HOUSEKEEPING

MAGAZINE

In the following visual magazine we present in a very colorful and descriptive way what

does Housekeeping Department mean and how is the management of a housekeeping

operation entails scheduling staff, deliveries, services and maintenance, budget

analysis, cost-controls and compliance with regulations.

A well-run housekeeping department is integral to the success of any lodging

operation. This descriptive and well-regarded introductory magazine includes expanded

coverage of leadership and training issues, providing a number of case studies, and

presenting additional reference material through a support website confirming its

usefulness as a management text through colorful pictures and mind- maps.

Introduction

HOUSEKEEPING IS THE DEPARTMENT THAT DEALS ESSENTIALLY WITH CLEANLINESS AND ALL ANCILLARY

SERVICE ATTACHED TO THAT THE STANDARD PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE REPUTATION OF THE

HOTELS. ONE FEELS COMFORTABLE ONLY IN THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS CLEAN AND WELL ORDERED, SO

CLEANLINESS IS IMPORTANT FOR HEALTH FOREMOST ALSO FOR WELL-BEING.

HOTEL OFFER GUEST THE CHOICE OF SPECIALTY RESTAURANT, COFFEE SHOP. THE BAR ALSO SELLS LIQUORS WHICH GENERATE THE REVENUE OF THE HOTEL. THEY ARE AVAILABLE IN BANQUETING, MEETING AND PRIVATE PARTY FACILITIES. REVENUE CAN BE GENERATED FROM CONFERENCING, MEETING, SEMINAR ETC. THESE DAYS SHOPPING ARCADE ALSO FOUND IN HOTELS.

A HEALTH CLUB IS A PART OF FACILITIES OF MOST LARGE HOTELS ESPECIALLY RESORT HOTELS THIS ALSO INCLUDE SWIMMING POOL AND SPA FACILITIES. HOTELS TRY TO MAKE THE AMBIANCE AS PLEASANT AS POSSIBLE BY NICE COLOR SCHEME, ATTRACTIVE FURNISHING AND A WELL-KEPT EFFICIENT STAFF.

HOUSEKEEPING IS THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES TO A LARGE EXTENT WHETHER GUESTS ARE HAPPY DURING STAY AND IN TURN MANKIND THEY RETURN TO THE HOTEL. THE FINE ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICE ARE PROVIDED TO THE GUEST SO THEY ARE PLEASED WITH THE HOTEL. THE GUEST SATISFACTION IS ITS PRIMARY OBJECT AND THE HYGIENE FACTOR MUST ALWAYS BE PRESENT IN THE HOTEL.

Housekeeping

Department

In hotels major part of revenue comes from rooms, rooms which is not sold on any night losses revenue forever and reason for poor occupancy can be anything like hygiene factor, cleanliness, lack of modernizing etc. hence main purpose is to improve whole appeal of the room. A guest spend more time alone in his room than any other part of the hotel, so he can check up the cleanliness he wishes to as some of the guest are more health conscious these days.

Hotel housekeeping departments can be

considered hotel ambassadors because of

their dedication and responsibility in maintaining

the hotel's image. Housekeeping performs

detailed work in guest rooms and hotel areas to provide a

clean, comfortable environment for hotel guests to enjoy. Through cleaning

and organizing public spaces, housekeeping

departments ensure that what the guests see and

experience result in a positive impression of the

property.

The primary role of the hotel's housekeeping department is cleaning guest rooms. Housekeeping works closely with front desk operations to communicate when rooms are clean and ready for guests to occupy. Although usually associated with cleaning and sanitizing guest rooms, housekeepers are also responsible for other areas, such as public

restrooms, convention space and offices. Housekeeping departments often manage laundry operations, which includes washing linens as well as employee uniforms. At some hotels, housekeepers are responsible for minibar inventory and room service.

Housekeeping departments include a variety of job titles. The

department will generally have a director of housekeeping, sometimes called the executive housekeeper. This employee is responsible for managing the department and its employees. Housekeeping departments also have supervisors who inspect work and several types of line staff, including room attendants, laundry attendants, turn-down attendants and public space attendants.

