To support hotels in identifying the best staffing strategies for this dramatically changed hospitality environment, UniFocus has added functionality to enable hotels to use average daily rate as a dimension in calculating work standards.
Historically, hoteliers have maintained that labor standards, designed to meet the expectations of their target market, should remain stable regardless of fluctuations in ADR. These assumptions have worked because hotels rarely experienced wide fluctuations in revenue within specific time periods or seasons. With the expected long-cycle ADR recovery following COVID-19, these assumptions will not be financially viable for many hotels.
The UniFocus system has always enabled properties to calculate flexible labor costs based on volume related to required hours. The addition of ADR as a factor utilized by the system makes it easy for properties to use a more difficult three-dimensional calculation of work standards, which serves as a better strategic fit when looking at staffing requirements during the post-COVID recovery period.
“With the standard two-dimensional approach to work standards, managers are often left to figure out how to maintain margins in periods of low ADR. This can take hours of their time,” said UniFocus CEO Mark Heymann, “As properties engage in recovery efforts, managers will find themselves busier than ever. By building the ADR factor into work standards up front, it becomes a much more seamless process that enables managers to use smart tools, such as automated scheduling, to save significant time each week so they can remain on the floor where they are needed.”