HOUSEKEEPING COORDINATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS

Coordination and teamwork are the basis of any hotel’s success. Better coordination
results in smooth functioning of hotels and leads to its ultimate aim which is guest
satisfaction. Each department is dependent on others for information and/or services if its
work is to be accomplished efficiently. Frictions between departments must be kept to a
minimum and there should be close inter-departmental liaison.

Various departments that housekeeping coordinates with to ensure proper servicing are as
follows, out of which Front office & Engineering are the most closely coordinated
departments with housekeeping.

HOUSEKEEPING

ENGINEERING HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT

FRONT OFFICE PURCHASE

FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE STORES

SECURITY ACCOUNTS

SALES & MARKETING KITCHENS

Fig. 1.11

COORDINATION WITH ENGINEERING - One of the most important functions of

Housekeeping is the maintenance aspect of the hotel for the purpose of keeping furniture,
fixtures and facilities in working order, contemporary and safe for guests.
 Hence a close coordination is very necessary with engineering. This actually carries
out the task of fixing out-of-order furniture and fixtures.
 All these maintenance complaints are reported with the help of maintenance order
(MO). It could cover a number of duties such as electrical, carpentry, plumbing, Air-
conditioning, etc.
 MO is made for daily or routine maintenance complaints however for major repair
works it can be used as Work Order (WO).
 WO is made for repairs or complaints which are time consuming, renovations or
schedule maintenance like PMS, painting jobs etc. This may take more than a day for
completion.
 Flow chart for maintenance complaints.
 HK staff informs the HK control desk for any complaint.

Exact area and nature of complaint taken by desk

controller

Desk Informs Engg. Control room through telephone

• Fill up the Maintenance order or Computer software

Engg. Control room in charge classify the complaint according to the nature

Allot complaint to concerned technician for rectification

Techniciians inform Engg. Desk in charge after rectification

Rectification done ; informed through phone

• Also informed rectification by updateing maintenance order / software.

COORDINATION WITH FRONT OFFICE - Coordination with this department is

one of the critical features of housekeeping operations. The 2 departments coordinate for
the following -
 Vacant Guestrooms - Housekeeping clears and prepares Guestrooms ready for sale.
 Check on Room status - Housekeeping while servicing, informs Front office about
the room status and occupancy of all the rooms. This is done with the help of HK
status report and discrepancy reports.
 Front office also informs the expected arrivals and rooms blocked for it in advance to
housekeeping so that rooms can be prepared before arrivals and there is no last
minute fuss.
 Front office also coordinates for posting guest laundry bills and its hard copies.
 Groups & Crews In-house for their movement.
 Uniform of the staff is provided by Linen & uniform section of housekeeping.
 Various reports circulated between Housekeeping & Front office are-
 Housekeeping Status Report or Daily room report
 Discrepancy report
 Occupancy report
 VIP arrival list
 Communication chart - Front office coordination is done by proper communication.
 Communication

Manual Mechanical

Verbal Written Printed Reports Computerized

Hand written
Telephones Software Updation Emailing
Reports

COORDINATION WITH FOOD & BEVERAGE - Housekeeping coordinates with

various F & B service outlets for providing -
 Various types of uniforms for different outlets like Coffee shop, Bars, Banquets, etc.
Staff as per the theme.
 Fulfilling constant linen requirement like Table cloths, napkins, frills, etc.
 Cleaning of various outlets and areas of food and beverage service department.
 Daily floral requirement, indoor plants and flower arrangements.

COORDINATION WITH SECURITY - Coordination with this department is done for

keeping hotel safe and secure. Housekeeping helps in keeping a vigilance check on the
areas as housekeeping staff is present in every nook & corner of the hotel acting as eyes
& ears of security department. There are so many security hazards on the floors that this
liaison is particularly important, and the housekeeper cooperates by endeavoring to see
that housekeeping staff are aware of the hazards. They need to coordinate for -
 Proper key control and master keys handling
 Firefighting training and procedures
 Informing suspicious activities within the room or any other area.
 Lost & found procedures, etc.
COORDINATION WITH SALES & MARKETING - Sales staff sells the services to
the guests like Groups, FITs, Corporate, etc.while taking a booking. Many of these
services are related to housekeeping, therefore a proper coordination is required in
handling many guests turnover and booking etc. E.g.- Laundry & Linen requirement,
Personal valet, Amenities & flowers placement, Standards of luxury, comfort and
cleanliness etc.
 Sales & marketing also informs housekeeping of the occupancy forecast for the entire
year, which is broken up month-wise. This enables housekeeping on budget

COORDINATION WITH HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT - Coordination

with this department is for the following reasons -
 Recruitment of staff
 Salary administration & attendance records
 Identity cards, Locker facilities & Leave records
 Staff training, Induction & Orientation
 Indiscipline & Grievance procedures
 Transfers & promotions
 Exit formalities, etc.

