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ROLE OF HOUSEKEEPING

The role of housekeeping in any organization is to ensure cleanliness, maintenance and

aesthetic appeal. In a hotel it cleans and maintains everything so that the property is as fresh
and attractive as the day it opened for business. In hotels especially the standard of cleanliness
and tidiness can make or mar the general impression retained by guests. Good housekeeping
can make a substantial contribution to the comfort and welfare of the residents. Surveys have
shown again and again that the most important reason for any guest returning or not returning
to a hotel is the cleanliness and facilities provided. Grand advertising campaign, unique location
and design may attract the customer to try a hotel once – but if the cleanliness is poor, he or she
will not return. The best insurance for investment in a hotel is excellent standards of
housekeeping and cleanliness.

Organizing the efficient cleaning of the building is one of the most important functions
of the housekeeping department. Therefore it involves labour intensive activities, though a few
mechanical aids are available. The housekeeping department is also the single largest employer
in the hotel and hence has a great responsibility in the area of operating costs.

The housekeeping is the only department with legitimate access to every area of the
institution. Hence the housekeeper is the eyes and ears of the institution.

Guests form instantaneous impressions when they walk into the lobby of the hotel.
These impressions are enhanced or diminished as the guest moves from the entrance, to the
registration desk, to the elevators, down the corridors towards a room. When the guest enters
his room, however all-prior impressions are immediately supplemented by virtual total response
to the room itself. The impression a guest gets from the hotel comes from the condition of
carpeting, draperies and bedspreads. These are the three things that catch his eye as soon as he
enters the room, and quickly say whether there is good housekeeping.

The head of the housekeeping carries major managerial responsibilities in the

purchasing, inventory, issuance and care of lots of hotel property. So, he / she must be
constantly alert to new products, new cost saving techniques and new requirements.

The housekeeping department must provide the front desk with assurance of rooms in
order to meet the anticipated arrivals for the day. With the changing patterns of travel, larger
group check-in and out, the coordination between them becomes critical.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

To a layman, housekeeping is keeping the house; and with some logic when a house is
compared to 500 rooms of a hotel, one realises the proportion of the job. It may begin with
cleaning of all furniture and furnishings, to their upkeep and maintenance, their selection and
purchase, and eventually their replacement.

The hospitality industry caters to two basic necessities – food and shelter. The standard
of housekeeping plays an important role in the reputation of any establishment. Clientele
repetition depends mainly on the level of cleanliness and upkeep of all areas. Guests go to any
hotel for food or lodging, and both these services are emphasized by cleanliness, décor and new
ideas. If the place is clean, not only will the guests come back but will also talk about it and
recommend it to others. No publicity can be better than this free publicity.

The objective of housekeeping department is guest satisfaction. For this the ‘sale appeal’
of rooms has to be constantly updated and a clean atmosphere has to be provided. For e.g. even
a costly cut-glass ashtray looses it’s appeal if filled with used cigarette butts. Similarly neatness
is of no use if there is no comfort. For e.g. a sofa might be clean, but if not stuffed well or if the
springs have become slack, no one would like to sit on it.

The décor of every room is important. Every guest room should have it’s own mood – a
feeling it projects to all those who come to live in it. Anything less than complete satisfaction
has depreciating effect. Thus a well decorated, clean and well maintained surrounding is largely
responsible for high occupancy rates.

Another aspect of housekeeping is ensuring the safety of the guests. The housekeeping
staff try their utmost to ensure that the guest is not in danger, or susceptible to any accidents.
They also come very close to the personal items and documents of the guests during the
cleaning of the rooms. Hence it is their responsibility to keep all the personal information a
secret.

Along with clean, comfortable, attractive and safe surroundings, the staff of
housekeeping department also offers the guests a friendly and courteous service, and being of
assistance whenever required.

To achieve all the above requirements, housekeeping has to plan their inputs of cleaning
agents, equipments, manpower, etc.

