Lesson Two
The Housekeeping Department
Definition
Housekeeping can have a hidden meaning different for each person who hears the word. For
some people, housekeeping is a perfect memory of their childhood home. Others view
housekeeping as a lost art that the present generation doesn't appreciate though it is one of the
single most important activities wherever one finds himself. Still others consider it a throw
back to when only women participated in the home arts and cleaning.
Housekeeping is simply referred to as the department in a commercial accommodation
establishment that is responsible for the cleaning and the maintenance of rooms, work areas
and public areas of the establishment.
In terms of functionality, housekeeping is defined as the provision of clean, hygienic,
comfortable, and safe areas of a commercial accommodation for work, meetings, relaxation
and sleep. A professional and well-run housekeeping department is key to running a
successful hotel operation. Cleaning is done for reasons that include controlling dust,
preventing the spread and diseases and other infections, promote health and safety, and
stabilising and maintaining fittings, fixtures and furniture.
Key Roles of Housekeeping Department
The first question that pops up in the mind regarding the role of housekeeping is: Why is
housekeeping necessary? Or what is the importance of housekeeping? In hotels and other
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commercial accommodation, housekeeping department is considered the backbone of all
services and is closely associated with all the other departments. It is a vital part of the system
that affects the overall quality of service provided by the hotel. Hence, together with the front
office operations form the nerve centre of the commercial accommodation operations. The
housekeeping department therefore needs to coordinate and be in constant touch with the
other departments, such as food and beverage, engineering and maintenance, security and
front-office.
The efficiency of the housekeeping department has a direct impact on room
availability because it is the housekeeping department which provides the rooms for
occupancy that the front-office ultimately offers for use to the guests. The housekeeping
department is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the entire property and not only
the rooms.
The housekeeping department staff ensure consistent cleanliness all-round the
accommodation establishment. This goes on and on. Cleanliness is ensured 24/7 in all
commercial accommodation facilities.
Cleaning Guest room floors
Cleaning Public Areas
Cleaning Staff Areas
Functions of housekeeping department
The overall function of the housekeeping department is to ensure cleanliness. However,
cleaning is not the only function of the department. Guest safety and security, room
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maintenance, pest control, linen room activities, laundry, bed making, and room/interior
decoration.
Cleaning of rooms and public areas
Pest control
Safety and Security
Bed Making
Linen operation and Laundry Services
Point to note
Revenue from Room Sales. Figure 1 shows the percentage distribution of hotel revenue in a
typical operational year. Room sales normally contribute to the majority of a hotel’s revenue,
followed by sales in food & beverage sections. Over 50% of revenue generated from the sales
of rooms. This is because when a room is properly prepared, it can generate income over and
over again.
Variations on revenue contribution of different units occur in different types of hotels.
For examples, the revenue of casino hotels are mainly from the gambling units, while charges
in rooms and catering services are relatively cheap or even subsidized in order to attract more
guests. Convention hotels and those which target for events would also have higher income
from banqueting and consumption of meeting facilities when compared with other hotels in
general. Small-scaled hotels with no restaurant outlets mainly depend on their revenue in
room sales for survival.
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Figure 1－Sources of Hotel Revenue
Source: Chan & Mackenzie (2013)
Positions in the Housekeeping department
The following is a list of job descriptions for housekeeping staff. It is however not exhaustive
and that more can be added to it. Do you think some of the responsibilities of one post can be
taken up by another post in the housekeeping department?
a) Executive Housekeeper- The duties of this position include：
Interviews, selects and engages staff in conjunction with human resources
manager;
Training;
Deployment;
Prepares work schedules, work procedures and job descriptions;
Compiles duty rotas, holiday lists, etc.;
Personnel records;
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Arranges supervision;
Staff welfare;
Orders and controls equipment, materials and linen;
Handles complaints; and
Key control.
b) Assistant Executive Housekeeper Duties include：
Assists executive housekeeper in day-to-day operation;
Assumes responsibilities of executive housekeeper in his/her absence;
Revises daily work schedule depending on the occupancy;
Prepares master list for carpet spotting, curtains, etc.;
Inspects work to ensure prescribed standard of cleanliness;
Inspects rooms, lobbies and restaurants for cleanliness and also determines
need for renovations and makes recommendations;
Coordinates with the front office; and
Screens applicants, trains new employees and recommends disciplinary actions
or dismissals.
c) Assistant Housekeeper Duties include：
Assists executive housekeeper in day-to-day operation;
Dispatches room attendants and floor supervisors to assigned floor;
Checks equipment and recommends new purchases;
Inspects guest rooms, lobbies and back stairs;
Keeps records of extra work performed by housekeeping department;
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Takes inventory; and
Prepares attendance records.
d) Floor Supervisor Duties include：
Checks staff on duty;
Redeployment;
Supervision of staff;
Checks section/floor of rooms by filling in the room inspection list;
Conducts induction and general training;
Orders and issues cleaning materials;
Linen checks;
Maintenance checks; and
Liaises with reception on guest arrivals and departures.
e) Room Attendant Duties include：
Cleans rooms, bathrooms and suites;
Handle dirty and clean linen;
Provide turn-down service; and
Reports faults, maintenance and peculiarities.
f) Public Area Supervisor Duties include：
Inspects public areas cleaned to see whether cleaning is adequate, supplies in
public areas meet the standard and needs for immediate repair is reported;
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Makes maintenance report for restaurant or item in need of repair and follows
up to make sure work is completed satisfactorily;
Supervises cleaning of public areas, corridors and offices;
Trains cleaners, advises executive housekeeper if performance is not
satisfactory; and
Liaises with other departments such as food and beverage department
regarding the cleaning schedule.
g) Cleaner Duties include：
Maintains the cleanliness and order of the hotel premises;
Spots rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture using vacuum cleaner, broom and
shampooing machine;
Keeps corridors dust free;
Moves and arranges furniture; and
Carries out special work assigned by the public area supervisor.
h) Tailor and Seamstress Duties include：
Alters and repairs linens, uniforms, curtains and drapes;
Distributes and measures uniforms for new employees and keeps record;
Discards uniforms, room and table linen;
Keeps records of all discarded items;
Prepares inventory; and
Repairs guest clothing.
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i. Uniform and 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; and
Assists in inventory taking of all linen/uniform.
Self-Assessment
1. Define the term housekeeping as a function.
2. The broad goal of the housekeeping department is to __________________________.
3. As the Executive Housekeeper of Comfort Zone Hotel, explain the functions of your
department to new interns posted to your facility.
4. Create a table of the functions of the personnel who work in the housekeeping department
