HOUSEKEEPING

DEPARTMENT

Introduction

The cleanliness of the rooms and all areas

of the hotel depend on how good is its
housekeeping management.

As one of the areas of the rooms division,

it is very important that one is aware of
its existence and the significance of its
role in the hotel organization

Housekeeping Department

Considered to be a vital part of the rooms

division

Because this department maintains a

smooth communication or relations with
the front desk ensuring that the hotels
main products are ready for sale.

Task:

Clean and prepare guests room

Maintain cleanliness and orderliness of

hotel common areas (lobby, entrance,
rest rooms, function areas and foyer)

Determine what rooms are to be

cleaned / made up.

Determine what rooms are available and

occupied.

Executive Housekeeper

Also known as the housekeeping manager

He or she is accountable for the department

in terms of staff deployment and
development, operational standards and
profitability

He or she is accountable for standards of

cleanliness, maintenance and financial
performance within the housekeeping
department

Housekeeping Management
and Control Systems

The existence of the housekeeping department is

very vital not only in the rooms divisions
operation but in the hotel as a whole.

It is therefore important that the executive

housekeeper is knowledgeable enough on how to
manage and control his or her department.

On Staffing

To ensure that the housekeeping is well-manned and no

area in the hotel is left unattended, distribution of
responsibilities is very important.

Aside from the executive housekeeper, the following

personnel are important in ensuring a very comfortable
home-away-from home facility:

Rooms Maintenance Supervisor

Public Area Supervisor

He or she directs and controls rooms keeping activities like

room make up, installation of mini-bar, and other room
amenities ensuring that all of thee are conforming to the
prescribed policies and rooms keeping standards.

He or she is responsible in leading the team of individuals who

are responsible in public area maintenance

Room Attendants

Also called as room boys or chambermaids

They are tasked to maintain and serve guestrooms and other

service areas that may be assigned to them

Mini-bar Attendant

This person is responsible in installing the mini-bar in a room.

Other responsibilities include requesting, replenishing and listing

(inventory) bar items

Houseman

He or she is responsible to the cleanliness and orderliness of

public areas assigned to him.

Powder Girl

She is responsible for ensuring cleanliness and orderliness of

ladies rest rooms and locker rooms

Gardener / Ground Maintenance Crew

Attends to the maintenance of hotel grounds including

plants and landscape

Pest Control Technician

He is responsible in ensuring that pests are prevented,

controlled through preventive and corrective techniques

Management of Room Inventory

Supporting the front desk, the housekeeping

department monitors the available product
ensuring that no opportunity cost is incurred in
empty rooms.

Certain individuals are assigned in this task to

ensure that proper reporting to the front desk is
strictly implemented.

HK must be well-trained and informed about the

following room statuses with close coordination
with the front desk to ensure proper room
inventory or assignment:

OCC Occupied

VC Vacant, Clean (Room has been cleaned but is not yet tagged as
ready for occupancy

VR Vacant Ready (Room has been made up and is ready for assigning to
guest)

VD Vacant, Dirty (Vacated but is not yet ready for occupancy

BLO blocked (reserved for a particular guest who is expected to arrive

within the day)

SO Slept Out ( Guest has a room but did not sleep on his bed)

NS No show ( room has been reserved but was not used or has been
cancelled because a guest did not arrive)

OOO Out of Order (room is not ready for occupancy due to some
reasons such as under renovation)

Skipper - The guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to
settle his or her account.

DNCO (Did Not Check Out) - The guest made arrangements to settle his
or her bills ( and thus not a skipper), but has left without informing the
front desk.

Management of Room Key

Guest rooms are assigned with four set of keys

These keys are for the guest, front desk, duty

manager and the housekeeper.

The HK department make it sure that the assigned

housekeeper in a particular room is well-trained
and informed not to entertain any request of guest
to open their room using his or her (housekeeper)
key.

This is to ensure that the guests are secured

All request shall be directed to the front desk so

that guest will be properly assisted

Management and Control of

Linen and Laundry Operations

The linen and laundry section of a hotel is responsible

for laundry service.

This includes guests laundry, lined used for banquet

functions, as well as employees uniforms.

It is supervised by Laundry Manager

Laundry Manager

Responsible in directing and controlling staffs under him/her

He or she should make sure that the following people lives to

their tasks in conformance to hotel standards and policies:

Valet runner

Sorter / Marker

Linen Attendant

Washer

Flat Ironer

Steam Presser

Dry Cleaner-Spotter

Seamstress

Management of Housekeeping
Reports and Documents

The HK section manages its department by

implementing reports and documents
necessary for the smooth flow of its operation

These reports and documents are important for

other departments, especially the front office
since they are working together in providing
excellent guest service.

Housekeeping Report

This is completed twice a day and is used in conjuction

with the room status information of the front desk to
check availability of the rooms

AM Report

Usually done between 10:00-11:00 AM daily by the assigned

supervisor

Significant in assuring proper room cleaning assignments as well

as in recleaning vacant and ready rooms.

PM Report

Similar to that of AM report, completed between 4:00-5:00 PM

daily

Important document in determining exactly which rooms are

available and ready

Housekeeping Documents and

Records

These are files used by the housekeeping supervisors to ensure

smooth flow of the departments operation.

Loss and Damage Report Form

Used to record losses and damages of room amenities

One way of ensuring that hotel assets are cared of and that financial
implications will not be shouldered by the management when the
damage or loss was done by the guests

Service Request Form

Utilized to request for service of the Engineering or Facilities

Maintenance Unit.

Key Endorsement Form

used to control key responsibility

Turn over and return of keys is monitored from one shift to another
which facilitates easy tracking when key is lost.

Controlling Costs in
Housekeeping

Important that they make sure HK supplies are utilized sparingly and
reasonably.

Consumption report must be accomplished to account every item

Protection from pilferages and theft must also be done to avoid

Cost of Supplies Control

Hotels allocate budget for housekeeping maintenance which includes labor, room
amenities and consumable supplies and even equipment and expenditure items

The consumption shall not exceed the budget, reason for establishing par stock

Par stock serves as the basis of the supervisor in identifying the quantity of
supplies needed to be replenished or ordered through requisitions

Lets assume that the par stock for a week of toothpaste supply is 350
pieces and ordering interval is 7 days with 100 on hand quantity.

Order Quantity = Par Stock / Week on hand quantity

Order Quantity = 350 pieces 100 pieces
= 250 pieces of toothpaste

Very significant to avoid wastage

Hotel also adjust when more guests are expected to arrive for the
week

350 pieces is the weekly par, the following is the formula to identify the
daily par:
Daily Par = weekly par / number of days a week
Daily Par = 350 pieces / 7 days
= 50 toothpastes

Controlling Stocks Requisition

and Issuance

Housekeeping Supplies Inventory

One of the HK management and control measures implemented to prevent

losses and other discrepancies that have an impact on costs is by having a
regular inventory

Physical Inventory

Supervised by the HK Supervisor

This involves counting all HK supplies or stocks physically which is done weekly

Being done by the stock clerk as validated by a checker who counter signs the
inventory report

Perpetual Inventory

Stock custodian compares the actual count to the estimated closing balance
after deducting all issues, consumptions, including damages or losses

Purchases and issuances are recorded through a bin car or stock card which
ensures that the balance on hand is always updated.