Along with housekeeping, maintenance is crucial to ensuring hotel guests are comfortable; after all their surroundings directly influence their experience and a perfectly kept hotel is guaranteed to have more return customers than one without regular maintenance. This section details methods for establishing maintenance schedules as well as technical pointers on how to better keep a small hotel property in top condition. Introduction Routine daily maintenance is undertaking inspections of every part of the operation both exterior and interior, making whatever repairs are required to maintain the facility in safe and market acceptable condition. These are supplemented by repairs on an "as needs" basis, from information often supplied by housekeeping staff. Preventive Maintenance "Preventive" maintenance goes one step further: by undertaking inspections of major and/or costly equipment on a scheduled basis to provide repair needs at the minor level, thereby preventing or delaying these from becoming items of major cost through inattention. Reasons for Effective Maintenance Practices: Market expectations Elicit comment through questionnaires (See format in the market positioning toolkit) and, Conversations with guests. Safety Missing handles, improper lighting levels, damaged equipment are safety hazards to be avoided. Aesthetics Faded, misspelt and damaged signs, entrance door(s) hanging on hinges, burnt out bulbs, paper and debris scattered on road verges and grounds, dead plants and shrubs, garbage waiting for pick up close to the main door or highly visible from the entrance = "poor curb Carpets with somewhat threadbare patches, scratched paint and surface chips. These are not first impressions you wish to create.

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