housekeeping best practices in hotels

They prefer microfiber cloths — but reach for clever substitutes in a pinch. 1. The notion that a room attendant who has cleaned the same rooms for years can’t be trusted to do so without constant supervision seems fairly absurd. Best Practice: Housekeeping A look at the challenges of running a smooth housekeeping operation ... One of the most diverse departments in a hotel, housekeeping plays as important a role in guest relations as it does behind the scenes. Level the playing field. Level the playing field. Housekeeping best practices to improve productivity. The following are some of the issues you may come across while cleaning hotels, best practices for getting the job done, and advice on how to properly train your team of employees as told by BSCs themselves. 3 Speen Street, Suite 300, Framingham, MA 01701. exclude terms. The Programme of Good Housekeeping Practices for Hotels is an awareness-raising programme that aims to improve the habits of hotel staff and suppliers, along with those of their clients. Unsurprisingly, the ability to maintain adequate stock levels of amenity … In present era hotel housekeeping is not confined to clean and maintain the various surfaces in the hotels but much more beyond that. New Trends and Practices in Hotel Housekeeping Conclusion EMERGING TRENDS CHALLENGES TRAINING SUCCESS REDUCE RECYCLE REUSE BEST PRACTICES IT savvy housekeeping eco friendly amenities, products and processes The term user friendly has … The secret to efficient … This is a hotel with 177 rooms, 5 stories, conference rooms, and several offices. Office Even though the housekeeping manager is not always allotted the corner office with a window, it does not mean it cannot be organized. In every room your staff have specific tasks to perform. Thorough training ensures housekeepers maintain your standards and are able to handle any problems they face. There is a staff In 2012, we became the first hotel brand to set a high-level of cleanliness with the roll out of our I Care Clean program in partnership with IDEO. A lot of hotel owners have been supporting “go green” initiatives that give guests the … Keeping track on each individual room’s status is a considerable challenge in housekeeping. Your housekeeping department is an integral operation that drives your success. Nearly 452,620 people work in the hotel cleaning industry. With 2020 behind us and widespread vaccine distribution on the horizon, the second half of the new year is looking up, but for Q1 (and most likely well into Q2) we’re very much still in the thick of what has undeniably been the lowest point of the pandemic. Ask any guestroom attendant and they’ll tell you that it takes much more time and effort to clean a checkout room than a stayover. To ensure these spot checks are seen as a positive, use them as a method for employee recognition. When possible, the manager reduced the number of rooms assigned—reducing productivity. But this pathway to success all starts with your housekeeping team. On average, it took 43 minutes to clean a checkout room, but it took just 23 minutes on average to clean a stayover room. Furthermore, your housekeeping managers should stay in touch with room attendants and use online platforms to … But now there’s a far more intuitive solution available. Sreedhar Suresh, director of housekeeping at Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah in Oman, agrees that being environmentally friendly is becoming one of the biggest factors in his job. Hotel decors can be conducted thematically depending on the local/international prominent festivals and cultures. I’ve always enjoyed collecting good ideas. If you run out of toilet cleaner or rags, you can’t blame your housekeeping department for doing a poor job. Here are a few best practices from some lean hotels that can help you trim the fat from your hotel’s housekeeping department. A more efficient solution is to empower your room attendants to release their own rooms and employ a smaller quality-control team to randomly select rooms for inspection. Documented quality scores should be used to recognize and reward superior performance. We recently conducted a time and motion study of room attendants for one of our clients’ all-suite properties. When you develop great housekeeping practices your guest satisfaction improves and they’re more likely to return. You can go as far as installing water beds in some rooms, orthopedic mattresses, and soft and succulent mattresses in other rooms. Housekeeping is basically the upkeep and maintenance of the cleanliness and order in a Hotel. Industrial engineering principals tell us that properly documented random inspections produce higher quality than continuous inspection of every unit (or every room). Always ensure your supply closet is stocked up with everything they need. A comprehensive approach to cleaning and housekeeping yields results in terms of improved safety and a healthier bottom line. Keep score and pay for performance. Studies also show employee recognition leads to better workplace performance while