COORDINATION WITH PURCHASE - This department procures out-of-stock items

for housekeeping such as guest supplies, stationary, linen of various types, cleaning
supplies, flowers, machines, etc. Housekeeping should convey their requirement to
purchase by way of advance notice in the form of a Purchase requisition.

COORDINATION WITH STORES - The coordination with this department would

ensure the availability of day-to-day requirements of housekeeping. Larger hotels may
have a separate housekeeping store but mostly it is done by the general stores for all the
items except linen.
 Communication with stores is by way of a requisition form, which housekeeping
sends to stores when it requires certain items.

COORDINATION WITH ACCOUNTS - Housekeeping coordinates with accounts for

the following functions -
 Taking linen inventory
 Other supplies inventory
 Stock taking
 Billing formalities of Housekeeping purchases.
 Payroll section of accounts is responsible for staff salaries etc.

COORDINATION WITH KITCHENS - Kitchen staff requires clean uniforms, aprons,

dusters etc. For which they depend on linen & uniform section of housekeeping
department. The only coordination is staff uniforms due to strict standards of hygiene
required in kitchens.
 HOUSEKEEPING CONTROL DESK

The housekeeping control desk is the central hub of the housekeeping department. Also
called the ‘Desk control room’, it is the focal point for the dissemination of information
and communication to inter and intra departmental coordination. It is located normally
adjacent to EHK office; control desk should be manned 24 hrs. Otherwise life line of
housekeeping communication would stop. This is the area in the department where all
information is received and from where messages are dissipated to housekeeping and
other staff present in various parts of the hotel. Thus, the control desk may be considered
the nerve center for to-and-fro communication in the housekeeping department. One of
the main functions of the control desk is ensuring smooth coordination between
housekeeping and other departments such as maintenance, front office, food and
beverages, security, sales and marketing, and so on.
Control desk is handled by Desk controller or desk control supervisor, who coordinates
within the department as well as with all other department for sending and receiving
various information. He/She is also responsible for receiving messages from in-house
guests over the telephone. In most hotels, this is the area where housekeeping employees
report for work; collect the respective keys, signing for them; peruse the log book; get
their briefing; and at the end of their shift, report back to. Needless to say, the control
desk is manned round the clock for efficiency and smooth communication in the
department at all times.

Role of Control Desk

1. Updating desk notice board - The desk controller in all shifts are responsible to
maintain and update the department’s notice board which serves as the main
information display board for housekeeping staff. It displays the following
information -
a) Room numbers of Groups / Crews in-house.
b) Names and rooms numbers of VIPs in-house
c) Night cleaning schedule
d) Weekly cleaning schedule
e) Daily duty roster for supervisors and staff.
f) Any other general information like -
i. Mission /vision of the department/hotel.
ii. Upcoming birthdays/holidays/events, etc.
iii. Daily banquet functions.
iv. Photographs of Standard placements of guest supplies etc.

2. Coordination with front office - Housekeeping control desk is the main catalyst in
proper coordination of the two departments as discussed previously. Desk functions
in close coordination for the following -
a) Receives departure room numbers and transfer to the concerned floor supervisor
and room attendants.
b) Receives information from floors about clear rooms to pass on to front office.
c) Receives information regarding VIPs, in-house and HWC guests for further
transfer to the concerned persons.
d) Information regarding groups / crews in-house, arrivals and departures, their
cleaning timing and group movement, etc.is received and transferred.
e) Interchange various reports like -
i. Daily room report - It is prepared in duplicate by the housekeeping
department in each shift as an independent check on occupancy. It is made by
the respective floor supervisors or room attendants in every shift to check the
physical status of the rooms. It is compiled by the desk controller & a
consolidated report is sent to Front office for their records. It is made in
duplicate where one copy goes to Front office & the other is book copy. Also
known as Room status report or Housekeeping status report in some hotels, it
is the physical check of the guestrooms and the occupancy. It is tallied by
Front office room rack as a check on unauthorized occupancies or inadvertent
mistakes in recording a room status.

