How to win your first 21 days as a motel manager

Ben Douglas shares practical tips for building strong foundations in your first weeks managing a new motel.

AccomNews Friday, February 20, 2026

1 6 minutes read

Starting a new role as a motel manager can feel overwhelming. You’re stepping into an existing team, inherited routines, and a property that already has its own rhythm. The first 21 days are less about making big changes and more about observing, stabilising, and setting the foundation for long-term success.

Below are five practical focus areas that will help you settle into your role with confidence and reduce early stress as a new motel manager.

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1. Understand the team you’re inheriting

The existing staff have a relationship with the previous manager. They’ve developed their own routines and are settled into how things have been done. When a manager leaves and a new one arrives, it naturally unsettles people and creates uncertainty around their roles.

It’s very common to see staff turnover after a management change. While some turnover is unavoidable, retaining staff in the early period can make a significant difference to how smoothly you settle into the role. Remember, if your housekeepers walk-out – you will become the housekeeper in addition to motel manager.

During your first two weeks:

Avoid forming quick opinions about the team, appreciate that they are going through a period of change and are likely nervous.
Stay impartial, especially when staff share anecdotal or emotional comments about others.
As a new manager avoid feeling the need to please. Evaluate your team members performance primarily on room cleanliness, efficiency, their attitude, and how they engage with the team. While room cleanliness and efficiency can be improved a bad attitude is not so straightforward.

Avoid giving performance feedback in the first fortnight. Instead, focus on clear communication and consistency. If something needs addressing, introduce a standard procedure for the housekeeping team rather than calling out an individual’s behaviour. Explain the benefit the change will bring.

This guidance is general in nature, in some instances where a staff member is not suitable, you may need to take different steps.

Most importantly, take time to build a basic working relationship with each team member, talk to them about their availability for shifts, how many shifts they would like to do per week, be fair with shift allocation and put in the time to create good rosters that will support your staff and the business needs.

2. Set standards through your own actions

In the early weeks (and every week after that), staff will closely observe how you operate. Your standards, behaviour, and attention to detail set the tone more effectively than instructions alone.

If you consistently work to a high standard, staff will gradually begin to mirror those expectations. This is especially important in the initial period when you’re trying to retain your team.

Rather than overloading staff with feedback from a manager they don’t know or trust, focus on:

Doing tasks properly yourself
Being visible and consistent
Following procedures, you expect others to follow

Over time, these behaviours naturally become part of the team culture.

3. Get organised

An organized motel manager is a large component of a successful motel. If you have a handover with a previous manager – make sure you maximize this opportunity.

Password list, if they have a password list. Login to every item in their to make sure the password is up to date. It is more time consuming to find a password once the previous manager leaves the property.
- Key password items: Booking.com, Expedia, GDS, Email, Mobile Phone, Property Management System, Channel Manager, Eftpos Machine, CCTV, Food & Beverage Supplier Portals, and Linen ordering,
- If certain websites or tools are logged in, log-out and re-login with the saved password – don’t assume the password in the managers list is correct.
- Make sure all 2FA (2 Factor Authentication) is directed to the Motel work phone and not the previous motel managers personal phone.
- Make sure all authentication apps are on the motel work mobile or computer not a personal phone.
Key phone numbers, if not already available, compile a list of all key phone numbers; housekeepers, key contractors – electrical, plumbing, gas, a/c, general maintenance, property management system, internet provider, linen. Talk through each provider with the current manager or owner, ask if they have preferences for certain providers.
Cash reconciliation, reconcile cash on-site,
Major events, note down major events, and discuss what the motel did to optimize revenue previously. With major events your whole motel can get booked out a long way in advance before you get a chance to increase your rates. This makes it important to track these events closely so that you can maximize your motels revenue for them.
Seasonal, and holiday demand, get information about when the motel will be full, what room types fill up in what periods. You can use these notes to help support your review of the room rates in the future.
Key guests and companies that use the motel. Go through any specific rates, deals, or things the motel does for these guests. It is important to continue the service standard for these guests. Change of management is an important time to focus on retaining your existing guests. Like your housekeepers, they often have built up a relationship with the previous manager and have a routine they have become used to at the motel.
Staff availability, write down the staff availability from the Manager, and then re-confirm this with each staff member.

Once you’ve completed this handover, put together a summary email to the owner or your manager. Include a quick report on each key item in the handover to ensure the details are consistent with their expectations.

4. Prioritise room cleanliness and maintenance

Room cleanliness and maintenance is the foundation of guest satisfaction and online reviews. Early in your role, it’s critical to understand the true condition of the motel.

A simple but effective approach is to go into the first few rooms with a blank page and note down every issue. Then use this list of issues to format a spreadsheet you can use to review the whole motel.

Once you’ve completed the motel room audit,

Schedule and plan for the items to be fixed over a set period;
- Items such as dust under the bed, might be a training topic or a focus area you go through with your housekeeping team
- Shower screen buildup might be added to a deep clean schedule
- Some issues are allocated to external contractors – damaged walls, leaking a/c units, electrical faults.
Prioritize fixing issues that are causing the most negative reviews.
The bigger cost items should be taken to your manager or owner for evaluation.

Don’t overwhelm yourself or the housekeeping team. Go back to your initial timelines, increase them if required. You don’t need to fix everything this week. Just focus on making the motel better step-by-step.

5. Learn the key motel procedures and schedules

Draw a simple map on paper showing where each key item is located and use your phone to take photos or short videos of each task. This is much easier while the previous manager or owner is still on-site. Even then, you won’t capture everything — part of the role will always involve working things out and making calls to resolve issues as they arise.

Main water shut off
Room water shut off, note always shut off the hot water before the cold water to avoid guests getting burned. When you are turning it back on, put the cold water on first.
Electrical Fuse Boxes
Gas shut off.
WiFi System

Linen ordering schedule

When is the cut off time, is the provider reliable, who is the key contact, and do you have any motels that you share linen within emergencies?

Pool maintenance

What are the required tasks, and is there a scheduled pool contractor?
If you get stuck, a local pool company will be able to provide guidance, especially if they are your pool chemical provider.
Make sure the motel has a current pool safety certificate.
Start straight away with chemical readings if they are not already done. It is a best practice, and a legal requirement in most locations.

Grounds, and rubbish collection

Does the motel have a contractor, or is it your task to complete, are there any procedures to starting the key tools.
Confirm rubbish collection days. Put this into your phone as a reminder straight away. Most rubbish collection companies will organize a collection if you miss your first one but will often charge you.

Final thought

Your first 21 days aren’t about proving yourself or making big changes. They’re about learning how the motel operates, getting organised, and building trust with your team.

Focus on understanding your staff, setting clear standards, getting organised early, room cleanliness and maintenance, you will give yourself the strongest possible platform for long-term success as a motel manager.

This article was written by Ben Douglas, Motel Coach for AccomNews. Motel Coach provides practical training and support for motel managers at every stage—from those new to the industry to experienced operators. The training consolidates the most important management lessons into clear, actionable guidance that helps motels improve operations, build stronger teams, and increase occupancy.