On 19 October, IHG announced the signing of the Holiday Inn Resort Luang Prabang Naluang Hill in Laos with Naluang International Resort and Hotel Limited. Expected in 2027, the property is set to mark the group's arrival in Luang Prabang. The project includes 101 rooms, suites and villas, four dining venues, a swimming pool, a fitness area, a spa and more than 500 m² of meeting space. It targets leisure stays and small or medium-sized events in particular. This is a signing, not an opening to the public. Source: IHG, 19 October 2026.
Announcements of this kind are often read in terms of a brand, a destination and a room count. For the teams that will operate the property, another question begins long before the first guests arrive: how can they achieve consistent results across different spaces?
One hundred and one units do not mean one hundred and one identical preparations
A room, a suite and a villa do not necessarily require the same tasks, the same equipment or the same amount of working time. Floor area does not explain everything. The number of sleeping places, the facilities, any outdoor areas and the inspection points also change what a cleaning visit involves.
Preparing operations therefore means describing what “ready” means for each category. Where should linen be stored? Which equipment needs testing? Which defect prevents the accommodation from being handed over to the guest? These decisions may seem minor alongside a property development project. Yet they become daily judgement calls as soon as stays begin.
This thinking also applies to a property management company taking on new properties. Copying the instructions for an existing apartment to a different accommodation risks leaving blind spots, even with an experienced team.
Write instructions with the people who will follow them
A useful protocol must be workable under the actual conditions of the property. Before considering it complete, it deserves a trial run: access the accommodation, find the supplies, follow the steps, report an issue and pass on the result.
The exercise sometimes reveals a very simple difficulty. A storage area is poorly labelled, a key is missing, supplies are too far away or an instruction allows two interpretations. Correcting these points before welcoming guests mainly costs preparation time; discovering them between a departure and an arrival demands an immediate solution.
For a manager using StayClean, property-specific instructions and the tracking of cleaning visits can support this work. The content of the protocol still needs to be defined according to the property and the operator's requirements. Introducing StayClean.
Test the handover too
Cleaning is only one part of making accommodation available again. A cleaning visit may be complete while an inspection is still pending or a repair is waiting for the person responsible. If everyone uses the word “finished” for a different stage, reception may believe the accommodation is available too soon.
It is useful to clarify who identifies issues, who corrects them and who gives the final go-ahead. During a trial run, a common problem, such as equipment that does not work, can be deliberately introduced to check how the information travels. The aim is to see whether it reaches the right person before the guest arrives.
StayClean's cleaning visit reports give the manager information to support verification. They become valuable within an organisation where everyone knows what they need to check and whom to tell about a problem.
Adapt standards after the first stays
Even a carefully prepared protocol needs to be adjustable. The first few weeks allow planned durations, linen requirements and instructions to be tested against the situations encountered. A task repeatedly overlooked may point to an unclear instruction or poorly positioned equipment.
The project announced in Luang Prabang is therefore a reminder that preparing for an opening also happens at this level: a room made available, an issue resolved and a team sharing the same definition of finished work. For a hotel or a growing property management company, this organisation deserves to be designed before the calendar fills up.
