So I went to bid a hotel today. The person I spoke to said it needed to be cleaned of mildew top to bottom so I’m thinking it’s going to be pretty bad and well it really just needs a spot cleaning.
As you can see it’s pretty clean except for some dirt dinner nests and one side has some very slight mildew. And there’s that rust stain I don’t even want to try to get out. Also the horrible pressure washer marks lol
Do I bid this like I’m washing the whole building? I mean I don’t want to call him and say, well it actually doesn’t really need to be cleaned but I don’t want to be dishonest either.
Thoughts?
Just for reference it’s about 12,000 sq.ft. and 3.5 stories. I’d be at about $1000 if I were to price it normally.
Sounds like the PM or Owner already has an expectation of cleaning the whole thing. Kinda hard on something like that to spot clean. As you get going, you will see spider webs and dirty eves that you will rinse off…BAM, now you cleaning the entire side because they just dripped all over the side and you have to rinse it off.
Last weekend we cleaned a 30000 sqft building at macdill afb . It was painted last month . Obviously it wasn’t dirty.
They have a list of things that need to be done so they can check the box and move on down the list .
I lowered our normal price because of it being clean.
I still charge $1500 and it took 2 hours. No windows no eaves no gutters just 4 walls.
Consider it a Xmas present from the wash gods
Clean the complete building. Dirt exists you may not have seen. Find out if they want windows too. Ask if theyre interested in regular maintenence and dumpster pad.
Bid the whole dang thing. Just cleaned a Hampton Inn and profit on it was $7k after a lift and 2 free nights at the hotel. I ate breakfast 3 days there and they were tickled pink how it turned out.
They’re right at the end of budget season and probably earn 20x what you’re asking daily.
Commercial jobs, for corporations especially, understand they have to pay a premium to maintain an image. Better yet, many hotels are independently operated and cleaning is required to appease licensing agreements. Their license to operate as a Hampton inn is likely worth a few million annually at least. They don’t bat an eye at a $9000 bid to clean the thing.
@squidskc That is why I have primarily focused on commercial accounts.
Reoccuring - you get monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly or annual contracts.
As squid said, if they are franchised, then they are pretty much forced to maintain. Much easier sell.
Get in with a Brand or Franchise Group and you can ride the wave for quite a while. Think about hooking up with a 20 unit Hampton owner. They are all over the place - look for the name Patel. One big family that owns a tons of hotels in the US.
Like neighborhoods, business of the same type is a close world. Get in with one, next thing you know you are getting in with others in town in the same business.
Reocurring income - did I mention that before? Houses are great and all, but for the most part they are one and done - move on to the next. Business need you to keep coming back over, and over, and over.
Business are more likely to sign annual and multiple year agreements. You can easily get them to sign a 3 year deal. They do not want to have to worry about what we do, they have little to no interest in it and it is a task they have to do to check a box. As someone else said, windows need to be done? Pads need to be cleaned?
That looks way over 12000 ft. Did you measure or you talking 12000 ft per floor? What about the concrete walkways and canopy area? If you would normally price this at $1000, then go ahead and tell us goodbye because you probably won’t be here too long.
Lol ok. Yes 12,000 sq.ft. and three floors. No concrete just washing the vinyl. Looks like less than a full day’s work, so I don’t see why $1000 is so bad. Where would you be?
$1000 isn’t bad if you’re meeting your goals. It’s beautiful if that’s the case. Simply my opinion, you could double that amount and they wouldn’t blink and still hire you for other properties provided you do great work.
Great tip/reminder. I’ve already got one of them in my phone contacts. Any advice on how to start a dialogue? He contacted me 2-3 years back for a post construction window cleaning of one of his Comfort Inn’s here in town. The job fell through due to timing and some lazy workers, but I always thought that it was a potentially profitable contact to have.
Side note: any time you are preparing a proposal for an Indian customer, build some wiggle room into your bid. It’s customary for them to haggle price, and unlike some other cultures, it can actually improve the working relationship if you play along. If you don’t give at all on your price, it has the potential to be a real turnoff.
For all other cultures, I’ve learned to stick to my guns on price; the dynamic always seems to suffer.
Years ago I had a legendary conversation with an Indian woman. I worked for a wholesale company and had sincerely given her my best price. She kept beating me up for what seemed like a half hour.
Infinity, I would go along the lines of something like:
“Hi, Mr. Patel, sorry to bother you, but you may remember me from a few years back, im blah blah blah. I came across your contact info again and figure I would get in touch with you, and let you know what i have to offer. If you ever need someone who can get your properties looking brand new, please let me know. I can get you a great bid since we have done business in the past.”
Keep it short and sweet, and if he is looking he will keep you on his mind. I run a business myself and cold calls annoy me, but if they are polite, not pushy and get to the point, i dont mind them.
Last month 3 indian fellas that live in the same neighborhood and work together called for driveway sealing. They pulled the haggle bit pretty hard. I bypassed the wiggle room game by starting at my ONLY price. When I wouldnt budge they explained their culture to me for an hour. Told me this is how things are done where they come from.
This is when I explained that this is America, they came here, this is how WE do things here. They were offended but hired me.
