Have you ever stayed in a holiday rental which wasn’t very clean? You probably didn’t enjoy that stay that much right? Your guests will feel the same. But are your cleaners the ones to blame?

Why trained and happy cleaners are the key to your success with your holiday rental in Barcelona!

Have you properly trained them and made them feel appreciated? Yes, a trained and happy cleaning staff is very important for your guests’ experience. Let us give you some insights on how to train your cleaning staff and therefore have happy cleaners.

Why train cleaners?

When going on a holiday you expect to stay in a clean apartment. When the property isn’t clean, it is one of the first things that a guest will notice. That means that the experience guests will have with your holiday rental will start on a bad note. The importance of a clean apartment is thus a priority and so should be the training of your cleaning staff. If you receive complaints about the cleaning but never spent time training your cleaning staff, you might want to spend more time on that. Training your cleaning staff insures that they are familiar with the cleaning procedure and the standards you would like to reach. Training helps with the overall happiness of your staff because they know what is expected. More on the importance of happiness later.

What do you teach them?

Although the basics of cleaning seem obvious, each property might have its quirks. Training them to the specific holiday rental is crucial. As every member of your staff, your cleaners have a lot of knowledge. Listening to their advice might teach you a thing or two too.

The basics aren’t the only thing though. Consider giving them training on how your company operates. This will make them understand that they are part of the team, contributing to happiness. When they feel part of the team, they are more likely to stay loyal to your company.

Furthermore, you want your cleaning staff to be friendly with your guests. Even if your cleaning staff will probably not meet guests every day, giving them training on that aspect will eventually pay off in the overall customer experience of your guests.

Importance of happy cleaners

Hopefully, you haven’t experienced being unhappy at your job. If you have, you will know that it will affect the work you do. In other words: happy workers = better workers.

In a recent study Professor A. Oswald, Dr E. Proto and Dr D. Sgroi from the Economics Department of Economics of The University of Warwick conducted several experiments to test this idea. Results indicated that happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive. When happy, employees are more likely to go the extra mile to do a good job. This also applies to your cleaning staff.

It is a good thing when your cleaners come to work with a smile on their face. You know why? Guests are likely to encounter one of your cleaners, especially when you have several properties in one building. Happy workers reflect good vibrations to your guests.

How to train your cleaning staff?

When a new cleaner starts, make them work in pairs with another cleaner. This means that you give a bit of responsibility to another cleaner, which makes them notice that you appreciate the work they have been doing for you. Working in pairs will make new workers feel that they are not on their own, make them feel part of a team. The new employee will be taught on your standards by other staff members.

If you just start with hiring a cleaner, it is important to find somebody with a bit of experience. They can help you understand more about the cleaning aspect. When you expand, trust them to help you train others.

Another way of working is by working with a checklist. When starting in a new working environment, employees must find some kind of rhythm. Providing them with a checklist will reassure them that they haven’t forgotten anything.

They are part of your team

They are as much of part of your team as anybody else in your company. They are also a very important part. Listen to them. They will know about the cleaning and maintenance of your holiday rental. They are the ones who will notice if something is broken or needs a small restoration. Allow them to give you this feedback. When they do give you this feedback, implement the feedback and thank them. If you are not able to implement the feedback give them an explanation. If they just see that you don’t implement their feedback, they will stop giving you well-needed advice.

One of the things that many people will write about in reviews is the cleanliness of the apartment. When you get a good review in which guests talk about how clean the apartment is, your cleaning staff is the one who needs to get that compliment.

Everybody wants to feel proud when they get a compliment or when they did a good job. Give them that feedback and congratulate them on their good work. Getting a compliment is always nice, when you only give them feedback when something is not been done, they will feel unappreciated. Overall happiness will reflect in other parts of your business and eventually will help the guest have a better stay.

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