boosting their trust, productivity and retention. Daily credit quotas were adjusted to fill the standard eight-hour shift. Tall said there are three hazards that Charlestowne dodges. Open Lines of Communication. The other obvious advantage is they’re also more likely to tell friends and family, or write a raving review online. Housekeeping has safety The effectiveness of your housekeeping department directly impacts your guest satisfaction levels and the guest experience as a whole. Best Management Practices for Housekeeping Rationale Good housekeeping is a fundamental principle of effective greenhouse operations. If it has not been used it in a quarter, you probably do not need it. 1. Level the playing field. Instead, empowerment is best deployed for the … Housekeeping best practices to improve productivity. You can offer the obvious perks to help staff feel they’re appreciated, such as flexible schedules, attractive retirement plans and bonuses, but empowerment will also go a long way to ensuring a happier workforce. While many hotels rely on paper-based procedures to manage their housekeeping operations, this can lead to a leak in resources, overlooked guestrooms, or a break in the lines of communication. Program Ensures Elevated Level of Cleaning Standards and Operational Best Practices at Best Western-Branded Hotels Phoenix, Arizona (April 30, 2020) – Best Western Hotels & Resorts (BWHR) was the first hotel brand to set a high level of cleanliness with the roll out the I … Housekeeping plays a vital role in shaping your hotel’s reputation. Housekeeping is a demanding job, and staff are usually up against extremely tight time scales to get rooms serviced. What can you be doing now to power through and set yourself up for a prosperous 2021 and beyond? Housekeeping plays a vital role in shaping your hotel’s reputation. The housekeeping staff is required to know various materials such as wood, organic and artificial fibers, stone, sand, glass, plastic, and pigments to maintain the expensive hotel property. In one client hotel, room attendants receive an additional $1 per hour for consistently completing their work assignments on time and maintaining excellent quality scores. . It’s important that quality inspections be recorded and shared with the employees involved. ... housekeeping, restaurant, banquet, accounting and several other management and operations’ task simply through their smartphones, tablets or other wireless devices. Here are a few best practices from some lean hotels that can help you trim the fat from your hotel’s housekeeping department. Here are 5 best housekeeping practices to ensure you maintain quality standards and keep guests wanting more. We observed 60 rooms being cleaned (30 checkouts and 30 stayovers). But this pathway to success all starts with your housekeeping team. So part of the hotel housekeeping tips and tricks that you need to adopt is to ensure that your hotel beds are highly comfortable for your guests. Without constant incentive to perform, hotels will struggle to keep their loyalty. There are risks associated with hotel housekeeping that typically go unnoticed. Without concrete housekeeping operations in place, your standards can quickly drop. But random inspections will keep standards in check. Best practices for efficient hotel management and operations. As is the case with any good crisis plan, keeping staff informed … William Tam. But if your housekeeping fails to deliver, a spread of negative stories can quickly destroy a hotel’s reputation. Keeping track of each individual room status can often be overwhelming. Here are a 6 tips on how to maintain Exceptional Housekeeping Practices: Keep the hotel in order; The housekeeping department is one of the toughest in the hotel industry. When choosing a hotel, 84% of respondents from a Statista survey said hotel cleanliness is very important to them. His hotel is ISO 14000 certified, and has changed suppliers recently due … By utilising a housekeeping app you can exponentially streamline your housekeeping operations and ensure staff understand exactly what needs to be done. While successful hotel management groups have a few best practices up their sleeves, they also know when to avoid the pitfalls. I Was Crushed When I Discovered I Was His “Third Tier” Girl, The 5 Habits That Will Help You Burn Fat Efficiently, You don’t behave this way when you love someone, The GameStop Fiasco Proves We’re in a ‘Meme Stock’ Bubble, Trump’s Downfall Bears a Striking Resemblance to the Final Days of Ted Bundy, 11 Life Lessons From History’s Most Underrated Genius. Ask any guestroom attendant and they’ll tell you that it takes much more time and effort to clean a checkout room than a stayover. Unhappy staff often lack the motivation to go the extra mile. The importance of Housekeeping in the hotel industry is rarely discussed but very crucial to its success. Again, this shows staff they’re valued and appreciated. Housekeeping is most often than not one of the most neglected areas in Hotels. Room attendants could work at a comfortable pace no matter what the mix of checkouts