What is Hotel Housekeeping?
It is essential first to define and describe hotel housekeeping. This process keeps a hotel neat, clean, comfortable, safe, and visually appealing. Cleaning surfaces, removing waste and debris, changing linens, and maintaining order are some main activities.
Housekeeping in hotels is essential, as guests will only stay in clean and clean hotels or unhygienic ones. The beds should be freshly made for guests, the rooms arranged logically, and the hotel should be made presentable.
Devising a Hotel Housekeeping Strategy
It is essential to create an effective strategy for your hotel’s housekeeping department if you want it to be successful. This will include learning how much housekeeping staff can do so you can always have the correct number of employees in your department.
How many hotel housekeeping employees you will need for each shift depends on how much-required work. The number of hotel rooms, the number that needs to be cleaned, the number that requires new guests to be prepared, and how much cleaning is required throughout the hotel will determine the exact number of hotel housekeeping staff you need per shift.
Calculating the time it takes your staff to clean and prepare each hotel room is one of the best tips for hotel housekeeping. You can then calculate how many rooms you can wash and design in a single shift. This will help you determine the number of staff you need for a specific change.
Use Your Hotel PMS to Manage Housekeeping
The hotel PMS is an actual example of technology. These software packages are all-in-one solutions for hotels. They allow users to manage reservations, front desk operations, distribution, and revenue management.
Best hotel PMS solutions will include housekeeping features, which allow the hotel to manage its core housekeeping tasks through the platform. It may also have the scheduling of employees and the ability to track each hotel room’s current status, including whether it is occupied, vacant, or needs cleaning.
One of the best tips for hotel housekeeping is to use the hotel PMS to assign tasks to your housekeeping staff based on your hotel’s needs and those of your guests. Modern solutions allow housekeeping staff members to update their status as they complete tasks using mobile phones and tablets.
An essential tool for the hotel housekeeper is the Housekeeping Trolley
One important hotel housekeeping tip is providing housekeeping staff with a trolley. It is a crucial tool that hotel housekeeping staff can have because it gives them all the tools necessary to do their job effectively. Your housekeeping trolley must be managed carefully.
It is crucial to strike the right balance when providing the equipment. This includes bed sheets, cleaning supplies, towels, toiletries, and other items in hotel rooms.
The staff will have to manage the trolley throughout their shift. This may include re-supplying the trolley once they have cleaned a specific number of hotel rooms. The trolley should be well-maintained, safe for use, and not over-filled to the point that it is difficult to push.
10 Tips and Tricks for a Clean Hotel
You will find some helpful hotel housekeeping tips in the sections below. These will help you organize and manage your housekeeping staff and operations and ensure your hotel is safe, clean, and visually appealing.
Plan Well Before You Start Your Business
Planning is the key to good hotel housekeeping. The housekeeping department must track what work is needed and when it needs to be completed.
Careful management of cleaning supplies and other equipment is required. Ordering new supplies before towels, toilet paper, sheets, and other cleaning equipment run out are vital. The collections should be arranged and stored logically so that the housekeeping staff knows where everything is.
When housekeeping staff arrives at their workplace, they need to be able to access the day’s tasks to get started as quickly as possible. Hotel robots and other hotel trends can help housekeeping departments complete repetitive, predictable tasks before the staff arrives.
Utilise Digital Hotel Housekeeping Checklists
Efficiency is the top priority for hotel housekeeping departments. The best way to maximize efficiency is by planning what must be done and then tracking progress continuously. Hotel housekeeping checklists are now digital, replacing the traditional paper-based versions.
Digital checklists have many benefits, including being updated in real-time for anyone with access. Housekeeping staff can use portable devices to show when and by whom a task is completed. The result is greater transparency, less misunderstanding, and fewer mistakes.
To improve sustainability, switch to eco-friendly products
Customers are becoming more concerned about sustainability and eco-friendliness. The Hotel Industry is under increasing pressure to limit the negative impact of tourism and travel on the local community and environment.
There is also a need to strike a balance, particularly in an age post-COVID, when guests are more conscious of hygiene concerns. But harsh chemicals can be replaced with eco-friendly alternatives with the same benefits. Hotel toiletries can also emphasize sustainability.
Optimize Your Housekeeping Schedule and Automate it
The hotel housekeeping schedule plays a vital role in the overall performance of your hotel, but you need to optimize it. If you employ too many people to work a single shift, you may pay them even though they contribute little value to the hotel. You can only complete essential tasks with enough staff for a particular change.
The key to optimizing a schedule involves using the data you have available. How long does it take to prepare and clean a room? How many employees will be needed when the occupancy reaches a certain percentage? This information should be readily available on your PMS or other software. The best solutions allow you to automate schedules based on the data.
Housekeeping communication is essential
You should constantly work to improve communication skills, as they can significantly impact performance. For example, internal communication is how employees know what to do, when, and how to get the best results.
Written communication includes verbal and written communication. It also provides communication over the phone and via digital channels. Housekeeping staff should also develop their customer service skills because they will come into contact with hotel guests.
