Housekeeping Operations Unit 4: Directing and Controlling Ongoing

Housekeeping Operations
4 primary goals to discuss:
1. Supervisory Management
a. Role of Supervisors in overseeing daily housekeeping operations
b. Effective communication techniques for supervisors
2. Quality Assurance Inspection
a. Establishing quality standards for cleanliness, hygiene, and safety
b. Conducting regular inspections to assess compliance with standards
c. Identifying areas for improvement and corrective action
d. Performance Monitoring and Reporting:
i. Utilizing performance metrics to monitor housekeeping operations
ii. Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as room turnover time,
cleanliness scores, and staff productivity
3. Emergency Response and Crisis Management
a. Developing emergency response protocols for housekeeping staff

While also discussing hotel housekeeping daily routine operations and hotel housekeeping
subroutines

Important references:
Chapter 10 and Chapter 11

Recall:
Directing
The first three sequential functions of management— planning, organizing, and staffing—might
be performed before an operation gets under way. The last two sequential functions—directing
and controlling—are carried out after the operation has begun or is in process. As with other
managerial relationships involving people, leadership is accomplished through communication. In
the directing of operations, there are five basic activities:
1. Delegating: Assigning responsibility and exacting accountability for results
2. Motivating: Persuading and inspiring people to take a desired action
3. Coordinating: Relating efforts in the most efficient combination
4. Managing differences: Encouraging independent thought and resolving conflict
5. Managing change: Stimulating creativity and innovation in achieving goals

Controlling
The final sequential function of management is to control organizations and activities to ensure
the desired progress toward objectives. There are five basic activities in the controlling of
operations:
1. Establishing a reporting system: Determining what critical data are needed
2. Developing performance standards: Setting conditions that will exist when key duties are well
done
3. Measuring results: Ascertaining the extent of deviation from goals and standards
4. Taking corrective action: Adjusting plans, counseling to attain standards, replanning, and
repeating the several sequential functions as necessary
5. Rewarding: Praising, remunerating, or administering discipline
(To discuss these two concepts, our report will concentrate on the direction and control
functions as applied to ongoing operations of housekeeping management. We will begin by
discussing the hotel housekeeper’s daily routine of department management. And then we
will present “subroutines,” that is, other functions of hotel housekeeping management that
are not necessarily daily routines but are essential routines nonetheless.)

The Housekeeping Day

The chronology of the housekeeping day may be divided into several distinct parts. This
chronology differs depending on the type of property to which it is related and whether or not a
computer application is in effect. Different types of markets and locations may also have
different chronologies.

(commercial transient type; uncomputerized in housekeeping communication to the front desk, so

basically a typical hotel that may be on the older style like say the university homestay)

A daily routine chronology for the model hotel housekeeping department might be as follows:
6:30 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. Opening the house
8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Morning activities (also, cleaning the guestroom)
1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Resolution of Do Not Disturbs (DNDs)
3:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. The P.M. room check
3:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. Shift overlap: first and second shift coordination
At 4:30 P.M. Housekeeper’s Report is transmitted to the front desk
4:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. Discrepancies generated (identification of those rooms in which front desk
status is different from that noted on the Housekeeper’s Report). Many discrepancies will be
resolved by close investigation of guest accounts at the front desk. Rechecks generated
(unresolved discrepancies published to housekeeping). Rooms on recheck list are again viewed to
ensure correct status. P.M. housekeeping workload is finalized.
6:00 P.M. to midnight Evening activities (until housekeeping closes)

Opening the House (6:30 A.M. to 8:00 A.M.)

● Information communicated from the front desk to housekeeping via the Night Clerk’s
Report to Housekeeping is transcribed onto working forms for the housekeeping
department.
● Adequate staffing is ensured, and preparation is made for the arrival of workers.

Morning Activities (8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.)

