CHAPTER 1

Planning and Organizing the

Housekeeping Department
Objective: identifying the major responsibilities +
drawing the organization of the housekeeping
department

HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT
IHM MUMBAI.

Housekeepings Responsibilities
in limited-service hotels

Cleaning:

guestrooms
corridors
public areas such as lobby and public restrooms
pool and patio areas
management offices
storage areas
linen and sewing rooms
laundry room
back of the house areas e.g. employee locker
rooms

Housekeepings Responsibilities
additional areas in mid-and-world class hotels

Cleaning:
meeting rooms
dining rooms
banquet rooms
convention/exhibition halls
hotel-operated shops
game rooms
exercise rooms

Housekeepings Responsibilities
exceptions

Not directly responsible for cleaning:

kitchen
maintenance department
swimming pool
front desk

Management Functions of Executive

Housekeeper

Planning
Organizing
Coordinating/Staffing
Directing/Controlling
Evaluating

Planning

Area Inventory List

Frequency Schedules
Performance Standards
Productivity Standards Equipment and
Supply Inventory Levels
Housekeeping Departments Operating
Budget

Basic Planning Activities

Initial Planning
Questions

1. What items within the area

must be cleaned or maintained?

Resulting
Documents

Area Inventory
List

2. How often must the items within

this area be cleaned or maintained?

Frequency
Schedules

3. What must be done in order to clean

or maintain the major items within
this area?

Performance
Standards

4. How long should it take an employee

to perform an assigned task according
to the departments
performance standards?

Productivity
Standards

5. What amounts of equipments and

supplies will be needed in order for the
Housekeeping staff to meet performance
And performance statndards?

Inventory
Levels

Area Inventory List

Planning the work of the housekeeping department
begins with creating an inventory list of all the
items within each area that will need
housekeeping attention.
Preparing area inventory list is the first planning
activity because the list ensure that the rest of
the planning activities address every item for
which housekeeping will be held accountable.
Inventory lists are bound to be long and
extremely detailed .Since most properties offer
several different type of guest rooms separate
inventory list may be needed for each room type.

When preparing a guestroom area inventory

list it is good idea to follow the same
system that room attendants will use as
the sequence of their cleaning task and
that supervisors will use in the course of
their inspections. This enables the
executive housekeeper to use the
inventory list as the basis for developing
cleaning procedures training plan and
inspection checklist.

Room Schedule Format

Hotel __________
Room No_____
Room Type____
Dimensions__________
Items

Dimension/Nos Description Tasks

1)Floor 60 sq m

Wilton
Carpet

2)Sofa

Upholstery

1.Three Seater
2.Two Seater

Frequency

Vacuum
Daily
Spot check Daily
Shampoo
Once in 6
months
Dust
Daily
Vacuum
Once a
week
Once in 6
Shampoo
months

It is necessary to produce a detailed inventory

for each room on area type, identifying the
surfaces, furniture and fitting located there
and noting their condition, state of repair and
any initial or previous treatments.
This survey can be greatly assisted by the use of
the working plans of the building. The
database can be manually or computerized. It
is also useful to note the following information.
- Furniture density
- Usage density
- Any peculiar problems e.g. location or surface
used
- General standards required e.g. Clinical or
aesthetic

Unless data base is developed it is impossible to

determine in specific terms the cleaning and
maintenance tasks that need to be done and
thus quantify the work to be done . The concept
of a room inventory can be useful when
implementing:
- a planned preventive maintenance programme
- a room control procedure for controlling
furniture and furnishing stock.
- a redecoration and interior design scheme
appraisal
- an aide memoir system in conjunction with
room photograph for front office .

Frequency Schedules
Frequency schedule indicates how
often items on inventory list are to
be cleaned or maintained. Items
that must be cleaned on a daily or
weekly basis become part of the
routine cleaning cycle and are
incorporated into standard work
procedures.

Some of the following factors will affect the

frequency of the task to be performed

Type of area and condition of

surface
User density, functions of the area
and activities talking place
Type of soil present, and how far
has the spoil been transported
Degree of infection risk
The quality standard required

Items on area frequency schedule that are

made a part of housekeepings general
cleaning program should be transferred to
a calendar plan and schedule as a special
cleaning project. The calendar plan guides
the executive housekeeper in scheduling
the appropriate staff to perform necessary
work. The executive must take into
account a number of factors when
scheduling general cleaning of guestrooms
or other projects.
For e.g. Guestroom cleaning in low
occupancy. Co-ordination with engg dept.

