NATIONAL REPORT—As winter rolls on and temperatures regularly fall below the freezing mark, especially in the Northern and Midwest parts of the U.S. and in Canada, it is important for hotels to winterize their properties.
Mike Fitzpatrick, VP of Orlando, FL-based U.S. Lawns, said there are a number of things hotels can do to make sure their properties are ready for snow, ice and the other hazards that the winter can bring.
“They should make sure their trees are built high enough so that, if they get heavy with ice, they are not hanging over parking spaces or become obstructions,” he said. “They should be away from power lines, so that if branches break, they don’t fall on power lines. Also, they should make sure they have taken care of their irrigation system by winterizing it or turning it off so that it won’t create a skating rink in the front driveway.”
Other things to tend to include fertilization, small plants and ground covers. “You want to apply a winterizing fertilization application on your turf and make sure that if you have plants that are not made for cold weather, that you relocate them inside so that they don’t freeze,” Fitzpatrick said. “Also, you have to clean up your ground covers. As it gets cold, if there is no snow on the ground, they will become pretty unsightly. You just want to clean them up so that they don’t become too unattractive.”
When snow does fall, properties must have a well-thought-out snow management plan with their contractors, Fitzpatrick said.
“They have to make sure the contractors are very clear on areas of priority. If they have winter weather, the snow removers must know what to work on first, second and third. Obviously, they will have to pay attention to entrances and exits of buildings, handicapped spaces, etc. They have to be sure of where to put all the snow so that they don’t create visibility obstructions or problems for traffic getting in and out of parking lots,” he said. “Particularly for the hospitality industry, [contractors]should be cognizant of when people are checking in and checking out. In the parking lot, the first priority will be the driveway and the sidewalks, but it may still be full of cars, so the snow removal team will have to come back later to remove snow from where the cars were parked.”
Snow staking—where stakes are placed near sewer drains, fire hydrants and other areas so those locations will become a priority for the snow removers—is “more important than people think, particularly the further north you go in the hardcore snow markets,” Fitzpatrick said.
The planning of the winterizing process is something that cannot be tackled in the latter portion of the year. It’s a matter of planning for winter in the summer.
“[Hoteliers] should really be talking to their contractors in July or August to make sure they get the right place on the contractor’s route,” Fitzpatrick said. “So much of it depends on temperature. If you’re calendar says that you will turn off the irrigation on, say, Nov. 15, but the temperature starts dropping below freezing in the middle of October, you better have a good relationship with your contractor to turn the irrigation off. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to find a dependable snow service contractor because there will be a point where they can’t take on any additional business You will end up being put on the end of somebody else’s route and you won’t get the service you want.”
Planning your holiday decorations follows the same principle—summer for winter. “When you start talking about doing decorations for the holidays, if you want to throw on the switch by Thanksgiving, you have to start in advance depending on how extensive the decorations will be,” he said. “You’ll have a limited number of contractors to choose from, so you have to be thinking about the winter in the summer. You have to start planning in July or August.”
—Adam Perkowsky