The Housekeeping Department

Housekeeping – literally refers to the upkeep and maintenance of cleanliness and order in a lodging
establishment, like an inn, hotel, apartelle, condominium, resort, dormitory or hospital.

Housekeeper – is one who is responsible for administering housekeeping maintenance and for ensuring
that everything is in order and that all occupants are made comfortable, safe, and protected from
disease-causing bacteria.

Housekeeping Staff and their functions

1. Executive Housekeeper – the executive housekeeper reports to the General Manager or the
Resident Manager or the rooms division manager. They are responsible for the overall cleanliness,
aesthetic upkeep of the hotel. Their duties are:
a. Organize, supervise and coordinate the work of housekeeping staff on a day-to-day basis.
b. Ensure excellence in housekeeping sanitation, safety, comfort, and aesthetics for hotel
guests.
c. Prepare duty rosters and supervise the discipline and conduct of their staff.
d. Ensure proper communication within the department by conducting regular meeting with
the staff.
e. Recruit new employees and train them for housekeeping jobs.
f. Counsel and motivate employees on various duties.
g. Establish and maintain standard operating procedures for cleaning and develop new
procedures to increase efficiency of labor and product use.
h. Search and test new techniques and products in the market.
i. Maintain regular inventory and checking of furniture, linen, uniform, equipment in the hotel.
j. Evaluate employee’s performance for promotions and transfers.
k. Approval of supply requisitions for the housekeeping and to maintain minimum stock and
cost control procedures for all materials.
l. Check the reports, files, registers maintained in the department
m. Provide budget to the management and control of budgets.
2. Deputy Housekeeper – The deputy housekeeper reports to the executive housekeeper. Their duties
are:
a. Check and ensure that all guestrooms. Public areas, back of the house areas are clean and
well maintained.
b. Inspect the work done by contractors (pest control, laundry, window cleaning, etc.)
c. Prepare staff schedules and duty.
d. Check periodical stocktaking and maintaining of stock records for linen, uniform equipment.
e. Provide necessary information to assist executive housekeeper in staff evaluation,
disciplining, termination and promotion.
f. Develop and implement training programs within the department in consultation with the
executive housekeeper.
g. Assist executive housekeeper in forecasting and budgeting for operation and capital
expenditure.
h. Take charge of housekeeping department in absence of executive housekeeper.
3. Assistant Housekeeper – The assistant housekeeper reports to the executive housekeeper. In large
hotels, where a deputy housekeeper exists, the assistant housekeeper reports to deputy
 housekeeper. In large hotels, the responsibilities of floors, public areas, are divided among assistant
housekeepers.
a. Be responsible for efficient and orderly management of cleaning, servicing, and repairing of
guest rooms.
b. Be responsible for hotel linen and check its movement and distribution to room attendants.
c. Keep an inventory of all housekeeping supplies and check it regularly.
d. Provide front office list of ready rooms for allotment to guests.
e. Organize flower arrangements.
f. Arrange training of staff within the department.
g. Update records, files, registers, etc.
h. Compile the maids’ roster.
i. Check the VIP and OOO rooms.
4. Floor Supervisor – The floor supervisor reports to the assistant housekeeper. They are responsible
for the final condition of the guestrooms on the floors allocated to them. Their duties are:
a. Issue floor keys to room attendants
b. Supervise cleaning on the allotted floors and areas, including guestrooms, corridors,
staircases, floor pantries of the allotted floors.
c. Inspection of cleaning in rooms and coordination of the work in floors.
d. Supervise handling of soiled linen to laundry and requisitioning of fresh ones from
housekeeping.
e. Report maintenance work on the floor.
f. Supervise spring cleaning.
g. Coordinate with room service for tray clearance.
h. Maintain par stock for the respective floors.
i. Facilitate provision of the extra services to guests such as baby sitters, hot water bottles,
other guest requests.
j. Report and safety or security hazard to the security department.
k. Check on scanty baggage.
l. Prepare housekeeping status reports.
m. Inform the front office about ready rooms.
n. Ensure services offered to VIPs are of highest standards.
5. Public Area Supervisor – The public area supervisor reports to the assistant housekeeper. They are
responsible for cleaning and inspection of the front of the house areas such as entrance, lobby, guest
corridors, etc. Their duties are:
a. Ensure that all public areas and other functional areas are kept clean at all times.
b. Ensure all maintenance jobs are attended in coordination with the maintenance department.
c. Ensure all flower arrangements are placed in appropriate places in public areas.
d. Ensure banquet halls and conference halls are kept ready for functions and conferences.
6. Night Supervisor – The night supervisor reports to the assistant housekeeper. They supervise all
night staff engaged in the cleaning of public areas and guestrooms in the hotel. Their duties are
a. Ensure all public areas are thoroughly cleaned at night when the traffic is low.
b. Plan order of work and direct staff accordingly.
c. Ensure submission of room attendants reports and room status reports.
d. Provide guest supplies and attend guest requests in the night like providing water bottles,
extra beds, towels, etc.
e. Report safety and security hazards.
7. Linen Room Supervisor - The linen room supervisor reports to assistant housekeeper. Their duties
are:
a. Responsible for entire hotels linen.
b. Send dirty linen from laundry after checking.
c. Check laundered linen before giving it for ironing.
d. Provide linen to the various departments.
e. Maintain register of linen movements and check linen regularly.
f. Supervise ironing and laundering of linen of the hotel.
g. Supervise work of linen room attendants and tailors.
h. Make suggestions related to replacements purchases and give requirements of linen to the
Executive Housekeeper.
8. Uniform Room Supervisor – The uniform room supervisor reports to the assistant housekeeper.
They are responsible for maintenance of hotel staff uniforms. Their duties are:
a. Responsible for providing clean, serviceable uniforms to the staff.
b. Keep an inventory control of various uniforms in various stages of use.
c. Set budget for procurement of uniforms and materials required for uniform.