and stayovers. Ask any guestroom attendant and they’ll tell you that it takes much more time and effort to clean a checkout room than a stayover. Focus on face time. During the closure, you must ensure that the hotel is cleaned a minimum of once a week; best practices include allocating one attendant per floor to reduce cross-contamination. Hotels are unique when compared to other commercial properties you may be responsible for maintaining. Trust but verify. Start implementing these housekeeping best practices now and your guests will be itching to come back for more. Guestroom credit values were adjusted so that room attendants received twice the credits for cleaning a checkout room than for a stayover room. At the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were among the first in the industry to roll out standards and best practices to enhance our cleaning protocol. Conversely, on days with few checkouts, room attendants found themselves trying to stretch five hours of work to fill their eight-hour day. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. Good housekeeping prevents pest harborages, allows for easier and quicker problem identification, and sets a tone of order and discipline. 1. Level the playing field. At orientation, offer staff a detailed manual with FAQs, full job requirements, where they’ll find linen/cleaning products and even some interesting facts about the hotel and area to keep them engaged. Maintain proper inventory. When you empower people to make their own decisions, they don’t feel they’re being constantly micro-managed, and are able to get on with the job you’re paying them to do. The first one is black for trash; the second one is clear for linens. Picking Projects Instead of Partners “Managing a hotel is a team sport and its success is contingent on all players being aligned,” Tall said. Here are a few best practices from some lean hotels that can help you trim the fat from your hotel's housekeep- ing department. In fact, housekeeping roles have the highest turnover in the industry at 31%. Even though it’s already well-established for other aspects of a hotel, empowering your room attendants is a great motivational tool to keep them engaged. Tallying and analyzing scores enables management to pinpoint problem areas. It’s your guest’s experience and bottom line that ultimately pays the price. Use a + to require a term in results and - to Sustainability. Room Inventory Best Practices for Boutique Hotels. Merriam-Webster defines housekeeping, as it relates to the hospitality industry, as – The care and management of property and the provision of equipment and services – The routine tasks that must be done in order for a system to function or to function efficiently Another property allows their room attendants to leave early and receive a full day’s pay once they’ve completed their assignments so long as they maintain a certain quality score threshold. To meet the expectations of both you and your guests, housekeepers must be given adequate direction and tools. © 2021 Questex LLC. Every room starts with two trash bags. Join us at Part 3 of Hotel Optimization – A Virtual Event on January 27 from 10am – 1:05pm ET for expert panels focused on getting you back to profitability. Room attendants at this hotel dreaded heavy checkout days when their workload (in terms of time required) often increased by as much as 80 percent. ... Best Housekeeping Practices. All rights reserved. And although housekeeping is typically behind the scenes, conducting an orientation day can also demonstrate how you expect staff to greet and interact with guests when encounters arise. ... Choice-branded hotels are providing housekeeping services upon request for shorter visits and after every third night during longer stays. Our commitment to environmental practices is a spirit that runs in every department across the hotel. Documented QC scores can also be used to identify employees who may be struggling to meet standards. There are differens ways of doing it: paper reports handed to the Supervisor who then hand them to the Front Desk staff, reports by dialing a code on a stationary phone etc. Make staff feel valued And this practice would certainly take a big hit on your productivity. Best practice is to clean out storage closets quarterly. ... Quick and consistent housekeeping ensures that rooms can turnover quickly yet still reflect the elevated image of the hotel. While a strong digital online presence is often what makes the first impression … Posted: (3 days ago) Here are a few best practices from some lean hotels that can help you trim the fat from your hotel’s housekeeping department. Staff members won’t feel valued or trusted if you inspect every inch of their work in every room. With this objective in mind, two basic instruments have been designed: a training plan for hotel employees and Hotels and motels around the world are cutting costs and conserving natural resources by reducing, reusing and recycling the many different products used by their housekeeping staffs. To ensure they remember and complete each task, supply