Introduction

The nature of the hotel business suggests that rooms are occupied by
different guests day after day.But each time a guest enters the room, he/she
expects the room to be thoroughly cleaned, safe, and comfortable. There must be
no evidence of the previous guest occupancy such as a single strand of hair, a
droplet of water on a surface or even a fingerprint.

Room Attendants (GRAs)

 Provides accommodation to the guest hotel room

 GRA's performance of their duty plays an important role in ensuring guest's

memorable experience and satisfaction.

 Obviously, the primary function of the GRA is to ensure the cleanliness and
maintenance of the guest rooms, as well as the safety and security of the
guest’s stay But more than this, they should also make sure that the guests
are satisfied with every request for services.

 GRA’S must also be friendly and courteous to the guests, discreet in

dealing, show product knowledge, and able to handle guest requests and
complaints.
Topic 1: Responsibilities of a GRA

GRAs are responsible for the following:

 Guest Relations

All employees, including the GRA, are supposed to:

Greet Guests Cheerfully-Most of the time, GRAs work by

themselves and must use common sense to manage problems that
occur without the supervision or help from other staff.

If there is a complaint about a room, the GRA will take care of it.

 Guest Safety

Part of the duties and responsibilities of the GRA is to ensure the safety
of guests and their belongings.

 Cleanliness

As discussed, the main responsibility of the GRA is to ensure that the

room is clean and presentable.

 Administration and Communication

GRAs must know what rooms they are assigned to clean and in what order
based on the room status report. Administration and communication is an
important aspect in ensuring that rooms are presented to the guests
clean and ready for occupancy.
Topic 2: Characteristics of a GRA

These are some characteristics that are required for GRAs to possess:

 Knowledge

 Hotel and room facilities – GRA’s must know the facilities and
amenities provided in all rooms.

e.g. TV, aircon, refrigerator, WIFI access etc.

 How to use cleaning equipment, tools, materials, and chemicals

 The procedure in cleaning guest rooms
 Safety and security protocols
 Handling guest requests and complaints
 Handling losses and breakages
 Handling lost and found items
 Dealing with intoxicated guests

 Skills

 Must be able to clean rooms properly in a timely and efficient

manner
 Must be able to perform manual handling of materials and
equipment safely and efficiently
 Must have good customer relations skills
 Good communication skills
  Attributes

 Excellent work ethics

 Physically fit – must be able to perform the housekeeping tasks
for the specific period assigned
 Must be able to follow instructions
 Time management – GRAs must be able to clean around 15 – 18
rooms per shift without direct supervision
 Attention to details – cleaning must be done thoroughly
 Professional attitude

Importance of integrity, honesty, and discretion

GRA should uphold a high level of integrity, since they regularly enter the
guest rooms.
The GRA must always keep in mind that the guest room is a private space of
the guest in which he expects to relax and enjoy his privacy. In essence, the
guest room is a “home away from home.”
The guest must feel that whatever the GRA sees in the room, will stay in the
room.
There are guests who specifically book a hotel room because they do not
want to do certain activities in their own home.
Any action which break local laws must be reported immediately to the
supervisor for appropriate action. These activities may include use of illegal
drugs or other illegal activities that may put other guests or staff in danger.

A GRA who enters an occupied guest room must never do the following:

 Read personal information or examine property of the guest

 Use or consume any item that belongs to the guest
 Share guest information
 Share the activities of the guest
Discretion is a very important attribute and must be maintained at all times
especially relating to the guest’s activities.

Topic 3: Role of Communication to the GRA Job

The GRAs serve as a means of communication to the hotel for any updating and
notice of status of occupied rooms since they frequently enter the guest rooms,
thus they must be observant.

Department’s concerned persons that GRAs communicate with

GRAs communicate with other hotel staff for necessary coordination and notices
of guest requests and complaints. They will be in close communication with the
following department staff:

Front Desk Attendants

 To pre-determined vacant rooms based on expected departure

 To coordinate special requests from guests, particularly from VIPs

Maintenance

GRAs call the maintenance department to fix or replace any faulty appliance,
furniture, lights, or equipment. In most cases, these calls would be to fix the TV or
air conditioning system.

Room Service

GRAs should remove used room service trays from guest rooms and place them in a
storage area which is located at every floor. They will have to inform room service
that there are trays to be picked up at the storage area.

Security

Since GRAs spend most of their time on the guest room floors, it is part of their
job to observe the activities taking place on their assigned floors. They must
ensure that guest activities are conducted in a safe and secured manner. Any
threat to guests, hotel staff, and to the property must be coordinated immediately
with security personnel.