Performance standards
Performance standards of housekeeping department
describes how and to what standards the work is to be
done. In other words, performance standards lay down
the required quality levels for employees performance.
The best-developed performance standards are the ones
that are prepared in consultation with the staff who
actually perform the tasks.
Performance standards of housekeeping department are achieved
when:
Cleaning methods are correctly selected and systematically
followed.
The idea cleaning agents are used on the various surfaces
involved.
The correct pieces of equipment are used on the various
surfaces involved.
Cleaning tasks are carried out at required frequencies.
All the employees carry out their cleaning task in a consistent
manner.
Time-and-motion studies are periodically carry out in the
department to obtain best practices in housekeeping.

Once performance standards of housekeeping

department are set, the executive housekeeper
should ensure that these are communicated
through training to each and every employee and
that there is 100 per cent conformity to the
standards. Supervision, inspection, and evaluation
are key process in ensuring conformity to
standards. It is easier for both employees and
manager if the standards are compiled in a
manual. The executive housekeeper must be
constantly on the alert for new, more efficient,
and more cost-effective methods. The
performance standards of housekeeping
department should be reviewed and revised at
least once a year.

Productivity standards

Productivity standards of housekeeping department

communicate the quantity of work expected to be
completed by each employee of the department.
Housekeeping managers must know how long it
should be take an employee to perform the main
tasks in the area inventory lists, as this knowledge
helps in determining staffing requirements. Efficient
housekeeping is achieving a balance between
performance standards and productivity standards.
Standards time rates have been calculated for
specific tasks under standard condition of
equipment, agents, and method. Practically
speaking, though, every hotel must develop their
own productivity standards, as there are several
factors that influence these standards, which vary
from one property to the other.

Factors

The type and age of the property

The accessibility of the work area from the
service areas
The amount of traffic in the work areas
The function of the work area.
The expected standards of cleaning
The type of surface involved
The degrees and types of soiling
The frequency of cleaning
The types of cleaning supplies and
equipment available
The quality of supervision and inspection
The quality of employee.

Productivity Standard Worksheet

Step 1
Determine how long it should take to clean
one guestroom according to the
departments performance standards.
Approximately 27 minutes
PS: Since performance standards change from
property to property, this figure is used as an
example. It is not a suggested time figure for
cleaning guestrooms.
Step 2
Determine the total shift time in minutes
8 hours 60 minutes = 480 minutes

Step 3
Determine the time available for guestroom cleaning.
Total Shift Time.........................................480 minutes
Less:
Beginning-of-Shift Duties.................. 20 minutes
Morning Break....................................
15 minutes
Afternoon Break.................................15 minutes
End-of-Shift Duties............................ 20 minutes
Time Available for Guestroom Cleaning...410 minutes
Step 4
Determine the productivity standard by dividing the
result of Step 3 by the result of Step 1.
410 minutes / 27 minutes = 15.2 guestrooms per 8 hour shift

Equipment and Supply

Inventory Levels

Recycled Inventories: items which are recycled

during the course of hotel operations. e.g. linens,
some guest supplies (irons, ironing boards, cribs,
etc.), room attendant carts, vacuum cleaners,
carpet shampooers, floor buffers
Par Number: Par refers to the standard
number of items that must be on hand to
support daily, routine housekeeping
operations. E.g. one par of linens is the total
number of items needed to outfit all the hotel
guestrooms once; two par items is the total
number of items needed to outfit all the hotel
guestrooms twice and so on.

Non-recycled inventories: items that are

consumed or used up during routine activities of
the housekeeping department e.g. cleaning
supplies, guestroom supplies and amenities etc.
Minimum Quantity: is the fewest number of
purchase units that should be in stock at any
time. The inventory should never fall below the
minimum quantity.
Maximum Quantity: is the greatest number of
purchase units that should be in stock at any
time. It must be consistent with available
storage space and must not be so high that
large amounts of cash is tied up.