FUNCTION

Types

The housekeeping department is often the largest employee

department in the hotel. The number of employees is relative to

the size of the hotel, and may be a combination of full-time

hotel employees and temporary leased labor.

Hotel housekeeping departments operate 24 hours each day, but the majority

of employees work during the day. Day shift housekeepers are typically room

attendants who begin cleaning rooms in the morning.

Room attendants generally use a cart to hold

their tools and supplies so they can bring the

necessary equipment with them to each room.

Carts are stocked with chemicals and cleaning

supplies to clean surfaces in guest rooms and

bathrooms. The cart also holds a vacuum cleaner,

broom and trash bag. Although not brought to

every room, carpet shampooers and ozone machines

can be brought to rooms that require extra

cleaning attention.

SCHEDULE

Tools

SIZE

There are three primary areas within the

hotel that are the responsibility of the

housekeeping department. These are:

1. Public spaces such as public

restrooms, exercise areas, pools,

lobbies, corridors and the like,

2. Guestrooms

3. The hotel's laundry area. To

manage the care and cleaning of the

hotel, a G.M. will employ the

services of an excellent executive

housekeeper. This individual will

direct the inspectors (those who

review the work of the housekeeping

staff); the public area cleaners, the

room attendants who actually clean

guest rooms, and the laundry

attendants who wash, dry, and fold

towels and linen.

The job of the executive housekeeper is

complex and growing more so every day.

Properly cleaning a hotel requires

knowledge of the available tools and

chemicals that make cleaning jobs easier.

Just as important as the selection of the best

cleaning aids is the training of staff in the

safe and proper use of these aids. This can be

especially challenging if, as is often the

case, the staff of the department is

multinational and thus multilingual.

Increasingly, hotel managers are aware that

training housekeeping staff to work safely

and to perform their work in a way that

ensures the safety of guests is just as

important as making sure the hotel is clean.

The housekeeping department in a hotel is

responsible for the hotel's cleanliness. When

the housekeeping staff's work is below par,

guest complaints soar, employees at the front

desk and in other areas of the hotel become

disillusioned about management's

commitment to quality service, and profits

suffer due to increased allowances and

adjustments made at the front desk to

compensate guests for poor experiences.

Depending on the type and size of hotel, the

housekeeping department will generally be

responsible for cleaning and maintaining all

of the following:

Public Spaces

Front desk areas

Lobby areas

Management offices

Public restrooms

Game rooms

Public Spaces

Corridors

Exercise areas

Stairwells

Pool and spa areas

Guest rooms

Employee break rooms and locker rooms

Laundry

Laundry preparation areas

The role of the Housekeeping

Department

Traditionally the housekeeping department

has been one of the most difficult to staff in

the entire hotel. This is true because of the

large number of housekeeping staff needed,

the difficulty of the work, and, unfortunately

in some cases, a wage structure that does

not ensure that the best potential

employees seek careers in this department

of the hotel. Properly approached and fairly

treated, however, this department can be

well staffed with stabile, highly professional

employees who add tremendously to the

success of the hotel.

Executive Housekeeper

That G.M.s whose staff includes a highly

trained, motivated, professional executive

housekeeper has a tremendous advantage

over those who do not. An effective

executive housekeeper is not only a

valuable member of the EOC, he or she is

also an effective administrator, department

motivator, and team player.

At many hotels, the executive housekeeper

is an individual that worked his or her way

up from an entry-level housekeeping

position. In other hotels, the executive

housekeeper may not have held any entry-

level housekeeping positions. In either case,

the skills required to be an effective

executive housekeeper, like the skills needed

by all managers, include those related to

planning, organizing, directing, and

controlling the activities of the department.

The executive housekeeper's commitment to

cleanliness must be unquestioned, their

standards must be impeccable, their

dedication to their area unflinching, and

their human resources-related skills well

above average for managers. It is only with

these characteristics that the hotel's

executive housekeeper will provide the

departmental leadership required in todays

compete environment.

Room Inspectors

In most hotels, one or more individuals

hold the position of inspector

(inspectress) in the Housekeeping

department. These individuals report

directly to the executive housekeeper.

