Just imagine: you are in a hotel in a remote Icelandic village. It is winter and the wind is blowing strong. Suddenly, all lights go down; travelers start to roam from one corner of the hotel to the other, wondering what is going on.
A power outage in a tourist accommodation can happen anytime. It’s not just an inconvenience but it can also pose a safety risk to the employees and travelers. Depending on the cause of the outage, it can be expensive to fix the issue too.
Knowing how to survive a power outage when renting your place to travelers is important in order to minimize the resulting costs and complications and to ensure a great visitors’ experience. In this article, we are going to cover the key steps that you should take during a power outage to stay safe and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
What Should You Do in a Power Outage?
As the owner of an accommodation unit, there are a number of steps that you should take when you experience a power outage.
Prepare for Power Surges
After an outage has occurred, utility companies will work quickly to restore power to homes and buildings. This can lead to power surges which can damage your appliances and electronics if they are left plugged into the mainline sockets.
To prevent damage to your rental unit and belongings, switch off all of your plugs and unplug as many devices as you can in your home. If you need power in the meantime, use a portable generator. Leave one light on so that you know when the power has been restored in your home.
Fill Some Buckets with Hot Water
You might be wondering how filling up some buckets of water is going to help in a power outage. When the lights go out in your home, the water flow may also stop.
Filling up some buckets or a bathtub means you’ll have a supply of fresh water until the power returns.
Stay Warm Using The Water Heater
When the power goes out, electrical heaters and furnaces won’t work. However, the water heater may still work if it has a gas supply. You can use this water heater to warm up the accommodation unit if it’s starting to get cold.
Use Solar Lights to Illuminate Your Accommodation Unit
If you don’t have torches or candles to hand during a power outage, use solar lights. If you have solar lights in your garden, bring them inside. They are also a great way to make your home cozy during this scary time.
Solar lights charge up during the sunlight hours so you’ll have at least a few hours of light in your hotel/rented apartment. If the blackout occurs over multiple days, make sure to put the solar lights back outside during the day so that they can charge up again.
Use a Carbon Monoxide Monitor
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that gets produced whenever something burns out or undergoes incomplete combustion. Breathing carbon monoxide into your lungs is not safe. Avoid running your generators inside or near open windows to avoid any carbon monoxide molecules from entering your accommodation unit.
This advice, coupled with a genuine concern for the well-being and safety of your visitors should be a good starting point in making sure you are on the right track when planning a good experience for your guests.
