Problem library
Every hotel runs into the same problems.Most of them have already been solved.
115 problems
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All 115 problems
Revenue & Sales
- Cancellations and no-shows eat into our margin
- Direct-booking share stuck below 25%
- Group and event enquiries are handled too slowly
- OTA commissions eat into a profitable summer
- Our forecasts miss actual occupancy
- Our packages don't sell or don't pay off
- Our rates are inconsistent across channels
- We capture little ancillary revenue from existing guests
- We don’t know our most profitable guest mix
- We lack predictable corporate business
- We steer for occupancy instead of yield
Operations
- Energy costs rise and we don’t counter
- Guests expect sustainability we can’t prove
- Housekeeping isn't synced with arrivals
- Long check-in queues during peak arrivals
- Our maintenance only happens when something breaks
- Our purchasing is uncoordinated and too expensive
- Our service quality varies day to day
- Staffing and capacity don't match occupancy
- We're unsure we meet every regulation
Food & Beverage
- Breakfast buffet drains margin every morning
- Event costing is often off
- Food cost has crept from 28% to 36%
- Our F&B suppliers are costly and unreliable
- Our menu doesn’t sell the high-margin dishes
- Our restaurant is a cost centre, not a profit driver
- Our wine list doesn't fit the house and doesn't sell
- Service is understaffed at peak times
- The hotel bar is a cost center, not a revenue driver
- The kitchen can’t keep up at full occupancy
HR
- As an employer we're barely visible
- Good people don't come back after the season
- New hires take too long to become productive
- Our leadership is overloaded and inconsistent
- Our pay model is no longer competitive
- Our rosters are in constant crisis mode
- Sommelier resigned 21 days before opening
- Staff shortage ahead of summer season
- We lack a clear path for staff development
- We lack housing for our staff
- We're legally unsure on working hours and contracts
Marketing
- Influencer collaborations deliver nothing measurable
- Negative reviews go unanswered
- Our ad spend shows no measurable return
- Our brand feels inconsistent across channels
- Our campaigns are last-minute and unplanned
- Our imagery looks dated and inconsistent
- Social channels look good but never convert
- We depend on too few source markets
- We do nothing with our guest data
- We don't appear in relevant media
- Website looks dated next to the actual hotel
Tech
- Breakfast: tally marks on a list instead of real time
- Cancelling an invoice is a battle
- Every new interface costs extra
- Our data doesn't belong to us
- Our guest communication runs through too many channels
- Our guest data is scattered and unused
- Our numbers are scattered across too many systems
- Our PMS doesn't fit our type of hotel
- Our PMS vendor was acquired and we're told to migrate
- Our POS and payment systems are dated and siloed
- Our software costs keep growing and nobody has the overview
- Our Wi-Fi and IT aren’t up to standard
- PMS and POS don't play together
- PMS migration stalled mid-rollout
- PMS, POS and CRM don’t speak to each other
- Server or cloud: we don't know whether to move our PMS
- Support replies days later
- The PMS bill is twice what was quoted
- The registration card is still on paper
- The team works around the PMS with WhatsApp and notes
- We lack a plan to catch up digitally
- We're unsure our data protection is compliant
Design
- Guests don’t find their way intuitively
- Lobby feels cold and people don’t linger
- Our brand isn’t felt in the space
- Our furnishings are worn and inconsistent
- Our interiors no longer feel current
- Our lighting creates no atmosphere
- Our materials and colours lack a clear line
- Our signage is unclear and unattractive
- Our spa doesn’t realise its potential
- Rooms feel tired five years after opening
Architecture
- Building permit blocked by heritage authority
- Building sustainably seems complex and costly to us
- Conversion budget is drifting before construction starts
- Our build is slipping on time and budget
- Our building services are dated and costly to run
- Our floor space is used inefficiently
- Our new-build planning lacks hotel-specific expertise
- Our property isn't adequately accessible
- We don’t fully know the state of our building fabric
- We don't know whether the extension pays off
Concept
- House needs a sharper position to justify rates
- Our business model leans too hard on room revenue
- Our F&B concept isn’t convincing
- Our materials don't convince investors
- Pre-opening in 90 days without a concept document
- Succession in our family business is unresolved
- We don't know exactly whose ideal hotel we are
- We don't know whether a second season pays off
- We know too little about our local competition
- We lack clarity on the right operating model
- We're missing a brand that truly carries the house
AI
- Hiring and planning eat too much of our time
- In the room we offer no modern digital experience
- No AI policy, staff already using tools on their own
- Our pricing doesn't exploit the data
- Our property doesn't show up in AI search
- Review volume outgrew the team's capacity to reply
- Too many routine tasks tie up our team
- We address all guests the same way
- We lack time for continuous content
- We spot demand trends too late