I got a call this morrning from red lion hotel, I am going to be doing a demo cleaning for them. I know that you do a lot of work for hotels, any advise you can offer me? I am a little intimidated by the size of this place, and I am not sure what the going rate for a job this size would be. any advise at all would be a big help. Thank you!
Nice going, Andy. No reason to be intimidated. First of all, know who you are going to be meeting with. A lower level maintenance person? the Executive Housekeeper? the GM? Dress more for a business meeting than for a job. Something like shirt, tie, & jacket, and freshly creased khakis, or something like that. Or an all-khaki uniform-type of look, which lets you omit the tie. Get there a little ahead of time so you can make sure that you will have your machine, pads, sprayer, clipboard & notepad, etc., all there at the time the meeting is scheduled to begin. If your vehicle has a professional look to it, leave it parked in sight. If you are using a car, or something less than professional-looking, try to park it out of sight.
Remember: perception is reality. Offer to demo both in a hallway area as well as in a guestroom. Determine how the work would "flow". Can you get them to agree to give you 20 - 25 guestrooms all in more or less one area?, or are you going to be chasing all over the building every time you come in? Once you have an approximate rate per room in mind, charge at or below this rate if they agree to give you rooms all in one area, and more than that if you have to waste a lot of time moving your stuff all over the hotel. If they want the whole place done on short order, plan on having a helper available to make you more productive. Someone to get water (buy some of those 2 1/2 gallon red gasoline containers, fill them at the beginning of the job, and move them around quickly and easily on one of the hotel's baggage carts.) Be nice to the chambermaids. They may slow you down now & then with their carts, but they are working hard for not very much money. Etc., etc.
Well The guy stood me up, he said he was going to call within a few days to set up a time for the demo, he never called. So I called them 3 times left messages for him ( he was never there)He never returned my calls. :(