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.

Regardless of a hotel's size, it is

important that someone verify the

actual readiness of guest rooms before

they are listed in the PMS as clean,

vacant, and available to sell.

This job falls to the inspectors. An

inspector is the individual who

physically enters, and checks, a guest

room after it has been cleaned to

determine whether any areas that

should have been cleaned have been

missed or if there are other defects in

the room that require further

attention.

In a large hotel, there may be several

inspectors working at the same time.

The primary responsibility of the

inspector is to assess the quality of

room cleanliness, but more important,

it is to point out deficiencies to room

attendants, get those deficiencies

corrected, and report revisions to

room status to the executive

housekeeper or the front desk.

Room Attendants: The individual(s)

responsible for cleaning guest rooms

sometimes referred to as

"housekeepers. Also sometimes called

"maids," by guests, but this term is not

used by members of an enlightened

management team.

An effective inspector is one with high

standards of cleanliness and the ability to

point out deficiencies in rooms reportedly

cleaned by room attendants in a way that

motivates those attendants to do their

very best work without appearing overly

critical of sincere efforts to do a good job.

Inspectors are truly a hotel guest's best

friend because it is this sharp-eyed

individual who will enforce the standards

of cleanliness established by the executive

housekeeper and the G.M.

Each executive housekeeper creates an

appropriate inspection checklist for guest

rooms based upon the contents and the

physical layout of the room.

As a

G.M., you should review this checklist on

a regular basis with the executive

housekeeper and compare it with your

own checklist (presented later in this

chapter). The executive housekeeper's

checklist should be revised as needed to

ensure appropriate attention is paid to

potential problem areas that may be

frequently

In addition to the executive

housekeeper, inspectors, and room

attendants required, the housekeeping

department will, depending on its size,

employ one or more house persons for

the cleaning of public spaces and

records or payroll clerks who serve as

administrative assistants to the

executive housekeeper and OPL

workers.

The OPL in a hotel is often a hot and

physically demanding place to work.

Employees needed in this area include

those actually moving linen and terry

from the guest rooms to the laundry

area, those loading and unloading

washers and dryers, and those

responsible for folding and storing the

cleaned items, as well as transporting

them back to carts or storage areas

located near guest rooms. In some

special cases, seamstresses are even

Additional Housekeeping Staff

employed to care for uniforms and

guest clothes.

Some G.M.s believes that these OPL

jobs are easily filled. In fact,

maintaining quality workers in the

OPL is as difficult as any other area of

the hotel. The same employee

approaches previously identified as

assisting in the recruitment and

retention of room attendants,

however, will be extremely helpful in

maintaining a quality OPL staff.

Housekeeping in a hotel is a very physically

demanding job that includes many, varied

tasks. Typically, in this case study,

housekeepers were responsible for cleaning

16 rooms per shift. The actual amount of

work depends on the size of the room and

the number of beds. A housekeeper needs

between fifteen and thirty minutes to do one

room. A housekeeper carries out the

following tasks:

Making Beds

Tidying

rooms

Cleaning

and polishing toilets, taps,

sinks, bathtubs and mirrors

What kind of

work do people

do in

Housekeeping

in a hotel?

THE MAIN RISK FACTORS FOR

REPETITIVE MOTION INJURIES (RMIS) IN

HOUSEKEEPING ARE:

HEAVY PHYSICAL WORKLOAD

AND EXCESSIVE BODILY

MOTIONS WHICH ARE A HIGH

RISK FOR BACK INJURIES

FORCEFUL UPPER LIMB

MOTIONS IN AWKWARD

POSITIONS WHICH ARE A HIGH

RISK FOR NECK OR SHOULDER

AND ARM INJURIES

SPACE LIMITATIONS REQUIRE WORKERS

TO USE MANY UNCOMFORTABLE

POSTURES. THESE ARE:

STANDING OR WALKING

STO

OPI

NG

WHAT ARE THE

RISKS FACTOR

OF

HOUSEKEEPING?

