Why hotels and hospitality venues present unique maintenance challenges and how FM teams can overcome them
From budget hotel chains to luxury resorts and large restaurant groups, hospitality venues face some of the most complex operating environments, regulatory obligations, and maintenance requirements. These properties contain a wide variety of spaces, building systems and assets, from bedrooms and event spaces to commercial kitchens, HVAC and water systems, lifts and leisure facilities. Maintenance is therefore critical not only to compliance and long-term asset value but also to guest satisfaction and brand reputation, meaning there is little room for disruption or error, especially during periods of peak occupancy. Matt Voyle, Senior Account Executive at SFG20, the industry standard for hotel facilities management, has shared the key challenges facing hotels and hospitality venues today and why a structured approach to planned maintenance is essential for FM teams operating across the sector. A significant water-safety risk in hotels and hospitality venues is Legionella. When guest rooms, outlets, or sections of a water system are used infrequently, water can stagnate and create conditions favourable to bacterial growth. Seasonal properties and temporarily closed wings therefore require particular attention. Control should be based on a suitable risk assessment and managed by someone with the appropriate knowledge and training. Depending on the systems and the findings of the assessment, measures may include temperature control, regular flushing of infrequently used outlets, inspection, cleaning and descaling, and documented checks. FM teams can strengthen control by maintaining reliable information about their water systems and implementing a risk-assessment-led maintenance regime. Appropriate monitoring technology may support this approach, but it does not replace the required assessment, controls, and documented checks. Unlike offices or retail environments, where lower-occupancy periods allow planned maintenance to take place with minimal disruption, hotel and hospitality venues have to accommodate guests day and night. Hotels, as well as cafes and restaurants, have very small downtime windows, giving little time for anything other than routine checks. This means small issues can go unnoticed, potentially developing into larger problems further down the line. Maintenance planning must therefore avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and instead be precise and structured around the operational realities of each property rather than being generically applied across the estate. The condition and performance of hotel and hospitality buildings is highly visible to guests, meaning there’s zero room for failure. Issues with HVAC, hot water, lifts, lighting, plumbing or other facilities can quickly lead to complaints, negative reviews and lost return business. Common issues include water temperature problems, noise complaints, humidity, kitchen extract failures, false fire alarms and out-of-service lifts, which can all impact accessibility and guest satisfaction. For hotel management companies overseeing maintenance across multiple properties, consistent FM performance is essential for meeting brand standards, supporting owner and operator reporting and protecting the long-term value of assets. Large hotel and hospitality operators often manage estates spanning properties of different ages, formats, historic importance and building types, each with their own asset profiles and maintenance histories. This creates additional complexity for FM teams, particularly when managing heritage properties that may be subject to planning or conservation constraints alongside independently branded and franchised sites with different standards and owner expectations. Without a common maintenance baseline, standards can vary and compliance gaps can emerge, while inconsistencies become increasingly costly to resolve as portfolios grow. Holiday parks and resorts present a particularly complex FM environment, combining different accommodation types such as lodges, holiday homes, cottages, and apartments with commercial kitchens, dining areas, pools, gyms, entertainment facilities, and outdoor amenities. The diversity of these building types, as well as asset ages and infrastructure, combined with seasonal demand, makes it difficult for FM teams to apply a generic maintenance approach. This becomes even more complex when it comes to all-inclusive resorts, where guests have limited alternatives to facilities on site. Matt Voyle adds: “With maintenance varying from property to property, having a trusted framework for planned maintenance, organisations and venues can create a more consistent and structured approach. For hotels and hospitality organisations, that means identifying applicable maintenance tasks and recommended frequencies, distinguishing statutory requirements from industry best practice, and documenting where site-specific tailoring is needed. Hospitality estates vary widely. A strong approach combines a consistent baseline with controlled, evidence-based tailoring, creating a maintenance regime that is practical, auditable and commercially workable Download SFG20’s free e-guide, How Hotels and Hospitality FM Teams Can Improve Compliance, Control Costs and Run More Efficiently, for practical guidance on reviewing and strengthening your maintenance approach.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
£120bn Government FM Framework Sets Stage for Major Public Estate Contracts
