On May 18, Otelier is once again asking hotel leaders to come together to shine a spotlight on the dedicated overnight crews that keep our establishments running seamlessly through the night. We have several ways you can recognize their hard work this year, including nominating exceptional team members for 2024 Night Auditor of the Year.
"Why night auditors?” you might ask. Let me explain:
If you’re a person who can’t function on fewer than 7-8 hours of sleep per night, you automatically owe your night audit crew some respect. Folks who work third shift say they eventually get used to the schedule, but blackout curtains only work so well, and there are times you just have to be awake during regular business hours, for doctor appointments, grocery shopping, etc. At some hotels, night audit shifts are mixed with day shifts throughout the week; at others, night auditors are full-time night shift. Seems like a lesser-of-two-evils situation to me.
Night auditors are often the only employee on site overnight, meaning they act as the front-desk agent, security, the accountant, room attendants, the bartender, all at the same time. At select-service properties, any late-night F&B is handled by this person. Guest issues arise throughout the night. They’re walking the hallways and the exterior of the property regularly. At some point in the night, they have to run the night audit (which thankfully has gotten a lot easier). If all that gets handled smoothly while we’re all sleeping tightly, we owe these folks some recognition.
It’s often said that nothing good happens after 2 a.m. We've all been the guest who stumbles into the hotel lobby from the bar dying for a slice of pizza. Imagine dealing with that person, and worse, at your job night after night. If you and your night auditor are ever awake at the same time, ask them for their top three craziest guest stories, and prepare to be entertained.
Every night, your night auditor sits on a mountain of gold – in the form of data – that if not managed accurately would be detrimental to the business. Everything from which rooms are out of order, which VIP guests are coming in tomorrow, how much revenue the hotel generated that day, to where hotel guests swiped their credit card throughout the property that day, and how much overtime the housekeepers worked – the night auditor ensures all that data is accurate, stored in a central location, and accessible to whoever needs to see it the next day or even months down the line. If you’ve ever been through a financial audit from a brand, asset manager or the government, you know how critical it is to have those financial records indexed and searchable.
On top of all the tasks required of a night auditor during their own shift, they also have to prepare the hotel GM and morning front-desk agent to have successful shifts. In many cases, they’re setting up breakfast before these team members even arrive. They put together a packet of reports that is usually placed in the GM’s inbox that has an overview of what to expect for the day. Team members are made aware of any ongoing guest issues and any bookings that came in overnight. With this prep work, the morning crew can spend less time in the back office and more time providing exceptional guest service.
If your night auditor handles all of the above, join us in taking a day to recognize and celebrate their efforts, which can often go unnoticed. Find a bunch of ideas to celebrate Night Auditor Appreciation Day here, including pre-built social posts, a graphic to download, and the nomination form for 2024 Night Auditor of the Year.
Thank you for helping us ensure these team members’ efforts don’t go unnoticed!