Housekeeping Services
and Operations
STP - TRISAKTI
Candra Hidayat, SST., M.Par., MM. in
ITM
Housekeeping
The largest department in terms of the number of people
employed is housekeeping. Up to 50 percent of the hotel
employees may work in this department.
The four major areas of responsibilities for the executive
housekeeper are as follows:
1. Leadership of people, equipment, and supplies
2. Cleanliness and servicing the guest rooms and public areas
3. Operating the department according to financial guidelines
prescribed by the general manager
4. Keeping records
Walk the property with the night cleaner & supervisor
Check the housekeeping logbook
Check the forecast house count for number of checkouts
Check daily activity reports, stay-overs, check-ins, and
VIPs to ensure appropriate standards
Attend housekeepers’ meeting
Meet challenges
Train new employees in the procedures
Meet with senior housekeepers/department managers
Conduct productivity checks
Check budget
Approve purchase orders
Check inventories
Conduct room inspections
Review maintenance checks
Interview potential employees
Areas of responsibility
They are responsible for the:
Cleanliness and overall appearance of guest
rooms
Security of guest rooms and privacy of guests.
A room attendant will usually report to will be a senior
room attendant or a housekeeping supervisor. This person
is responsible for the allocation of rooms to room
attendants and to check rooms upon completion of
cleaning by room attendants.
The head of Housekeeping is called the Executive
Housekeeper. This person will report to the Rooms Division
Manager.
3) Identify the personal characteristics required of a room
attendant
Knowledge
1. Of working condition of all items – including televisions,
air conditioning systems, and internet access
2. Of the hotel and room facilities – to be able to answer
guest enquiries and to promote the hotel’s facilities and
features
3. Of use of cleaning equipment and chemicals
4. Of correct procedures for cleaning a room
5. Of safety and security.
Skills
1. To be able to perform cleaning duties in a thorough and
efficient manner
2. To perform manual handling safely and efficiently.
Attributes
1. Hard working
2. Physically strong - mobility and stamina are required to
clean for long periods of time
3. Ability to follow instructions – most activities follow strict
procedures
4. Good time management – room attendants may be required
to clean between 12 and 20 rooms per shift, without
supervision
5. Attention to detail – ability to ensure cleaning is performed
to an extremely high standard
6. Professional attitude
7. Ability to work independently
8. Previous customer service experience is an advantage
9. Good communication skills
10. Good organisational skills.
Importance of integrity, honesty and discretion
Whilst any role within the hospitality industry requires staff
maintain a professional level of integrity, it is especially
important in the housekeeping department, especially by those
whom clean guest rooms. The guest must feel that what
takes place or is left in the room, will remain confidential.
Therefore any hotel staff members who perform any activities
in a guest room must not:
Read confidential or personal information or examine items
belonging to guests
Use or consume guest items such as perfume or chocolates
Share guest information with others
Share information relating to guest activities to others.
Identify and explain the role of communication in the
provision of housekeeping services
Receptionists
Room attendants work closely with reception for a number of
reasons including:
1. To identify vacant rooms, and find out when guests have
checked out so they can start cleaning vacant dirty rooms
2. To report clean rooms - when rooms are clean and ready
for new guests
3. To handle special requirements - for incoming guests
including VIPs
4. To handle guest requests - relating to the room including
such things as additional towels and pillows, buckets of ice
and for laundry to collected
5. To co-ordinate internet access.
House Attendants
These people will normally be responsible for the distribution
of items to/from the housekeeping office to the store rooms on
each floor, for easier access by room attendants. These items
include:
1. Cleaning products - sprays, agents and cleaning clothes
2. Equipment – buckets and mops
3. Linen – bed sheets, pillow cases, blankets, bath towels,
floor mats, hand towels and face cloths
4. Room supplies – including shampoo, conditioners,
stationery, matches, soaps etc
5. Fresh produce – milk and biscuits to accompany tea and
coffee facilities
6. Removal of dirty items – soiled bedding and rubbish
7. Collection or return of laundry or dry cleaning.
Maintenance
Room attendants will often call maintenance to fix or
replace light bulbs and any faulty furnishings or equipment.
In many cases these calls will be made relating to faulty
televisions and air conditioning.
Mini Bar
In some organisations, the room attendant may be
responsible for replenishing mini bar items and charging
them to the guest rooms. In others this is performed by
others as a separate mini bar service.
Room Service
When cleaning rooms, room attendants will remove used
room service trays which must be placed out of guest sight
and placed in the appropriate storage area on each guest
floor. They will communicate with room service for the
trays to be collected from the storage areas.
Security
With room attendants spending the majority of their shift
working on guest floors, it is their responsibility to observe
activities that take place around them. They must
constantly listen and watch to ensure guest activities are
conducted in a safe and secure manner. If there are any
issues which they cannot resolve, security must be
contacted without delay.
The rooms of the hotel are listed on the floor master. If 258
rooms are occupied and 10 of these are suites (which count as
two rooms), then the total number of rooms to be allocated to
room attendants is 268 (minus any no-shows).
The remaining total is then divided by 17, which is the number
of rooms that each attendant is expected to make up.
Total number of rooms occupied 258
Add 10 for the suites 10
Less any no-shows (3)
Total number of rooms and suites occupied 265
Divided by 17 for the number of rooms that
each attendant is expected to make up 265/17 = 16
Therefore, 16 attendants are required for that day.
Quiz
1. Fairmont Hotel is located at Central Jakarta has 380 rooms
and 108 sky suite rooms. Today 300 rooms and 80 sky
suite rooms are occupied. In addition 4 room no show. The
rooms revenue is $184.000.
Room occupancy percentage?
Average daily rate?
Revenue per available room (REV PAR)?
How many Room attendant is required?
