4 Ways Hotels and Resorts Can Streamline Landscaping Decisions

Guest experience is the number one priority for a General Manager. Finding the right landscape partner will free up the time and resources that you spend dedicated to those service needs. There are four ways hotels and resorts can streamline landscaping decisions and free up your time to focus on other important matters.

1. Partner with a Professional Landscape Company

A successful commercial landscape partner will provide expertise, skilled people, and proven processes. This allows their teams to operate efficiently and effectively without oversight from hotel management.

Top 3 Benefits of Partnership

1. Remove the headache of sourcing, hiring, and managing the crews
2. Reduce administration and simplify paperwork
3. Clear accountability

Positive Financial Impact 

It is also important to note that outsourcing your commercial landscaping services can have a positive financial impact on your business.

Case Study -  Colonial Williamsburg is a great example of increasing curb appeal, occupancy rates, and savings by partnering with professionals with the right knowledge and resources.

Who you choose to partner with can also have a significant impact on your bottom line. Utilizing the buying power of nationally recognized hospitality procurement providers, like Avendra, can save your organization on annual landscape spend.

Transitioning to Outsourced Services

Transitioning to an outsourced landscaping solution should also be simple. Construct a comprehensive 30-60-90-day transition plan that outlines your expectations. Your plan should include

• Landscape maintenance schedules
• Safety protocols
• Plans to enhance the appeal of your property

You can learn more about how to transition to outsourcing your commercial landscape in our hotel landscape maintenance article - A Seamless Transition to Outsourcing.

2. Simplify Communications

From a survey of over 10,000 clients, the #1 reported challenge related to commercial landscaping contractors is communication. BrightView has structured onsite teams for triple coverage and established a 24/7 call center to improve client communications.

Local Teams That Understand Your Property

Brightview's onsite management provides triple coverage with an Account Manager, a Production Manager, and a Crew Supervisor. 

• Our teams provide year-round coverage, including during vacations, holidays, and time away.
• The Account Manager is responsible for our relationship with you. They document your goals and oversee the proposals, paperwork, and contracts. They work with the Production  Manager and their team to ensure your goals are implemented. They are your primary point of contact, overseeing the property and performing regular Quality Site Assessments (QSA) with your primary contact.
• The Production Manager supports the Account Manager by managing the team and resources.
• The Crew Supervisor oversees the crew team and their daily work against the QSA.
• The well-trained and qualified crew team carries out the work.
• The crew is backed by subject matter experts.

Proactive Communications 

Brightview stays ahead of the communications curve with:

• Onboarding plans with clearly defined goals and measurements, identified roles and responsibilities, and scheduled progress checks.
• Quality Site Assessments (QSAs) to continually assess the state of your property and resolve issues before they become problems as well as to discuss opportunities for enhancements.
• Annual strategy meetings to identify priorities, budgets and expectations ensuring alignment.
• Regular management meetings to discuss results based on predefined goals, including pre-season, post-season, and business reviews.
• Notification emails during weather events - e.g., hurricanes and snowstorms

Responsive Communications

Whether you need to report an issue or simply have questions, we have you covered. The local management team has in-depth knowledge of your property, and you have their number.

Local teams are backed by a 24/7 customer service hotline in which calls are answered typically within a minute. In either case, we aim to get you back to your priorities as quickly and efficiently as possible.

3. Consolidate Vendors

Consolidating multiple services with one vendor helps increase accountability and ownership of the property. It can also decrease the number of invoices and people vying for your time and attention. 

But there is more to it. When you have the same company managing multiple services year-round, they will be more familiar with the uniqueness of your property and identify potential problem areas. A partner will take ownership and accountability for the property and make sure nothing goes wrong. 

Here are common commercial landscape services to consider consolidating:

• Landscape Design
• Landscape Maintenance
• Seasonal Color Management
• Water Management & Irrigation 
• Water Features - fountains, pumps
• Golf Services - course analysis, continuous improvements
• Tree Care
• Snow and Ice Removal
• Parking Lot Maintenance

4. Certified & Qualified Experts

Partner with a commercial landscape team who has qualified experts with the appropriate training and experience for the services you need to be performed. Lack of experience or training can cost you significantly in the destruction of property, the loss of plants, and/or damage to trees (one of your most expensive and valuable assets).
 
When choosing a partner, check for credentials and experience in the following areas:

• Horticulturists 
• Certified Arborists
• Pesticide specialists for plantings, trees, and ground cover
• Certified Irrigation Technicians
• Certified Snow Professionals
• Water Management Experts

Driving Guest Experience

The General Manager’s role is diverse and highly demanding—considering financial goals, occupancy rates, employee management, and facility management. The overarching goal that underpins success is the guest experience.

Guest experience will ultimately drive repeat business - whether to your location or another in your company’s portfolio. 

Key differentiators from research by Clootrack of over 40,000 travelers and guests suggest the leading factors that drive guest satisfaction are buffet breakfast, cleanliness, and service. Complimentary bottled water is seen as a delighter, along with room view and room comfort.

How can commercial landscape maintenance impact these factors? The answer is simple:

BrightView can eliminate distractions for GMs, the Director of Engineering, and their staff so they can focus on the daily details that drive competitor ranking and guest reviews.

BrightView’s Tips to Overcome Commercial Landscaping Challenges for Hotels and Resorts

BrightView understands the complexities of managing commercial properties. We aim to help you create a hassle-free inviting environment to attract and retain guests.  

• Clear, concise, and proactive communication
• Detailed and comprehensive contracts for all of your services
• Clearly identified goals captured in a Quality Site Assessment and measured against our 7 Quality Standards of Excellence
• Best-in-class service teams with local knowledge and expertise
• Certified experts for your more complex services
• Partnership with the leading hospitality procurement services provider - Avendra.

About BrightView Landscaping Services

Managing your properties is a balancing act. Increasing the visual impact of your property must be weighed against the cost of maintaining and protecting your investment. Our partnership ensures your landscape needs are covered, from landscape maintenance, fertilization, water management, weed, and pest management, tree care, snow removal, storm preparedness, and response.
 
BrightView partnerships have provided high-quality, cost-effective, and consistent commercial landscape services since 1939.
 
Our commercial landscape professionals provide you with the services your property needs while allowing you to focus your time and resources on the many other challenges of running your business.