1. CHAPTER FOUR
Housekeeping

2. Relationship Between Housekeeping and Other Departments
Absolutely essential
Usually becomes complicated and sometimes political
Timing of housekeeping activities is affected by the requirements of other departments
Essential that department head communicates to his or her staff that cooperation and flexibility are pertinent to the effective performance of their jobs and to the overall success of the hotel

3. Housekeeping Staff Organization Structure
Figure 4-1 in the textbook is somewhat misleading unless employed at a rather large property
Housekeeping department is usually the largest in the hotel
It can comprise 75% or more of the total permanent staff
Executive Housekeeper (Director of Housekeeping)
May work under the Rooms Manager or the GM or AGM or the Resident Manager
Responsible for the cleanliness and order of the entire hotel
Key responsibilities: recruitment, hiring, firing, ordering, maintaining inventory and accurate records, scheduling, training, etc.
In cooperation with the controller, establishes a pattern of consumption, a ratio between the volume of business and usage of supplies

4. Housekeeping Staff (continued)
Assistant Housekeeper
Work under the supervision of the Executive Housekeeper
May be several of these positions depending on the size of the hotel
Schedule, train, supervise, prepare schedules, inspect rooms
Handle public areas, executive offices, banquet areas, restaurant, guestrooms, linen closets, laundry, etc.

5. Housekeeping Staff (continued)
Inspector or Inspectress
Under the direction of the Assistant Housekeeper
Trains room attendants, organizes the work of room attendants, controls equipment and supplies, evaluates job performance of the room attendants, provides feedback to improve efficiency and effectiveness
Housemen
Carpet cleaning, wall washing, window washing, drapery cleaning, shampooing furniture when necessary, deep cleaning

6. Housekeeping Staff (continued)
Room Attendant
Not “maids” any longer
Report to an Inspector or Assistant Hskpr.
Makes bed, supplies each room with clean linen, cleans the room, bathroom, may handle “turn down” service
Usually clean rooms
Responsible for care and maintenance of all equipment, including the housekeeping cart

7. Housekeeping Staff (continued)
Laundry Supervisor
Usually reports to the Assistant Housekeeper
I’ve seen plenty of variations on this theme
Hotel may contract out laundry
Important to count and monitor daily
Often results in “shrinkage”
Monitors the quality of linens and takes any necessary remedial action

8. Scheduling
Executive Housekeeper typically schedules personnel 2 weeks in advance for the morning, afternoon and evening shifts
Documents needed: written weekly rooms forecast, revised 3-day rooms forecast, weekly function sheets, VIP list, daily check-outs list
Number of rooms a room attendant is expected clean = # of minutes required to clean a room X number of rooms to be cleaned divided by sixty
Different hotels may have different expectations; all-suite or luxury hotels may require more than 30 minutes per room
Employee turnover in housekeeping is usually quite high; if the Dir. Of Housekeeping is effective in training and motivation, this will help reduce turnover as well as the hotel’s overall turnover

9. Guestroom Cleaning
In most hotels, each floor has a large housekeeping closet that houses the carts and supplies as well as a dirty linen chute
Supplies are replenished each evening by a house person or “runner” including sheets, pillow cases, bath towels, washcloths, etc.
Each floor closet also contains a reserve of mattress pads, bedspreads, blankets and shower curtains
There are minimal standards that should be considered when evaluating the cleaning of a guestroom (Figure 4-4)
Some of the major items include:
Turn on all lights to find burned out bulbs
Turn off unnecessary lights
Set A/C to proper temperature
Make sure alarm clock has correct time
Make sure beds are stripped and inspected thoroughly
Be careful with ashes
Many other items can be found in Figure 4-4
House persons are also directly involved in servicing the guestrooms
Each room should be deep-cleaned every 3 to 8 weeks
Reality check

10. Inventory and Control
Linen room is often called the “heart” of the housekeeping department
Overstocking can lead to waste and unnecessary expense and under-stocking is much more commonplace and more frustrating
Ideal level of operating par stock (according to textbook) for room linen is five times the daily amount in use

11. Inventory and Control (continued)
A factor of is more normal for linen count, especially if the hotel has its own laundry facility
Hotels must also stock tablecloths, matching napkins, etc.
Alternative is to rent from a linen-supply company
Perpetual inventory must be kept

12. Inventory and Control (continued)
Linen represents a major operating expense and bulk buying reduces the unit cost
Four ways in which linen can be taken out of circulation
Normal wear and tear – the number of washes linen can be put through before wearing out
Improper use or carelessness in handling
Using napkins to clean utensils
Cleaning floor spills
Wipe out ashtrays with a washcloth containing a lit cigarette
Losses in a laundry need to be checked against the pieces charged on the laundry bill (if using an outside service)
Theft: controls and surveillance can minimize these losses
Room attendants should be trained to report to their Inspector any major missing items or damage to the guestroom
Employee theft also needs to be guarded against

13. Employee Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) mandates employer to keep his or her place of business free from any hazards that might cause injury to an employee
See Figure 4-6 for the most frequent types of injuries occurring in hotels
Chemicals, burns, unsafe conditions, etc.
Responsibility, reputation and quality of service
Moral obligation to provide a safe, secure place for its guests and employees
Legal obligation to meet national, state and local safety regulations
Economics – accidents are expensive!
Accident Prevention – minimize injuries through prevention

14. Summary Staffing Inventory control Employee injuries
Linen costs, loss and theft prevention
A well-organized and consistently implemented safety program is important
Labor is very expensive in this department and needs to be well-controlled