What to expect
| Typical duration | Closed season, Nov–Mar |
|---|---|
| Cost band | Figures live in the cost index |
| Permit required | Depends on scope · licence interaction likely |
| Seasonal constraint | The defining constraint |
What is different about hotel work
- Programme backwards from opening, with dressing, commissioning and snagging protected at the end rather than compressed.
- Order long-lead items before the design is finished. Freeze the sub-set of decisions that govern manufacture, and let the rest keep moving. This saves more programme than anything else available.
- Survey the season before. The four things strip-out finds — waterproofing, drainage capacity, electrical loading, corrosion at fixings — cannot be absorbed by a February programme if they are discovered in January.
- Report weekly against the programme, with the date risk stated explicitly rather than at the end.
- Coordinate with the licence. Room counts, escape routes and compartmentation all interact with it. See tourist accommodation licence.
The four things strip-out finds
The brief is usually "refresh the rooms". What comes out of the walls is usually one of these, and none of them is decoration.
| Finding | Why it happens here | Cost of deferring |
|---|---|---|
| Terrace waterproofing above occupied rooms | Thermal movement, full sun, detailing without movement joints | Grows into the ceiling below |
| Drainage at capacity | Property extended onto a system sized for the original | Fails at peak occupancy |
| Electrical loading | Air conditioning, induction, pool plant and EV added incrementally | Nuisance tripping in August |
| Corrosion at balustrades and fixings | Salt on anchors and hardware | Safety, on a caldera terrace |
We survey for all four before pricing rather than discovering them in January.
Phased work with the hotel trading
Half the property open while the other half is a site is frequently the only commercially viable option, and it changes the method substantially.
- Noise-generating work confined to agreed hours and to periods when adjacent rooms are not sold — agreed before pricing, not after.
- Dust and route separation, which matters more to guests than the works themselves.
- Material movement scheduled around guest movement, which on a caldera hotel with a single stepped access route is the hardest logistical problem on the job.
- Early morning deliveries and waste removal, which affects both cost and crewing.
Between seasons, every year
The properties that avoid expensive surprises are the ones that treat the closed season as a maintenance window rather than only a refurbishment window.
- Pre-season servicing: air conditioning, pool, solar, water systems, extract. Booked in autumn, done before March.
- Terrace outlets and gutters cleared before winter and checked after storms.
- Balustrade fixing inspection, documented. On a property with a drop this is a genuine safety item. See glass balustrades.
- Deep clean and external clean before opening. See post-construction cleaning.
- A defect list kept through the season and executed in November, rather than remembered in April.
Questions people actually ask
Can an opening date be guaranteed?
A contractor can commit to a programme, an explicit float allowance and weekly reporting against it, and they we tell you the moment a date is at risk. Anyone guaranteeing an opening date irrespective of ferry cancellations and supplier lead times is guaranteeing something outside their control.
When should we start planning next winter's works?
During this season. Survey in summer, design in autumn, order long-lead in September, on site in November. Properties that start planning in October are already late.
Can you work with our interior designer?
Usually, and it is common. Our role is making the design buildable inside the window and flagging early where a specification will not land in time.
Do you handle the pool between seasons?
Yes. Winter neglect is the single most expensive avoidable pool cost on this island. See pool maintenance.
What about the licence?
Anything touching room counts, escape routes, compartmentation or facilities interacts with it. They coordinate with your licensing consultant rather than replacing them.