Hotel housekeepers work in a unique place. Hotels are

usually designed for the comfort of their guests

rather than their housekeeping staff. This fact makes

it very difficult to improve working conditions for

housekeepers by means of better engineering.

However, some improvements can be made by

selecting more appropriate equipment.

Lighter vacuum cleaners (preferably the self-

propelling type), and lighter service carts with wheels

designed for carpeted floors would ease the workload

for their operators providing this equipment is always

kept in good repair. When new vacuum cleaners are

purchased, low noise emissions should be one of the

criteria.

Improving the body postures that pose a major risk

for musculoskeletal disorders seems an unachievable

task. Again, this fact results from the peculiarity of

hotels as a workplace. To attract guests and remain

competitive, hotel management pursues a policy that

everything should be "so clean it sparkles". Floors,

walls, windows, mirrors, and bathroom fixtures might

be adequately cleaned with some form of an extension

tool to reduce bending and over-stretching. However,

the demand for spotless cleanliness and hygiene,

management often requires their cleaning staff to

spend extra time and effort cleaning by kneeling,

leaning, squatting, crouching, slouching and

stretching. These postures will in time contribute to

new musculoskeletal injuries and aggravate old ones.

New approaches, other than strictly ergonomic ones,

need to be investigated. For example, action can be

taken from the administrative level. Options for

improvement include:

job rotation

job enrichment and job enlargement

team work

education and training on work practices

squatting

kneeling

stretching

reaching

bending

twisting

crouching

A housekeeper changes body position every three seconds while cleaning a room. If we assume

that the average cleaning time for each room is twenty-five minutes, we can estimate that a

housekeeper assumes 8,000 different body postures every shift.

In addition, forceful movements while using awkward body positions include lifting mattresses,

cleaning tiles, and vacuuming every shift. Housekeeping is a physically demanding and very

tiring job. It can be classified as "moderately heavy" to "heavy" work because the energy

required is approximately 4 kilocalories per minute (4 kcal/min.)

How can job rotation reduce

the risk for RMI?

How can we reduce the

risk factors for RMI?

Job rotation is one possible approach. It requires

workers to move between different tasks, at fixed or

irregular periods. However, it must be a rotation

where workers do something completely different.

Different tasks must use different muscle groups to

allow muscles already stressed to recover.

Another approach is job enlargement. This increases

the variety of tasks built into the job. It breaks the

monotony of the job and avoids overloading one part

of the body. Job enrichment involves more autonomy

and control for the worker.

Team work can provide greater variety and more

evenly distributed muscular work. The whole team is

involved in the planning of the work. Each team

member carries out a set of operations to complete

the whole product, allowing the worker to alternate

between tasks. This reduces the risk of RMI.

A well-designed job, supported by a well-designed

workplace and proper tools, allows the worker to

avoid unnecessary motion of the neck, shoulders and

upper limbs. However, the actual performance of the

tasks depends on individuals.

Training should be provided for workers who are

involved with housekeeping activities. It is important

that housekeeping staff be informed about hazards in

the workplace, including the risk of injuries to the

musculoskeletal system. Therefore, identification of

the hazards for such injury at any given hotel is

fundamental.

Individual work practices, including lifting habits, are

shaped by proper training. Training should encourage

employers and workers to adopt methods that reduce

fatigue. For example, it is advisable to plan one's

workload and do the heavier tasks at the beginning of

the work shift, rather than at the end, when fatigue is

at its maximum. When a person is tired, the risk of

injuring a muscle is higher.

Training should also emphasize the importance of rest

periods for the workers' health and explain how

active rest can do more for keeping workers healthy

than passive rest.

How can job enlargement

and enrichment the risk for

RMI?

How can team work reduce

the risk for RMI?

How can improve work

practices reduce the risk

for RMI?

While all hotels are different in the individual policies they use, most follow a basic set of housekeeping

guidelines. Designed to keep the guests comfortable, the rooms clean and the service efficient and quick,

these rules and guidelines offer a good window into common hotel housekeeping principles, rules and

policies.

Before Entry

According to Alberta Hotels and Lodges Association, the first rule

of hotel housekeeping is to knock and make your presence known

before entering a room. Housekeepers should identify themselves

by saying "Housekeeping," and allow the guest time to respond. If

there is no response, the housekeeper may enter the room.