Some of the UK’s biggest facilities management and building services contractors have secured positions on a new government framework valued at up to £120 billion, opening the door to a major pipeline of public estate work over the next eight years. The Government Commercial Agency framework, RM6378, is set to become a recommended procurement route for facilities management services across central government. It will also be available to local authorities, NHS organisations, police forces, fire and rescue services, education bodies and devolved administrations. Competition for the largest Total Facilities Management contracts has attracted many of the sector’s leading names. Eighteen businesses have been appointed to the highest-value lot, covering individual contracts worth more than £15 million annually. The successful firms include Amey, CBRE, Compass, Dalkia, Equans, G4S Facilities Management, ISS, JLL, Kier, Mitie, OCS, Robertson Facilities Management, Serco, Skanska, Sodexo, Vinci Facilities, Vivo Defence Services and Wates. For the construction and built environment industry, the framework also represents a substantial opportunity for contractors delivering hard FM, engineering, maintenance and asset management services across the public estate. Forty businesses have secured positions on the major Hard FM lot for contracts valued above £2 million per year. Among those appointed are Amey, BAM FM, CBRE, Dalkia, Equans, Galliford Try, Graham Asset Management, Kier, Mears, Mitie, NG Bailey, OCS, Robertson, Serco, Skanska, Vinci Facilities, Vivo and Wates. The framework has been structured to accommodate public sector estates and contracts of significantly different scales. Total FM is divided into three bands covering contracts worth up to £2 million annually, between £2 million and £15 million, and more than £15 million. Hard FM is split between contracts below and above £2 million a year. A core group of contractors has achieved particularly strong coverage across the framework. Fifteen firms secured places across all five Total FM and Hard FM lots: Amey, CBRE, Equans, ISS, JLL, Kier, Mitie, OCS, Robertson, Serco, Skanska, Sodexo, Vinci Facilities, Vivo Defence Services and Wates Property Services. A further group, including BAM FM, Dalkia Facilities, Galliford Try Facilities Management, Graham Asset Management and Mears FM, secured positions across four lots. The scale and duration of the framework make it an important development for the management and maintenance of the UK’s public buildings and infrastructure. Alongside day-to-day FM provision, major hard services contracts can encompass the engineering, maintenance and long-term performance of complex property portfolios. With public bodies continuing to face pressure to improve building efficiency, modernise ageing estates and manage assets more effectively, the framework provides a long-term procurement platform through which significant programmes of FM and building services work can be commissioned. The agreement is scheduled to operate for eight years, running through to August 2034, giving successful contractors access to what could become one of the most significant public sector facilities management pipelines in the UK. Main Total FM and Hard FM winners Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
£249m Refinancing Backs Next Chapter for Manchester’s Landmark Square Gardens
Downing has secured a £249.2 million refinancing package for two major residential towers at its £400 million Square Gardens development in Manchester, marking another significant milestone for one of the city’s largest new living schemes. The financing, provided by Bank of Ireland, covers Acer and The Fernley, the two completed co-living buildings within the wider Square Gardens development in Manchester’s First Street district. Together, the buildings provide a major concentration of new rental accommodation, with the 25-storey Acer and 45-storey Fernley forming the first two phases of the development. Both buildings are now operational, demonstrating the scale of demand for professionally managed, amenity-led rental accommodation in Manchester. Designed by Manchester-based SimpsonHaugh Architects, Square Gardens represents a substantial addition to the city’s evolving residential landscape. The wider £400 million development has been conceived as a new urban neighbourhood combining high-density living with extensive shared amenities, landscaped spaces and public realm. Residents have access to facilities including a gym and wellness centre, co-working and meeting areas, social lounges, private dining spaces and extensive landscaped gardens and terraces. Sustainability has also formed an important part of the development, with measures including air source heat pumps, while the scheme has targeted BREEAM Excellent and EPC A ratings. The refinancing represents an important financial milestone following the completion and occupation of the two buildings. Savills Capital Advisors advised Downing on the transaction. Bay Downing, joint chief executive of Downing, described the deal as a landmark transaction for the business, highlighting the strength of the company’s portfolio and growing opportunities across the living sector. The deal is also significant for the wider UK residential market. Large-scale co-living and Build to Rent developments are becoming an increasingly established component of regeneration in major regional cities, combining new housing supply with extensive shared facilities and professionally managed environments. Square Gardens has been created using Downing’s vertically integrated approach, with development, construction and ongoing management delivered by the business. This has enabled the company to take the scheme from construction through to operation within the wider group. With Acer and The Fernley now completed and backed by £249.2 million of refinancing, Square Gardens is moving firmly from major construction project to established residential destination, reinforcing Manchester’s position as one of the UK’s leading markets for large-scale rental and co-living development. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Confidence gap: 70% of architects say they meet acoustic needs, but sound is rarely considered before Stage 4