9. Linen Room Attendant – Linen room attendants report to linen room supervisor. Their duties are:
a. Stacking sheets, pillowcases, towels, tablecloths, napkins in different stacks.
b. Issue clean linen on clean-for-soiled basis.
c. Place soiled linen in containers and send these to laundry.
d. Examine and count each linen item when send to laundry and again on return.
e. Send torn articles to seamstress for repair.
f. Maintain proper records of discards and determine percentage of discards.
10. Uniform Room Attendant – A uniform room attendant reports to uniform room supervisor. Their
duties are:
a. Issue clean uniforms while receiving soiled ones.
b. Send soiled uniforms for laundering
c. Send torn uniforms to seamstress for mending
d. Keep count of uniforms
e. Shelve laundered uniforms after verifying types of articles.
f. Count and record linen.
11. Storekeeper - A storekeeper reports to senior floor or linen room supervisor. Their duties are:
a. Control the stock of equipment.
b. Issue equipment and cleaning materials as per demand.
c. Prepare requisitions for materials required.
d. Coordinate with purchase department for procurement of approved materials
12. Desk Control Supervisor - The control desk supervisor reports to the assistant housekeeper. It is the
nerve center of housekeeping department and is manned 24 hours a day. Their duties are:
a. Coordination with front office for information on departure rooms and handling of clean
rooms.
b. Receive complaints on maintenance and housekeeping.
c. Maintain registers kept a control desk.
d. Receive special requests from guests.
e. Maintain latest reports regarding room occupancy, VIPs, status of rooms, etc.
f. Delegation of work to attendants and supervisors.
g. Attend to phone calls received at control desk.
h. Responsible for issuing guestroom keys and maintaining key register.
13. Guest Room Attendant – Guest room attendants (GRA) report to the floor supervisor. Their duties
are:
a. Cleans the rooms.
b. Change guestroom and bathroom linen.
c. Make guest room beds.
d. Replenish guest supplies.
e. Answer guest requests promptly in the floor.
f. Responsible for collecting guest laundry.
g. Servicing of rooms in the evening (turndown service) and also provide second service.
h. Handover lost and found articles if any found in the room.
i. Replenish maids’ cart with supplies for the next shift.
j. Arrange and stock the pantry with linen and supplies.
14. Head House Person – They reports to the public area supervisor. Their duties are:
a. Supervises work allotted to the housemen in public area.
b. Supervises work of people who clean carpets, wall washers, window washes.
c. Supervise work of chandelier cleaners, vacuum cleaning machine operators.
15. House Persons – They report to the head house persons or the public area supervisor. Their duties
are:
a. Shift furniture in public areas.
b. Clear the garbage.
c. Polish all brassware in public areas.
d. Clean all doors, windows and ventilators.
e. Clean firefighting equipment.
f. Clean the shafts and terraces.
g. Clean chandeliers, draperies and other hard to reach areas in public areas.
16. Tailors, seamstresses and upholsterers – They report to the Linen Room Supervisor. Their duties are:
a. Mending and stitching uniforms, linen, upholstery, etc.
b. Alteration of uniforms if required.
c. Refurnish all damaged upholstery.
d. Repair guest clothes if required.
e. Calculate materials required for uniforms and upholstery and purchase accordingly.
17. Horticulturist – Many large hotels have their own horticulturist who report to the assistant
housekeeper. They lead a team of gardener in maintaining landscaped gardens of the hotel as well as
in supplying flowers from gardens for flower arrangements in the hotels. Flowers are used largely to
enhance aesthetic appeal of various areas of the hotel.
18. Head Gardener – They report to the horticulturist and maintains landscaped areas and gardens in
the hotel. Their duties are:
a. Brief, schedule, allot duties.
b. Purchase plant seeds and plantings.
c. Purchase and supervise usage of manure and fertilizers
d. Maintain watering schedules of plants and attend problems regarding watering schedules.
e. Maintain and prepare indoor plants for the hotel.
f. Supervise and maintaining the laws.
g. Ensure gardeners are handling equipment and tools efficiently.
19. Gardeners – Gardeners report to the head gardener or the horticulturist. They keep landscaped
areas, lawns and gardens clean and aesthetically beautiful. Their duties are:
a. Dig landscaped areas and maintain them.
 b. Paint saplings and seeds.
c. Water gardens as per schedules.
d. Maintain plant nursery and green house.
e. Prepare potted flowers and potted plants.
20. Florists – Florists employ their own florist. Providing attractive flower arrangements for the entire
hotel is their responsibility. They report to the horticulturist. Their duties are:
a. Collect fresh flowers from gardeners every day.
b. Purchase flowers from dealers.
c. Prepare different flower arrangements for different areas: lobbies, front office, restaurants,
guest rooms, banquet halls, etc.
d. Treat cut flowers so that they last longer.
e. Maintain flower arrangements by changing water, etc.
f. Responsible for flower arranging equipment and accessories, etc.
g. Train the assistant florist.
21. Laundry Manager – They are in change of the laundry and Laundry Manager reports to the Director
of Housekeeping. They are responsible for entire functioning of laundry and dry-cleaning unit. They
should have good knowledge of fabrics and chemicals and laundry machines.
22. Laundry Supervisor – They are in charge of the functioning of the laundry in the absence of laundry
manager. They must have the knowledge of all the aspects of the laundry equipment, chemicals and
fabrics.
23. Dry-cleaners and washers – They are in charge of dry-cleaning of the hotel linen and guest clothing
and washer does the laundering of the linen, uniforms and guest clothing.
24. Laundry Workers – They are the staff of laundry who perform the following duties:
a. Spot stained fabrics before loading them into washing machines.
b. Load soiled linen into washing machines, feed in the right amount of detergent and other
laundering chemicals.
c. Load washed linen into dryers.
d. Clean equipment after use.
e. Soft souled linen according to fabric types, colors, degree of soiling.
f. Transport soiled linen from linen room to laundry and fresh linen from laundry to linen
room.
25. Valets/Runners – Valet service means that they take care of guest laundry. They report to the linen
room supervisor. They are responsible for collecting soiled guest laundry and delivering fresh guest
laundry.

