Hilton Woodland Hills Tour Paper
HOUSEKEEPING
Chapter 4
Page 87
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Housekeeping is essential to a hotel’s success
Success relies on the a well organized & well trained staff
The executive housekeeper must communicate to staff members cooperation and flexibility
Good attitude, cooperation & coordination eliminate potential problems
Hotel management must enforce these qualities in order to retain high-quality talented staff.
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Housekeeping Organizational Chart
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Director of Housekeeping
Assistant Director of Housekeeping
Supervisor
Supervisor
Laundry
Runners
Room Attendants
Lobby Attendant
Executive/Director of Housekeeping
Usually the largest department in the hotel
Makes up 75% of the staff
Majority of unskilled workers
Minimal guest contact
Training/Hiring/Firing
Major responsibility inventory & control of housekeeping supplies
Control of equipment
Reporting and Recordkeeping
Organize control of payroll due to the volume of employees
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Large Hotels Common to have (3) Assistant Housekeepers
For Public Spaces
For Guest Floors
For Linen Room, Laundry & Supplies
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Assistant Housekeepers Areas
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Public Areas
Inspects all public areas
Guest Rooms
All Linen Closets
Linen Room/Supplies
Linen Room
Care of Uniforms
Executive Offices
Public Restrooms
In Conjunction w/Banquet/Convention events
Service Areas
Guest Room
Guest Room Floors
Inspects Final Room Inspections
All Guest Supplies
Laundry Room
Distribution of Linens
Checks the supply Inventory
Fills out Requisitions
Enforces Controls
Controls Equipment Inspections ,Maintenance
Carpet Cleaning, Window Washing, Drapery, Chandelier Cleaning, Furniture Mover
Food & Beverage Linens
Monitors Quality of Linens
Housekeeper Carts
Monitors Equipment & Schedules Repairs
Smaller Hotels
Does not have a separate person to clean bathrooms
Less Supervisors leaving all inventory to the DOH
Public Space responsibility of the DOH
Room Attendants clean between 14 and 16 rooms a day
Housekeeping Staff may set up banquet rooms for a dinner/dance/meeting & break down the room at the end
Self-regulating Uniform Room
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Scheduling
Housekeeping Costs can be one of the highest in a hotel
Schedules are adjusted in relation to the hotel occupancy (to fit demand)
A 10 or 14-day Rooms Forecast is needed
Revised 3 day forecast
Forecast of Catering and Convention Services for Group activity
List of occupied rooms
List of daily check-outs
Room Calculation:
Based on 30-minutes to clean a guest room X the number of rooms to be cleaned / by 60 (minutes in an hour) = 14 to 16 rooms cleaned in an 8-hour shift
Including State Law for Breaks in an 8-hour shift
(1) 30-minute lunch, (2) 10-minute breaks
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Room Attendants
In a Business Hotel their work day starts at 8am. Resort Hotel 9am
Subject to change based on forecasted occupancy
Must be flexible
Staff turnover rate can effect scheduling
Turnover can result from layoffs, resignation, dismissal, and retirement and most recent illness
Turnover Calculation: (Hires/rehires + payroll separations) / average # of employees x 100 = Turnover Rate %
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Main Focus
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Room Attendant
No tolerance for unclean rooms
Assigned a Master key for the day and returned at the end of their shift
Must fill out a work order for repairs
Lobby Attendant
Sole Duty to attends to all Public Space
A demanding job as public space is the most visible to the guest
Inventory and Control
Manages linens, guest supplies, cleaning products, stationary, etc.
Maintains Par Stock for all inventory items (the ideal par stock is 5 x the amount in use)
Thorough cleaning of the guest room
Assigned a cart replenished by a runner
Shines brass
Vacuums carpets
Dusts all areas
Picks up debris all through the hotel
Cleans public restrooms
In the PM attends to night requests for guest rooms
Coordinates requisitions with the DOH
Maintains Uniforms cleaning and issuing
Guest Laundry
If the hotel has an in-house laundry then linen pars are 3 – 3 ½
If outside laundry services are used than coordinates weekend and holiday pars
Establishes a circulating par stock for Food and Beverage Linens based on color of linens and volume of business
Inventory is conducted semi annually or annually which is a physical count of all linens, beddings, mats, towels, etc.
LINEN - A Major Operating Expense
FOUR WAYS TO TAKE LINEN OUT OF CIRCULATION:
Normal Wear and Tear*
Improper Use of Carelessness in Handling
Losses in the Laundry Department and
Theft
*Wear and Tear is the only one that is unavoidable
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Loss of Linen Continued
Improper use or carelessness in handling by guest or employee’s i.e. use as a kitchen rag, floor spills, wipe ashtrays, shine shoes,
Room Attendants may use face towels as a rag to clean or dust
Linen can catch or tear on jagged edges
Soiled-linen chutes not cleaned on a regular basis
Losses in the Laundry Room caused by worn rollers which burn linen
Worn linen/torn linen is removed from circulation
Theft from guest or employees
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Preventive Measures
Inspect rooms for missing linens and charge guest folio
Security to inspect packages upon leaving work
A separate employee entrance/exit
No loitering of employees before and after work
Alarm all non-employee doors
Conduct locker searches
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EMPLOYEE SAFETY
Employees are a company’s most valuable asset
Accidents/injuries have a serious impact on hotel’s ability to offer adequate service to the guests
Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) ensures employees work in a hazard free environment
The five (5) elements involved in most accidents are:
Caustic Chemical,
Contact with extreme temperature or a burn
An unsafe act i.e. a room attendant w/her hands full of clean glasses in a hurry
An unsafe condition such as a water spill in the laundry
Improper shoes
A Hotel’s Safety Program is Important especially in Housekeeping which has the largest number of employees
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