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Assigned beds?

Housekeeping and Maintenance

gordo started this discussion 16 years 3 months ago

I was wondering how many hostels here assign specific beds to guests? In my opinion, the time it saves on housekeeping isnt worth it. a) too many people pick other beds and b) its one more thing to worry about when trying to fit in bookings.

I do understand the appeal and I'm sure if it works well its great but has anyone else just found it to be too much trouble? I've worked in places that assign beds, dont assign (just pick one) and one that used bed tags (attach this to whichever bed you take). What system(s) do other people here use?

I ask not only for my own research purposes but I also want to try and convince the boss here to ditch the idea and try something else.

Any thoughts?

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PatrickO`D

15 years

As a former HK I did not see it as a cost issue rather a guest service issue. If the guest has a confirmed reservation for a bottom bunk in a 4xbed dorm is the hostel obligated to provide one? I always try to look at any issue as if was me that it happened to. If there was no resevations for that dorm room than first come first serve. What if the hostel is marketing itself to older travelers that may have a hard time climbing up/down from top bunks? I agree it can be a very hard system to maintain, but is worth the effort for the sake of the guest that reserves the bottom bunk.

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uktrail

15 years

I am one of those "older guests" who needs a lower bunk. I have stiffness in the knees and can't lift my legs very high. There are some upper bunks that I could not get into, and many which, in the interests of safety, I will not.
I always now say "I need a lower bunk please." Some are very obliging and stick a card on a lower bunk to reserve it. Others say: It's chance, or "It's not guaranteed, you know". What help is that??? "Sort it out with your roommates" is all very well, but if they have all arrived, made their beds and gone out, not to return till midnight, what am I supposed to do? I wonder how those staff would cope with someone in a wheelchair. I hope I don't have to give up using hostels simply because of this small disability.

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santa klaus

15 years

"Sort it out with your roommates" is all very well, but if they have all arrived, made their beds and gone out, not to return till midnight, what am I supposed to do? I wonder how those staff would cope with someone in a wheelchair. I hope I don't have to give up using hostels simply because of this small disability.

When you tell our staff you have a bad knee and need a bottom bunk for this reason, I can´t imagine they reply with our standard answer "sort it out with your roommates". At least I sincerely hope they were that sensible when you stayed with us. As far as I remember you didn´t tell me about your knee. I would have gone out of my way to find you a room with an empty bottom bunk in that case and I expect our staff to do the same.

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uktrail

15 years

Klaus, you made the booking for me and you did take the trouble to book me into a room where all the guests were leaving, so that all the beds were likely to be empty, and so it happened, so that was fine. :) Sorry, I didn't mean to refer that remark to your hostel, merely that it is a reason sometimes given. I usually get a lower bunk without any special arrangements, but now I need to make a point of mentioning the limitation when booking just in case I get confronted by a bed that I can't use.

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santa klaus

15 years

No worries. :) Have a nice weekend!

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liznera

14 years

flexibility guys! flexibility!
the assigned beds is best system indee im gonna explain the reasons...i invite everyone to reply me with their own opinion about it
when i was working in a hostel in rome (about 70 beds) we got many cases where people should to switch the room and the bed in another room...this usually happens when u got your hostel almoust full and then someon just come in and u can't put him in the same room for all the nights cause that bed for example is gonna be occupied by a new guest coming the day after...so in that case it was very helpful wich bed we could sell (bed number 1,2,3 or 4) and which bed ws gonna be occupied the day after (e.g. BED N1 OCCUPIED FROM MONDAY TILL FRIDAY, BED N2 OCCUPIED FROM SUNDAY TILL THUS, BED N.3 FREE UNTILL THUR, BED N.4 OCCUPIED FROM MONDAY TILL SAT) in this exaple as u see on your pc u are free to sell the bed n 3 but just for that night.
the second reason is for the cleaning staff.....the receptionist as soon arrive at the hostel in morning fill the clanining daily sheet...that actually is in this way (L=leaving K=keeping/ beds to make and bed just to fix)
room 101: L1,3 K2,4
room 101: L 1,5,6 K 2,3,4
ETC ETC

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Shannon

14 years

We have tried to assign beds in the past but it just didn't seem to work as people pick there own.

We put the bottom sheet on the bed and pillow case on the pillow for our guests. So the housekeep knows which bed needs to be made up we get the guest to bring down their pillow case on checkout. Housekeeping walking to the rooms see the bed without a pillow case and know it needs to be made up

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Scotch Argus

14 years

From my experience customers don't like assigned beds - they are usually happy with first come gets the choice. Not all choose lower bunks, some choose upper. To me it should be about customer satisfaction, not what it easiest for the management. Of the little experince I've had with assigned beds, too many people ignore the directives to make it workable. The last thing you want is for your reception staff to have to act as enforcers

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TheEnterprise

14 years

I also think that there is no need to put unnecessary restrictions on guests. If it doesn't cost me more or cause me any problem to have a guest use one bed in a dorm versus another bed in the same room, then I wouldn't mind letting them choose whichever unoccupied bed they choose.

Maybe I would do it if there was a benefit to be gained (more profit, better running operation?, etc) in assigning beds. For sure, it is another more chore for management to keep busy. But, what are the advantages of assigning beds?

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Irenesky

13 years

Just thought of an alternative solution to assigning beds and wanted to get someone else's opinion on it or see if anyone has tried it. Maybe the front desk staff could give guests a name tag (these could be simple stickers) at check-in that they could place in a designated spot on their bunk when they get to their room. That way, everyone else that checks in afterward would know that bed was taken. Also, all the guests staying in the same room could learn each others names easily (I know I'm the kind a person that likes to see a name in writing to remember it better!). And when they check out they could leave the name tag on the bed so that the housekeeping staff would just get a list the rooms with names of particular bunks that need to be cleaned, then remove the tag when the bed is clean! Has anyone ever tried this? Had any problems with it? We haven't started our hostel yet, but I'm just trying to iron out the details in my mind!

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