The StayServ blog
Guides, comparisons, and playbooks for hotel maintenance and staff ops teams.
How-to
How Often Should a Hotel Pool Be Tested?
How often to test hotel pool and hot tub water, what the CDC and county codes require, what goes in the pool log, and how to make sure tests get done.
· 8 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServChecklists
Hotel Room Turnover Checklist (Checkout to Ready)
A step-by-step hotel room turnover checklist from checkout to ready, including the maintenance checks housekeeping should make before releasing a room.
· 9 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServComparisons
Flexkeeping vs hotelkit for Small Hotels (2026)
Flexkeeping vs hotelkit from public info: housekeeping, maintenance, integrations, listed prices and the Mews deal, plus when a small hotel needs neither.
· 8 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServAlternatives
Snapfix Alternatives for Small Hotels (2026)
What Snapfix does well, when a small hotel should look elsewhere, and how StayServ, hotelkit, Flexkeeping, Quore and MaintainX compare, from public info.
· 8 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServOperations
Out of Order vs Out of Service Hotel Rooms
The difference between out of order (OOO) and out of service (OOS) hotel rooms, how each affects inventory, and how maintenance gets rooms back faster.
· 7 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServHow-to
Hotel Legionella Water Management Plan (How-To)
How to write a Legionella water management plan for a hotel, using CDC's 7 steps and HSE temperature checks, plus a weekly-to-annual task schedule.
· 10 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServAlternatives
Quore Alternatives for Small Hotels (2026)
When Quore fits, when a small hotel should look elsewhere, and how StayServ, Snapfix, hotelkit, Flexkeeping and MaintainX compare, from public sources.
· 8 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServHow-to
Hotel PTAC Maintenance: How Often to Clean Filters
How often to clean hotel PTAC filters, coils and drain pans, a per-unit maintenance schedule, and how to rotate PTAC PM through occupied rooms.
· 8 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServHow-to
How to Build a Hotel Preventive Maintenance Program
A 7-step plan to set up a hotel preventive maintenance program: asset list, frequencies, owners, a guest room rotation, and how to track completion.
· 10 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServComparisons
Hotel Work Order Software vs Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet, paper log, or hotel work order software? An honest comparison, the signs you've outgrown a spreadsheet, and what to look for when you switch.
· 8 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServChecklists
Hotel Winter Maintenance Checklist (2026)
A hotel winter maintenance checklist for GMs and maintenance leads: heating, frozen-pipe prevention, roof, pool, guest rooms, and who owns each task.
· 9 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServHow-to
How Much Should a Hotel Spend on Maintenance?
Hotel maintenance (POM) benchmarks from PKF and CBRE data, what belongs in the budget, and how to build a 2027 maintenance budget an owner will approve.
· 7 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServHow-to
The Complete Hotel Room Inspection Checklist (2026) + Free App
The full 50-item hotel room inspection checklist, the 4-step procedure used by supervisors in 2026, an SOP you can print for staff training, and a free phone app that runs the whole inspection end-to-end with photo evidence.
· 11 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServBuyer's guide
The Best Housekeeping App for Hotels in 2026 (Honest Buyer's Guide)
A segment-by-segment buyer's guide to housekeeping apps for hotels in 2026. What each tool actually does, what it costs, who it isn't for, and the one thing every buyer misses when they demo.
· 14 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServChecklists
Hotel Maintenance Checklist Template 2026 (Free Excel + PDF Download)
The free hotel maintenance checklist template we use with StayServ customers — Excel, PDF, and web-editable. Plus what a good hotel maintenance checklist actually covers in 2026, from daily guest-room inspections to quarterly preventive maintenance.
· 11 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServCase study
The chart caught it before the owner did — a StayServ case study
A property owner logged into his StayServ dashboard and spotted two things in one chart that outed a management problem — the backlog line curving up, and the new-ticket bars collapsing at the same time. Here's what the chart made visible, and what he found when he pulled the thread.
· 9 min read · Roc Chow, founder of StayServHow-to
How to use StayServ team management — invite admins, add staff, and set roles
A step-by-step guide to StayServ's team page — how the corporate → property → staff invite flow works, what each role can do, and how to onboard your team without a support ticket.
· 7 min read · The StayServ teamHow-to
How to use StayServ maintenance — submit, assign, schedule, and close out tasks
A step-by-step guide to StayServ's maintenance module — creating requests, adding photos, assigning staff, tracking notes, and setting up recurring maintenance that generates itself.
· 9 min read · The StayServ teamBuyer's guide
The best hotel maintenance software of 2026
An honest, segment-by-segment roundup of the best hotel maintenance software in 2026 — from boutique-friendly tools to enterprise hospitality suites. What each is best for, what it actually costs, and where it falls short.
· 9 min read · The StayServ teamAlternatives
Looking for an UpKeep alternative? Here's the hotel-native one.
If UpKeep's per-user pricing, Android sync bugs, or Enterprise-gated multi-site are pushing you to look elsewhere, you're not alone. Here's the hotel-native alternative — and how switching actually works.
· 6 min read · The StayServ teamComparisons
StayServ vs UpKeep — which is right for your hotel?
A field-by-field comparison of StayServ and UpKeep for hotel operators. Where each tool wins, what you actually pay, and why hotels usually end up wanting a hospitality-native tool instead of a general CMMS.
· 7 min read · The StayServ teamAlternatives
The 8 best UpKeep alternatives for 2026 (hotel & CMMS picks)
A no-fluff rundown of the eight UpKeep alternatives worth evaluating in 2026 — split by hospitality-native tools and general CMMS platforms. What each is best for, real pricing, and their honest weaknesses.
· 6 min read · The StayServ teamComparisons
StayServ vs MaintainX — which is right for your hotel?
An honest side-by-side of StayServ and MaintainX for hotel operators. When each tool wins, what you actually pay, and which one your housekeeping team will actually use.
· 5 min read · The StayServ teamAlternatives
Looking for a MaintainX alternative? Here's the hotel-native one.
If MaintainX feels like an industrial CMMS bolted onto your hotel, you're not wrong. Here's what hotel operators use instead — and why StayServ was built for exactly this problem.
· 4 min read · The StayServ teamAlternatives
The 7 best MaintainX alternatives for 2026 (hotel & CMMS picks)
A no-fluff rundown of the seven MaintainX alternatives worth evaluating in 2026 — split by hospitality-native tools and general CMMS platforms. What each is best for, real pricing, and their honest weaknesses.
· 5 min read · The StayServ team