Hoa Sen University

Vatel Program - Hotel & Tourism Business School

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
ENVIRONMENT – HOUSEKEEPING
ENV201

Student: PHAN GIA BAO

Class: MA2-2019

Date: 27/05/2021
 Service Housekeeping Requests

● Introduction

Housekeeping in all hospitality properties is a critical aspect. The task of housekeeping is to

assure guests comfort and security, not merely "cleaning visitors’ rooms" as many people
imagine when staying in a hotel. It is crucial that a guest can enjoy their room the same way
and reach utilities as conveniently as in their own house. This composition will address the
abilities and information necessary for housekeeping staff to appropriately service their
guests’ requests in several circumstances in a hotel with professional standards of
responsibility, honesty and discretion.

● Main Sections
○ Unit Variables: Service Housekeeping Requests

Sometimes the housekeeping staff have to contact other employees to get and supply specific
products or services to respond to a guest's request. The guest does not care who solves the
request but their satisfaction and the request timing. The requested personnel need to find out
whether or not their request has to be done through teamwork to get help from others. The
person who receives the request is always responsible for whether or not they require
teamwork, so that they have to guarantee that the request is taken into account and the guest
is kept updated. After that, guest satisfaction should be checked. If another personnel calls for
your support, you should also be ready.

The housekeeping department is normally responsible for locating and delivering the
necessities to guest rooms. The requests must be handled within the specified timeframe. If
the requested items are out of the housekeeping area, the staff must record and confirm the
request then pass it on to the relevant person. It is a major must-not to tell a guest to contact
others. Passing on requests includes the guest's name, room number and timeframe. Besides
the services and items, the guests may request information such as the hotel additional
information, or local transportations, attractions, entertainment, restaurants, etc.

The setup of equipment in the guest room is one of the most usual kinds of requests. These
requests must be received as soon as possible because usually, guests are waiting for them. It
could be tables and chairs, internet connection, data projector,... The old guests may ask for
moving heavy items, getting items from high places or understanding technology items, so
the staff must understand the property rules to carry out properly. If applicable, agree on an
acceptable time to collect equipment to give the guests’ room space, decrease the risks that
the items are damaged and enable other guests availability. Some properties have a logbook
for recording information on the delivery and collection of additional items.

There may be requests to remove objects from the rooms. It could be furniture, equipment,
facilities or amenities not used, unclean towels, dishes, etc. Guests may also request dry
cleaning goods, or items to be stored or repaired. The employees must collect items at a set
time. You may ask for assistance from other staff or use a trolley if necessary. Whether
coming to the location or removing stuff, employees must constantly remember to do
everything in line with the Standard Operating Procedures.

○ Assessment Guide

There are skills and knowledge that a housekeeper has to comprehend thoroughly to satisfy
housekeeping requests.

First of all the company's rules and the Standard Operating Procedures for the provision of
housekeeping guest services. These include knowledge about all products and services
provided by the property; skills in researching and acquiring the source of items desired by
visitors; safety and security of guests and staff. For example, when providing an item to
guests, the housekeeping personnel have to guarantee that the functions and operations of the
item are explained and covered by all health and safety regulations.

Furthermore, they must be aware of acceptable written, verbal and non-verbal

communication, interpersonal interaction, customer service and build skills to use
problem-solving capabilities to handle guest problems. For instance, when presenting
information to guests, the housekeeping staff can either explain or demonstrate to the guest
personally or over the telephone or give written material, including brochures, maps, user
manuals and guidebooks.

These are some of the primary standards that the auditor might use to assess whether the
housekeeping workers do the job properly or not.

○ Linkages to Other Units

During the service of guests' housekeeping requests, there could be some specific cases that
need the staff to link with other units to solve. For example, if guest requests are about nearby
locations (festivals, attractions, food and beverages), the staff obviously needs to develop and
update their local knowledge to respond.

The housekeeping staff may also take the requests as an opportunity to promote the property's
products and services to the customers. For example, if they ask for a place to have a dining
experience, we can offer them our restaurant with the dishes which they might be interested
in. This can also be applied to promoting the spa or any services in the hotel.

Especially when we are in the middle of the pandemic, the role of updating hospitality
industry knowledge to keep safety and hygiene for both the guests and the accommodations
are significant. The personnel have to ensure all of their actions are taken within the
COVID-19 prevention standard of the property (wearing masks and gloves, sanitizing hands
and items regularly,...).

● Summary

This piece helps the housekeeping staff to understand better the way housekeeping requests
of hospitality guests are handled properly, including how the performance required specific
knowledge and skills can be evaluated by procedures and standards (Assessment Guide), as
well as how theory can be applied well in real work by combining with different areas of
knowledge (Linkages to Other Units). Then as a guest staying in an accommodation, we can
determine whether the housekeeping staff at the hotel is doing the right thing in servicing
guests' requests or not; as an audit, we can evaluate the staffs' performances.
 ● References

Provide housekeeping services to guests D1.HHK.CL3.01 Assessor Manual [Online]

Melbourne: William Angliss Institute of TAFE; 2012. Available from:
https://www.asean.org/wp-content/uploads/images/2013/economic/matm/Toolboxes%20for%
20Six%20Tourism%20Labour%20Divisions/Specific%20Competencies/Housekeeping%20D
ivision/Provide%20housekeeping%20services%20to%20guests/AM_Provide_housekeeping_
to_guest_300812.pdf

Project Director: Wayne Crosbie

Chief Writer: Alan Hickman

Subject Writer: Nick Hyland

Project Manager: Alan Maguire

Editor: Jim Irwin

DTP/Production: Daniel Chee, Mai Vu, Jirayu Thangcharoensamut