves and compartments. This trolley is usually stocked with cleaning supplies after each shift to ensure that the incoming shift can have easy access to it. Moreover, such housekeeping teams must adhere to and follow strict maintenance and cleaning procedures in doing this such a hotel will ensure that its aspects remain clean at all times thus increasing the probability of securing more clients.
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Hotels and hotel rooms are public places since different visitors will make use of them from time to time. Such a frequency of use may create a room for vermin to grow and multiply. No visitor is willing to stay in a hotel room, which will expose him or her to illnesses and other vermin. According to DiVico (nd), a clean room in a reputable room may mean the difference between a tranquil and tense stay. With this in mind, the hotel owners thus will ensure that these rooms, bathrooms, railings, staircases, elevators, utensils, and toilets are clean and disinfected at all times. Hotel guests who are assured of their safety are likely to become regular customers at such a hotel. Moreover, these satisfied customers will then act as marketers who will recommend such hotels to their families and friends. In essence, increased clients automatically translate to more revenue and probability which is the main reason for staring such hotel businesses.
Cleanliness creates an aura of comfort and ambiance for the hotel guests keen on making their stay count. Such guests believe that the amount of money they spend on securing their stay at such hotels should be worth it. No guest wants to stay in dirty, smelly, and unkempt hotels and hotel rooms, swim in dirty pools or eat their food from dirty tables and utensils. In essence, the hotel guest usually anticipates for a thrilling and exciting stay whenever they decide to stay in hotel rooms. As such, it would be unwise for any hotelier to neglect the cleanliness aspect of a hotel at the expense of the clients. These clients want to get into clean rooms with inviting fragrance and aura of comfort so that they could have a relaxed time. Additionally, such guests would prefer clean, serene, and quiet environment, which allows them to feel at home away from home.
Booking hotels may be considered an arduous task especially for individuals who are concerned about cleanliness aspects. However, this task can be simplified if the person who is interested in booking such hotels can conduct research prior to booking the rooms. According to DiVico (n.d), a person should look for tell-tale signs while entering into the hotels and hotels rooms of choice to decide if it is clean enough. Such telltale signs may include the railings, stairs, floors, ceilings, and walls. A hotel with well-groomed lawns, dust-free furniture, trash-free walkways, fresh scent, well-organized shelves, shiny and mopped floors is an indication of high cleanliness standards. Conducting such initial checks helps the client to judge and determine the precedence, which is placed on sanitation and cleanliness by the hotel’s management. From here, one can determine whether he or she will be comfortable staying at such a hotel based on this initial assessment. Moreover, guests are advised to read online views concerning a particular hotel especially in instances where they cannot conduct a physical background check. The online reviews help one determine whether previous guests had lodged complaints concerning hotel cleanliness as well as their cleanliness ratings.
Hotel management understands the increasing competitiveness in hotel and hospitality industry especially in this age of increased business and economic diversification. With this realization, most hotels have been in the frontline in an effort to improve their cleanliness standards to be in apposition to get more bookings and hence clients. Typically, most hotels now belong to various associations which monitor their cleanliness conditions. Some of these organizations include International Housekeeper's Association and International Sanitary Supply Association. In essence, the hotels that belong to these two associations place a lot of significance on their sanitation and cleanliness standards. These association normally set some basic sanitation and cleanliness standards which hotels must meet if they are to be enlisted. Moreover, such hotels invest in various sanitation approaches such as pest control and cleaning of all the hotel amenities at regular intervals.
Cleanliness in hotels is multifaceted, as various aspects of the hotel should be considered in the cleaning and sanitation procedures. In ensuring a clean hotel, the management should ensure that the hotel remains clean on both the outside and the inside. In essence, the general outlook of the hotel will influence a client who wants to make a reservation in a particular hotel (Karthir, 2015). The hotel should thus have clean walls, floors, ceilings, stairways, railings, furniture, and compound. Moreover, the management staff should ensure the cleanliness of its amenities that is the parking lots, swimming pools, spas, gyms and the hotel rooms. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that beddings and linen are clean and that they are changed regularly to assure clients that their health comes first. Additionally, it is important to clean bathrooms and toilets, as they are considered very sensitive as they may contribute to spread of infectious diseases. Clients need to be sure that the food they take while staying in a particular hotel is sourced, prepared and served in utmost cleanliness if they are to stay in that hotel. Following such cleanliness aspects, it is important for the concerned parties to create a structure which helps facilitate the cleaning and sanitation procedure to customer’s satisfaction.
Cleanliness plays an important role while it comes to getting new clients as well as retaining the existing clients. In modern times, hotels in the realization of this factor have come up with different packages to attract clients whose main consideration is cleanliness. According to Zemke et al. (2015), such hotel brands claim to offer allergy-free rooms a benefit, which comes with a certain fee. Moreover, there are hotels, which promise their clients enhanced disinfection to ensure that their stay will be free from any contamination. Research shows that female client as well as younger travelers especially the ones with younger children would be willing to pay more to have their rooms disinfected and cleaner (Zemke et al., 2015).These clients do this in the hope of ensuring that their children are protected from infections which result from contaminated and dirty surfaces, items and beddings. Such moves are aimed at attracting and retaining those clients who have the economic means and who would like to get more comfortable and cleaner hotel stays.