Facilities That Are Provided to Guests as Per Request

Kitchen Facilities – Some lodging houses offer kitchen facilities to enable guests to cook and/or store
food. In some hotels, this may be in the form of a kitchenette, which may include a full-size of half-
size refrigerator, oven, stove, sink, and possibly some cabinets, although these are more common in
extended stay hotels.
In other hotels, they offer a microwave oven and/or a coffee maker. Hotels that offer no kitchen
facilities in guest rooms sometimes provide them in the lobby for all guests to use.

Vending Machines are provided at many hotels and motels. These machines usually sell soft drinks,
snacks, and other items commonly sold in vending machines.
Parking – It is customary to offer free self-parking, though this is not always the case, especially if the
parking is in a garage or parkade, while some hotels offer Valet Services to their guests.

Dining – Some hotels offer a continental breakfast that is often complimentary to guests. Items often
served include cereal, pastries, waffles, sausage, fruits, and beverages. Some hotels have on-site
restaurants. In most cases, the meals must be paid for. In some hotels, room service is available to
guests.

Some resorts are all inclusive, allowing guests to access to food at little or no charge at all times of
day throughout their visits.

Swimming Pools – Some hotels offer swimming pools to their guests. Outdoor pools may be open
seasonally in temperate climates. Indoor pools can be open year-round in any climate.

Bathroom Amenities