A hotel pre-opening checklist, worked back from the date.

Start from the opening date

Write down the date you want to open, then work backwards. Every item below has a lead time: how long it takes from deciding to having it done. Some, like furniture made to order or senior hires, take far longer than owners expect.

Put each item on one list, with a person’s name next to it and the date it must be finished. Go through the list with those people every week.

First: the things that take longest

• Senior hires. Your general manager, chef and department heads need time to join, settle in and hire their own teams.
• Furniture and fittings made for your rooms. Beds, wardrobes and restaurant furniture made to order usually arrive last.
• Kitchen equipment. Order it once the kitchen layout is final, and check its power, gas and water needs against what the building supplies.
• Licences and approvals. A fire safety certificate, an FSSAI licence and, if you serve alcohol, a bar licence are some of the approvals you will need, and each goes through a different office. Find out early what your state and city ask for, and keep each one on the list with its status. Rules differ by state and change over time, so confirm each one with the office that issues it.

Next: people, routines and suppliers

• Hire the rest of the team in stages, so each department head can train their own people.
• Write the routines (SOPs) each department will follow: how a room is cleaned, how a guest checks in, how a complaint is handled.
• Set up what guests and staff use every day: bookings, billing, the phone line and Wi-Fi.
• Choose suppliers for food, linen, laundry, cleaning supplies and repairs, so you are not choosing them in a hurry.
• Order uniforms, linen, crockery and guest supplies, with enough spare for what is in the wash.

Last: test it before guests do

• Walk every room and area, list every fault you find (a snag list), and follow each one until it is fixed.
• Train the team on site once the building is ready to train in.
• Run trial services with friends, family or staff. Check-in, room service, breakfast and checkout should each run at least once before a paying guest tries them.
• Check that each licence is in hand, not only applied for.

Should you open in stages?

If some floors or the restaurant will not be ready, you can open with the rooms and menu that are, and add the rest once each part is finished and tested.