1. Housekeeping is the department that deals essentially with cleanliness and all the
ancillary services attached to it.
2. Cleanliness is important foremost for health reasons and also for the well being of all
individuals. No one feels comfortable in an environment that is not clean or well
ordered.
3. The hygiene factor must always be present in the cleaning. Along with the dirt and dust
efforts must be made to remove microorganisms too. During cleaning foreign particles
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must not be transferred from one place to the other, but be destroyed or removed from
site. The methods of cleaning should also be clean and correct.
4. Housekeeping is responsible for providing accommodation to guests. From studies done
regularly since the last ten years, it has been seen that the main reason for guests
returning or not returning to the hotel is the standard of cleanliness maintained. A guest
spends more time alone in his room than he spends alone in any part of the hotel. So, he
can check up the cleanliness if he wishes to; and people who are more hygiene and
health conscious do take the trouble to check. If he finds the cleanliness is only
superficial, he looses confidence in the hotel and its methods.
5. The linen provided in the hotel is also important – both cleanliness and quality; as it
touches the guest’s body. Dirty linen is unforgivable.
6. Special care should be taken to clean the insides of cupboards and drawers. If a guest
notices dirt or any article belonging to the previous guest in them, he will not feel like
using it. It proves sloppy housekeeping supervision.
7. The flooring should be clean enough to attract the guest to walk barefoot. Carpets
should not have stains, as they look repelling.
8. Bathroom is a very sensitive area as no one would like to expose their body to the
germs left behind by other people. Dirty toilets, hair in bath or basin are a repelling
sight.
9. Clean cleaning methods should be adopted as the guest may notice either while his
room is being cleaned in his presence, or while passing by a room that is being cleaned.
If he notices that the glasses are being wiped with a used towel, he will never feel like
using the glasses again.
10. Only intense supervision and training of staff can uphold high standards.
11. The international traveler is a very fussy and discerning person. Businessmen in
particular spend a long stretch of time outside their homes, and hence they want to find
total comfort in their hotel rooms. They also get opportunities to compare companies.
12. The décor and good order of maintenance of any hotel also plays a large part in creating
a comfortable impression for guests.
13. Decent room supplies and services like express laundry and dry-cleaning show a guest
that the hotel is considering his comfort, and wishes to please him.
14. In most hotels the major part of revenue comes from rooms. A room empty for one night
looses forever that possible revenue. Hence housekeeping should always be ready with
rooms whenever front office needs them.
15. Though maintenance of the whole building comes under maintenance, it is the
housekeeping department that maintains it through regular cleaning and reporting faults
for rectification.
16. Not only does the resident guest get to experience the quality of housekeeping, but the
city guests who use the various food and beverage outlets like bar, restaurants, discos,
banquets, etc also base their views on the level of cleanliness maintained.
17. Along with the standards of cleanliness; the organization of the cleaning, staff, methods
of work and timings of duty are equally important. Hotels should have systems of
management, checking and controlling rooms and public area regularly – either daily or
weekly or once in three days, etc. or spot inspectors can be assigned to do random
checks. Every manager should be able to check rooms as well as housekeepers.
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18. With the growth of travel and tourism, travel and tour magazines have articles with
frank comments about different places. This has tremendous reflection on any
establishment. Many trade magazines also conduct regular assessments on different
hotels. They mention small details also like how many times the soap was changed, etc.
Travel agencies also sometimes send unidentified guests to check the standards of the
hotels, to see if it is suitable for their prospective clients. Hence we see that
housekeeping is open to general inspection. It cannot hide the dirt or poor services. A
job not done properly maybe overlooked by the supervisors and managers, but will be
caught by the guests or other visitors, eventually resulting in loss of revenue.
19. Housekeeping in other institutes other than hotel is important not for revenue reasons,
but for hygiene and for a clean environment. For e.g. in hospitals it is important for non-
proliferation of germs and diseases, in residential places like schools, offices and
institutes to make it livable, in shops also for cleanliness, etc.
20. Cleanliness involves health, which is happiness in life – it is not something to be
ignored.