● Employees change into their uniforms or simply clock in for work and proceed directly to
their central housekeeping area to pick up their assignments.
(Frequently, employees come to work in their uniforms and are essentially ready to pick up
their assignments and proceed directly to their floors. Some hotels, however, do not allow
their employees to take uniforms off the property. Others do not even have locker rooms
where street clothing can be stored during working hours. In these latter cases, changing
rooms are provided adjacent to wardrobe departments, which help facilitate large
numbers of employees reporting to work at the same time.)
(Bellagio, MGM Mirage Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, employees clock in at a time clock
area as they enter the building. The employees then proceed some distance to a wardrobe
department where they pick up preassigned plastic hang-up bags.The hangup bag has one
of four or five uniforms (costumes) that have been purchased for each employee.)
 (Upon changing into the costumes, the employees put their street clothing into the hang-up
bags, then return the bags to the wardrobe department for storage while the employees
are at work. At the end of the workday, the procedure is reversed and the soiled costumes
are returned to the wardrobe department. The employees will be resupplied with fresh
costumes for the next workday)
● As workers arrive, GRAs and senior GRAs pick up work assignments and sign for keys on
the Passkey/ Beeper Control Sheet
● Preparation of RAs
● Routine Inspection of Public areas
● AM Room Check
○ performed to determine whether the status of rooms reported by the front desk is in
fact the correct status from the preceding night
○ conducted in the early morning in most hotels
○ (GRAs knock on doors and, where necessary, enter rooms. Some hotels do not even
use an opening-the-house routine. Daily routine simply starts with someone in the
housekeeping department entering every room to determine if service is needed)
○ AM Housekeeper’s Report assembles the results of the AM Room Checks and is used
to ascertain that revenue is reported for every room that was occupied last night.
○ To quickly check for discrepancies, only check rooms that are thought to vacant
and/or ready to rent
○ A.M. room checks should be confined to rooms thought to be vacant and ready or
vacant and on change (checked out of).
○ The A.M. room checks may then be left to the senior GRA; who will open every door
of guestrooms thought to be vacant to ensure their status.
○ The A.M. room check is normally completed in about 30 minutes, depending on the
number of unoccupied (ready or checkout) rooms listed.
● The supervisor circulates throughout the assigned division, communicating with GRAs and
section housekeeping aides and monitors work progress during the day.
● They make sure the GRAs work is up to standards, check rooms after it has been cleaned,
and communicate to other departments like the front desk and status board operators.
(COMMUNICATION SYMBOLS. The following list is a summary of the communication symbols
regarding the progress of work for each room on the Supervisor’s Daily Work Report.
1. A checkmark indicates a room that requires service.
2. The symbol CO indicates that the room is expected to be vacated at some time today.
3. A circle around the CO indicates that the room has actually been vacated (GRA notified).
4. The symbol R indicates that the room has been reported as serviced by the GRA to the
supervisor.
5. A line drawn through the entire entry indicates that the room has been reported to the status
board operator as a ready room (no further routine action required in that particular room that
day).
The supervisor is capable of progressing a large number of rooms each day and can keep up with
this progress by a simple system of symbols used to indicate varying degrees of status change.
When every room has a line drawn through its entry, all routine services have been concluded. )

PRIORITY FOR CLEANING ROOMS

1. Rooms in which the guest has requested early service
2. Early-morning checkouts that are specially requested by the front desk (usually required
for preblocking of preregistered guests expected to arrive)
3. Other checkouts
4. The rest of the occupied rooms requiring service
5. Requests for late service

Cleaning The Guest Room

Entering the Guest Room
1. Enter respectfully and follow proper entry protocol
 2. When cleaning a room with the Guest still inside, inform the supervisor first and then clean
with the door propped open and the cart locked in place in front of the door
3. Be respectful and polite to the guest, The RA may try to start a conversation that can help
with the direction of how the room may be cleaned.
4. Leave the door wide open and position the cart across the doorway, linen side facing the
room and as close to the wall as possible.
5. Check the room for items or appliances missing, damaged, or broken
Suggested Cleaning Methods
● Review cleaning methods since some surfaces and items require different cleaning
methods to be clean
● Don’t try to be a chemist- follow the SOP for cleaning and don’t mix cleaning chemicals
● Wear rubber gloves when handling and cleaning using chemicals
The Bedroom
● Follow Standard Operating Procedures for cleaning the bedroom
● Clean out trash > Shake all bed linen carefully > Put on the linens from innermost layer to
outermost > Clean (Damp Wipe) furniture and appliance surfaces > Replace used amenities
> clean the floor > Check Drawers in checkout rooms > final wipe with dry cloth > Clean the
door last
Cleaning the Bathroom
● Follow Standard Operating Procedures for cleaning the bedroom
● Turn on all lights and flush the toilet > Clean Shower/ Tub area> Clean the sink > Check the
chrome fixtures > Clean the mirror > Clean the toilet from outside in > Clean the floor and
make sure its dry > Check the supplies > Do a final bathroom check and inspection

