Hospitality · Select-service hotel with breakfast area, pool, fitness room and limited meeting space
Select-Service Hotel Franchise Audit Checklist
A select-service hotel franchise audit checklist covering arrival and front desk, guest room inspections, breakfast food safety, pool and fitness areas, and life safety systems.
- 6
- 33
- 5
- 120 min
- 85
Hotel brand standards audits are long, detailed and often contentious, because a failing score can affect a franchisee's standing under the license agreement. Clear evidence and consistent scoring matter more here than in almost any other franchise category.
This checklist weights guest rooms and life safety most heavily. Inspect a set of rooms across floors, including at least one accessible room and one recently turned room. Bed bug evidence, a failed smoke alarm, and blocked stairwells or exits are critical items.
The breakfast area is scored as a food service operation with hot and cold holding checks. The pool and fitness room are scored on safety and cleanliness, since guests use them without staff present.
Zone weights
- Exterior & Arrival10%
- Lobby & Front Desk15%
- Guest Rooms25%
- Breakfast Area15%
- Pool, Fitness & Public Areas15%
- Life Safety & Back of House20%
Zone-by-zone inspection criteria
Exterior & Arrival
10% of score · 10 ptsSignage, parking, porte-cochere and entrance.
| Standard | Pts | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary and monument signs lit with the current brand logo | 2 | Each sign from the road at dusk |
| Parking lot lighting working and lot free of litter and potholes | 2 | Observation |
| Landscaping maintained and entrance free of debris | 2 | Entrance from the drop-off area |
| Entry doors, glass and vestibule clean | 2 | Observation |
| Exterior building finish free of visible damage or staining | 2 | Observation |
Lobby & Front Desk
15% of score · 15 ptsLobby condition, check-in experience and public restrooms.
| Standard | Pts | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Guest greeted within the brand standard at arrival and check-in completed per brand script | 4 | Observation |
| Lobby furniture, finishes and decor match the current brand design package and are in good repair | 4 | Lobby wide shot from the entrance |
| Front desk uncluttered, with required postings such as room rates where state law requires | 2 | Front desk from the guest side |
| Public restrooms clean and stocked | 3 | Observation |
| Lobby market merchandised, priced and free of expired product | 2 | Market shelves |
Guest Rooms
25% of score · 25 ptsInspected rooms across floors, including one accessible room.
| Standard | Pts | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| No evidence of bed bugs on mattress seams, headboard or furniture in any inspected roomCritical | 7 | Mattress seam and headboard back with flashlight |
| Beds made to brand standard with clean linens free of stains, hair or tears | 4 | Bed from the foot, then a close shot of pillows |
| Bathroom clean: no hair, mildew, soap scum or stains on fixtures, grout or tub | 4 | Bathroom from the doorway and tub close up |
| Room amenities, coffee setup and collateral complete to the brand list | 3 | Observation |
| HVAC, TV, lighting, outlets and Wi-Fi working | 3 | Observation |
| Door lock, deadbolt, security latch and viewer working | 2 | Observation |
| Carpet and soft goods free of stains, odors and wear beyond brand tolerance | 2 | Observation |
Breakfast Area
15% of score · 15 ptsBreakfast service, food safety and presentation.
| Standard | Pts | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hot breakfast items held at 135°F or aboveCritical | 4 | Probe in eggs or meat with display visible |
| Cold items such as milk, yogurt and cut fruit held at 41°F or below | 4 | Observation |
| Breakfast set to the brand menu and layout, fully stocked through the service period | 3 | Full breakfast setup wide shot |
| Seating area tables cleared and wiped during service | 2 | Observation |
| Handwashing sink in the breakfast prep area stocked | 2 | Observation |
Pool, Fitness & Public Areas
15% of score · 15 ptsPool, fitness room, corridors, guest laundry and meeting room.
| Standard | Pts | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pool and spa water tested and logged at the required frequency, within the local code range, with required signage postedCritical | 5 | Today's pool log entry and pool signage |
| Pool gate self-closing and self-latching | 3 | Observation |
| Fitness room equipment clean and in working order, with wipes and towels stocked | 3 | Fitness room wide shot |
| Corridors, elevators and ice machine areas clean, with carpet and wall vinyl in good repair | 2 | Observation |
| Guest laundry and meeting room clean and set to brand standard | 2 | Observation |
Life Safety & Back of House
20% of score · 20 ptsFire and life safety, housekeeping, laundry and records.
| Standard | Pts | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke alarms tested and working in every inspected guest roomCritical | 5 | Smoke alarm after a test |
| Stairwells and exit routes unobstructed, fire doors self-closing and latching, exit signs litCritical | 5 | Each stairwell door and the route beyond it |
| Fire alarm, sprinkler and extinguisher inspection records current | 3 | Latest inspection tags or reports |
| Evacuation maps posted on the back of guest room doors | 2 | Observation |
| Housekeeping carts and laundry room organized; chemicals labeled with safety data sheets available | 3 | Observation |
| Preventive maintenance log shows each room serviced on the brand cycle | 2 | Observation |
Critical failure triggers
Any one of these fails the audit regardless of the weighted score and opens a 24-hour CAP.
- Evidence of bed bugs in any inspected room
- Smoke alarm not working in an inspected guest room
- Blocked stairwell, exit route or fire door propped open
- Pool open with water outside the local code range or no test logged for the day
- Hot breakfast items below 135°F with no time control in place
Corrective action windows
- Critical24 hoursBed bug evidence in room 214: room taken out of inventory during the visit, adjacent rooms inspected and the pest control treatment report submitted within 24 hours.
- Major72 hoursMildew in tub grout across three inspected rooms: regrouted or deep cleaned with photos of each room.
- Minor7 to 14 daysWorn wall vinyl at the second floor elevator lobby: repaired and photographed.
Photo capture guidelines for field reps
- 01Mattress seams and headboard back with a flashlightBed bug evidence is small and clusters in seams and behind headboards.
- 02Bed from the foot of the bedStandardized angle lets the bed be scored against the brand photo standard.
- 03Bathroom from the doorway, then close on any defectShows overall condition and the specific issue.
- 04Stairwell doors closed and latchedProves fire doors are not propped open.
- 05Lobby wide from the entranceLets the lobby be compared against the current brand design package.
- 06Today's pool log pageWater chemistry is only provable through the log and test results.
- 07Room number in the first photo of each roomTies every finding to a room for housekeeping and maintenance follow-up.
- 08Never photograph guests or occupied roomsInspect only vacant rooms released by the front desk.
Download the printable PDF and spreadsheet.
Both versions keep the zone weights, point values and critical flags so your scores match the Gazi Wellness template.
Checklist questions
Follow your brand quality assurance standard. Many programs inspect a set number of vacant rooms across floors, including at least one accessible room and one recently cleaned room.
A select-service hotel combines lodging, food service, a pool and life safety systems. A full walk with room inspections commonly takes two hours or more.
Many hotel license agreements tie quality assurance results to cure periods and further steps. Gazi Wellness records evidence and CAP history; the franchisor decides on any contractual step with its own legal counsel.
Yes for food safety. Hot and cold holding, handwashing and labeling apply, even when breakfast is self-serve.
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