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Laundry Manager
Supervisor Orientation & Training
Job Description
Ocean Partners Hospitality
Job Description
Job Title: Laundry Manager or Supervisor
Department: Housekeeping
Reports To: Executive Housekeeper
FLSA Status: Non exempt
Prepared By: Human Resources
Prepared Date: June 15, 2013
SUMMARY
Oversees and works within the laundry area by monitoring the activity of the laundry
staff; the laundering process; oversees the linen inventories and storage areas, and
oversees the distribution of bed and table linen and towels.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Includes the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Oversees the collection and processing of soiled linen properly
Sorts, washes, dries and folds linen properly
As laundry is sorted, stains are spot treated appropriately
Only use chemicals as instructed
Monitor the proper use of chemicals within the laundry area
Use and monitor the staff use of proper washer settings at all times
Sets and monitors the setting of dryers to the correct time and temperature
according to charts
Pull linen from dryers as soon as drying is complete. Monitor the cleaning of the
dryer(s) around noon and before closing for the day
Uses sink area to spot dirty linen. Make sure soak sink is empty and processed
before leaving shift.
Be aware of the electrical shut off and fire exiting locations; be prepared to
oversee the evacuation of the laundry area in event of an emergency.
Maintain and Clean dryer lint screens 2-4 times per day
Monthly Linen Inventories due by 5th
of every month for prior month
At the time of closing, monitor that floors have been swept and rugs vacuumed; garbage
has been emptied; and pull in laundry bins. Check that all fans are off. Turn in keys and
clock out.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, and individual must be able to perform each essential
duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill,
and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals
with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
High school diploma; or a minimum of 1 year experience in laundry/housekeeping; or a
combination of education and experience.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an
employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the
essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, bend
and lift, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The
employee frequently is required to walk and stand for extended periods of time. The
employee is also required to sit, climb or balance, talk and hear. The employee must
continuously lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an
employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the
essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to fumes or
airborne particles. Rubber gloves and face mask are available when needed or required.
The employee is occasionally exposed to extreme heat. The noise level in the work
environment is usually moderate.
RECEIPT OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have read the above job description and am capable of performing in a reasonable
manner the activities involved in the job occupation for which I have been employed. I
understand this job description does not constitute a contract or employment agreement.
Signature and Date Signed
Employee Printed Name
Recruiting Staff
Ideas for Recruiting Housekeeping Staff
Housekeeping is one of the hardest working departments in a hotel. Housekeeping
demands of the business require that employees of this department be on their feet for
long periods of time and have a sharp awareness of high standards of cleanliness.
One of our largest challenges in the industry is to recruit and retain quality staff for this
department. The following is a list of ideas you may use to help find housekeeping
employees. Not all labor markets are the same so we suggest that you track each source,
keep tabs on how many applicants each one produces and, most importantly how many
you actually hire.
1. Newspaper Advertisements- This can be a costly endeavor and should only be
used when it has been proven as a viable source in your market.
2. Internet – We recommend the following sites that you can post on:
a. Craigslist.com – Free!
b. Hospitalityonline.com- $$
c. HCareers.com-$$
d. Local Newspaper online
e. Local job services online
3. Job Services-Most cities or counties have a local job bank that allows you to post
your job for free!
4. Local trade schools or community colleges-Students need part time work
5. Senior groups-Many senior citizens are looking to supplement their income with
work.
6. Other Hotels-You can steal employees from other hotels. You should be discreet
and careful about how you do this, but it is a viable option.
7. Other service industries-Restaurants, department stores, etc. all have entry level
people that may be interested in getting to a new career.
8. Referral- Good people usually know good people. Reward you staff for sending
you a new employee.
9. Employment Agencies- These firms usually supply staff for a fee. If you want to
keep the employee then at the end of a certain period of time you typically pay an
additional premium to keep the employee.
Internal candidates-Some employees within your hotel may be interested in picking up
the extra hours you need in another department. Always post jobs and hours needs
internally.
