How To Pass Your Next Hotel Quality Assurance Inspection?

Imagine someone walking into your hotel after watching the Instagram ad on quality and luxury. However, the reality is different. Your hotel isn’t the same as the ad claimed it to be. And now, your guest is disappointed. 

Wish you had spent more time enhancing the quality of your hotel services rather than social media ads. 

Starting and running a hotel is one thing, but maintaining quality is the most important part. 

It is normal for a hotelier to find his/her property the best in the game, but is it the same from a guest’s point of view?

That’s one way to look at it.

Another perspective is that before a hotel claims to adhere to high standards, it must have the proof at hand.

This is where quality assurance (QA) inspection in hospitality comes into the picture.

In this blog, I am going to explain even the smallest potatoes of effective quality management in the hotel Industry. I will also guide you on how you can stay up to the mark, pass your next quality assurance inspection, and deliver an exceptional guest experience.

What is Quality Assurance Inspection in Hotels?

Quality assurance (QA) inspection in the hospitality industry is about ensuring that an accommodation provider maintains the expected levels of quality throughout the property. Be it in terms of service-standard, amenities, staffing, or other facilities.

Why is quality assurance important in the hospitality industry?

The importance of quality management in the hospitality industry is real. Every hotel must adhere to certain standards and offer services that are of great quality. 

Imagine a hypothetical situation where you are at a hotel and there’s no one available at the frontdesk. You wait for more than 15 minutes to check into your room just to find out that there’s water leaking from the AC.  You then call housekeeping and they respond with an indifferent “okay, wait”.

(Okay, stopping it here. It’s getting terrible, even to imagine and write.)

Wouldn’t this entire scenario leave you in an uncomfortable state?

Despite this, many properties around the world believe that a hotel QA inspection isn’t important. Either those hotels are in denial, don’t have a budget, or aren’t aware of what exactly a hotel QA inspection is.

However, it’s time hotels realize that quality is at the crux of any accommodation business and is vital for retaining guests and attracting new ones at the same time.

A quality inspection in hotels helps in identifying gaps and process anomalies in hotel businesses, allowing them to make continual improvements and maintain compliance.

How Can Hotels Pass a Quality Assurance Inspection?

Before we get straight to the topic, there’s a little something I would like to state. 

Even though this is about passing your next quality assurance inspection, I would request you to look at the bigger picture, i.e. enhance the guest experience. 

The reason this is said is that if your guests are satisfied, then you’re already halfway there to making a significant impact. 

1. Maintain brand standards year-round

When I am saying brand standards, I am not talking about some guidelines that you have set for your marketing activities.

Brand standard is basically the top-level service you provide to your guests.

Here comes the example:

One of my colleagues was supposed to go on a vacation to Mussoorie. And all the hotel bookings were made 2 months in advance. However, her family got infected with COVID and she had to cancel the vacation.

She requested the agent to get as much refund as possible from the hotel but he said there’s no guarantee because of certain cancellation policies. 

But the very next day, my colleague received a call from the agent and he said the hotel has given a full refund and said they understand the situation. This was an amazing gesture from the hotel that not only helped my colleague during her tough times but also gained her trust.

This is a brand standard that the hotel has set and it’s expected to be maintained year-round.

But again, if you’re hotel is in a tough situation where you can’t do much, It’s okay. Just make sure you at least try to let your guests know that you care for them.

2. Train your staff well

Your hotel staff is highly responsible for how your guests perceive your hospitality and what they feel.

Which is why, if you’re a hotel owner with a vision of making your hospitality brand grow, then you must take initiative to train your staff.

Furthermore, the hotel business is diverse and often includes a variety of positions. Therefore, you have to touch upon each and every aspect while training your staff. Basic skills include communication and ways to interact with hotel guests.

Not to mention, it also involves teamwork and diversity training. Every hotel staff has to be aware of other tasks of the hotel because the staff is perceived as one unit by guests.

For instance, if a guest meets a housekeeping staff in the hallway and requests to order some food, the staff member should be able to handle that situation in a good manner, rather than saying s/he’s from a different department.

3. Create a service culture

Personally, every time I check into a hotel and avail services, I get to know what sort of culture the business has. 

If you ask me, I prefer a service culture. And I am sure, it is the same with most people who often stay in hotels.

Now, what do I mean by this culture?

A culture of service is when a hotel is focused on creating value for its guests and employees inside and outside the business.

For guests, it could be friendliness and helpfulness and for employees, it’s respect and recognition.

Talking about benefits, they can be witnessed on the bottom line. Because a hotel business that has a guest and employee-centric approach boosts revenue.

4. Streamline processes with the latest technology

Technology is at the core of every successful hotel business.

With the right hotel technology like a hotel management system at your property, you can make your departments efficient, streamline operations, deliver exceptional guest experience, and even increase your bottom line revenue.

Not to mention, technology is one of those aspects that makes a great impact during a quality inspection in hotels.

But with so many solutions available, how will you find the right one? 

You can start with a hotel PMS and then explore various other options. But again, how to find the right Hotel PMS?

Well, here’s a detailed guide for you that’ll help you evaluate, compare, and choose the right hotel software.

5. Improve your data security infrastructure

Cyber and data security in the hospitality industry isn’t much talked about, but it is one of the major elements.

Hotels gather and digitally store a wide range of sensitive guest data. And due to this nature of data collection, hotels are an ideal target vector for conducting cybercrimes.

Meaning, hotels need robust cybersecurity infrastructure to keep their guests’ data safe.

(And also to pass the Hospitality Quality Assurance Inspection. Okay, kidding. The major focus is data security.)

We have a detailed blog about data security in hotels, do give it a read to learn more.

6. Emphasis on the hotel’s overall safety

Turning a multi-story property into a beautiful luxury hotel is one thing.

But what about the overall security and safety of the property?

Does the property have a robust security system?

(We have talked about cyber security. So, that’s not covered here.)

When guests book with you, they expect a high level of hotel safety and security. And that goes beyond the security personnel at the entrance.

There are a myriad of different aspects which includes protection from crimes such as murder, abduction, theft, and protection from health hazards.

So make sure, you have a strategic and concise approach towards your hotel’s security and safety to make sure every inside the property is safe and sound.  

7. Have every report available and organized

Reports can make or break a hotel.

If you don’t find a report when you need it the most, shows that there’s a void in terms of organization.

And if that’s the case for real, I am afraid you’re going to fail your next QA inspection.

Every hotel irrespective of the shape and size needs to have a system that can pull any report and store them in an organized manner.

For example, you’re performing a night audit and need a report after it. The system should be able to provide it then and there.

Or, how about this?

There’s a QA inspection happening at your hotel and the inspector asks for a report that shows your revenue of the last 2 years. How would you find that? Just set the date in the system and it’s here. Voila…!

8. Make sure you’re working with the right suppliers

Hospitality businesses work with various kinds of vendors and suppliers. From technological equipment and software to food supplies, hotels spend big on outsourcing several things for their properties.

Therefore, to get quality products, they need to choose the right vendor.

For example, you have been working with a vendor that supplies shampoos. And things were going well. However, recently you received a pitch from a different vendor that offers you shampoos for a much lower price.

Now, what happens is that some of your guests complain about the shampoo affecting their hair. And that’s not a good sign.

Just to save a few bucks, you switched and started working with a different vendor and things are haywire now.

These kinds of scenarios aren’t good for a hotel’s brand image. They might even lead you to fail your next quality assurance inspection.

But how do you find the right vendor for your hotel? Isn’t that a daunting task? Of course, it is.

And that’s why we have this article for you. Give it a read and learn how to pick the right hotel supplier.