Years ago, when I was managing a luxury resort, the festive season often felt more like hosting a 1000-person dinner party than running a hotel. Guest expectations skyrocketed as they arrived from every corner of the world and the pressure on my team to deliver flawless service was immense. As such, we brought in external reinforcements – from seasonal hires to task forces – thinking that having more staff available would help us provide the best possible guest stay experience.
Unfortunately, this strategy often had the opposite effect, creating confusion and chaos that negatively impacted our guests’ experiences. The problem wasn’t the people; it was the absence of clear, defined standards that every member of the team could rely on to know how or what was expected of them – and this was especially problematic for the temporary employees who had less onboarding and without prior experience working at our property.
Over the years, as both an operator and now, as a consultant, I’ve seen the same scenario play out across properties of all sizes, all over the world. It’s a universal truth: without well-defined standards, even the best, most professional and hospitable teams can falter, especially in times of high pressure.
So, to help you prepare for the (very rapidly approaching) festive season, here are six reasons why defining your property’s brand standards today is an operational imperative for ongoing success, this festive season and beyond.
1. Standards Define Excellence & Ensure Safety
Standards are the foundation of any operation that seeks to excel because they create the blueprint for service, by ensuring that every interaction meets (or exceeds) a baseline of quality. But standards aren’t just about maximizing guest comfort and enjoyment; they are also crucial for safety and compliance, two areas that can make or break a property’s short- and long-term success.
Health inspections and safety protocols are not optional. Ensuring food safety, maintaining fire codes and adhering to sanitation regulations are responsibilities every hospitality business must meet. Beyond the legal ramifications, failing in these areas can lead to reputational damage that no amount of marketing can fix. Defined standards help staff understand what’s expected, not just in service delivery, but in safeguarding the well-being of guests and employees alike.
2. Consistency Builds Guest Trust & Reinforces a Positive Reputation
In my opinion, the best guest compliment is “What I loved most about my stay was how every detail felt intentional.” That’s exactly why brand standards are important: they create consistency, which gives your guests a sense of safety and reliability that builds trust and firmly establishes your property’s positive reputation.
Achieving consistency isn’t as simple as hiring great people; it requires giving your team a clear framework to operate within to ensure their success in every guest interaction.
When one operational department delivers exceptional service and another falters, guests notice. They may forgive small errors, but the experience won’t feel seamless or as positive as it would have. Standards bridge the gap between siloed operational departments, by ensuring that every guest interaction – whether at the front desk, the pool or the restaurant – carries the same attention to detail and care as the rest.
In short, when consistency becomes second nature, trust follows.
3. Data-Based Insights Drive Operational Improvements
In my first management position at my former hotel, audits were a dreaded task. They involved paper checklists, clipboards and hours spent deciphering scribbled notes. What I didn’t realize at the time was how much valuable information we were leaving on the table. I now know that data collected during audits is a goldmine for identifying opportunities for improvements, but without the structure of brand standards to understand that data in context, data amounts to just background noise.
Today, we know better. Standards and audits go hand in hand and, when properly leveraged, they produce actionable, data-backed insights that can be used to identify areas of improvement in your property’s operation. Tracking performance over time, identifying patterns and pinpointing areas for retraining or investment are all possible when audits are built on well-defined standards.
4. Training & Onboarding Require Clarity
One of the hardest parts of managing a property is turnover. Whether it’s the departure of a seasoned team member or the onboarding of temporary staff, every change creates a potential gap in service. Early in my career, I made the mistake of assuming that new hires would just “figure it out.” When they didn’t, the results weren’t pretty.
Well-defined standards change the game. When employees have clear guidelines to follow from Day 1, onboarding becomes faster, more effective and less stressful for everyone. Standards provide the “what” and the “why,” giving new team members the tools to succeed without guesswork. This is particularly critical during high-pressure periods, like the festive season, when seasonal or short-term hires are essential.
5. Standards Streamline Operations
Hospitality thrives on rhythm. From the way a room is cleaned to how a meal is served, smooth operations depend on well-coordinated teams, working in harmony. But harmony isn’t a nebulous concept that happens by accident; instead, harmony is the result of careful planning and clear communication between your team and management.
Standards are the backbone of this process because they eliminate ambiguity, reduce the possibility of human error and help staff work more efficiently. When every team member knows their role and the sequence of tasks required, operations run like a well-oiled machine—even during peak periods. In the end, the fewer fires you must put out, the more time you can spend cultivating meaningful interactions with guests and improving their overall stay experience.
6. Standards Create Opportunities for Personalization & Authenticity in Guest Interactions
Looking back, I’ve come to see standards as more than a set of rules. They’re a way of empowering teams to do their best work. When standards are clear, accessible and consistently reinforced, they don’t feel restrictive. Instead, they provide the confidence and clarity that teams need to personalize their service and connect with guests in authentic ways.
Some might argue that standards strip away creativity or make operations feel robotic, but I believe the opposite: when teams master the essentials, they gain the freedom to adapt and innovate without compromising the guest experience. It’s not about following a script; it’s about knowing the steps so well that you can improvise with confidence.
In an industry where the smallest details can make the biggest difference, defined standards aren’t optional—they’re the foundation of excellence. They build trust, drive improvement and empower teams to deliver the kind of service that turns first-time visitors into lifelong guests. And for those of us who’ve learned these lessons the hard way, they’re the difference between surviving and thriving.
So, to be sure your festive guests have the best possible stay at your property and that your operations can work at peak efficiency, implement brand standards to govern your property’s guest interactions and operational processes TODAY. If you do, by this time next year, you’ll be facing the festive season confidently, knowing that each and every one of your guests will leave happier than when they arrived.
