If you’ve recently booked a stay at a vacation resort, you’ll need to carefully plan that upcoming vacation. It’s natural for your mind to be dominated by visions of fun you’ll have at the resort. But it’s also important to prepare for keeping your vacation as safe as possible. Here are some things you should consider before your vacation:
How Resorts Manage Unexpected Weather Events
No one wants their vacation ruined by bad weather. But weather conditions are out of our control. Managers of resort communities have policies to help their guests stay safe in all kinds of weather. Before booking, ask your travel agent about policies in place for weather events.
The community should plan to provide alternative energy (such as a generator, and non-electric lights.) There should be a list of local emergency referral agencies for sources of clean water or emergency shelters. If you travel during colder months, you should know how to acquire temporary heat rental, in case it is needed. The resort should provide you with phone numbers for police, fire, and emergency medical services.
In addition to the plans the resort has in place, you should make plans to survive adverse weather. Bring a supply of candles or a flashlight, a battery-operated radio, and non-perishable food and drink supplies. When you first arrive at your vacation home, should check the windows and the home’s structure to determine how they can be reinforced in case of a severe storm.
Why the Best Resorts Undergo Frequent Scheduled Maintenance Work
A quality resort will always try to provide an excellent customer experience. They want to be sure rental units in their communities remain in good working order. When you book a vacation rental, you’ll want to enjoy your stay without worrying about whether the water, air conditioning, heat, and power will work without difficulty.
The staff of the resort should take a proactive approach to maintaining their properties. To ensure utilities run well, there should be regular schedules for tasks such as replacing light bulbs, changing heat and air filters, washing windows, and keeping extra toilet paper and paper towels available. Guests will be grateful when management performs any needed heating or ac repairs. Most resort properties request you clean your vacation home before leaving, but smart managers will also make sure carpets, countertops, and bathrooms are regularly cleaned.
Scheduled maintenance will not only ensure vacation homes are clean but can discover problems to be fixed before the next guests arrive. Maintenance staff should also check appliances and look for any belongings that may have been left behind.
How to Tell If a Resort Is Well-Maintained
If you tour resort communities before booking your vacation resort stay, you should look beyond amenities to be sure the resort is well-maintained. If you make a list of important considerations before you tour, you can be on the lookout for signs of a safe resort. Although guests may not notice all the steps taken to maintain a well-kept resort, they will be sure to notice anything that goes wrong. Some things are as simple as the outer appearance of the homes in the community, but others take a bit more observation.
When you walk around the community, look at the window frames and the condition of the roofs. Check the quality of lawn and garden maintenance. Be sure you ask where trash and recycling are to be taken. The condition of trash disposal areas can tell you a lot.
At resorts with recreational activities like pools, gyms, spas, golf courses, or tennis courts, be sure you look at those areas during your tour. One important aspect of the resort may be the way the common areas smell. People with allergies or smell sensitivities will need to be especially careful of this.
The Most Essential Maintenance Work Happens Behind the Scenes
From the time you arrive at your vacation resort, you will begin to notice all the tasks their maintenance crew does during your stay. You will see them clean the common areas and mow the lawns. You will notice gardeners at work and be grateful if a worker comes quickly to fix any broken items.
But a smart vacation resort manager knows some of the most important measures to ensure client satisfaction will be completed in ways the guests may never see. In addition to creating scheduled maintenance, the management of a vacation resort must arrange for regular lawn and garden maintenance. They will need a contract with local pavers to be sure the resort roadways are always safe for their drivers. They must also regularly check fire alarms and extinguishers.
To further ensure guests have a safe vacation, a resort community should have a good security division. A closed-circuit surveillance camera can be trained on common areas and walkways, as well as parking lots, pools, and other recreational areas. While your guests are not likely to know about these precautions, remaining safe will become a significant part of their overall satisfaction.
Environmental Considerations for Vacation Resort Maintenance
When you’re at home, you may take steps to keep your home eco-friendly. Just because you’re going on vacation, you shouldn’t stop taking measures to reduce your carbon footprint and keep the earth green. Finding a resort that promotes itself as a sustainable resort may be a good way to start.
To help keep your resort’s grounds eco-friendly, there are things you can do. For example, packing an adequate supply of waste-free items is something you can do ahead of time. Bring your supply of drinking cups and mugs, reusable straws and utensils, and a reusable water bottle. Some modern resorts may use equipment or tools which include parts made by cnc machining. This type of machine component is more environmentally friendly.
Other steps to take may include using easily dried Turkish towels rather than placing towels in a dryer. To reduce your use of electricity, bring a solar-powered charger. When washing clothes, choose biodegradable laundry pods. Your hygiene activities can utilize eco-friendly soap, shampoo, and toothpaste.
