The Housekeeping Department

1. Chapter 10 The Housekeeping Department Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

2. The Role of Housekeeping • Responsibilities include cleaning and maintaining: • Public Spaces • Guest Areas • Laundry Areas Executive Housekeeper: the individual responsible for the management and operation of a hotel’s Housekeeping department. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

3. The Role of Housekeeping • Interactions: With Front Desk Room Status: the up-to-date condition of each of the hotel’s individual guest rooms. Stay-over: a guest that is not scheduled to check out of the hotel on the day his or her room status is assessed. That is, the guest will be staying at least one more day. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

4. The Role of Housekeeping • Interactions: With Maintenance Maintenance: the activities required to keep a building and its contents in good repair. Also, the department or area within a hotel responsible for these activities. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

5. The Role of Housekeeping • Interactions: With Food & Beverage OPL: short for “On Premise Laundry.” Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

6. Staffing Difficult to staff this department because of: • The large number of housekeeping staff needed • The difficulty of the work • (In some cases) A wage structure that does not entice employees Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

7. Staffing www.ieha.org Important characteristics of an Executive Housekeeper: • Commitment to cleanliness • Impeccable standards • Dedication to their area • Human resource-related skills Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

8. Staffing Inspector (Inspectress): the individual(s) responsible for physically checking the room status of guest rooms as well as other tasks as assigned by the Executive Housekeeper. Important characteristics of an Inspector: • High standards of cleanliness • Ability to identify deficiencies in a way that motivates, without criticizing Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

9. Staffing Room Attendant: the individual(s) responsible for cleaning guest rooms. Sometimes referred to as “housekeepers.” Also sometimes called “maids” by guests, but this term is never used by professional hoteliers. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

10. Staffing Reasons given to explain problems in staffing quality room attendants: • We don’t pay enough to attract the right people. • The work is too hard. • There is a labor shortage. • Today’s workers simply won’t work. • Not enough people like to do the work a housekeeper is required to do. • Workers don’t care about doing a good job anymore. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

11. Staffing Other Housekeeping Staff: • Persons to clean Public Space: those areas within the hotel that can be freely accessed by guests and visitors. • Records or payroll clerks • OPL workers • Seamstresses Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

12. Inventory Management Product Usage Reports: a report detailing the amount of an inventoried item used by a hotel in a specified time period (i.e., week, month, quarter or year). To determine the number of items on hand, count in: • Guest rooms • Room attendant carts • Soiled linen areas • Clean linen storage areas • New product storage areas Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

13. Managing Lost and Found Mislaid property: the owner has unintentionally left the item(s) behind. Lost property: the owner has unintentionally left the item(s) behind, and then forgotten them. Abandoned property: the owner has intentionally left the item(s) behind. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

14. Managing Lost and Found Forms for recording information about lost and found items should include: • The date the item was found • A description of the item • Location where the item was found • Name of the finder • Supervisor who received the item Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

15. Managing Lost and Found When the item is returned/disposed of, the record should include: • The date the item was returned to the owner • Owner’s name/address/telephone number • The name of the Housekeeping manager • Method of return • Date the property was declared abandoned • Name of hotel employee (or charity) receiving the abandoned property www.americanhotel.com Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

16. Safety Training Room Attendant Cart: a wheeled cart that contains all of the items needed to properly and safely clean and re-stock a guest room. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

17. Safety Training Training concerns should include: • Chemical handling • Cleaning procedures • Correct lifting techniques • Properly entering guest rooms • Contending with guest rooms containing hazardous items Blood-borne Pathogen: any microorganism or virus carried by blood which can cause a disease. • Guest service • Guest room security • Lost and Found procedures Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

18. Employee Scheduling The number of room attendants scheduled will vary depending upon: • The size of the guest rooms • Amenities in the guest rooms • Number of rooms to be cleaned • Amount of deep cleaning taking place Deep Cleaning: the intensive cleaning of a guest room that typically includes a thorough cleaning of items such as drapes, lamp shades, carpets, furniture, and walls. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

19. Employee Scheduling Minutes Per Room: the average number of minutes required to clean a guest room. Total # of min. worked = Min. per room Total # of rooms cleaned Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

20. Guest room Cleaning Cost Per Occupied Room: total costs incurred for an item or area divided by the number of rooms occupied in the hotel for the time period examined. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

21. Guest room Cleaning Areas to be cleaned include: • Sleeping Area • Bathroom Area • Kitchen Area and Suites • Public Space Cleaning Houseperson: the individual responsible for the cleaning of public spaces. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

22. Laundry Operations Linen: a generic term for the guest room sheets and pillowcases (and Food and Beverage department tablecloths and napkins) washed and dried in the laundry area. Terry: a generic term for the bath towels, fabric bath mats, hand towels, and washcloths that are washed and dried in the laundry area. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

23. Laundry Operations Steps for operating an effective OPL: 1. Collecting Biohazard Waste Bag: a specially marked plastic bag used in hotels. Laundry items that are blood or bodily fluid stained and thus need special handling are placed into these bags for transport to the OPL. 2. Sorting/Repairing Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

24. Laundry Operations Steps for operating an effective OPL: 3. Washing Agitation: movement of the washing machine resulting in friction as fabrics rub against each other. Ozone System: a method of processing laundry that utilizes ozonated cold water rather than hot water to clean and sanitize laundry. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

25. Laundry Operations Steps for operating an effective OPL: 4. Drying 5. Finishing and Folding 6. Storing Laundry Par Levels: the amount of laundry in use, in process, and in storage. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

26. Laundry Operations Steps for operating an effective OPL: 7. Delivering Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): a written statement describing the potential hazards of, and best ways to handle, a chemical or toxic substance. Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.

27. Laundry Operations Guest-operated laundry www.adamsmark.com/denver/guest.asp Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All Rights Reserved.