New research from Oscar Acoustics has revealed a disconnect between industry confidence in meeting people’s acoustic needs and the point at which acoustics are actually considered in the design and construction process. Seven in ten (70.4%) UK architects and construction professionals say they are confident they meet the acoustic requirements of everyone who uses a building, including neurodivergent people and those with hearing challenges. Yet the research suggests acoustics are often not given proper consideration until key decisions affecting how a space will sound have already been made. Acoustics comes too late in the process The research, commissioned by Oscar Acoustics and conducted among 500 UK construction professionals and 250 UK architects, shows how late acoustics can enter the process. Among architects, nearly six in ten (57.2%) say acoustics do not get proper attention until RIBA Stage 4, Technical Design, or Stage 5, Construction.By this point, decisions around layout and materials are largely settled, limiting the opportunity to design for sound from the outset and making problems harder to address later. Construction professionals describe a similar pattern. Fewer than one in 25 (3.6%) say acoustics is considered at the initial client briefing stage, when there is still an opportunity to shape the fundamentals of a scheme. Meanwhile, around a third (33.8%) leave it until construction or fit-out, once the building’s shell is already up. The consequences of getting acoustics wrong Poor acoustic environments are estimated to cost UK businesses more than £40 billion a year* through lost productivity, staff turnover and customer dissatisfaction. The impact is also felt by the people using these spaces. When acoustics are addressed late in the process, the needs and experiences of occupants risk being considered after many of the critical decisions affecting their environment have already been made. Designing for people, not averages Gillian Burgis Smith, founder of inclusive design consultancy Strawberry Leopard Limited and co-creator of the “Joyful Journey” methodology, has experienced this disconnect first hand. Following two strokes and a brain tumour diagnosis in 2019, her own experience of the built environment changed profoundly, highlighting why environments must be shaped by lived and living experience, not assumptions about an “average” user. She said: “The disconnect comes from confidence being mistaken for competence at implementation and that is where the gap opens up.” “The profession is becoming more confident about the language of neuro-inclusive and sensory design, but less consistent in the systems needed to deliver it. You have to bring in people with lived and living experience, and design must adapt to the needs of the user, not the other way around. “In practice, that means testing designs with diverse users early and often, then iterating so spaces work for real people, not averages. A building is a dynamic ecosystem for a dynamic ecosystem of people.” Where confidence and practice diverge Ben Hancock, Managing Director of Oscar Acoustics, said: “While architects and construction professionals feel confident about meeting people’s acoustic needs, our research suggests there is a gap between that confidence and the point at which acoustics are considered in practice.” “When acoustic design is considered as a late-stage addition, rather than a core element of the building strategy, it can have a severe impact on the people who use a space. “This is particularly the case for the 60% of UK adults who are noise-sensitive, including neurodivergent individuals and those with hearing challenges. “But poor acoustics also cost businesses directly, through lower productivity, higher staff turnover and reduced office attendance. The industry is taking a risk not only with people’s wellbeing but also with its own clients’ bottom line.” Calls for greater industry support The findings also suggest architects and construction professionals want more formal support around acoustic design. Around one in six (15.8%) construction professionals and one in five (19.2%) architects back a recognised certification for acoustically inclusive buildings. Meanwhile, around one in five (19.4%) construction professionals and more than one in five (22.0%) architects want mandatory acoustic standards written into building regulations. A framework for acoustic inclusion Sownd Certification, developed by Sownd Affects, with independent testing carried out by the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton, is the world’s first framework recognising spaces with proven acoustic performance as audio-inclusive. It assesses spaces across three tiers, from Bronze foundations through to Silver and Gold, based on measures including reverberation time, background noise and speech clarity. Oscar Acoustics’ Innovation Centre in Halling, Kent, is the world’s first Sownd Certified building, providing architects and specifiers with a working example of acoustically inclusive design in practice. To find out more about Sownd Certification or to arrange a visit to Oscar Acoustics’ Innovation Centre in Halling, Kent, visit https://www.oscar-acoustics.com/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Local government reorganisation review: Ensuring continuity in the face of uncertainty