Maintenance Check

Many hotels have housekeeping check the room's lights, running

water, locks, windows, air conditioner/heater and other electronics

during each room cleaning. This is to ensure that everything is in

working order for the next guest. It is generally done before

cleaning the room to ensure that no marks or dirt are left behind

from the check.

HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING

RULES

Training should also explain the health hazards of improper lifting and give recommendations on

what a worker can do to improve lifting positions. Training should also emphasize the

importance of rest periods for the workers' health and explain how active rest can do more for

keeping workers healthy than passive rest. The effect of such training can reach far beyond

occupational situations because the workers can apply this knowledge also in their off-job

activities.

While all hotels are different in the individual policies they use, most follow a basic set of

housekeeping guidelines. Designed to keep the guests comfortable, the rooms clean and the

service efficient and quick, these rules and guidelines offer a good window into common hotel

housekeeping principles, rules and policies.

Before Entry

According to Alberta Hotels and Lodges Association, the first rule of hotel housekeeping is to

knock and make your presence known before entering a room. Housekeepers should identify

themselves by saying "Housekeeping," and allow the guest time to respond. If there is no

response, the housekeeper may enter the room.

Hotel Housekeeping rules

Maintenance Check

Many hotels have housekeeping check the room's lights, running water, locks, windows,

air conditioner/heater and other electronics during each room cleaning. This is to ensure

that everything is in working order for the next guest. It is generally done before cleaning

the room to ensure that no marks or dirt are left behind from the check.

Cleaning

Housekeeping's primary goal is to clean the hotel rooms between guests. This includes changing all

of the bedding, making the bed, vacuuming the carpet and washing the hard floors. The cleaning

process also includes a strict cleaning of the bathroom to ensure that it remains sanitary.

Housekeeping will also dust and clean any hard surfaces and furniture within the room as well as

all the glass and windows.

Replacing Items

It is good housekeeping practice to replace disposable things in between room occupancy. For

instance, housekeeping commonly replaces used soap, shampoo, disposable cups and other

similar items. They'll also empty the trash and clean out any ashtrays.

Final Check

During the last portion of housekeeping, the housekeeper or a manager doublechecks everything

that was cleaned. The housekeeper will go through the drawers, under the beds and in the closets

for anything left behind by guests, passing lost items to a manager.

Theft Rules

Hotels usually have strict rules in place that guard against employees stealing from guests. This

includes anything housekeeping may find after a guest has checked out.

After the elaboration of this visual and descriptive

magazine; as a group we have noticed that

Housekeeping is the department that deals essentially

with cleanliness and all ancillary service attached to that.

The standard plays an important role in the reputation of

the hotels. One feels comfortable only in the

environment which is clean and well ordered, so cleanliness is important for health

foremost also for well-being.

Accommodation in hotels tend to be the largest part of the hotel, it is the most revenue

generating department, the housekeeping department takes care of all rooms is often

largest department in hotels. The rooms in hotels are offered as accommodation to

travelers/ guest as individual units of bedroom. Some interconnected rooms are also made

which will be helpful to the guest and families. Many hotels offer suits to the guest.

Housekeeping is the department that determines to a large extent whether guests are

happy during stay and in turn mankind they return to the hotel. The fine accommodation

and service are provided to the guest so they are pleased with the hotel. The guest

satisfaction is its primary object and the hygiene factor must always be present in the

hotel.

In hotels major part of revenue comes from rooms, rooms which is not sold on any night

losses revenue forever and reason for poor occupancy can be anything like hygiene factor,

cleanliness, lack of modernizing etc. hence main purpose is to improve whole appeal of

Conclusion

the room. A gue st spend more time alone in his room than any

other part of the hotel, so he can check up the cleanliness he wishes to as some of the

guest are more health conscious these days.

Daysi Elizabeth Hernández

Karla estefania lucha

Aracely Del Carmen tiznado

Jenny xiomara Gonzalez

Rebeca sarai Cruz

Luis lopez lopez