Organizing

Organizing refers to the executive

housekeepers responsibility to structure the

departments staff and to divide the work so
that everyone gets a fair assignment and all
the work can be finished on time.
The major areas within the department are;
Housekeepers Office, Desk Control Room,
Linen Room, Linen Uniform Room, Uniform
Room, Tailors Room, Lost and Found Section,
Floor Pantries, and Heavy Equipment Stores.

Housekeepers Office
This is the main administration center for the
department. It must be an independent cabin
to provide the Housekeeper with silence to plan
out her work and held her meetings. It should
be a glass panelled office so as to give her a
view of what is happening outside her office.
Desk Control Room
This is the main communication center of
housekeeping. It is from here that all
information is sent out and received concerning
the department. The Desk Control Room should
have a desk with a telephone and a computer.
It should have a large notice board for the staff
schedules and day-to-day

instructions. Here is also the point where all staff

report for duty and check out at the duty end. It
would be next to the Housekeepers Office.
Linen Room
This is the roomwhere current linen is stored for
issue and receipt. The linen room should have a
counter across which the exchange of linen takes
place. The room should be next to the laundry so
that the supply of linen to and from laundry is
quick and smooth.
Linen Uniform Room
This room stores the stocks of new linen and
uniforms. These stocks are only touched when
the current

uniforms and linens in circulation falls short due

to damage or loss. Larger hotels may have
enough space for an independent Uniform Store
in addition to a Linen Store.
Uniform Room
This room stocks the uniforms in current use.
This room must have enough hanging space.
Tailors Room
This room is kept for house tailors who attend
to the stiching and mending work of linen and
uniforms.
Lost and Found Section
This should be a small secure space with a
cupboard

to store all guest articles that are lost and may

be claimed later.
Floor Pantries
Each guest floor must have a floor pantry to
keep a supply of linen, guest supplies and
cleaning supplies for the floor. It is the
housekeeping nerve center for the floor. The
Floor pantry should keep linen for that floor in
circulation. It should be near the service
elevators and have shelves to stock all linen and
other supplies.
Heavy Equipment Stores
This will be a room to store bulky items such as
vacuum cleaners, shampoo machines, etc.

The Department Organization Chart

provides a picture of the lines of authority and

the channels of communication within the
department.
People working in this department are;
Executive Housekeeper, Assistant Housekeeper,
Uniform Room Supervisor, Uniform Room
Attendants, Floor Supervisor, Public Area
Supervisor, Room Attendants, Housemen, Head
Housemen, Desk Control Supervisor, Cloak
Room Attendants, Night Supervisor,
Horticulturist, Head Gardener, and Gardeners.

Organization Chart for a Small

Economy/Limited-Service Hotel

Head Houseperson

Records and
Payroll Clerk

Room
Attendants

Houseperson

Laundry
Attendant

Organization Chart for a Large

Mid-Range-Service Hotel

Executive Housekeepr

Assistant
Executive Housekeepr
Linen/Uniform
Records and
Training Night Cleaning Laundry
Room
Payroll Clerk
Supervisor Supervisor Supervisor
Supervisor
Linen Room
Attendants
Uniform
Room
Attendants

Tailor

Night
Cleaners

Housekeepr
Rooms
Manager

Housekeeper
Public Desk Contro
Space
Supervisor
Manager

Laundry A.M. Floor P. M. Floor

Head Public Space Projects
AttendantsSupervisorsSupervisorsHousepersonSupervisor Supervisor

Room
Room
Public Space Project
Houseperson
Attendants Attendants
Attendants Cleaners

Executive Housekeeper
Responsible and accountable for the total
cleanliness, maintenance and aesthetic upkeep
of the hotel.
Assistant Housekeeper
May be one for each shift of a large hotel. She
may be the housekeeper of a small hotel or the
only deputy to the Executive Housekeeper of a
medium-sized hotel. She manages the
resources given by the Executive Housekeeper
to achieve the common objectives of
cleanliness, maintenance and attractiveness in
a given shift. Her accountability normally ends
on the completion of her shift.

Uniform Room Supervisor

A non-management person solely responsible
for providing clean serviceable uniforms to the
staff of the hotel. In addition, she keeps the
inventory control on all uniforms and prepares
the budget for them.
Uniform Room Attendant
The Uniform Supervisor is assisted by
Attendants who actually do the issue of
uniforms while receiving soiled ones to be
transferred to the laundry. These attendants
are in actual contact with the staff.

