Essential checklist for smart facilities management

Key points: Operational readiness checklist for smart facilities management

• Use the off-season to get ahead: Quiet periods are the ideal time to identify and fix maintenance issues before increased guest numbers put pressure on facilities.
• Be operational-ready: Tackle major repairs and infrastructure upgrades early to reduce guest disruption.
• Don’t make quick-fix repairs in peak season: These are often temporary and can be costly – and can also tend to impact overall guest satisfaction.
• Make a checklist: Create operational checklists for each area of the property, ensuring nothing gets overlooked, including cleaning, facility presentation and maintenance systems.
• Check your cleaning supply: Use the previous season’s cleaning supply and maintenance stock levels as a baseline to help you resupply.
• Prevent customer complaints: Being operational-ready for when peak season hits could help ease negative customer feedback or dissatisfaction. You want guests to return.
• Review problem areas: Review guest feedback to help identify potential problem areas to address.

Prepare yourself for peak season

Full-capacity occupancy. Back-to-back check-ins. Guests using every onsite facility at once. For holiday accommodation providers, this is what peak season looks like.

But low season isn’t the time to stand idly by. Experienced operators like NRMA Ocean Beach Holiday Resort GM Bryce Sullivan know it’s the window to carry out operational facilities management checks and essential maintenance ahead of busier periods. It’s all about prevention, rather than a knee-jerk response.

“Prep before peak season is about finding and fixing all the issues before thousands of guests have the opportunity to find them for us,” Bryce says.

“We look over the entire holiday park with a fine-tooth comb during our quietest period, carrying out checks and major rectification work, so we’re not having to do inconvenient patch jobs during high season.”

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves and a mask, for example) when required on the job. Always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Why busier periods expose previously unnoticed issues

Increased guest numbers during peak season can unearth issues that may have gone unnoticed during quieter months.

Amenity blocks, for example, may appear to function perfectly well during off-season. But underlying issues can quickly become exposed during higher usage periods, making preventative maintenance crucial.

“Certain off-season maintenance work like cleaning pipelines and drains and testing that gas hot-water systems are firing at 100 per cent are musts,” Bryce says.

Why prevention is easier (and cheaper!) than reacting to issues

To minimise complaints during high season, major maintenance works and infrastructure upgrades should ideally happen during quieter periods, when they’re less likely to inconvenience a high volume of guests. This could include:

• Maintenance on the property’s electrical systems
  Bryce notes that electrical systems and supply come under increased pressure during high season from extra guests as well as modern caravans and electric vehicles. “Off-season is the moment to do things like upgrading RCDs (residual current devices) and breakers, as well as addressing any lighting and cabling faults.”
• Carry out repairs on big-ticket accommodation items
  Undertaking these repairs during peak season can be costly and isn’t recommended by experienced accommodation operators.
  “With a cabin repair, for instance, you might only have a four-hour window between check-out and check-in to fix something. It’s just less margin for error,” Bryce explains.
  “When the repair is done in off-season, that physical repair itself is often the cheapest part. Whereas in high season, it might be an ongoing repair using emergency labour – and you also run the risk of the guests being affected. This can impact on how they perceive their stay and may give rise to a need for service recovery, possible reputational harm and maybe even refunds.”

How to approach operational checks before peak season

Every guest touchpoint should undergo an operational check before high season – even though the number of tasks, both great and small, can feel insurmountable.

Bryce’s biggest piece of advice for effective facilities management? “Create checklists for each and every aspect that needs to be reviewed.” Checklists should be made for each of the following (at a minimum):

• Guest accommodation
• Amenity blocks
• On-site facilities
• Reception areas

Camp kitchens and barbecues, for example, would be assessed against a rigorous checklist to ensure guests’ comfort and safety when using them.

“It would include testing each piece of cooking equipment to ensure it’s functioning, tagging all appliances, and noting any faulty items in need of replacement. Also on the list would be an intensive deep clean in anticipation of heavy, sustained use in summer.”

Safety hazards should also form part of these checklists. “Ensure all steps have stair treads and that slippery surfaces have anti-slip textures installed around them,” says Bryce.

Tip: Looking to make accommodation property improvements ahead of peak season? Check out how Bunnings Trade can support your business to get ahead.

Do a deep clean in the lead up to peak season

The time between guest arrival and departure places a major constraint on accommodation cleaning during the high season. As a result, Bryce suggests performing a deep clean in the lead-up to peak season, which includes paying attention to glass windows, skylights and sliding doors.

Examine your rubbish areas and bays in off-season

When the park is heaving with guests, bins can quickly become overloaded. “Before peak time, examine your rubbish areas and bin bays, ensuring you have functional vermin- and bird-proof bins positioned around the park to sustain those higher volumes of guests,” Bryce says.

Audit cleaning products and maintenance supplies

The quieter season is also a chance to forecast the amount of maintenance supplies and cleaning consumables needed for when demand increases.

“You don’t want to be running out of things like toilet paper when you’ve got two and a half thousand guests on site,” Bryce laughs.

Auditing supply quantities from previous peak seasons and using them as a stock baseline helps ensure you’re well-prepared for busier months.

Why addressing operational issues can improve guest satisfaction

Identifying potential problems before peak season increases the chance of a smooth stay – and Bryce notes that the best intel often comes from guests themselves.

“Departure surveys or just talking to guests often helps us understand pressure points,” he explains. “We use the off-season to drill down on that peak-season feedback to work out any issues and look for opportunities to rectify them.”

Signage, for example, provides highly valuable information to guests. Bryce says the quieter months are an opportunity to review existing guest signage – from street signs to directional signs – and consider whether additional signage could improve the guest experience.

“Say, for instance, we had continuous feedback about difficulty locating the kids’ club. In the off-season we’d look at erecting better signage to direct guests there.”

Be proactive, and think like a guest

Ultimately, it’s about being on the front foot long before the majority of guests arrive.

“Try putting yourself in the mindset of someone who is coming away on holidays to your property and look for what they might see,” Bryce says. “Having that eye to think about what a paying guest is expecting is significant for creating a holiday that’s memorable for all the right reasons.”

First impressions count …

Check out our article on the things that count at a holiday rental when it comes to your guests.

Frequently asked questions

How often should accommodation operators carry out operational checks?

A full operational review is most valuable before occupancy increases, particularly ahead of peak seasons, holidays or major booking periods. Experienced operators use quieter periods to identify maintenance, safety and facility issues before higher guest volumes place additional pressure on amenities and shared spaces.

What operational issues are most likely to appear when occupancy increases?

Higher guest numbers often expose problems that weren't obvious during quieter periods. Common pressure points include shared bathrooms, waste management areas, cleaning consumables, lighting, signage, walkways, access routes and guest facilities that suddenly experience much heavier use.

How do I know which areas should be prioritised first?

Start with areas that have the highest guest usage and the greatest potential to generate complaints or safety risks. Shared amenities, common facilities, walkways, slip hazards, cleaning systems and maintenance issues that affect guest comfort should generally be reviewed before lower impact tasks.

Why is preventative maintenance usually better than reactive repairs?

Addressing issues during quieter periods is often less disruptive and can help avoid emergency repairs during busy times. Preventative maintenance also reduces the likelihood of guest complaints, operational interruptions and the added costs associated with urgent repairs when occupancy is high.

What can guest feedback tell operators before peak season?

Guest feedback can highlight recurring pressure points that may otherwise be overlooked. Comments about wayfinding, facilities, cleanliness, maintenance concerns or site usability can help operators prioritise improvements before demand increases and improve the overall guest experience.

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