Hotel XYZ
HK Occupancy/ Room Status Report
Time:____________________ Date:_________

Room Number of Number of

Status Remarks Room Number Status Remarks
Number Pax Pax

V-Vacant, C/O-Check Out, U/R-Under Repair, Occ-Occupied, OOO-Out Of Order,

Signature of Control Desk Supervisor:_______________________________________

Signature of Executive/Deputy Housekeeper:________________________________

Fig. 1.12

ii. Discrepancy report - Prepared after tallying Daily room report of

housekeeping in each shift for any discrepancy between housekeeping and
front office regarding room status and number of persons. It is checked by the
Duty Managers and/or Bell boys.
 Discrepancy Report
Date :___________Time : ______________
Room No. FO status HK status Remarks

Fig. 1.13

iii. Occupancy report - Prepared by Night staff of Front office and it lists all the
rooms occupied with number of persons staying. It also indicates the due-out
rooms for the next day. It helps for floor supervisors and room attendants to
schedule their work for the day accordingly.

Hotel XYZ
Date:_______________ Time:_______________
Room No. Name of the guest Arrival Date Departure Date

Fig. 1.14

iv. VIP Arrival list - It is the list of VIPs and important guests with their profile
etc. Which are expected to arrive on the following day.
v. Groups / Crews in-house report - It is vital that the control desk be informed
about the groups/crews being registered in the hotel, as servicing their rooms
requires a special schedule since the members of the group/crew move
together in terms of arrivals, sightseeing trips, and departures. Crews often
have odd sleeping hours because of international time differences. They may
have special amenities and requirements that the housekeeping department be
given advance notice of their arrivals for special scheduling of GRAs cleaning
these rooms.

3. Coordinate with Engineering department - This is very important where

housekeeping desk gives the maintenance complaints for rectification for the entire
hotel premises. All maintenance requirements needed on floors are entered in the
 maintenance register kept at the control desk. the moment any housekeeping
personnel detects a problem that requires attention from maintenance, he/she calls the
housekeeping control desk, stating the nature of the repair needed, the kind of
assistance required, and the location in which it is required. The control desk then
fills out a Maintenance order form in triplicate, each copy being of a different color.
One copy is sent to the executive housekeeper and two copies to maintenance. The
engineering shift in charge keeps one of these copies and gives the other to trade
person assigned to do the repair. When the job is completed, a copy of the trade
person’s completed work order is sent to the control desk for acknowledgement of
work completed satisfactorily.

Hotel XYZ
Maintenance Order/ Work Order
Sl. No.:____________
Date:_______________________________ Time:_________________________________
Department:_______________________________________________________________
Requested By:_____________________________________________________________
Location:__________________________________________________________________
Nature of complaint:________________________________________________________
Problem/s:________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Signature of Desk Controller:_______________________________________________

Completed By:___________________________________________________________
Date:_______________________________Time:_______________________________
Signature:_______________________________________________________________
Chief Engineer/Shift In charge:____________________________________________

Fig. 1.15

4. Handling phone calls - the control desk manages intra- and inter-departmental
communication, and handling telephone calls is the major function in the process. In
general, too, it may be required of all employees to answer telephones when the need
arises and therefore they must be trained well in telephone handling skills. Desk
control room receives guest request calls round the clock either through the guests
directly or through front office etc. Hotel room directories provides an extension
number to guest rooms in cases they require housekeeping services such as laundry
pick-ups, baby sitting, extra items like blanket, towels, soap, water etc. Desk
controller passes on these requests to the concerned person for further action.

5. Coordination with other departments - Desk is responsible in receiving and

transmitting all other information from various departments like HRD, Purchase,
F&B Service, etc.
6. Storage control - It also controls and monitor the movement and supply of store
items, guest loan or emergency cupboard items, equipment and furniture store etc.
For proper control on shortages, excesses or misuse.

