Preparing hotel cleaning for the new season

The period between the end of one season and the start of the next is when it gets decided whether the new opening will run smoothly or run into trouble: whatever does not get done in this window ends up being paid for in the first weeks of activity, exactly when guest and review attention is highest.

Contents

• What to do during low season
• End-of-season deep cleaning
• Building the plan for the new opening
• Do not wait for the last week
• Involving an outside supplier in the preparation phase
• A realistic budget for seasonal preparation
• Testing processes before the first guest
• Communicating the opening date to every department
• Early preparation always pays off

What to do during low season

During low-season periods, with reduced occupancy, it is the right moment for work that would be impossible to schedule during peak season: deep cleaning of areas normally full of guests, equipment maintenance, reviewing protocols ahead of the next season. It is also the ideal time to refresh staff training on anything new (new products, new equipment, revised standards), without the operational pressure that would make it hard to organise training sessions during the peak.

End-of-season deep cleaning

A thorough end-of-season clean, before closing or slowing down, lays the groundwork for an easier reopening: treatments for surfaces that need long processing times (marble, fabrics, carpets), checks that cannot be done with the same care during the season itself. This is also the right time for thorough maintenance of equipment (vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, trolleys) that runs near its limits throughout the season and rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Building the plan for the new opening

The plan for the new season’s opening should start from a fixed date (the first expected check-in) and work backwards: when the deep clean needs to be finished, when new staff need training, when everything needs to be ready for the first full quality check. A plan built this way, with verifiable intermediate deadlines, makes it possible to notice well in advance if something is slipping against the schedule, instead of finding out only right before opening when there is no longer any room to catch up.

Do not wait for the last week

The most common mistake is cramming all the preparation work into the days right before opening, when every unexpected issue (a problem with the systems, a delay in training) turns into a crisis with no room to recover. A second, less obvious mistake is planning preparation around the optimistic duration of each task, without building in a margin for the unexpected issues that will almost certainly come up, such as a fault only discovered during the deep clean of an area left shut all winter.

Involving an outside supplier in the preparation phase

For properties relying on an outside supplier for cleaning during the season, it makes sense to involve them in the preparation phase too, not just from the first day of opening. A supplier who takes part from the extraordinary reopening clean already knows the spaces, has already spotted any weak points, and arrives at the first day of the season with a much shorter learning curve than one who only shows up on the day of the first check-in.

A realistic budget for seasonal preparation

Preparing for the new season has a cost that needs budgeting separately from the monthly operating cost: hours of extraordinary cleaning, any maintenance work uncovered during the clean, training for new staff. Underestimating this budget, to save money in the short term, almost always leads to rushed preparation and higher costs concentrated in the first weeks of opening, when problems surface in front of guests instead of during preparation.

Testing processes before the first guest

In the days right before opening, it is worth simulating a typical day with the full team, timing actual turnaround times and checking that all equipment works as expected, instead of discovering organisational problems directly with the first guests already in the property. This kind of dress rehearsal, however unnecessary it might seem when there is already so much to do, almost always uncovers at least one practical problem that would have been far more costly to discover during real service.

Communicating the opening date to every department

Cleaning preparation cannot proceed in isolation from the rest of the property: reception, maintenance and, where relevant, the F&B department all need to know exactly when rooms will be ready for the first full quality check, so they can align their own timelines. An opening date communicated only to the cleaning department, without coordinating with other departments, almost always leads to a mismatch that only surfaces in the final days, when it is too late to fix without adding extra stress for the whole team.

Early preparation always pays off

Properties that plan their opening weeks ahead face the first days of the season with room to breathe, not in a scramble. It is the method we follow together with the properties that rely on our cleaning service across Tuscany.

Want to plan your next season’s opening in advance? Get in touch.