Suite Hotels (with Kitchens, Fireplaces, and Patios)

- apartment-type accommodations for guests expecting to stay anywhere from one night to
six months.
- Because this operation caters more to the individual who is having to maintain a home
away from home, it is not unreasonable to find that linen would not be changed as often as
in a full scale hotel.
Cleaning the Suite Areas
● Daily cleaning (vacant and ready rooms) is begun as before, by observing the proper
protocol for entering the room.
● Suite Attendants must check, clean, and maintain the areas indicated:
○ Entrance Area and Closets,
○ Living Area,
○ Beds,
○ Bathroom, and
○ Kitchen
Before Leaving the Room
● Set thermostat and fan. Turn off all lights except over the kitchen sink and then stand back
and observe your work
● Complete any maintenance request forms and turn in to the supervisor.
● When Guests are present, take the opportunity to be pleasant and extend hospitality to
the guest. All suite attendants are encouraged to participate in friendly conversation when
the opportunity presents itself.
The H.O.M.E.S. Manual
● Marriott’s Residence Inn has the Hospitality Operations Manual for Excellent Service (H. O
M. E. S.) Manual for the many steps of working in their suit hotels. There are other H.O.M.E.S.
 manuals for procedures involving the Front Office, Maintenance Department, Hotel and
Housekeeping Management, Uniform and Grooming, and Commitment to Quality. There is
also a “Quest for Quality Placement Standard Guide” for every item in a suite. Additional
guidance is offered when working in guest contact areas.

The Housekeeping Day Continued

- As the GRAs complete each room, they should make a written record of each room cleaned
in order to know when the daily work assignments have been completed
- the GRAs should reevaluate the priority of cleaning rooms after each room is finished.
Resolution of Do Not Disturbs (1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.)
● Because 1:00 P.M. is checkout time, this is a reasonable time to resolve the DND status of
such rooms.
● Call the room from the closest vacant room if the DND sign is up on a door
● Address the guest respectfully in the call and ask appropriate questions.
● Enter the room as appropriate and perform appropriate procedures
The P.M. Room Check
● Is carried out by each GRA, at a specific time and as quickly as possible, checking every
room in the normally assigned section.
● Check the room respectfully and quickly
● The person conducting the room check observes the room to determine the following:
○ Ready rooms (R): Rooms that are clean and ready to rent.
○ Occupied (OCC): Rooms that have a guest in residence (rooms that contain luggage
are also considered to be occupied).
○ Checkout (C/O) or on change: Rooms that have been vacated and have not yet been
made ready for a new occupant
● Final check by the supervisor
Other Activities During the Shift
● Section housekeeping aide - someone assisting keeping soiled linen and trash off the
housekeeper’s cart. Is a member of the team working in the area
● Resupplying both materials, amenities, and cleaning chemicals.
● Cleaning chemicals are diluted especially and specifically by qualified personnel.
Shift Overlap: First and Second Shift Coordination (3:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.)
● Night Supervisors will transcribe info from 20 GRA reports onto the Housekeepers report
● Updating and ensuring the accuracy of the report occurs within this period
● Submission of updated information as well as restocking the cart for tomorrow's work
effort
Discrepancies and Rechecks Generated (4:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.)
● Inspection of all corridors and service areas by managers to ensure cleanliness and
standards after the AM shift has clocked out.
● Management’s day is considered done for the day
● Discrepancies are seen and resolved and rechecks are done to ensure accuracy on the
front desk
Evening Activities (6:00 P.M. to Midnight)
● All day attendants’ duties are taken over by night attendants
● Evening crew to begin providing special services as requested by the guests and to note
each service on the report.
● The night supervisor, assisted by other members of the night crew, may restock cart-top
baskets with the proper par of guest supplies
● The night supervisor is in charge and must take charge of the evening activities of the
housekeeping department.
● Inspections on all areas must be done by the night supervisor to ensure that it is clean and
up to standards
● Rechecking of rooms and statuses and filing of Necessary documents and forms for
tomorrow’s use
Computers Come of Age in the World of Housekeeping
- Computers are now commonplace in most hotels and businesses especially in the city.
- Both hardware and hotel software packages have made housekeeping and other hotel
services much more efficient and accessible.
- Historically, the use of telephone switch (system) as the vehicle by which computer
technology is applied for updating room status was once considered high end. This system
enables the housekeepers to update the status of the room as soon as it is checked or
cleaned which the front desk as well as the supervisors can check, change as well as
update on their appropriate systems
- The use of technology and especially computer and computer systems is especially helpful
in housekeeping operations

HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING SUBROUTINES

- These routines, which we call subroutines, are vital to total operations and should be given
equal planning attention with the daily routine.
- Subroutines can be presented through standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Cleaning and Maintenance
Public Area Cleaning
● Cleaning and maintenance circuits (rounds) need to be established in order that all areas
of concern are kept under control.
● Both the senior housekeeping aide and the night supervisor should be involved in
establishing the standard operating procedures for performance of public area
housekeeping and in developing job descriptions for employees under their control.

●
General Cleaning of Guestrooms
● Guestrooms also need a periodic general or deep cleaning.
 ● Tasks such as high dusting, vacuuming drapes and casements, wiping down walls, cleaning
carpet edges and vent filters, moving beds and furniture, and turning mattresses must be
performed on a regular, but not daily basis.
● Frequency depends on heaviness of use, weather conditions, and quality of routine
maintenance.
● General cleaning can be performed by the GRA or by a special team of employees who do
nothing other than general cleaning of rooms.
Projects
● The management of every housekeeping department requires the performance of
occasional special projects.
● These projects can include periodic shampooing of a specific carpeted area, stripping and
refinishing a hard-surfaced floor, removing scuff marks on a seldom-used but accountable
space, and cleaning and sanitizing rubbish-handling equipment.
● Special projects are performed by utility personnel under supervision.
● Records of projects should be maintained and reviewed periodically to determine the
extent of man-hours being expended on this type of work.
Maintenance Work Request Programs
● The collaboration between the executive housekeeper and the chief engineer is what
ensures that all equipment, facilities, and other such things are all in proper working order.
● Proper usage of forms and thorough communication between departments makes
collaboration and completion of requests much easier and quicker

●
●
Operational Controls
Room Inspections
 ● Can be done by either managers, floor supervisors, or a dedicated inspector.
● Spot Checking Inspection is found to be more effective especially if done by the floor
supervisors
● Letting GRAs inspect their own work while in the presence of the supervisor fosters deeper
understanding of SOPs and better improvement
● Room inspections are essential to quality guestroom cleanliness and servicing and should
be conducted regularly
Total Property Inspections
● The entire property of the hotel needs a thorough, regular, and carefully orchestrated
property inspection program.
● Guest rooms need to be looked at by more than one management person to provide a
different perspective and a fresh look into their work.
● Zone Inspection Programs should be used on a particular zone in under 3 hours and must
be documented
● Weekly Maintenance Inspections must be done to ensure that the property is on proper
working condition before the weekend
Inventories
● Checking Inventories periodically and ensuring the availability of materials as well as
ensuring that inventory records are accurate is a necessary task for ensuring smooth
housekeeping operations
● Operational supply storage rooms must be closely controlled, and access to storerooms
limited to only personnel in charge

●
Personnel Utilization
● Personnel are of course the most important as well as the most expensive operational
costs in the entire rooms department.
● The weekly or even daily forecasting of man-hour requirements is therefore imperative
to the efficient and cost effective operations of the hotel
●
● Executive housekeepers should be involved in the annual budgeting process (discussed
later) whereby they help determine man-hour requirements based on budgeted
occupancies.
● Weekly Wage analysis should be conducted after the operations to analyze actual
expenditures and compare it to the forecast to evaluate its accuracy

●
Statement Critiques
● Period statements provide results of period operations, especially results in attempts to
control costs during these operating periods. These statements must be critiqued to
determine whether revenues and cost are within the prescribed tolerance.