Karen Carter, public sector director at public procurement specialist Pagabo, has shared her thoughts following the government’s announcement on its intention to review plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) and ensure alignment with its wider plan to rewire the state. Karen said: “This week’s announcement adds another layer of uncertainty for councils that have already spent months planning for reorganisation. Four areas have had their plans withdrawn, another 14 are paused pending review, and the 2027 elections will now be fought on existing boundaries. “For the teams involved, that’s a lot more work suddenly required without a clear landing point. But the fundamentals haven’t changed. Schools still need building, homes still need delivering, and estates still need maintaining. None of that waits for a structural decision in Whitehall. The risk in moments like this is that authorities press pause on everything, not just reorganisation, and lose a year of delivery to a decision that isn’t theirs to make. It’s vital that local authorities remember that successful transition will depend not only on the governance design, but on collective leadership and the ability to maintain shared action while navigating the road ahead. “Our advice remains the same as prior to this latest government announcement. That is to keep statutory service delivery moving and focus on decisions that will be unaffected by reorganisation. This means procuring through compliant, flexible routes that transfer cleanly to whatever structure eventually emerges. Similarly, ensure contract, asset and supplier data is in order because that is the groundwork every future authority will need regardless of how new boundaries are formed. Finally, keep the relationships with your supply chain warm so that you can move quickly when clarity comes. “Uncertainty is not the same as standstill. The authorities that come through this best will be the ones that use the pause to get their house in order – rather than waiting to be told what shape they’ll be.” For more information and guidance, check out Navigating Local Government Reorganisation – which was recently published by Pagabo. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Safe Downloading in the Digital Construction Era: A Practical Guide for Project Teams
The construction industry is undergoing rapid, intense digital transformation in almost every way. Tons of paperwork have been replaced by gigabytes of digital files; people who had to do legwork to discuss plans and make arrangements can now use cloud-based collaboration platforms. On the one hand, many work processes have become much easier. What used to take hours can be done in minutes now, and some tasks can be automated entirely. On the other hand, the problem of construction cybersecurity is becoming increasingly acute, endangering the workers, the clients, and their projects. Modern digital threats have the power to affect files, people’s personal devices, and the reputations of companies, and they can start with something as simple as one of the team members downloading a seemingly safe file. Find out how to do safe downloading in the digital construction era and keep your files, software, and collaboration secure. The Core Principles of Secure Data Downloading Construction projects involve huge amounts of digital data. These include architectural drawings, engineering models, contracts, schedules, compliance documents, etc. Everyone’s work depends on them, yet they can be compromised with surprising ease. Naturally, some team members are eager to download their favorite music and listen to it while doing basic, mundane tasks. Those who follow practical advice for safe downloading succeed: they get the songs they need while keeping their systems secure. However, there will always be people who have no idea about safety protocols. An attempt to retrieve files from unverified sources, both for personal and professional purposes, can lead to malware, ransomware, and data breaches. To stay safe, project teams need to understand the basics of secure file and software downloads, as well as file sharing. Let’s see what they are about. Secure File Downloading Secure file downloads have four core principles that every worker should learn as soon as they join the team. Following these four principles alone, simple as they are, can significantly increase safety in any construction company. Secure Software Downloads Project teams in the construction sector rely on specialized software adapted to their specific needs. These might include AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, various cloud collaboration platforms, and more. However, downloading compromised software can put everyone’s work at huge risk. Here are the best practices for software downloads every construction team should follow: When you trust your software, you can keep working knowing that your projects will be safe from start to finish. Secure File Sharing between Teams In 2025, hacking and misuse accounted for the largest number of cyber incidents inside organizations worldwide. A lot of these cases are the result of unfortunate file sharing. People fall for impersonation tricks, use unsafe platforms, and end up disrupting their own work and endangering sensitive work information. How to avoid it? It’s easier than it might look: sticking to the steps below will suffice. Just three steps, and your team will be able to share their files without worrying about doing something wrong and jeopardizing the digital safety of the entire company. Practical Steps for Project Teams to Ensure Safe Downloading Now, how to get your team to stick to the described safety practices? It might take some time for everyone to learn and start treating these safe practices as the norm. Once they do, though, it’ll be worth it. The more secure your projects are, the fewer problems they cause; the faster and more efficiently your team works, the more satisfied your customers will be.