What Makes a Good Hotel?

What Makes a Good Hotel? 

The hospitality industry value customer service perhaps more than any other industry. For this reason alone, the industry continues to thrive, and at the forefront of the charge are those that understand service at its truest form.

But what really makes a good hotel? Whether you are a hotel owner or customer, here is a checklist you may want to adapt.

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Clean facilities

No one would want to be associated with anything filthy. Clean facilities and surroundings definitely score high on people’s discriminating tastes. Especially if you are a traveler, you probably have billeted in hotels that aren’t regularly cleaned. A tip: for outdoor furniture that are not in use, it would be good to use furniture cover to secure them. Much like you would use a golf cart cover to secure a golf cart when not in use.

Home away from home

People, particularly the traveling kind, want a place where they can feel at home. They may be constantly looking for different environments and enjoying it, but the feel of laying their backs on a place they can label home come night time surely adds to the feel. A good hotel should make a foreigner feel safe and comfortable all the time.

Courteous staff

Part of this “home away from home” mantra are staff that always have a ready smile and welcoming attitude. Great are the staff that are warm and accommodating and are always willing to help a person for whatever his economic stature is.

Great food

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Really, what good is a hotel with food that isn’t up to par? You go to a hotel and expect to be served only with good food. Simple as that.

This general checklist should be good enough to help you find some decent accommodation. For more tips, please keep to this site.

Things to Consider When Building a Deck

Whether as a component of garden landscaping or merely for expansion of your living area, a deck brings some interesting character to your house.

A little tip though: if you have one already, remember that parts of the house depreciate because of poor maintenance. So just as a golf cart cover is needed by a gold cart to protect it from the elements in storage, so does your outdoor furniture. For those who are planning to have one, these pointers can help:

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Selection of materials

The materials to be used obviously play a vital role in the construction of a backyard deck. Decide on the materials you want/need to use. Remember, durability should never be overlooked. The deck is usually located outdoors so you want materials that can withstand weather changes and other elements. For decking, hardwood is the top choice but it entails a lot of work – cleaning, sanding, resealing, etc.

A good alternative is composite decking which is a mixture of wood and recycled plastic. Though it understandably does not have the durability of hardwood, it is still strong and saves a lot on maintenance. Of course it requires the occasional cleaning but for the most part, it is maintenance-free.

Design plan

Time to get your creative juices flowing. For some inspiration, you may want to do a little research: ask around, go to the net, read books and magazines, etc. But, accept that there is nothing wrong having someone do it for you, especially if you have the budget. A good designer will help you plan it out, taking into consideration the essentials like location, purpose, and again, budget.

Time of construction 

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Because it is located outdoors, spring is certainly the best time to construct your deck. You don’t want to go all excited and start the construction only to be interrupted by heavy rains or harsh winds.

A deck has the capability to completely change your backyard’s aura. Planning and construction can be brutally tricky, but with these tips, there’s no way you can’t enjoy having one.

Should You Insure Your Furniture?

Furniture insurance – it’s a way to protect your newly bought furniture for a certain period of time. To others, it probably sounds like extra money for the dealer or the manufacturer. Some people may have not even heard of it.

Most furniture manufacturers offer a warranty anyway, so why the need to pay for insurance when it could

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already be covered by the furniture protection plan, which by the way, should set you off some money. Besides if it’s made of good wood, what do you need a warranty for?

Caring for your furniture starts with covering them when not in use. As in a golf cart that needs a golf cart cover when kept outside of the course, so you should use furniture cover to safeguard your furniture from the elements, especially if they are placed outdoors. Clean them regularly and be extra cautious for scratches if you have kids and pets at home. Be forewarned that some of those furniture insurance do not cover scratches. There are those that cover for loss or damage through fire or theft, which is a good thing. But perhaps the one thing where most furniture insurance meet is fabric protection, which really shouldn’t be much of a problem.

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But then again if you really want to be certain and if you have the money to spare, getting furniture insurance should do you good. Just be sure you know what it covers. Sometimes it appears useless only because you have lack of knowledge about the policies. Usually, the insurance will cost you 6% of the cost of the furniture.

Right then and there the sales staff will talk you into buying insurance for the furniture you just bought. Right then and there, too, you may feel coerced and give in. Our advice is simple: step back and think. If you are the practical type, perhaps the only cover you’re gonna need is the patio furniture cover.

Things to Look for when Buying Outdoor Furniture Cover

If you think measurements are the only thing to consider when buying an outdoor furniture cover, you are terribly mistaken. Fact is, there is so much going on behind a cover other than how it would fit a particular set of furniture.

Choosing an outdoor furniture cover is much like finding the right golf cart cover in that there are many things to consider. The goal is to keep your things reach their maximum life span, and choosing the right cover has a lot to do with it.

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Is it durable?

Furniture covers that are made of strong materials should last a very long time. They should be durable enough to withstand abuse caused by strong winds and typhoons. Natural disasters cause low quality covers to tear, given that they are placed on pieces of furniture that have sharp edges. 

Is it waterproof?

A lot of the covers available in the market today fail in times of heavy rain. They may work with drizzles or even heavy rain that span for a few hours. But overnight thunderstorm and thick snow are an altogether different story. A truly waterproof cover will completely repel water. Ever seen how liquid droplets slide off a taro leaf? That is waterproof.

Is it UV-resistant?

As much as heavy rains can damage your outdoor furniture, so do the harmful rays of the sun. Homeowners that live in places that receive a great deal of sunlight have all the penchant for the outdoors. Similarly, their furniture are most at risk from harmful rays. Be sure you get a cover that is thick enough to protect your furniture from damage caused by UV rays.

The pieces of furniture you have at home are more than wooden structures. The ones placed on your patio or yard should get more attention as they are directly exposed to the elements. It’s on you to make them last for as long as possible.

Cleaning up the Holiday Clutter

The holiday season is over and it only means one thing: time to clean up the holiday mess. If you have to store things, the formula is simple: a golf cart cover is to a golf cart as a patio chair cover is to a patio chair.

The clutter left by all the partying could be harder to clean if the celebrations were done outdoors, say the patio. Of course the bigger the party, the bigger the mess, and the more you should give your furniture some tender loving care and heed these tips to make them last longer:

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First things first. Once you come to your senses, start your cleanup by picking up litters. Don’t let leftover  foods lie around for a long period of time. But if you really have to do it at a latter time, at least secure them with a cover. Think creepy crawlers.

Wash what needs to be washed like plates and other utensils (disposable ones sure come in handy), and store them in the cabinet or in a box. Prepare garbage bags for other wastes and dispose of them properly.

Sweep the floor. Sweep/vacuum the floor. Newton’s law of gravity tells you how important it is to do this after every trash that can be picked up by hand has been taken care of.

Check for stains. Whether you like it or not, stains will appear on those white table cloths. The top home remedy solutions for stains are baby powder and lemon juice. Apply any of these on the stain and leave them out to get some sun. You’d be surprised how easy they will be removed when washing.

Wash tables and chairs. Don’t forget to wash tables, chairs and other furniture with the right cleaner. Spray some disinfectant to kill bacteria.

That’s it! Live to party another day. You deserve it after a year’s worth of hard work.