While cleanliness is a major factor in determining whether to stay in a hotel or not, other clients choose a hotel, based on the available amenities. Most modern hotels being aware of such an increasing demand for amenities have painstakingly invested in numerous, modern and up-to-date amenities to remain competitive (Karthik, 2015). Some of the amenities which are top-notch hotels that have invested into getting clients include spas, health clubs, swimming pools, restaurant, bar, room service, Wi-Fi, internet among others. For these clients, their main reason for choosing a hotel with such amenities is to feel more at home. Others choose hotels with such amenities so that they can get those extras that they do not have back at their homes. At these hotels, such clients can get access to numerous services for a smaller fee as compared to sourcing out these services elsewhere. The comfort that comes with the provision of such services contributes to an increased number of clients in hotels, which then translates to increased profits.
Hotels provide a perfect getaway for individuals who would like to get a thrilling experience away from home. Most of the individuals who stay at such hotels include business travelers, tourists, couples, and families seeking adventure. Such individuals are usually looking forward to getting an experience of a lifetime during the periods they stay in the hotel rooms. Driven by the desire to get the best out of their stay this individual then seek for those hotels, which will make their hopes come true. Consequently, hotels that offer those extras are likely to get more clients as compared to the plain hotels without any other appeal (Dev, Hamilton & Rust, 2017). Moreover, these individuals are usually ready to spend much money to make their stay worthwhile, which then creates a great business venture. In essence, such individuals desire to get a thrilling experience as they sample the different amenities available in the hotels of choice (Chu, 2014). With this in mind hotel, management teams should endeavor to improve their services to meet the needs of this class of clients who are keen on making their stay count.
Hotel amenities offer clients with an excellent way of relaxing while on business and personal trips. Clients who frequent these hotels are keen on getting away from the stress of their normal lives. A hotel that has invested in a variety of amenities promises a great deal of adventure for its clients who are keen on having a comfortable stay. Most of these hotels normally take into consideration the ages, economic standings and the desires of their clients while determining the kind of amenities to have (Maric et al., 2015). In such hotels one would find arcades for the children to play in, Wi-Fi to cater for business people and the younger generations and lounges for the senior citizens. Moreover, such hotels usually invest in greeneries to create a serene and tranquil atmosphere, which offers a calming effect on its clients. Others still have nature walks as well as wildlife to keeping their clients thrilled and coming back for more. These hotels are usually ready to spend a great deal of funding to ensure that their clients enjoy their stay to their satisfaction.
In as much as hotel amenities play a major role in determining the number of clients a hotel will have, one must agree that cleanliness too must be maintained to have a large number of clients. A hotel which invests a lot of funds in securing various amenities may not achieve its targets if it does not maintain high standards of cleanliness. Such hotel may have the best swimming pool facilities but still fail to attract clients if the swimming pool is dirty and messy. Moreover, the hotel may have deluxe and well-lit hotel rooms but fail to impress the clients if the rooms are dirty with dirty and smelly beddings and linen. Furthermore, it would not be profitable if a hotel invests in ultra-modern beauty spas and health clubs but fails to maintain high standards of cleanliness. No client will be willing to spend a lot of money just to stay in a hotel that is ridden with waste and pests of all kinds. On the contrary, hotel guests would prefer to stay in a clean environment, which creates an aura of healthy living.
Hotels management should come up with strategies, which incorporate cleanliness and amenities. In essence, there should be a balance between providing clients with various amenities and ensuring that those amenities are clean for use. Staying in a clean but plain hotel room without any amenity is outright boring and tiresome. On the other hand staying in a hotel with numerous amenities but lacking in cleanliness and sanitation is dangerous and risky. In line with this, the hotel management teams should invest in housekeeping teams, which are tasked with ensuring that cleanliness is maintained both in and outside the hotels (Karthik, 2015). The swimming pools should be kept clean, and water replaced regularly to reduce instances of infections. Moreover, the individual working in spas and health clubs should ensure that they maintain the highest cleanliness standards. These individuals should ensure that the spaces and the equipment they use are clean and sanitized before using them on other clients. Additionally, it is essential to keep the walkways and nature trails free of trash to create a serene and calm atmosphere, which helps the clients relax after a hard day.
In conclusion, the hotel and hospitality business plays a significant role in the economic growth of the various global economies. The reason for this is the fact that more and more people are staying in hotels mainly for business or leisure reasons. However, it is crucial for the hoteliers to ensure that they create the best environment to attract large numbers of clients. This is especially important in this era where competition is high owing to increased demand and advancement. Hoteliers must also consider whether their clients prefer to have a clean environment to a hotel with amenities or the other way round. In essence, some clients feel more satisfied while staying at clean hotels, which put a lot of effort in their cleaning and sanitation. On the other hand, there are those clients who prefer a hotel with numerous amenities or extras, which they do not have back at their homes. Overall, it is true to say that, it is important to fuse cleanliness with the provision of amenities if the hotels are to have a great number of clients. A significant number of clients will automatically translate into increased profits.
References
Chu, Y. (2014). A review of studies on luxury hotels over the past two decades (Unpublished master's thesis). Iowa State University. Retrieved on 1 May 2018, from Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Iowa, USA.
Dev, C., Hamilton. R., & Rust. R. (2017). Hotel brand standards: How to pick the right amenities for your property. Cornell Hospitality Research Brief , 17(3), 3-7.
DiVico, T. (nd). How to check the cleanliness of a hotel. Travel Tips - USA Today. Retrieved on 1 May 2018, from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/check-cleanliness-hotel-62228.html.
Karthik, M. (2015). A new trend in hotel housekeeping practices and challenges. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 4 (6), 4169-4173.
Maric, D. et al. (2015). Analysis of tangible and intangible hotel service quality components. Industrija, 44 (1), 7-25.
Zemke, D.M.V., et al. (2015). Hotel cleanliness: Will guests pay for enhanced disinfection? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27 (4), 690-710.