7. Key control - Controlling Master keys movement leads to safety of hotel and guest
belongings, therefore the proper care of keys is a very important aspect of security
through housekeeping control desk. Master keys are issued at the beginning of a shift,
signed for and returned at the end of the shift. There are two types of Key systems
followed -
a) Conventional / Traditional key system - Where the metal lock and metal keys are
used for guestroom security. But this is outdated now as controlling and
maintenance of such keys is a cumbersome and time consuming task.
b) Electronic key card system - Where an electronic key card is used which is a
disposable plastic card about the size of a conventional credit card. This card is
coded by perforation at random from a pool of more than 4 billion potential codes
available from a master computer console at the Reception desk. The random
code is then transmitted electronically to the specific guest’s room lock and only
that particular key card can open that room door. These are computerized
electronic keys with a magnetic code which can be swiped or insert-and-remove
to open an electronic lock. The code on the room is changed after check-out for a
new guest. Similar cards may be coded as master keys for room attendants and
housekeepers and changed at frequent intervals at the Reception.
In both types of key systems, there are four types of keys used-
i. Grand Master Key - It opens all door locks including double locks. It also double
locks the room against all other keys which can be done in case of emergency or
on guest request if going away for more than a night. It is carried by General
Manager and Executive Housekeeper.
ii. Master keys - also called Floor Master Keys as it opens all rooms in the hotels
which are single locked. These can be floor wise and made in more number for
more supervisors using it at the same time. It is carried by Resident Manager,
Duty Managers, Assistant Housekeepers, supervisors and sometimes by room
service manager.
iii. Sub-master Key - Also called Section master key, it opens all rooms of a
particular floor section which is assigned to a room attendant. It is attached to a
belt worn by room attendants and handed over back at off duty. It is carried by
room attendants and sometimes floor supervisors.
iv. Individual Keys - This is the guest room keys with room no. tags given to the
guests at the time of check-ins. There is a different key for each room which is
issued to every new guest.

8. Lost and Found Control - It means maintaining a track record for items
inadvertently left or lost by a guest in the hotel. Such articles can range from Jewelry,
costly electronic goods to simple garments, etc. These are termed as Perishables,
Valuables and Non-valuables accordingly. The hotel considers it as its duty to protect
such articles till the time that they are claimed by the guest. All unclaimed articles
found on the hotel premises should be handed over to the housekeeping control desk.
Notices should be put up regarding the handing over of any personal property found
 so that all staff members are aware of where such property should be handed over.
Lost and found section is usually under housekeeping desk is operated by desk
controller. Recording of details and storage done properly is important for all such
articles.
All lost and found articles should be stored in the lost-and-found cupboard, which is
always kept locked. The lost and found room should be accessible only to the desk
controller and Executive housekeeper. The L&F slips and registers are maintained well
by the desk controller. The housekeeper may write to the guest to either claim it or give
further instructions. If no reply is received from the guest, a reminder may be given
especially in case of valuable articles. As per hotel policy, the valuables articles are kept
for a period of 1 to 3 years and if unclaimed, given to the founder as a token of
appreciation for their honesty. Non-valuables are kept for 6 months to 1 year as per hotel
policy and perishables are kept only for 1 week to 10 days. These articles if unclaimed
can be given to the founder, auctioned to the hotel staff or given to charity as per EHK’s
discretion.
Records by way of lost-and-found forms/slips are maintained regarding the date of
finding, time of finding, place, finder’s name, description of the article, etc. Efforts are
made to find the rightful owner of the article. If the owner of the article is known, that
guest’s address can be acquired from the front office or the travel agent and a letter
informing the guest about the lost property may be written. The details should be
recorded in a lost-and-found register for desk controller to answer any inquiries by
phone.

Lost-and-found slip - These are attached with all the lost & found articles deposited in
HKD per day. It is made in triplicate where 1 copy goes with the article, second is given
to security for their records & third is book copy for department’s records. These slips are
made separately for Perishables, Valuables & Non-valuables.

Hotel - XYZ
Lost & Found Slip ( Valuable/ Non- Valuable)
Slip No.:______________________________
Date:________________________________ Time:_______________________________
Location/ Room No.:________________________________________________________________
Finder's Name:_______________________________________________________________________

S. No. Description of the article Quantity

Name of the Guest: _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________
Signature of the Depositor:_________________________________________________

Signature of the Receiver:__________________________________________________

Date:________________________________ Time:_____________________________
 Fig. 1.16
Lost-and found Register - It is used to record all the L&F items, left or lost by guest &
found by hotel on daily basis. It includes the slip no., date, time, location & little
description of the articles. It is maintained separately for Valuables & Non- valuables
categories & used during immediate revert back to any guest inquiry.

Hotel - XYZ
Lost & Found Register
Sl. Description of No. of Area/Room Desk
Date Found By Signature
No. Articles Pieces No. Controller

Fig. 1.17

9. Maintains various records and registers - Many important forms, formats, records
and registers are maintained at the control desk. Some of the common are outlined
below:
a) Guest request register - This is one of the most important register as
housekeeping control desk also acts as a point of contact for in-house guests who
require any housekeeping-related services. The control desk is responsible for
taking these guest messages and passing them on to the concerned staff. It is used
to keep all special messages or requests of guests with time received and place or
room number. It also records the name of the attendant who is receiving the
request for completion along with the time received.
Hotel XYZ
Guest Request Register
Date:____________________________________ Shift:__________
Shift
Room No. Time Request Informed to Time Remarks
Incharge

