Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Definition
Housekeeping can have a hidden meaning different for each person who hears the word. For
some people, housekeeping is a perfect memory of their childhood home. Others view
housekeeping as a lost art that the present generation doesn't appreciate though it is one of the
single most important activities wherever one finds himself. Still others consider it a throw
back to when only women participated in the home arts and cleaning.
establishment that is responsible for the cleaning and the maintenance of rooms, work areas
comfortable, and safe areas of a commercial accommodation for work, meetings, relaxation
successful hotel operation. Cleaning is done for reasons that include controlling dust,
preventing the spread and diseases and other infections, promote health and safety, and
The first question that pops up in the mind regarding the role of housekeeping is: Why is
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commercial accommodation, housekeeping department is considered the backbone of all
services and is closely associated with all the other departments. It is a vital part of the system
that affects the overall quality of service provided by the hotel. Hence, together with the front
office operations form the nerve centre of the commercial accommodation operations. The
housekeeping department therefore needs to coordinate and be in constant touch with the
other departments, such as food and beverage, engineering and maintenance, security and
front-office.
availability because it is the housekeeping department which provides the rooms for
occupancy that the front-office ultimately offers for use to the guests. The housekeeping
department is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the entire property and not only
the rooms.
accommodation establishment. This goes on and on. Cleanliness is ensured 24/7 in all
cleaning is not the only function of the department. Guest safety and security, room
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maintenance, pest control, linen room activities, laundry, bed making, and room/interior
decoration.
Pest control
Bed Making
Point to note
Revenue from Room Sales. Figure 1 shows the percentage distribution of hotel revenue in a
typical operational year. Room sales normally contribute to the majority of a hotel’s revenue,
followed by sales in food & beverage sections. Over 50% of revenue generated from the sales
of rooms. This is because when a room is properly prepared, it can generate income over and
over again.
For examples, the revenue of casino hotels are mainly from the gambling units, while charges
in rooms and catering services are relatively cheap or even subsidized in order to attract more
guests. Convention hotels and those which target for events would also have higher income
from banqueting and consumption of meeting facilities when compared with other hotels in
general. Small-scaled hotels with no restaurant outlets mainly depend on their revenue in
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Figure 1-Sources of Hotel Revenue
Source: Chan & Mackenzie (2013)
The following is a list of job descriptions for housekeeping staff. It is however not exhaustive
and that more can be added to it. Do you think some of the responsibilities of one post can be
manager;
Training;
Deployment;
Personnel records;
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Arranges supervision;
Staff welfare;
Key control.
Inspects rooms, lobbies and restaurants for cleanliness and also determines
or dismissals.
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Takes inventory; and
Redeployment;
Supervision of staff;
Linen checks;
public areas meet the standard and needs for immediate repair is reported;
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Makes maintenance report for restaurant or item in need of repair and follows
satisfactory; and
Spots rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture using vacuum cleaner, broom and
shampooing machine;
Distributes and measures uniforms for new employees and keeps record;
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i. Uniform and Linen Room Attendant Duties include:
Self-Assessment
3. As the Executive Housekeeper of Comfort Zone Hotel, explain the functions of your
4. Create a table of the functions of the personnel who work in the housekeeping department