Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is the written-down step-by-step guide for how staff perform every task in a hotel, how to greet you at check-in, how to clean a room, how to plate room service, how to handle a complaint. Luxury hotels often have SOP manuals running 400-800 pages. The benefit for you as a guest: consistency. Whether you arrive at 6am or 11pm, on a Wednesday or Saturday, the experience should feel the same. The downside: over-scripted service can feel robotic. The best brands (Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons) balance strict SOPs for technical tasks with employee freedom to personalize and solve problems on the spot, at Ritz-Carlton, every employee has a $2,000 daily budget to fix guest issues.