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. | FAQ's
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| How often do hotel’s do Quality Assurance Audits? |
| It depends on the property’s management culture and current situation, but the following has worked well with our clients. If your property has recently been renovated or re-positioned where there are dramatic changes in room rates or desired quality rating, six times a year is recommended. A property that uses the quantitative portion as a measurement for bonuses (or to compare with other properties) should have a QAA done four times a year so that the totals are statistically relevant. Those properties who include the QAA in their strategy informally (usually luxury properties), often use QAAs one to three times a year. Our QAAs can be used as a refresher for an upcoming busy season, or as a twice a year check to stay on top of things. |
| I have recently arrived at my property, how can a QAA help me? |
| Many of our first time clients are GMs that have just taken over a
property. Our QAAs are
used as part of the initial fact finding that helps drive the decision making for the new initiatives the GM will usually undertake. By bringing a third party perspective to the table, the QAA helps the entire team focus on the new GM’s top priorities. |
| Do clients or anyone at the property know when a QAA is scheduled? |
| No. It is imperative that the property be evaluated “as is.” However,
our clients often give us blackout dates when occupancy is very high so
that our Auditors do not displace revenue.
What if there have been a lot of management and personnel changes at the hotel? Quality Standards should be like shoes. You don’t think about them while at work, but as a reflex, you always have them on. New managers and associates must know and practice the hotel’s Quality Standards right from the start. If they don’t know the three things to be done at every single check-out, they really aren’t part of the hotel’s quality solution. |
| What if I have my own standards that I want to use? |
| CHG will work with the client and design a QAA to his or her wishes at no additional charge. Modifications thereafter are also free. Each property’s standards book is kept in strictest confidence. |
| We are newly opened or not ready to be tested. When is the right time? |
| QAAs are based on finding solutions, not finding fault. When guests are paying, they rightfully have expectations, whether the hotel is fully staffed, busy, or full of new associates. Areas of strength should be reinforced and capitalized upon. In terms of weakness, a QAA is an excellent way to develop an action plan to eliminate things that will cause a guest to go somewhere else. CHG is very experienced in these situations. |
| How long does it take to get the QAAs once the Auditor checks out? |
| We guarantee that the QAA will be submitted within five working days after check-out. |
| What about additional charges like travel and rooms? |
| CHG caps travel expense for domestic US properties at $300. CHG contacts
clients the day of check-out to advise them of any outstanding issues that
require immediate attention (Example: We will notify the property if we
detected any theft, or if the smoke detector is not functional). Most clients
then credit the room folio of the Auditor to avoid paying state, sales,
and
occupancy taxes. Others prefer us to bill our fee and folio with the report. |
| What about follow up and training? |
| Training is designed for our clients based upon their objectives. Generally speaking, trends in the QAAs may point to a recurring deficiency (like sub par performance in hospitality at the front desk). We consult with management on these issues and formulate a training program that will address deficiencies at the source. Often, the root of operational weaknesses is in communication, coaching, or due to a lack of clear objectives. Our trainers bring over 20 years experience in staff development to the property, providing clear, objective-based training. |
| What about other services? |
| CHG is a full service asset for our clients, and our clients’ problems are our own. We do Executive Search, vendor referral, and have obtained specific market research at our clients’ request. We do not charge our clients for these services. |
| Where do you get your Hotel Auditors? |
| Our hotel Auditors are extensively trained by us to observe quality. We do not recruit people or hire them over the internet. Instead, all applicants must be referred to us by a current Auditor. They then apply by completing a written test. If accepted, they begin by completing restaurant Quality Assurance Audits. Those that have an extensive hotel background are then considered for training to complete Hotel Quality Assurance Audits. Therefore, we place only the most qualified and experienced people in our clients’ hotels. There are no housewives, students, or hobbyists in our group. Click here to see a few of our Hotel Quality Auditors. |
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