How to Pass Your Next Brand QA Inspection: A Simple Framework for Hoteliers

How did your hotel's last Quality Assurance (QA) inspection go? You know, that nerve-wracking day when the brand inspector shows up unannounced? Well, we've got a framework and system that'll help you crush your next inspection!

Stay positive! No need to feel overwhelmed, remember to make it fun, you don't have to do it alone, get your tribe involved, your other hotelier friends, your brand rep, and most importantly your staff!

(If you find this helpful, share it with your hotel network - they'll thank you later!)

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The first part is always preparation: learn, plan, act and create a system! Then create an ongoing system to always be ready to crush it!

• Learn: Understanding standards, past performance, and current situation. Involve your team!
• Plan: Creating actionable items based on your insights collected
• Act: Self evaluation, and implementing the action items with your staff
• Systemize: Ensuring ongoing success through sustained operational practices!

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1. Know Your Brand Standards and Guidelines:

Your brand portal is your treasure trove of knowledge. Explore the resources available, including detailed brand standards, best practices, and operational guidelines.

Download these resources and thoroughly review what's required for your brand. If you have questions, your brand representative or area franchise director is there to help.

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2. Past Inspection Analysis and Current Standing

Review your past inspection reports and analyze them thoroughly.

Create key summaries, identify trends, and highlight improvement areas to share with your staff. Or have them go over their respective department evaluations. 

This helps staff understand previous challenges and inspires them to really crush it this time.

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3. Study Your Reviews, Trends and Survey Performance

Reviews can make or break your business. Every brand has specific review and survey score thresholds you must meet, typically tracked through tools like Medallia. 

Access your brand survey and reviews portal to understand your performance across key areas such as cleanliness, staff interaction, and facilities. 

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This analysis helps you identify areas requiring attention, enabling you to develop a plan that not only helps you ace your QA inspection but also creates exceptional guest experiences and online reputation that helps you drive your revenue. 

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4. Create a Simple Action Plan (Because Simplicity Gets Followed!)

Now that you've mastered the following:

1. Brand standards and requirements
2. Past inspection analysis
3. Brand surveys and online reviews

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It's time to prepare your action list! We can organize this list by:

• Highest impact areas you can influence (like cleanliness and check-in experience)
• Recurring items that failed in past inspections
• Priority based on guest experience impact
• Staff ownership and accountability  (e.g., "Erica from front desk is responsible for this area and reports to GM and owner upon completion of specific tasks")

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5. Get Your Team Involved

Foster a team spirit! Organize friendly competitions between departments, recognize and reward outstanding performance, and celebrate small victories together:

• Have staff review brand requirements for their respective areas
• Have them cross-inspect other departments
• Track completion status, and assign someone accountable for that area
• Easy points: Maintain proper uniforms and name tags
• Front desk with all the brand brochures, details, and those happy smiles with warm hospitality!
• Stock "Forgot Me Amenities" at the front desk
• Engage management and ownership for any capital improvement decisions

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6. Run the Mock Inspection/Self Evaluation

With your knowledge and checklist focusing on high-impact areas, conduct thorough checks in all meaningful areas!

‍A Step Ahead of the Inspection: A Proactive Approach to QA Success

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Ongoing Self-evaluation

Brands always encourage  this is the key to running a strong property!

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During self-evaluation inspections, you and your team should focus on the critical areas:

• Surface cleanliness (eliminate all dust)
• Hair detection (especially in bathrooms and bedding)
• Electronics functionality (test all devices, remote, outlets, AC, including AC noise)
• Lighting audits (check bulbs and wattage)
• Lost and found items (check drawers, under beds, fridges, food left behind) During the QA, you do get impacted!
• Linens (yes, including curtains) inspection (look for stains or wear)
• Minute details, room fresheners etc  (they all impact your score)

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Crushing It Through Better Online Reviews and Engagement:

Leverage technology to enhance your online reputation. Utilize platforms like GuestTouch to ace your online reputation: drive more and better reviews, track key metrics, analyze trends, and respond to reviews promptly, including your online brand surveys

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Practice Proactive Issue Resolution:

• Address potential problems before they escalate with proactive feedback tools like GuestTouch
• Investigate root causes of declining scores ahead of times
• Take immediate corrective action with proactive feedback

Maintain Proactive Guest Communication for online reviews and guest surveys!

• Respond promptly to all reviews (avoid brand penalties for late responses!) or use tools like GuestTouch managed reviews responses to make sure all reviews are addressed with brand standards on time, every time!

Stay in "always ready" mode by maintaining consistent standards and regular self-inspections.

Take control of your destiny through excellent management and thorough self-evaluation!