Hotels in Austria have been allowed to reopen for about a month and a half now, and we couldn’t be happier to finally be able to welcome guests again!
But after such a long break, what does it actually take to get a hotel up and running again? We took a closer look behind the scenes at the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden.
3 weeks before the opening – time to clear the decks!
After half a year of closure, one thing, in particular, will be done in the first moves: cleaning. And this is already started three weeks before the opening! The exterior surfaces are cleaned with the high-pressure cleaner, the windows are cleaned, curtains and furniture covers are washed, showers in the whole house are decalcified and also the rooms get their first basic cleaning.
In addition, small touch-ups and handicraft work must be carried out. There is painting, filling and silicone renewed.
In order to finally be able to enjoy a hearty meal in the Seespitz restaurant on opening day, the time has come to prepare the food and beverage menus for the new season and to coordinate with the suppliers for the associated purchasing of goods.
The situation is similar in the spa: so that guests can once again choose from a wide range of treatments, these must first be discussed and defined before the new spa brochures can be printed.
1 week before opening – there is still a lot to do!
The first deliveries have arrived, so now the cold stores are being filled. At Schlosshotel Velden, there are a whole 11 of them, to ensure that none of the ingredients used in the kitchen lose even a little bit of their freshness. The minibars in the hotel rooms can now also be filled.
In addition, cleaning continues: It follows the basic cleaning of all public areas in the hotel and also in the spa. There, the wooden loungers are now also getting a new coat of paint and the pools are being cleaned with the pool robots. The heated pools are now also being warmed up – it takes a while for them to reach “operating temperature”.
While the staff is getting their uniforms, the linen for the rest of the house is being ordered. This includes towels, bed linen, tablecloths, and much more. While some hotels have an in-house laundry, this is only partially the case at Schlosshotel Velden and the large sheets and fabrics are given to an external laundry, which must be commissioned in good time.
1 day before opening – the big day is approaching!
Even one day before the opening, we are still – you guessed it – cleaning. After all, everything should be spotless when the first guests move into the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden. So there are still last cleaning works and final checks all over the house.
Otherwise, everything revolves around the team so shortly before the reopening: a last training session on the new Corona measures, a safety briefing, and a final swearing-in of the hotel directors Julia and Constantin may not be missing here. In the restaurant, the chef then presents the new dishes to the service staff, which everyone is of course allowed to try. Thus all are picked up in the best possible way and can inform the guests exactly about the offer. The kitchen team also coordinates its work across the stations so that everyone has their own area of responsibility for tomorrow and all processes are optimally in place.
Also in housekeeping, the department that is responsible for cleaning the rooms is assigned who covers which areas of the hotel.
This is essential to be able to work efficiently, which is especially important in housekeeping!
Did you know that up to 60 minutes are needed per room for cleaning? With this background information, it goes without saying that a good agreement is essential to clean the whole house on time.
We hope to have given you a little insight into the many behind-the-scenes processes of a hotel reopening and are looking forward to finally welcoming you with open doors!
