9 Tips to be a Great Hotel Housekeeper
One way to give your guests the best hotel experience possible is to hire a top-notch hotel housekeeper. This not only ensures that your hotel guests will appreciate a clean room, but it can also help the furniture and fixtures in your hotel last for a more extended period.
When it comes to guests and customers, nothing is more important than providing them with a memorable and enjoyable stay. Business owners must be aware that a few negative reviews posted online can harm their business in this modern era.
9 Tips on How to be a Great Hotel Housekeeper
There are many things company owners can do to lessen the likelihood of receiving a negative review. Still, none is more important than maintaining a consistent, high-quality cleaning and housekeeping routine.
Making a comprehensive housekeeping checklist can be a simple task.
1. Organize your tools.
Knowing where everything is, speeds up cleaning. Hotel housekeepers typically carry a huge cart loaded with various cleaning tools. The first thing you should do when you get to work each day is to check your cart to make sure it contains everything you’ll need for the day, including gloves, a mop, trash bags, cleaning supplies, fresh towels, minibar replacements, and scrub brushes. That way, you can quickly put each area in order without spending too much time making trips to and from the storage room.
If at any point you find that you are running low on supplies, make it a point to inform your supervisor so that they can place an order for more. You will only be able to clean if you have the necessary supplies!
It’s wise to categorize your materials according to use. You could separate the bedroom supplies from the rest and keep them in a different cabinet. In this manner, it’ll be easier to find what you need.
To avoid cross-contamination, color code your microfiber garments. You can use red microfibers for the bathroom, green for the kitchen, and yellow for everything else.
2. Attend to any special requests.
Hotel guests occasionally want specific decorations in their rooms. They may appreciate a few extra pillows or a few more towels to get them started. As a hotel housekeeper, you should check the room’s notes before you go in, and if you need to know what something means, ask your supervisor. In addition, guests may order particular snacks to be delivered to their room, which is particularly common in luxury hotels.
3. Stay within the time limit
Housekeepers often allot 15–30 minutes for each room. As a hotel housekeeper, you must be punctual and efficient to keep up with your workload. It could be helpful to keep a timer running on your phone or wear a watch to keep track of the time you’ve spent cleaning.
4. Set up the beds.
This is a significant part of your work as a hotel housekeeper. You can start by taking off the sheets and replacing them with brand-new ones from the linen cupboard. Then, replace the old top sheet with the new one and tuck it beneath the mattress. Replace the pillowcases, toss the duvet or comforter back onto the bed and fold it under the mattress. You will receive training on how the hotel prefers you make the beds on your first day there. Your manager will instruct you on whether or not to leave mints or a hotel message on the guest’s pillow. Inform your manager if the mattress has rips, tears, or stains.
5. Get rid of the trash and declutter.
Pick up any garbage or used towels that you may have missed. After the guests have left the room, you can toss everything you discover on the floor. Don’t mess with their belongings too much if they’re still staying at the hotel, but feel free to toss out any trash you come across. When you’re done, take the time to empty the trash cans and switch out the bags. You should as well check the closets and drawers. If you find any items left behind, give them to the front desk so they can be kept in the lost and found.
6. Clean up the bathrooms.
Before you start, make sure you have some rubber gloves on. Rinse the toilet, the sinks, the tub, and the shower with disinfectant. Put some toilet bowl cleanser in the bowl, then scrub it with a toilet brush. After cleaning the counters and other surfaces, replenish the toilet paper. The toilet handle and seat are the most often touched objects in a hotel room, so ensure they are in good condition. Gather up the used towels in the bathroom and replace them with clean ones from your cart.
7. Wipe down hard surfaces.
As a result, the room will smell better and be ready for new guests. You should get out the duster and give the TV and all the tables and shelves a quick once-over. Then, using some paper towels and spray cleaner, wipe down the kitchen and bathroom countertops, if there are any. You may also clean coffee makers and other portable electronics by wiping them down.
8. Deep clean the carpets.
Your supervisor may ask you to do this if you have some downtime between guests. On average, deep cleaning of hotel rooms is requested once a month, so you may have to perform some additional tasks at least once a month. Take out the carpet cleaner and fill it with cleaning solution for a thorough cleaning. Gently move it across the carpet, paying special attention to any spots or stains. This should be done last because the carpet will be damp afterward.
9. Clean the floors.
Doing this last will help you maintain a spotless room. You can also use the attached hose on the vacuum to clean any soft furniture. After you’ve finished your other chores, pull out the vacuum and thoroughly clean the floor (including the space under the beds). Begin from the far end of the room and move forward until you reach the door, at which point you can turn off the power to the vacuum and leave.
Duties of a Hotel Housekeeper
Housekeepers usually have a lot to do throughout the day. They can work in teams to divide the task, or they can each take charge of a single room and do it themselves. Depending on the hotel, they may also store the guest rooms with amenities like candy and beverages. Their jobs can change depending on how long a guest stays. They may perform little cleaning and upkeep between check-in and check-out.
Examples of housekeeping responsibilities include:
- cleaning floors
- set-up beds
- restocking food and toiletries
- emptying garbage bins
- dusting and sanitizing surfaces
- laundry
Hotel Housekeeper Skills
Housekeepers use general and industry-specific skills. Here are some skills that hotel housekeepers usually require:
Physical Stamina
Working in housekeeping is physically demanding, and often on their feet for lengths of time. Housekeepers rely on their strength and stamina to complete tasks, including making beds, changing linens, moving heavy furniture, repairing broken items, and cleaning many guest rooms in a single shift. Housekeepers with the mental fortitude to maintain a high quality of cleaning throughout the procedure are greatly appreciated.
Effective time management
To ensure that customers can check into their rooms on time, hotels may place excessive demands on housekeepers, such as setting aggressive daily room service quotas. Their cleaning and organizing duties are usually completed within a specified time limit to guarantee that each room is given sufficient care.
Keen attention to details
A hotel housekeeper who pays close attention to detail will be able to see any broken fixtures or unsanitary areas quickly and rectify the situation. This ability is crucial for keeping things neat and clean, which keeps customers happy.
Good Communication Skills
When hotel housekeepers can effectively communicate with guests and other staff members, they more easily incorporate guest requests into daily operations and distribute work fairly. Effective workplace communication helps coworkers get along better and enables groups to tackle problems head-on and improve the quality of their work as a whole. Housekeepers’ ability to effectively deal with guest concerns and take preventative steps depends on their ability to communicate with one another.
Problem-solving Skills
Housekeepers that can think fast and effectively to address problems like broken items, stained carpets, and spilled drinks are invaluable. Housekeepers need problem-solving skills to communicate with the right people to get rooms back to decent condition and know what cleaning supplies to use.
The Bottom Line
Remember this: Housekeeping is a decent job that anyone can do correctly. Acquire these tips and skills, and you are on your way. Hotel housekeepers can provide efficient and respectful service to their clients with the right tools, information, and attitude. If you want to become a hotel housekeeper or know someone interested, please visit our website to discover more about our current job openings. We’d be pleased to have you on our team!
