Housekeeping Department
Housekeeping Operations
The housekeeping team is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness and maintenance of all areas in the hotel, including guest rooms, public spaces, office areas, and back-of-the-house areas. By doing so, the property remains as pristine and appealing as it was on its first day of business.
Cleanliness is a fundamental requirement for both business and leisure travelers, and surveys conducted by the hospitality industry consistently confirm this. As a result, guests often choose hotels that prioritize cleanliness as a top priority.
Housekeeping:
The importance of maintaining clean rooms in hotels cannot be overstated. Failure to do so could result in a loss of business for the hotel. Therefore, the housekeeping department and its staff play a vital role in ensuring the profitability and success of the hotel.
In essence, the housekeeping team is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of guest rooms and public areas, representing the hotel's dedication to upholding exceptional standards. It is worth noting that in various hotels, the housekeeping department is the largest department within the establishment.
Key Roles of the Housekeeping Department
The primary responsibility of the housekeeping department, as a support center, is to uphold the hotel's cleanliness standards, encompassing both the front-of-house and back-of-house regions.
Establishing high benchmarks in room and public area cleaning is essential to fostering a comfortable, safe, and hygienic environment for the hotel guests and staff.
The housekeeping department's areas of responsibility include the following:
1. Guest Areas
The cleaning of guest areas involves the following:
• Guest rooms
• Corridors
• Service lift and floor storage areas
2. Public Areas
The cleaning of public areas involves the following:
• Lobby and lifts
• Public restrooms
• Recreation facilities
• Guest self-serviced laundry
• Business centers
• Concierge areas
• Food and Beverage operations
3. Staff Areas
The cleaning of staff areas involves the following:
• Offices of different departments
• Staff canteen
• Changing and locker rooms
• Storage areas
4. Other Utilities
Other utilities which are the responsibility of housekeeping include:
• Laundry services
• Linen and uniform control
• Gardening
• Pest control
• Flower shops
Organization of Housekeeping Department
The arrangement of the housekeeping department can vary significantly between hotels, contingent on the hotel's size and management. Typically, the department is overseen by an executive housekeeper, who is supported by an assistant and multiple supervisors. In a smaller hotel setting, the executive housekeeper may not have an assistant and have fewer supervisors to assist.
Housekeeping Structure
Increasingly hotel management is streamlining their organizational structures and employing casual employees.
However, set standards may be sacrificed and staff must assume a larger responsibility.
As a result of streamlining many hotels have substantially reduced the number of staff and increased the role of existing housekeeping staff. This helps reduce the bottom line.
The attached image shows the housekeeping organization chart of a large-sized hotel.
Housekeeping departments are usually composed of the following sections:
Laundry department
Uniform and linen room
Housekeeping office
Guest floors
Public areas
Health club
Floral and plant arrangement
The laundry department extends laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing services to guests. While some hotels operate their laundry facilities, others partner with commercial laundry operators.
Regardless, seamless collaboration between teams is imperative to maintain a constant supply of linen to restaurants, banquet areas, floor pantries, and recreational spaces.
Examples of hotel linen are as follows:
Towels
Blankets
Sheets
Pillowcases
Mattress Protector
Tablecloths
Napkins
Cleaning Cloths
Duties of Key Positions
The housekeeping department in hotel operations is typically the most extensive department, often employing over 100 staff. Due to the department's intricate organizational structure, it's imperative for each staff member to have a comprehensive understanding of their roles to offer optimal guest service.
Outlined below are the top two housekeeping positions and their corresponding responsibilities:
Executive Housekeeper
The duties of the executive housekeeper include：
• Interviews, selects and engages staff in conjunction with human resources
• Training
• Deployment
• Prepares work schedules, work procedures and job descriptions
• Compiles duty rotas, holiday lists
• Personnel records
• Arranges supervision
• Staff welfare
• Orders and controls equipment, materials and linen
• Handles complaints
• Key control
Assistant Executive Housekeeper
The main duties of the assistant executive housekeeper include：
• Assists executive housekeeper in day-to-day operations
• Assumes responsibilities of executive housekeeper in his/her absence
• Revises daily work schedule depending on the occupancy rate
• Inspects work to ensure prescribed standard of cleanliness
• Inspects rooms, lobbies and restaurants for cleanliness
• Determines need for renovations and makes recommendations
• Coordinates with the front office to screens applicants, train new employees and recommends disciplinary actions or dismissals
It is imperative that the housekeeping staff is well-informed about all hotel amenities and services. They must ensure that guest rooms are cleaned and organized daily, along with any public areas.
Moreover, maintaining high standards of sanitation throughout the hotel is crucial.
Outlined below are the various general housekeeping positions and their corresponding descriptions:
Floor Supervisor
Duties include：
• Checks staff on duty
• Supervision of staff
• Checks and completes the room inspection list
• Conducts induction and general training
• Orders and issues cleaning materials
• Linen checks
• Maintenance checks
Assistant Housekeeper
Duties include：
• Assists executive housekeeper in day-to-day operations
• Dispatches room attendants and floor supervisors to assigned floors
• Checks equipment and recommends new purchases
• Inspects guest rooms, lobbies, and backstairs
• Keeps records of extra work performed by the housekeeping department
• Takes inventory
• Prepares attendance records
Room Attendant
Duties include：
• Cleans rooms, bathrooms and suites
• Handle dirty and clean linen
• Provide turn-down service
• Reports faults, maintenance and peculiarities
The main function of the housekeeping department is to maintain the cleanliness of the hotel.
Further housekeeping positions and their descriptions are listed below:
Public Area Supervisor
Duties include：
• Inspects public to see whether cleaning is adequate
• Creates maintenance reports for items in need of repair
• Supervises cleaning of public areas, corridors and offices
• Train cleaners, advises executive housekeeper if performance is not satisfactory
• Liaises with other departments regarding the cleaning schedule.
Cleaner
Duties include：
• Maintains the cleanliness and order of the hotel premises
• Keeps corridors dust free
• Moves and arranges furniture
• Carries out special work assigned by the public area supervisor.
Linen Room Attendant
Duties include：
• Sorts and counts dirty linen and uniform
• Checks and counts clean linen and uniform
• Issues and receives linen and uniform
• Assists in inventory taking of all linen/uniform
Tailor/Seamstress
Duties include：
• Alters and repairs linens, uniforms, curtains and drapes
• Distributes and measures uniforms for new employees and keeps record
• Keeps records of all discarded items
• Prepares inventory
• Repairs guest clothing
Next Lesson
Irrespective of a hotel's classification or the guest's category, hotels primarily operate within the service industry, aiming to exceed guests' expectations.
Therefore, it's crucial for all hotel staff to work harmoniously as a team to deliver exceptional services that foster guest loyalty.
