The last months before opening shape a hotel's first year. Here is what we tell owners to prioritize, from setting the date to answering early sales inquiries.
The pre-opening phase shapes a hotel's first year. Decisions made in the last 6 to 12 months before opening affect how the hotel operates, how quickly it builds business, and what guests say in its first reviews. Having opened more than 300 hotels, we have found that owners with the smoothest openings tend to focus on the same handful of things. Here is what we tell owners to prioritize.
Set the Opening Date on Evidence, Not Hope
The opening date drives hiring, training, marketing, and sales commitments. Announce it too early, and every construction delay turns into rebooked groups, idle new hires, and changed travel plans.
- Tie the date to the construction schedule and the realistic timing of the certificate of occupancy, not the contract date.
- Build a pre-opening critical path that works backward from opening: brand approvals, systems installation, hiring waves, training, and inspections.
- Review the date at set checkpoints, and decide early if it has to move. A date moved 60 days out is a manageable conversation. A date moved 10 days out is a crisis.
Hire in the Right Order
Leadership comes first. The general manager and department heads need time to recruit, build schedules, adapt SOPs, and learn the building. Line-level associates follow in waves, timed to training.
- Budget for pre-opening payroll, which starts weeks or months before revenue.
- Plan for some attrition between hire date and opening, especially if the date moves.
- Hire people whose temperament fits the service you want to deliver. Skills can be trained.
Train for the Building You Actually Have
Classroom training on brand standards is necessary, but it isn't enough. Teams need time in the actual building, with working systems, before guests arrive.
- Run mock check-ins, room cleans, and restaurant services once systems are live.
- Hold practice stays, where associates stay overnight and report every issue they find.
- Train on the property management system, point of sale, and key systems using the hotel's real configuration, not a demo environment.
Get Systems, Supplies, and Vendors in Place Early
Late deliveries and unfinished system installs are some of the most common causes of a rough opening week. Work backward from opening and build in margin.
- Operating supplies and equipment: Confirm orders, delivery dates, and storage space. Receive, count, and put away well before the first guest, so housekeeping isn't unpacking linen on opening morning.
- Technology: Property management, point of sale, phones, Wi-Fi, key cards, and interfaces between them all need installation, testing, and training time. Test the interfaces, not just each system on its own.
- Vendor contracts: Laundry, waste, pest control, food and beverage suppliers, and maintenance contracts should be signed and scheduled before opening.
- Licenses and inspections: Liquor, food service, pool, and elevator permits each have their own timelines. Track them on the critical path.
Boost Inquiries Before You Open
A hotel can start building business long before the doors open, but only if someone is ready to respond. Groups, corporate accounts, and wedding planners book months out, and many inquiries arrive while the hotel is still a construction site.
- Start the sales effort early: A pre-opening sales office or a dedicated sales lead gives inquiries a home.
- Respond quickly: Set a response standard, such as one business day, and make sure someone owns the sales inbox and phone line. Slow replies send planners to competitors.
- Have the tools ready: Rates, group policies, meeting space details, floor plans, and photos or renderings should be ready before you start selling.
- Get listed correctly: Your website, brand listing where applicable, online travel agencies, and map listings should show accurate information and an opening date you trust. Requirements and timelines for brand listings vary by brand.
- Be honest about the date: Build reasonable terms into early group contracts in case the opening date shifts.
Make Owner Decisions Quickly
Owners don't need to run the opening, but the opening needs owner decisions. Approvals for budgets, purchases, hiring, and design changes often hold up the critical path. Agree in advance on who approves what, how quickly, and how the team escalates when something is stuck.
Get an Independent Readiness Check
Close to opening, everyone on the project is invested in the date. An independent readiness walk gives owners an outside view before the go/no-go decision.
On one engagement, a 137-room select-service hotel two weeks from opening, we spent two days on property, reviewed the guestroom punch list across all 137 rooms, and delivered an 18-page report with a 70-item action register: 5 priority-one items, 59 priority-two, and 6 priority-three. Restaurant outlet readiness was the top opening risk. The value wasn't the length of the list. It was knowing which five items had to be fixed first. You can read more about that work in our case studies.
Plan the First 90 Days
Opening day isn't the finish line. Plan for extra management coverage in the first weeks, daily reviews of guest feedback, and follow-up training once the team has real experience to learn from. Keep the punch list open until every item is closed, and track it with the same discipline you used before opening. The habits a team forms in its first 90 days tend to stick.
How We Help
We support owners through the pre-opening phase with a clear plan, practical priorities, and experienced people on property when it counts. Learn more about our pre-opening services or Request a Proposal.
