Maintenance for Success.
Create an Effective and Powerful Maintenance Strategy for Your Wellness Facility!
Maintaining the facilities I managed over the years was one of the most challenging parts of my job. Since I depended on our hotel’s maintenance team, this part was about pure collaboration and convincing of priorities. Also, I have heard from others what a struggle the relationship between Spa and Engineering often represented in the daily life of a Spa leader.
But as a Spa Manager, I had two choices: Investing energy and time over and over again. Or to give up. I had those days when I was ready to let it go… those maintenance issues going on for days, months, weeks, and sometimes even years. BUT… there was no choice, as I was in charge of this Spa, including the state of our facility and reputation.
I am a massive believer in Engineering walkthroughs. And that’s the ONLY solid base for a constructive togetherness between Spa and Engineering and achieving results. Results that guests see and that make mystery shopper inspections easy.
Here are some tips on how to make walkthroughs successful:
Identify key players that can support you in addition to the Engineering team, like the Director of Housekeeping or the Hotel Manager. Including these key players in these walkthroughs is critical
Schedule the walkthrough weekly: same day, same time
Keep a list of all actionable concerns and issues and share them after the walkthrough with all participants. At the beginning of each meeting, review the still open actions and get an update and estimated time for completion
Being very hands-on, I got basic tools like screwdrivers, nails, hammers, double-sided tape, and a tape measure for minor fixes. New assistant managers who joined and started to discover the Spa Manager Office were always stunned. But these tools often came in handy and helped improve the relationships with the Engineering team, as they knew we were hands-on.
I also always appreciated the engineering team; I would nominate them for employee of the month, have lunch with them, or pop into the office to say hi and see how their day is going. Little things that create trust and connection! Fostering such a positive relationship helps to improve the workplace environment and leads to a more successful outcome.
My biggest takeaway for you today: DON’T GIVE UP! Even when it’s tough, come back, try again, over and over again… until you get this feeling of satisfaction when it works out super well with your colleagues from engineering. Persistence is vital to achieving success in any field, including maintenance. And remember to celebrate your accomplishments along the way, no matter how small they may seem, and use them as a motivation to keep going!
Please share your experiences with your engineering team below in the comments.
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