Staff to guest ratios
Firstly, what exactly is a staff-to-room ration? Staff -to-Room Ratio is one of the critical characteristics that determine an optimum level of balance between staff and hotel room capacity. This ratio impacts the labour cost which can be amongst the biggest expense line items in a hotel’s P & L statement. Calculating the ratio is quite simple. Divide the number of staff by the number of rooms and arrive at an easily understood scale: one staff member to one room – good; one staff member to 4 rooms- not so good for guests but less on payroll; two staff to every room – a luxury…or is it? Perhaps because of its simplicity, we tend to accept the ratio on face value, forgetting that underneath it’s just a numbers game that favours some players without necessarily indicating better (or worse) service. Indeed, it depends on how one looks at the numbers.
Is the property a city hotel or resort? This question basically addresses the fact that a city hotel is often a vertically oriented building with multiple doors. Because the property occupy’s a smaller footprint and due to its vertically arranged structure, even with a relatively low ratio, it takes only a few minutes for staff to get to the guest’s door. Contrast this to a resort which is spread out mostly and thus covers a wider area.
I was recently in a luxury resort property down south in Sri Lanka, located on a sprawling coconut plantation with beachfront: the lobby/restaurant area was crawling with staff (making for an impressive ratio) but those of us on the outer reaches of the resort had to wait over 10 minutes for staff to reach us in their electric golf-carts. It took them longer by foot. What this tells us is that, when a resort, or for that matter even a city hotel, is spread far and wide, it can take staff 5 times longer to get from one level/post to another, unlike that in a vertically oriented hotel. In effect, the time it takes staff especially those in housekeeping, to get from one point to another can dictate the hotel’s manning requirements.
How many restaurants does the hotel have? Consider a 200 roomed hotel with 3 Restaurants and 2 bars and a hotel with similar number of keys having 5 restaurants and 3 bars. Obviously, the latter hotel will require more service staff and barmen, not forgetting that more public-area attendants will be needed as well.
Another factor to consider is whether the hotel is located in a developed country or a developing country? This factor literally determines the labour cost component of the hotel compared to rooms available. The ratios for operations in countries where labour is cheap easily outshine those in countries where labour costs are high. For example a property in India or Sri Lanka will have a higher staff-to-room ratio than in a developed country such as Germany or Canada. Does this mean hotel service in Mumbai is better than Toronto? Not really. A ratio says nothing about what staff members do nor how they operate. A ratio does not reveal whether staff are better educated, following standard operating procedures or that staff are properly trained.
Having too many staff may be good…although it may not make the operation better or profitable. Only clever staffing will!
Ilzaf Keefahs - writes on hospitality-related matters that he is passionate about and likes to share his thoughts with hoteliers and customers alike.
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The idea of generous staff-to-room ratio sounds outstanding, an arrangement where you’re every need is catered to because there are more people on hand to deliver the goods. So, is saying “we have a high staff-to-room ratio so each guest will have a dedicated member of staff to pamper to all aspects of their stay, from booking spa treatments to making reservations for dinner, or unpacking their suitcases” a benchmark indicator of luxury? Is it really as significant as it sounds on paper?