Design of the Housekeeping Department 3 Design of the Housekeeping Department Areas of Housekeeping Responsibility Area Cleaning Inventories Division of Guestrooms Staffing Matrix Section Housekeeper Need Table Standing and Rotational Schedules Adjusted Daily Schedule Alternative Scheduling Methods Technology in the Housekeeping Department

Areas of Housekeeping Responsibility In large properties, the division of work by area is spread out among the different operating departments. Ideally the housekeeping department responsibilities should include: Guestrooms and adjacent areas Public areas The property’s offices Employee areas The linen and laundry rooms and storage areas

Area Cleaning Inventories and Cleaning Frequency Schedules Area cleaning inventories consist of a list of the items that need to be regularly cleaned and maintained in each zone of housekeeping responsibility. The cleaning frequency schedule establishes the frequency for cleaning and maintenance of each item.

Division of Guestrooms The property’s guestrooms should be divided into a number of rooms to be serviced by each section housekeeper. In large establishments, the sections should be grouped into teams. A team usually consists of 4 or 5 section housekeepers, a team supervisor, and a houseperson.

Sample Guestroom Breakout into Cleaning Sections

Number of Teams Needed to service a Lodging Property Divide the total number of rooms by each section housekeeper’s workload. Add section housekeepers needed to operate laundry. Multiply by seven days the property is open. Divide by 5 days each section housekeeper works. Divide by the number of section housekeepers per team. The workload and the number of housekeepers per team are pre-established numbers.

Staffing Matrix The staffing matrix shows all employees who are part of the housekeeping department. The employees in the department’s work force can be classified into: Management team Fixed team Laundry team Guestroom cleaning teams (including the evening team)

Organizational Chart for a Housekeeping Department

Section Housekeeper Need Table The purpose of the need table is to find out at a glance: The number of section housekeepers needed to service the property at different levels of occupancy. The section housekeeper man-hours generated per day The section housekeeper man-hours generated per week The section housekeeper man-hours generated per month

Standing and Rotational Schedules The standing schedule is a matrix showing the permanent consecutive days off for the guestroom-cleaning teams, laundry teams, and relief teams. The rotational schedule designates which days the working teams are off and which days they are scheduled to work. This schedule rotates forward the team’s days off by one day each week.

Adjusted Daily Schedule The adjusted daily schedule shows the number of section housekeepers per team scheduled to work to service the number of rooms occupied the previous night.

Alternative Scheduling Methods Non-conventional scheduling methods can be: Four-day work week. Scheduling part-time workers. Allowing workers to use flexible hours. Job sharing between workers. Scheduling two section housekeepers to service rooms simultaneously. Allowing for extended time off.

Technology in the Housekeeping Department There are several housekeeping management systems used by lodging companies that graduates will encounter when joining the industry. For example, tracking when section housekeepers begin the cleaning process and when the process is complete, activating reports alerting supervisors that the room is ready for inspection, interactive voice response linking housekeeping and engineering, iPods delivering information in a different language, and so on.