This is a condensed, public version of the framework we use on site. It will not replace an audit done by someone seeing the property fresh, but it will find the obvious gaps — and in most properties there are three or four obvious gaps.
Do it as a guest would, in order, at the times of day each thing actually happens. Doing it from the office at 10am is how these things stay invisible.
Arrival
- Is any F&B outlet mentioned at check-in, with a reason to visit tonight?
- Can a guest make a dinner reservation at the moment of check-in?
- Is there anything in the room within sight that shows what is available to order?
- Does the welcome material list opening hours that are actually current?
Pool and beach
- Can a guest see how to order without standing up? Sit on a lounger and check.
- Is there a service rotation, and what is the actual interval between passes?
- Is the menu appropriate to the setting — cold, quick, one-handed — or is it the restaurant menu?
- Can a guest with no wallet pay? Room charge, tab, or nothing?
- At 3pm: count guests, count drinks in hand. Write both numbers down.
Restaurant
- Is the current service's menu the one on the table, or is breakfast still showing at dinner?
- Is there an anchor item near the top of each section?
- Are prices in a right-hand column or nested in descriptions?
- Within the first two minutes, is a drink offered as a choice rather than a yes/no question?
- Does a main course leave the pass without a side being suggested?
- Is dessert offered as an assumption or as a question?
- At the check-back, is a specific dish named?
Breakfast
- Is there anything on the table showing what can be bought in addition?
- Is coffee served, or self-serve from an urn?
- Does the person seating guests make any offer at all?
- Is tonight's dinner or any evening activity mentioned?
In room
- Is the room service menu visible without opening a drawer or a folder?
- What delivery time is promised, and is it true at 9pm?
- Are there charges stacked on top of the menu price?
- Is there any option at all after the kitchen closes?
Golden hour and evening
- Where are guests in the hour before sunset, and is anything being served there?
- Is any outlet closing while guests are still present and spending?
- Are guests leaving the property in the evening? Ask three where they are going.
What to do with the results
Sort the findings by revenue impact against effort. Almost always the top of that list is operational — a menu that does not exist, an hour that is not staffed, a payment method that is not offered. Fix those before anything that requires capital or a new hire.