How Maintenance Impacts Guest Experience
Many topics already discussed explain how maintenance activities impact the experiences of resort guests. Some resort maintenance needs, which might not occur to visitors, may involve the need for water heater repair. It is such small activities that often make the biggest difference in your vacation.
In resorts that provide guests with vehicles to travel to destinations within the resort, the management must be sure parking garages remain in working order. Being sure your resort has a relationship with a company that can provide commercial garage door repairs will be important. If the resort provides water activities that include boats, the resort should also plan regularly scheduled boat maintenance.
Safety and Security During Extensive Building Maintenance Work
If your vacation resort undergoes a significant building maintenance project, resort managers must take extra measures to protect guest safety and security. As soon as management becomes aware of a large-scale maintenance project, they should notify affected guests. The area of maintenance should be cordoned off with caution signs and visible barriers to keep guests away from any possible danger.
Maintenance workers should always wear proper equipment and headgear, and management must ensure each worker knows how to safely use all needed equipment. Equipment and tools should, ideally, have an ergonomic design for workers to use those tools most safely.
After work has been completed, the maintenance department should do a thorough check of repaired areas. Guests should be informed of any precautions they may need to take. These precautions are vitally important during projects involving roof repair. Any areas inside a building requiring roof repair should not permit guests to enter while the repairs are being done.
Where Resorts Cut Corners and Save Big
Managers of vacation resorts will want to save money whenever they can. However, a wise resort manager knows safety standards must be maintained no matter the impact on their maintenance budget. Travel agents may not always warn you about managers who “cut too many corners” to save more money. However, you need to be aware of some cost-cutting measures.
Some managers may not take enough time to train their maintenance staff or hire an inexperienced handyman to do tasks that should be done by experienced workers. If they outsource their lawn and garden maintenance, they may select a company based only on price. In addition, the resort maintenance department might purchase outdated or less-modern maintenance tools or equipment.
During the off-season, when reservations are decreased, it is prudent for management to have a decreased maintenance staff. However, some vacation resorts may continue at that lower staff level even when their reservations increase. This often includes housekeeping or janitorial staff. Resorts may have reduced the frequency of linen changes during the pandemic, but some managers may continue to change linens less frequently. Ask the travel agent or the resort manager for their policy on linen changes. Forewarned is forearmed.
Resorts that supply rides for their guests or have rental vehicles available may reduce some expenses related to those vehicles. One new trend in car sales has been to find repairable salvage Jeeps for sale. Jeep has made a conscious effort to refurbish their previously owned cars for buyers who seek the sturdiness of Jeeps at a reasonable price.
Communication and Transparency Around Building Maintenance
Travel agents and vacation resort managers have a responsibility to respond to any concerns expressed by their guests. As previously noted, when maintenance activities may limit access to any public buildings or areas, the maintenance manager should let the guests know. Not only will that disclosure reassure resort guests of the management’s attention to their guests’ safety, but it can let them know of any potential disruption in resort activities or services.
Some managers may proactively provide their guests with this information by text, resort bulletin board, or even personal contact. If you have any concerns about maintenance issues which can impact your safety, or just keep you from participating in recreational activities, you should feel free to ask for information. It’s your vacation, and you deserve a safe and enjoyable time.
The Pros and Cons of Staying at a Historic Resort
Historic resorts are often chosen by people who are enthusiastic about certain eras in history. If you want to spend time in a historic resort, you should expect an experience that incorporates that era to some extent. Many resorts style their grounds and facilities to depict a setting from that era. Some historic resorts may go to the extreme of contracting with a historic restoration service; to perfect the authenticity of your experience.
Pros of staying at a historic resort may include opportunities to take tours or participate in historically related activities. Homeschooling families often choose these results as an opportunity to combine a history lesson with a family vacation. Some guests at these resorts savor a chance to enjoy menus or celebratory meals that echo the choices of that era.
Possible cons of booking a stay at historic destinations might include the tendency of these resorts to be crowded – especially during peak seasons. Another con could be the relatively remote locations of many historic resorts. If not everyone in your family is a fan of historical experiences, the emphasis on that era may become boring for those who wish the family could go “back to the future.”
If you plan to visit a resort for your next vacation, use this information to make a list of questions to ask your travel agent or resort manager. You’ll want to be sure you can have all the enjoyable vacation experiences you’ve been wishing for. But you now also have many different types of questions to ask; to ensure your vacation remains as safe as possible. Since the resort’s maintenance department is responsible for so many aspects of your safety, these questions about their responsibilities should be on your mind before you sign an agreement to visit that resort.
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