In the lifecycle of a hotel, no period is more fraught with risk or filled with opportunity than the final countdown to opening. While the focus for months, or even years, is on construction, the pivot to operational readiness is where long-term success is truly forged. For hotel owners, navigating this phase effectively is the difference between opening with momentum and playing catch-up in the first year.
Success on day one is not luck; it’s the result of a strategic, disciplined approach that begins long before the final 90-day window. It requires a fundamental shift in mindset from building a property to building a business, weaving together the final details of construction with the foundational elements of communication, operational integrity, and revenue strategy. Success is about planning for the unexpected and sweating the small stuff, because in hospitality, the small stuff is everything.
Communication: The foundation of a flawless launch
The most common point of failure in a new hotel opening is a breakdown in communication. With multiple stakeholders — owners, brand representatives, construction teams and the new operations staff — all working towards the same goal on different timelines, alignment is paramount. This alignment doesn't magically appear in the final weeks; it must be cultivated well before the project ever breaks ground.
Open communication, transparency and shared understanding of priorities are critical. Establish a clear timeline, made visible to all parties, so everyone knows what’s needed and when. Regular, periodic meetings tied to key project milestones help keep everyone aligned, address challenges proactively and ensure the project stays on track.
By treating the opening as a series of interconnected milestones, these regular check-ins ensure that a delay in one area is immediately recognized and addressed by all parties. This proactive rhythm prevents the last-minute surprises that can derail budgets and timelines, transforming the final 90 days from a period of chaotic reaction to one of controlled execution.
The operator’s eye: Bridging construction and guest experience
A building can be constructed perfectly to code but still be operationally flawed. This is where brand expertise becomes a critical asset. An experienced operations team can view a project through the lens of the future guest and the staff who will serve them. This perspective is essential for catching minor construction oversights that can become major operational headaches.
At My Place, we make it a priority to be that "second set of eyes" for our franchise partners during the build-out. This hands-on approach is about ensuring the physical space is optimized for service excellence.
We conduct periodic inspections at critical construction milestones. This structured approach identifies potential issues early. Sometimes it’s small oversights, like outlet placements or backing for bathroom accessories, but even these details can cause delays, operational challenges or poor guest experiences if missed. By providing construction teams with resources that highlight commonly overlooked items, issues can be addressed before they become bigger problems, ultimately keeping projects on schedule and setting operations up for a smoother opening and stronger guest experience from day one.
A hotel can make or break the guest experience with attention to detail. Are the shower controls positioned so a guest can turn on the water without getting soaked before it warms up? Are outlets placed conveniently for the modern, device-heavy traveler, or are guests left searching for an outlet behind the bed? Correcting these details during construction is simple; fixing them after opening is costly, disruptive and can lead to negative guest reviews that tarnish a hotel’s reputation from the start.
Planning for the inevitable: Contingency and partnership
No matter how meticulous the plan, every hotel project faces unforeseen challenges. Supply chain disruptions, labor shortages or inspection delays can threaten to push back an opening date. Acknowledging this reality and planning for it is a hallmark of a well-managed project.
Having a deep well of experience to draw from allows a brand to anticipate common points of failure and navigate them effectively, and this is where a strong partnership between the owner and the brand truly shines.
Not all trades are able to prioritize the shared goal of opening as quickly as possible. For a variety of reasons, elevators seem to cause the majority of delays despite careful planning, which may require owners to pivot and find alternative ways to get the hotel open. This underscores the importance of proactive communication, contingency planning and having experienced brand contacts to navigate challenges and keep the project on track as much as possible.
The ability to pivot — whether it’s finding alternative vendors or resequencing final installations — is what keeps a project moving forward. An owner opening their first hotel may be blindsided by such a delay, but an experienced brand partner has the network and knowledge to implement a viable Plan B, minimizing financial impact and protecting the opening date.
A strategic start: Integrating brand power with grassroots efforts
A successful launch requires a sophisticated, dual-pronged marketing strategy that begins well before the hotel is ready for guests. While a strong brand provides invaluable access to established reservation networks and loyalty members, relying solely on these channels is not enough.
To ensure a strong launch, combine national branding with grassroots efforts. Start early with marketing to build awareness within the community, which helps generate local support and interest from day one. Local businesses, media outlets, tourism boards, convention and visitor bureaus and chambers of commerce can become powerful advocates for hotels. This approach transforms the hotel from a new building into an integrated community asset. By forging these relationships early, the hotel secures a pipeline of local business and creates a network of advocates who will champion its success long after the grand opening.
The human element: Prioritizing staff training and development
Ultimately, a hotel’s reputation is built upon the quality of its guest service, which means that the most critical investment in the pre-opening phase is in the recruitment and training of the inaugural team. This process is about cultivating a service culture from the ground up, not just filling positions.
Preparing your team before opening ensures they understand operations, brand standards and guest expectations. This may even be the top priority, because a well-trained staff committed to creating a positive guest experience will go far in setting the foundation for long-term success. A team that is thoroughly trained on systems, empowered to solve problems and aligned with brand values is the very engine of guest satisfaction. This foundational investment in staff development directly translates to positive reviews, guest loyalty and a stronger market position from day one.
The pre-opening period demands a strategic focus that extends far beyond the construction timeline. It’s a critical window for laying the operational and cultural groundwork that will define the hotel's future. All stakeholders want hotels to open as quickly as possible, but the final days leading up to opening should be equally focused on laying the groundwork for the hotel’s future reputation and operations. By focusing on these pillars — proactive communication, operational oversight, contingency planning and pre-opening sales — hotel owners can navigate the final 90 days with confidence, ensuring their grand opening is not the end of a stressful project, but the beginning of a profitable and successful business.
Sarah Dinger is executive vice president of franchise operations at My Place Hotels of America.
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