Hotels are shifting towards skipping daily housekeeping, benefiting both guests and the environment. This change promotes sustainability, enhances guest comfort, and streamlines operations for a more efficient, personalized stay experience.
Key Takeaways
- Skipping daily housekeeping reduces water, energy, and chemical use, promoting eco-friendly practices.
- Guests enjoy more privacy and control over their stay with flexible cleaning options.
- Digital platforms like DigitalGuest streamline housekeeping requests, improving guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
If you’ve stayed at a hotel recently, you might have noticed that housekeeping is handled a little differently these days. Gone are the days of daily room cleaning, fresh towels, and bed-making like clockwork. Instead, many hotels now give guests the option to skip daily housekeeping altogether – and it’s turning out to be a win-win for both hotels and their guests. So, why is this shift happening, and how can hotels make the most of it while keeping guests happy? Let’s break it down.
Why Are Hotels Skipping Daily Housekeeping?
1. Sustainability is Key
Many hotels are reducing or skipping daily housekeeping as part of their sustainability initiatives. Think about it – daily cleaning uses a lot of water, energy, and cleaning chemicals, all of which contribute to a hotel’s carbon footprint. By cutting back, hotels can significantly reduce water usage, energy consumption, and harmful chemicals.
For eco-conscious travelers, this is a huge win. More guests are choosing hotels that align with their values, and sustainability is a big part of that. Skipping daily housekeeping shows guests that the hotel is committed to going green – which builds loyalty with those who care about the planet.
2. Guest Privacy and Comfort Matter
Let’s be honest: not everyone wants hotel staff entering their room every day. Some guests prefer privacy and would rather not have someone coming in while they’re out or relaxing. Others simply don’t need daily cleaning, especially if they’re only staying for a couple of nights.
By offering the option to skip housekeeping, hotels give guests more control over their stay. Some guests just want to settle in and treat their room like home – without interruptions.
3. Post-Pandemic Safety Priorities
Since COVID-19, the way we think about cleanliness has changed. While hotels initially ramped up cleaning protocols, many travelers now prefer fewer interactions during their stay. By reducing housekeeping, hotels can minimize contact between guests and staff, helping guests feel safer and more comfortable.
4. Operational Efficiency and Savings
For hotels, skipping daily housekeeping is a way to streamline operations and reduce costs, especially when staffing is tight. Fewer rooms to clean daily means less strain on staff and lower expenses for laundry, cleaning supplies, and energy. These savings can be reinvested in other areas, like better amenities or more personalized guest services.
How to Talk to Guests About Skipping Housekeeping
Even though the benefits are clear, guests need to understand why this shift is happening. Communication is key to making sure they don’t feel like they’re missing out.
1. Share the Sustainability Story
Guests are more likely to skip housekeeping when they understand the environmental impact. Highlight how much water and energy is saved when they opt out of daily cleaning and how this contributes to a greener stay. Use in-room materials, your hotel app, or even a friendly chat at check-in to get the message across.
2. Provide Options
Even if you’re offering the option to skip housekeeping, make sure guests can still request it if they need it. Let them know how to easily ask for fresh towels or a quick room refresh, whether through your app or by contacting the front desk.
3. Add a Little Incentive
Want more guests to opt out of daily housekeeping? Offering small rewards can make a big difference. Some hotels offer loyalty points, a free drink at the bar, or even a small discount in exchange for skipping daily cleaning. This not only helps reduce the hotel’s environmental footprint but also gives guests something extra to sweeten their stay.
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Reducing Daily Housekeeping with Digital Platforms
Digital platforms make it easier than ever for hotels to manage housekeeping services. Instead of routine daily cleaning, guests can opt-out through the platform, which helps hotels reduce housekeeping demands and better allocate resources. Platforms like DigitalGuest allow guests to customize their requests, like asking for fresh towels or a bathroom clean, only when they need them. This makes the process more efficient for both the guest and the hotel.
Case Studies
Several hotels have already embraced digital guest platforms and are seeing the benefits of reduced housekeeping demands.
One standout is Haltia Lake Lodge in Finland, where guests can customize their housekeeping preferences through a digital platform. Instead of daily cleaning, guests can choose to plant a tree in the wild, thanks to their partnership with the Hotels For Trees Foundation. Every time a guest skips cleaning, a tree is planted, directly supporting the hotel’s commitment to sustainability. Haltia Lake Lodge’s efforts earned them a nomination as the Best Sustainable Hotel in Europe at the 2022 World Boutique Hotel Awards. A great example of eco-friendly hospitality in action!
Another example is Hotel Imperial from the Arp Hansen Hotel Group, where guests staying more than one night can request room cleaning instead of having it done automatically. This approach reduces water and electricity usage, promoting a more eco-conscious operation. Arp Hansen has successfully implemented this system across all their hotels, showing their commitment to sustainability through digital solutions.
Conclusion
With more hotels adopting the shift toward skipping daily housekeeping, the benefits are clear – sustainability, guest privacy, operational efficiency, and better post-pandemic practices. But making this change successful depends on how well it’s communicated and how easy it is for guests to customize their stay.
So, how can your hotel take advantage of this trend while ensuring guests stay happy and operations run smoothly? That’s where DigitalGuest comes in. Our platform makes it simple for guests to tailor their housekeeping preferences, request services on demand, and help your hotel reduce its environmental footprint.
Book a free demo today and take the first step toward a more sustainable and guest-friendly approach!
