The management company has asked for your interior budget for next season by Friday, the owner wants the saloon re-covered during the yard period, and your new second stew has just folded a fitted sheet in a way you have never seen. Three problems, one root cause: nothing is written down.
The Standards Manual and SOPs
A standards manual is the yacht's definition of good. An SOP is the repeatable method for achieving it. Together they turn your taste into a transferable system, so the standard survives when you are ashore.
- Write SOPs as numbered steps with a photograph of the finished result: cabin turnaround, turndown, table setting, guest laundry, chemical use, breakfast service.
- Keep them short and current. A 200-page manual nobody opens is decoration.
- Version and date every document. Review at the end of each season.
- Use them for induction, for training, and as the reference in a correction — the argument is then with the manual, not with you.
The Interior Budget
The interior is a real cost centre. Expect to build, defend and report against it.
| Budget line | Typical contents |
|---|---|
| Provisions (guest) | Food, beverage, special requests |
| Beverage / cellar | Wine, spirits, mixers, champagne |
| Housekeeping | Cleaning products, linen, consumables |
| Laundry | Chemicals, dry cleaning ashore, servicing |
| Flowers and styling | Weekly flowers, vases, event styling |
| Uniform | Crew uniform, replacement, embroidery |
| Guest amenities | Toiletries, gifts, welcome items |
| Breakages and replacement | Glassware, china, linen renewal |
| Capex / soft furnishings | Larger renewals, usually yard period |
Practical discipline: forecast per guest-day rather than per month; keep every receipt and code it; reconcile weekly, not at season end; flag an overspend before it happens. On charter, know exactly what falls under the Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) and what is owner or vessel cost — get this confirmed by the captain or purser in writing, because the boundary varies by contract.
Reporting Upward
Give the captain and management a short, regular report: spend against budget, variance with a one-line reason, stock position, crew and training status, anything that threatens the next charter. Managers forgive bad news; they do not forgive surprises.
The Yard Period
The yard is not a holiday, it is your only window for the work you cannot do with guests aboard.
- Full inventory and deep audit: china, glass, silver, linen, uniform, spares.
- Deep cleans, soft-furnishing repair, curtain and carpet cleaning, mattress rotation.
- Renewals and capex projects; supplier and contractor scheduling.
- Training and certification for the crew; leave planning.
- Dust and contractor protection: the interior must be sealed and protected from yard work, and access controlled.
Onboard Notes
- Photograph and log every existing item of damage before the yard starts. Contractors leave; the blame stays.
- Write the standards manual with your team, not at them. They will follow a document they helped build.
- Never let a supplier invoice arrive that the captain has not seen coming.