Alex Polizzi, the niece of the famous British hotelier, Sir Rocco Forte, and former manager of the Hotel Endsleigh in Devon, has been around long enough to know what hoteliers at the bottom of the pit are doing wrong. She is the host of the long-running series The Hotel Inspector. This is a show that sets out to salvage the worst hotels throughout Britain. After nine series of the show, she’s identified three mistakes that will surely put hotels in trouble.

1. Hoteliers run dirty hotels.

This is one point I have to agree with. Customers stay in hotels expecting everything to be clean and at the very least, inhabitable. Unfortunately, some hotels never measure up to even just the minimal standards of cleanliness. This is a sure way to drive customers away, especially hotel rooms that are infested with tiny cockroaches or smell odd. Customers’ senses tend to be overhyped when they’re staying somewhere else. Make no mistake – a hotel’s dirt will be seen (or smelled) by customers.

2. Hoteliers have no aptitude for looking after other people.

When customers ask for something, it is the hotel’s responsibility to make it happen. The best hotels are the ones that are able to deliver what their customers need in the face of almost impossible odds. Are the customers asking for champagne? Are they asking for directions to get around town? Do what your customers are asking for. They will feel taken care of, and these small things will ultimately translate into positive reviews for your hotel.

3. Hoteliers have been doing it too long and have lost their way.

Polizzi cites an 87-year-old owner, an 80-year-old-owner, and a 77-year-old owner who have one thing in common: they are struggling to modernize. With recent advancements in the industry, such as TripAdvisor and the growth of customers’ expectations, it’s quite easy to get stunned and paralyzed. The proper response, though, is to re-craft one’s strategy and find experts that can help the hotel find a voice in this increasingly competitive industry.