In the hospitality industry, more than any other service area, pest control is crucial. The hospitality industry is very competitive, and there are a lot of hotel and dining options available for customers to choose from. It takes a long time for a good reputation to be built up. And, once it’s earned, it is extremely valuable. The problem is, when pest infestations get out of control, they can have a seriously detrimental effect on businesses that offer accommodation and/or food to their customers. A lack of conscientiousness when it comes to hotel pest control can completely ruin the reputation an establishment worked so hard to achieve.
Customers expect a relaxing, pleasant and fun time when they pay for a room, a bed for the night, a meal and drinks, or combination of all of these. They are not expecting to suffer as a result of problems that arise from negligent hotel pest control practices.
What kind of issues occur because of failing to maintain a high level of pest control? That’s what we’ll discuss in this post, as well as looking at how professional hotel pest control services can help.
Property Destruction
Pests can cause a considerable amount of physical and structural damage to hotels, guest houses, hostels and other hospitality business properties. This is because they build nests, breed and can gnaw through everything from clothing, personal items and product packaging to electrical wiring and even walls. The culprits responsible for this destructive behaviour range from mice to ants to moths. That is before we even get started with birds. Pigeon faeces are not just an unpleasant sight for your customers. Because they are acidic, bird droppings can cause corrosion to stone, wood, paintwork and damage customer vehicles. Not to mention the fact that they pose a slip hazard.
Unwanted Guests
There’s probably not a single person who would want to encounter a pest on a hotel break. Customers expect to relax on their weekend away or a nice meal. They really don’t want a small unwanted guest scuttling across their room or dining table.
It doesn’t matter whether it is insects or rodents, because they are as bad as each other. Just seeing them can be enough to put guests and customers off for good. It only takes one of these horrible creatures is spotted for your customers to simply leave.
Disease Spread Risk
Many pests carry diseases on and inside their bodies, whether it’s in their droppings or their bodily fluids. These diseases include various viral, bacterial and fungal infections. The results can be as minor as colds and coughs, or as serious as salmonella and food poisoning. And on top of the damage and potential public health considerations, the fact is that without putting proper hotel pest control in place, customers are likely to use sites like TripAdvisor to share their negative experiences.
Where Hotel Pest Control Comes In
In order to limit the chances of these consequences happening as much as possible, you need to have a strong and consistent pest control policy and procedure in place. Every member of your staff should be suitably trained about the kind of pets that pose the biggest threat to your business and how they could cause it harm. Staff need to be taught how to spot the subtle signs of the presence of pests because they should know how to identify an infestation or the beginnings of one. They also need to understand what to do to prevent pests in the first place.
As well as training your staff to be vigilant, and to look out for signs of pests during their own daily duties, there need to be patrols and assessment teams in place that actively check for any signs of pest problems.
Hiring a Professional Pest Control Service
Although hotel managers may be able to save a bit of money taking on the responsibility of pest control themselves, you’ll have far more success if you hire professionals. There are government hygiene standards and health and safety laws to comply with, so pest management needs to be taken very seriously. A professional pest control and removal team like Empire, who have specialist experience in hospitality and hotel pest control, is ideal. As well as having the necessary experience within your sector, we also know how to deal with the types of pest hotels typically experience. Safety is vital when trying to eradicate and remove pests in an area where there are paying guests and the preparation of food. So, while you may be able to learn the basics of pest control, you need to call on experts to do it correctly.
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