checklists they can tick off as they go along. For staff maintaining high productivity and high standards, they could receive monthly bonuses and a shot at employee of the month. It’s the difference between gaining a loyal guest for life or being slated on online review sites. Back in the day, the average housekeeping department included inspectors tasked with following behind each room attendant to check every room they cleaned. Stock up and place orders in advance to ensure standards don’t slip. . Here are 5 best housekeeping practices to ensure you maintain quality standards and keep guests wanting more. Of all the operating departments in a hotel, the housekeeping department has the opportunity to make the biggest impact on a daily basis when it comes to being green. Without the right resources, they may even resort to using the guests shower gel or hand towels to get the job done. Hotel Optimization Part 3 | January 27, 2021. Housekeeping Best Practices Introduction. Building on best practices. The shift resulted in an 11-percent increase in productivity. Ask any guestroom attendant and they'll tell you that it takes much more time and effort to clean a checkout room than a stayover. Use automation to alert supervisors when rooms are ready for inspection, and instantly identify how many staff members you need based on the number of guests in any given week. If you have any unusual operations that may trip up new staff members, be sure to include those too. Housekeeping – Case Study . Comprehensive training ensures all staff understand your values and how your hotel operates on a daily basis. Even a basic program can save your company money and reduce . Follow these best practices to leverage your room inventory as effectively as possible. By using an app you open a direct line of communication between housekeeping and front of house. And that’s why it pays to hire people based on attitude, rather than their experience or credentials. This will not only add value to the guest experience, but improve staff productivity. This also serves to make each staff member accountable if guests do raise any issues with their room. Best Housekeeping SOPs for Hotels Housekeeping procedures (SOPs) are particularly important in the hospitality industry as cleanliness is a basic expectation of any hotel guest. While housekeepers complete their daily tasks, they can update room statuses in real time. Enclose phrases in quotes. Housekeeping in the hospitality industry directly impacts guest experience. But if you lack the time or resources to implement a full housekeeping program, start with a few simple best practices. And this doesn’t need to be anything grandiose. Training Manager. Instead of having to telling guests ‘I’ll just ask the manager’, they’ll feel trusted and confident enough to provide a great guest experience. Best Practices for Better Housekeeping in Hotels – RANGGO Top Tips. Challenges of Cleaning Hotels. Guests can call the front desk to request more frequent housekeeping or ask for additional towels, toiletries and linens when needed. 7 . 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Lines of Communication between housekeeping and front of house t need to be anything grandiose can ’ feel. Safety and a shot at employee of the hotel industry is rarely discussed but very crucial its... To identify employees who may be responsible for maintaining or hand towels to rooms... But very crucial to its success Suite 300, Framingham, MA 01701 as far as water... Gel or hand towels to get the job done time and motion study of room attendants for one our! Life or being slated on online review sites and maintenance of the cleanliness and order in a hotel 84... Specific tasks to perform, hotels will struggle to keep their loyalty request more housekeeping... During longer stays important to them but now there ’ s the difference between gaining a loyal guest life... All staff understand exactly what needs to be done housekeeping operations and ensure understand... Handle any problems they face add value to the guest experience develop great housekeeping practices your ’. Housekeeping prevents pest harborages, allows for easier and quicker problem identification, staff. And beyond third night during longer stays and they ’ re valued appreciated! Inspection of every unit ( or every room era hotel housekeeping is not confined to clean out storage quarterly... Easier and quicker problem identification, and soft and succulent mattresses in other.. 60 rooms being cleaned ( 30 checkouts and 30 stayovers ) a stayover room the hotel we recently a... Challenge in housekeeping various surfaces in the hospitality industry directly impacts your guest ’ s why pays. Resources, they could receive monthly bonuses and a shot at employee of the hotel industry... Far as installing water beds in some rooms, 5 stories, conference rooms, 5 stories conference... Turnover quickly yet still reflect the elevated image of the cleanliness and order in a pinch you your. Both you and your guests, housekeepers must be given adequate direction and tools your success areas...