Fig. 1.18
b) Message register - This is used for internal communication of housekeeping
within the department and with other departments. It records all messages /
requests /complaints noted from various sections or departments of the hotel. It is
similar to Guest request register but used for internal communication only.
Hotel XYZ
Message Register
Date:____________________________________ Shift:_________________________________

Area Given by Message/Request Time Given to Time Remarks

 Shift Incharge:________________________________
Fig. 1.19
c) Room checklists file - It has all room checklists filled by the room attendants and
filed by supervisors of that particular floor so that at any time it can be checked
that exactly which room attendant was responsible for any particular complaint
from any room. Room checklists are a list of various extra amenities such as
towels, iron and boards, etc. That are placed in the guestrooms apart from the
standard quantity. It also notes the time in and out of the room attendants in any
particular room.
d) Room occupancy reports and Daily Room reports file - Daily room occupancy
reports and daily room status reports are filed here to determine the level of
workload anticipated and any discrepancies thereof.
e) Duty roster file - It files Daily duty roster sheet or area allotment register
maintained per shift for supervisors and attendants for information or details of
employees working in various shifts and areas under housekeeping at any given
time.
Hotel XYZ
Date:___________________Department:_______________________
From: _________________To:________________________________
Days - Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
Occupancy %
No. of occupied rooms
Arrivals
Departures
Events
Areas-
Floors - 1A
1B
2A
.
.
.
Public Areas - Lobby
Restaurant
Coffee shop
Health Club
.
.
Shift In-charge: _________________________________________
Fig. 1.20
f) Log Book - It is the most important register as it has all the instructions and
information written by the supervisors for staff of the next shift as handover. It is
referred to by all the supervisors and assistant managers at the beginning of their
 respective shifts for instructions by the previous shifts. It also records room no.
Of VIPs, HWC, Extra beds and DND rooms, etc. To be passed on to next shift.

Hotel XYZ
LOG BOOK
Department : Housekeeping
Shift :_____________Time:_____________Date:______________
Log Entries -

Name and Signature of the desk controller : _______________

Fig. 1.21
g) Maintenance order file - It records all the first and third copies of maintenance
complaints given to engineering everyday and their rectification record. It is
compiled report file of all the maintenance orders per shift per day.
h) Carpet shampooing register - This records the carpet-cleaning schedule that has
been followed, recording each such project as it is completed.
Hotel XYZ
Carpet Shampoo Register
Done By
Area/ Shift
S. No. Date (Carpet HK Supervisor Remarks
Room No. Incharge
crew)

Fig. 1.22
i) Key register - This is one of the most important registers maintained at the
housekeeping control desk. It is a part of the key-security system to be followed
by the housekeeping department. Each employee who is handed over a key, any
key, from the key cabinet is supposed to sign for it in a key control sheet in this
register per shift per day. It is maintained for proper control over movement and
security of master keys in the department. It has signature and time of all the staff
members whosoever is issuing or depositing any key especially master keys.
Hotel XYZ
Key Register
Date: ____________Shift:____________Shift In-charge/ Supervisor:______________
Key
No. of Employee Time Time Desk
S.No. Number / Signature Signature
Keys Name Out In Controller
code
 Audit :____________________________________________________________
Fig. 1.23
j) Baby sitting register - This is used to record enteries of guest requests for baby
sitting services. Babysitting is provided as a service by most hotels’ housekeeping
department for guests who have small children. The guests requiring the service
contact the housekeeping control desk and the controller enters the request in this
register.it also has section for babysitters’ confirmation.
Hotel XYZ
Baby Sitting Register

Room Guest Baby's No. Of Name Of Guest Desk

S.No. Date Time Signature
No. Name Age Hours Baby Sitter Sign. Controller

Fig. 1.24
k) Inventory file - This is maintained for stock control. It is the record of physical
count of each item on monthly or quarterly basis during inventory or stock taking.
This is done for proper control over misuse, shortages, excesses or pilferage of
stock. This is a consolidated final report record.
Hotel XYZ
Inventory Book
Month:_______________Year:______________Desk Controller:________________
Opening Closing
S.No. Items Total Consumption Total Remarks
Stock Stock
 Linen Room Supervisor:________________Account Officer:___________________

Fig. 1.25
l) Room inspection checklists file - All room inspection checklists are filed in the
this file kept at the control desk. These reports may be referred to in case there are
guests complaints on cleaning etc. The executive housekeeper will be able to find
the supervisor in charge of inspecting that particular guestroom in this file and
confirm whether he / she checked the particular surface in question.