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Hostel Procedure Manuals

General Hostel Operations

Rucksack Brian started this discussion 7 years 7 months ago

Does your hostel have a manual with all of your procedures? Which specific procedures does yours include?

Check-in / Checkout
Money handling, processing payments, refunds
Cleaning schedules and instructions
Hostel maintenance instructions
Laundry procedures
Kicking out a guest
Bedbugs
Fire or other emergencies

Do you also include totally different things than these?

How detailed do you get in your procedures?

Are your procedures typed out in words? Demonstrated in images? Recorded as videos?

Do you have your manual in a book or binder? Is it online? Is it incorporated into a knowledge base in your PMS or some other program?

When you train new team members, do they each get a copy of the manual to read (or keep?) or do you just keep a copy available at reception to read as a reference when issues arise?

Who wrote your procedures? (owner, manager, reception staff, etc) Does the team actually follow the procedures as they are outlined in the manual?

How often do you revise your manual?

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Hayden JD

7 years

I typed out detailed policy and procedure for all departments, With checklists and potential problems, Who to report to etc etc. It was a big job that took three weeks full time to get everything sorted.

I had a copy of every departments Processes in a Binder in my office. Plus every department had a copy of their Policy and procedure in their department area; Easily accessable.

When new members are trained, The person responcible for training will show them the policy and procedure and ask them to refer to it if they ever have a problem: If there's no solution to their problem in the Procedure, They can talk to their Department head, The department head talks to me, And then I add it to the Procedure. There's a sheet on the last page that has FAQ's/ Common Solutions.

The procedures may not be carried out to the T, But that's the staff perrogative, They're told exactly how to do the job, So if they do the job incorrectly and somehow end up in a situation: It's their fault for not properly following set procedure.

I think it's important to have procedure that covers everything, Because common sense isn't that common. And it's an unfortunate fact that sometimes you have staff that don't follow procedure. If it's physical and on paper, As apposed to oral, It seems more real.

It's easier to sit them down, Get out the binder and show them; "Here's where you went wrong, Next time follow proper procedure because XYZ" It just seems more official than you telling them that they're doing something wrong because you said so.

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ewagabara

7 years

In each hostel I worked we had a manual with procedures and a guides "how to...". Eather it was printed version available in the reception or it was in the internal dive of the hostel so each employee could take a look to it. I always found it helpful and helped me in many situations.

Especially if we consider bigger hostels with extended structure and more personel, you can imagine: the more people working, the more ways of resolving each issue and more different opinions. That is why I think it is essential to create detailed manuals and check lists which give the general direction and style of work.

When it comes to creating such manuals I know it is usually quite a time engaging process that is why it is good to divide it between each department. The last hostel I worked in have a very extended structure that is why work on creating manuals was devided between departments: Reception Manager and The Supervisors of the reception, General Manager, Housekeeping Manager, Reservation Manager and Maintanance Manager.

When it comes to the reception the manuals where including basic things like check ins&outs, manual to PMS (how to cancel, change and create reservations, etc.). It also included different OTA's policies.

Of course apart from the manuals, each department had it own check list which was a useful reminder of what and how the things should be done during the day and night.

In my opinion it is important to remind the staff members: equally to the current ones as the new ones, where they can find manuals and that they can reffer to them when they need. And that actually it is there to help them and not to disturb.

As the procedures change I think it is good to revise the manuals every lets say 3 months or maybe more often- depending from the situation.

To sum up as far as I'm concerned the manuals should be there and they should be detailed. If you create guide for example for your PMS it is good to include screen prints, explaining well the process.

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