Purchasing Cleaning and Guest Supplies Linens

Cleaning and Guest Supplies
● Purchasing is a subroutine that can take up a part of each day for the executive
housekeeper.
● cleaning and guest supplies will be purchased either by the purchasing agent in the hotel
(if there is one) or by the department heads for their respective departments.
● Competitively shopping for suppliers or vendors will simplify the question as to who will be
used and for what products since various vendors will often have different prices for
different products that they offer

●
Linens
● Linen Inventories:
○ Overall linen supplies therefore should be in amounts several times those required to
cover all rooms one time (one par)

○
○ Because an unnoticed reduction in the supply of linens can cause a reduction in
efficient service to guestrooms, physical linen inventories should be conducted
regularly, and accurate records should be maintained to ensure forewarning of
additional needs.
○ Inventories should be conducted at the end of the normal workday when linen
movement is at a minimum.
 ● Linen Purchases:
○ Linen brokers service the need for vast amounts of linen purchases with these
purchases needing to be paid a premium to ensure linens are purchased directly
from linen mills.
○ Linen brokers should therefore be used only in an emergency
○ Direct purchase of linens from linen mills usually require long- range planning to
ensure quality and quantity from the mills

Personnel Administration
Time Card Control
● Employees should be counseled at the time of employment as to how many hours
constitute the work shift each day
● Setting rules on proper time card records ensure fair wage administration for both
employees and the employers
● Proper filling out of DTRs is a must for all
Payroll Administration
● The proper payment of wages due an employee is a matter requiring great attention to
detail by the department manager
● It is vital that department managers ensure that hours worked during a given workweek
be properly recorded on time sheets from which actual pay will be calculated.
● Proper wage administration includes orientation of the employee in understanding when
wages will be paid.
● Time sheet preparation is a tedious and time-consuming one requiring great attention to
detail.
 ●
Performance Appraisals
● Every employee has a right to know management’s expectations and to receive appraisals
of how well responsibilities and tasks are being carried out.
● Performance appraisals should be conducted at stated intervals and at other times when
appropriate.
● Satisfactory and outstanding performance evaluations should offer consideration of pay
increases in accordance with company policy.
● Performance appraisals should be personal between the manager and the employee. The
manager may consult with other supervisors, but the actual appraisal should come from
only one of the department managers.
● Once the appraisal has been prepared, a conference with the employee should be
scheduled.
Special Appraisals
● Special appraisals should be conducted in a similar manner as regular appraisals, except
that the occasion would be to either note routinely outstanding performance or
substandard performance.
● When poor or questionable performance must be appraised, a technique known as
leveling should be used.
● Employee performance appraisal is one of the most important aspects of personnel
administration in which the executive housekeeper will become involved.

Communication and Training Departmental Meetings

- Commitment and involvement stem from thorough orientation, individualized training, and
regular meetings through which the employees get the word.
Departmental Meetings
 ● Should be scheduled on a regular basis (At least monthly)
● They should be interesting, informative, and productive.
● Announcements about upcoming events and the success (or failure) of past events are
appropriate, as well as management observations about certain happenings
● Guest comments as to service (both good and bad) need to be presented
● Meetings should allow time for questions from employees, whereby management may
learn about matters concerning employees.
● Team leaders should conduct regular (simplified) meetings with team members

Long-Range Planning Budget Formulation (The Once-a-Year Subroutine)

- The participation of the executive housekeeper in formulating the operational budget for
the housekeeping department is essential if managers are to commit themselves to
successful accomplishment of the long-range plan known as the budget.
- If modification of the budget is necessary, it should be revised by the operating
departments until agreement is reached.
- The operational budget cycle usually requires several months from the onset of planning
until critiques and adjustments are finalized.
- Each budget planning cycle is commenced by those involved in budgeting room sales.
- A wage classification system for budgeting and accounting purposes is necessary in
order that man-hours in specific wage categories may be budgeted, collected, and
analyzed.
- The final budget is divided into six parts: total sales, total salaries and wages, total
employee costs, total controllables, control profit, and statistics.
- After all the planning and budgeting, This budget is put into action for the year and is
continually monitored and critiqued to ensure it does not deviate negatively.