Linen Room Supervisor

A non-management person solely responsible
for the purchasing, storage, issue and
cleanliness of linen.
Linen Room Attendant
Assists the Supervisor by actually issuing linen
and filling such records as necessary.
Floor Supervisor
Responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance
and attractiveness of the guest floors attached
to her in a shift. Her scope includes guest
rooms, corridors, staircases, floor pantries of
the assigned floor.

Public Area Supervisor

Responsible for cleanliness, maintenance and
attractiveness of all public areas which include
restaurants, bars, banquets, gardens,
administrative offices, shopping arcade, helath
club, swimming pool, main entrances and car
park areas.
Room Attendants
They do the actual cleaning of guest rooms and
bathrooms assigned to them. They are not
responsible for the cleanliness of corridors,
guest elevators, or floor pantries.
Housemen
Usually do the heavy physical cleaning required
in

guest rooms and publis ares. Their job would

include heavy duty vacuuming, shifting of furniture,
cleaning of window panes, mopping, sweeping...
Head Housemen
Supervises the work assigned to Housemen. He
would deputise on behalf of the Publis Area
Supervisor especially at night. In medium-sized
hotels he could be the person in charge of
housekeeping o night shifts.
Desk Control Supervisor
Is the center of information in housekeeping,
therefore, is the critical person in housekeeping
operations. The Housekeeping Desk must be
managed as guests and

staff will contact this desk to transmit or

receive information concerning housekeeping.
It is the Desk Control Supervisor who
coordinates with the Front Office for
information on departure rooms and handling
over cleaned rooms. The Desk also receives
complaints on maintenance from Housekeeping
Supervisors spread all over the hotel.

Cloak Room Attendants

Cloak room attendants are people, male or female,
responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance and
service in public area guest toilets.
Night Supervisor
Is special in a manner that would require him or
her to be able to handle any aspect of
housekeeping at night including desk control
operations, issue of linen and uniform in an
emergency, etc. Her area of activity incudes guest
romms, public areas, linen and uniform rooms.
She is solely responsible and accountable at night
for smooth housekeeping through her night shift
and has larger decision-making authority than
other

supervisors as she is the housekeeper for the

night.
Horticulturist
Many hotels may contract horticultural work to
an outside agency. However, a large hotel may
have a horticulturist who not only maintains the
gardens of the hotel but also supplies flowers
from the garden for interior arrangements.
Flowers are used mainly in banquet functions,
guest rooms, restaurants, lobbies offices, etc.
The horticulturist would have to ensure smooth
supply of flowers as well as assist the
Housekeeper in flower arranagements.

Head Gardener
Supervises the gardeners in maintaining hotel
gardens and keeping them contemporary each
season.
Gardeners
Does the actual digging, planting, watering, etc
of gardens on a day-to-day basis.

Job Lists and Job Descriptions

A job list identifies the tasks that must be

performed be an individual occupying a specific
position. It should reflect the total job
responsibilities of the employee. The job list
should state what the employee must be able to
do in order to perform the job. Ex. 2.8, pg. 32

A job description simply add information to

the appropriate job lists. This information may
include reporting relationships, additional
responsibilities and working conditions,
equipment and materials used. Ex. 2.9, pg. 33,
ex. 2.10, pg. 34, ex. 2.11, pg 35

Coordinating and Staffing

Coordinating is the management function of

implementing the results of planning and

organizing at the level of daily housekeeping
activities. Each day, the executive
housekeeper must coordinate schedules and
work assignments and ensure that the
equipment, cleaning supplies, linens etc. are
on hand for employees to carry out their
assignments.
Staffing involves recruiting applicants,
selecting those best qualified to fill open
positions, and scheduling employees to work.

Directing and Controlling

Directing involves supervising, motivating,

training and disciplining individuals who work

in the department.

Controlling refers to the executive

housekeepers responsibilities to design and

implement procedures which protect the hotels
assets. Assets are anything the hotel owns
which has value e.g. keys, linen, supplies,
equipment etc.
managers direct people and control
things.

Evaluating

Evaluating is assessing the extent to

which planned goals are attained. One of

the most important evaluation tool is the
monthly budget reports.