New Hire Orientation
New Hire Orientation
Part One –Orientation and completion of New Hire Paperwork
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
Completion on all New Hire Paperwork
Application
Background Check Authorization Form
I-9
W-4
Employee Handbook Receipt of Acknowledgment
Uniform Contract *Uniform Issued
Direct Deposit
Review of Job Description-Signed and Dated
Review of the Employee Handbook
Explanation of Employee Benefits:
Health Insurance
Life Insurance
Paid Holidays (review of qualifying holidays)
Paid Vacation Guidelines
Review of upcoming training-what to expect
Satisfying your Customers
1. The Hotel Guest
2. Your Fellow Employees
. 3. Your Management Staff
Recap and Review-Question and Answer session
Part 2: Management Staff & Orientation to Property
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
Meet Management Staff
General Manager
Assistant General Manager
Department Heads
Supervisors
Tour of Property:
Front of House
Back of House
Laundry/Housekeeping
Meeting Space and Restaurant/Lounge (if applicable)
Fitness Center/Pool/Recreational Facilities
Tour of Guestrooms
Employee Break Room
Time Clock and Payroll
Location of Time Clock
Review punch in/out procedures
Review meal break options
Employee Lunches (if applicable)
Pay Periods and Pay Dates
Overtime Policy
Policy for Calling Off
Training
Laundry Manager/Supervisor Training Schedule
Day One: Department Overview
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
New Employee Orientation (BWI – Internal)
I Care Training (BWI)
Laundry Manager / Supervisor Training Schedule Review:
◦ Provide Training Packet or Manual
◦ Provide Skill Breakdowns
◦ Introduction
◦ Quality Guest Services
Housekeeping Department Overview & Communication Tools:
◦ Attend Daily Line up
◦ Storage Rooms & Closets
◦ All Room Types
◦ Laundry
◦ Room Assignments
◦ Room Inspection Sheets
◦ Employee Mail box
◦ Scheduling – Request off Procedures
◦ Time Clock
◦ Log Book
◦ Housekeeping Office
◦ Assistant Executive HK workstation or desk
◦ Discuss Department SOP’s on website
Receive User Login & Password information for all systems
*BWI__________________________________________________
*My Best Western________________________________________
*My Portal (Days Inn)_____________________________________
*SOP Site______________________________________________
Review Uniform & Appearance Standards
Laundry Manager/Supervisor Training Schedule
Day Two: Knowledge for all Housekeeping Employees
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
Working as a Team With Co-Workers and Other Departments
Telephone Etiquette
Housekeeping Key Control System-Signing Out Keys
Safety Within the Laundry Area
Blood Borne Pathogens
Bed Bug – (must be done within 90 days of hire)
Chemical Training and Awareness
Linen Storage Areas
Keeping your Work Area Organized and Tidy
Housekeeping Inventories
The Flow of Products:
Linen
Trash
Guest supplies
Cleaning supplies
Shift Checklists for all positions
Notes:
Laundry Manager/Supervisor Training Schedule
Day Three: All about Linens---Using Commercial Washers
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
Linen Types
Sheets-by Type and Size; Pillow Covers and Pillow Cases
Blankets, Bedspreads, Mattress Covers and Duvets
Towels: Bath, Hand, Washcloth, Bath Mat
Table Linens-F & B
Guestroom Robes
Employee Uniforms
Review Storage Room Setups and inventory process
Sorting Soiled Linens and Uniforms
Pre-Treat and/or Rewashing Heavily Soiled Items
Reading the Fabric Care Chart for Proper Washer Use
Filling the Washers to Capacity for Efficient Energy Usage
Load, Use, and Unload Washers
Notes:
Laundry Manager/Supervisor Training Schedule
Day Four: Using the Commercial Dryers; Folding, Ironing,
Mending and Processing Linens;
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
Load, Use, and Unload Dryers
Importance of Folding/Ironing Linens as Soon as They are Dry
Ironing Linens Using a Mechanical Flatwork Ironer
Using Mechanical Linen-Folding Equipment
Folding Linens by Hand
Ironing Linens by Hand
Importance of Rotating Linen Supplies
Proper Handling of Stained/Damaged Linens
Cleaning the Dryer/Lint Traps
Mend and Sew Linens and/or Uniforms
Clean and Maintain Laundry Work Areas
Fill Banquet and Restaurant Linen Requisitions
Processing Contract-Cleaned Linens and Uniforms
Restocking Housekeeping Closets and Carts
Providing Towel Service to Recreation Areas
Notes:
Laundry Manager/Supervisor Training Schedule
Day Five: Supervising/Managing the Laundry Area
Trainee
Initials
Trainer
Initials
Date
Reviewed
Task
Reviewed
Staffing & Scheduling Guidelines
Being Prepared for an Emergency-Electrical Shut-off and Fire
Escape Route
Taking and Maintaining Linen Inventories
Loss Prevention and Awareness in the Laundry Area
Blood Borne Pathogens-Awareness and Precautions
Overseeing All Processes in the Laundry Department
Scheduling
Inventories-Loss Prevention
Sorting, Washing, Drying, Folding, and Ironing Linens
Dryer Vents maintained and cleaned on regular basis
Proper Storage and Rotation Practices
Delivering of Soiled Linens to the Laundry Area
Distribution and Restocking of Clean, Processed Linen
Laundry Staff Performance and Motivation
Houseman staff & Duties
Notes:
Life Safety
Ocean Partners Hospitality Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
Table of Contents
I. Policy Statement
A. Policy
B. Definitions
II. Methods of Compliance
A. Universal Precautions
B. Engineering and Work Practice Controls
C. Hand washing Facilities
D. Handling of Contaminated Needles and Sharps
E. Personal Hygiene
F. Personal Protective Equipment
G. Housekeeping
III. Hepatitis B Vaccinations
IV. Communication of Hazards
A. Labels
B. Signs
C. Employee Training
V. Post Exposure Evaluation and Follow-up
VI. Recording Keeping
Appendix A: Universal Precautions
Appendix B: Hand Washing
Ocean Partners Hospitality.
Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
I. POLICY STATEMENT
Bloodborne diseases can be transferred from source to source. The risk of transmittal can
be reduced by following the guidelines provided in OPH's Bloodborne Pathogens Control
Program. At OPH, we feel that it is crucial to control exposures to blood borne pathogens
through proper work practices, employee training and engineering controls.
It is the policy of OPH that you can work in the printing and bindery industry with
minimal risk of contracting any blood borne diseases by following the correct work
practices.
A. Purpose
It is the purpose of this Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Program to
minimize exposure to blood borne diseases from body fluids encountered during
the work day.
B. Definitions
Blood - means human blood, human blood components and products made from
human blood.
Bloodborne Pathogens - mean pathogenic microorganism that are present in
human blood and that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but
are not limited to, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV).
Contaminated -- means the presence or reasonably anticipated presence of blood
or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.
Contaminated Laundry -- means laundry that has been soiled with blood or other
potentially infectious materials or may contain sharps.
Contaminated Sharps -- means any contaminated object that can penetrate the
skin including, but not limited to needles, scalpels, broken glass, broken
capillary tubes, and exposed ends of dental wires.
Decontaminated -- means the use of physical or chemical means to remove,
inactivate, or destroy the blood borne pathogens on the surface or item to the
point where they are no longer capable of transmitting infectious particles and
the surface or item is rendered safe for handling, use or disposal.
Disposable -- means any item indicated as single use only.
B. Definitions (continued)
Engineering Controls -- mean controls that isolate or remove the blood borne pathogen
hazards from the workplace.
Exposure -- Any non Exposure Incident contact with blood or potentially infectious
materials. Direct skin contact with intact skin.
Exposure Incident -- means a specific mouth, eye, other mucous membrane, and non
intact or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that result
from the performance of an employee’s duty.
Handwashinq Facilities -- means a facility providing an adequate supply of running
potable water, soap and single use towels or air drying machine.
Hazard -- means an actual or potential exposure to risk.
HBV -- means Hepatitis B Virus
HIV -- means Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Occupational Exposure -- means reasonably anticipated skin, eye, mucous membrane or
other parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that may
result from the performance or an employee’s duty.
Other Potentially Infectious Materials -- mean semen vaginal fluids, cerebrospinal fluid,
synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in
dental procedures, and any fluid contaminated with blood, and all body fluids when it is
difficult to distinguish.
Parenteral -- means piercing mucous membranes or the skin barrier through such events
as needle sticks, human bites, cuts and abrasions.
Personal Protective Equipment -- is specialized clothing or equipment worn by an
employee for protection against a hazard. General work clothes not intended to function
as protection against a hazard are not considered PPE.
Regulated Waste -- means liquid or semi liquid blood or potentially infectious materials,
contaminated items, that would release blood or potentially infectious materials in a
liquid or semi liquid state if compressed, items that are caked with dried blood or OPIM
and are capable of releasing these materials during handling, contaminated sharps, and
pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or OPIM.
B. Definitions (continued)
Sterilize -- means the use of physical and or chemical procedures to destroy all
microbial life including highly resistant bacterial endospores.
Universal Precautions -- is an approach to infection control where all human
blood and body fluids are treated as if known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and
or other blood borne pathogens.
Work Practice Control -- Means controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure
by altering the manner in which a task is performed.
Ocean Partners Hospitality
Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
II. METHODS OF COMPLIANCE
The following sections are intended to give guidelines for working with exposures to
potentially infectious materials at OPH.
A. Universal Precautions
It is OPH's policy to treat all first aid patients and body fluids equally by
following the standards for Universal Precautions outlined in the Infection
Control Protocols.
The term "Universal Precautions" refer to a system of infectious disease control
which assumes that every direct contact with body fluids is infectious and
requires every employee exposed to direct contact to bodily fluids to be protected
as though such fluids were HBV or HIV infected. Therefore, universal
precautions are intended to reduce risk to OPH employees from parenteral,
mucous membrane and non-intact skin exposures to blood borne pathogens.
In addition to the body fluids falling under the Universal Precautions, at OPH all
sharps and any other items potentially contaminated will be treated using
Universal Precautions.
For more information refer to the Appendix A
B. Engineering and Work Practice Controls
At Ocean Partners Hospitality several engineering and work practice controls
have been implemented to help reduce exposure to potential blood borne
pathogens.
Work practice Control -- Means controls that reduce the likelihood of exposure
by altering the manner in which a task is performed. Some work practice controls
that are used by Ocean Partners Hospitality include:
Potential Exposure
Contact with Fluids during
first aid treatment
Contact with sharps in room
CPR and Stomach Contents
Body Fluid Spills
Work Practice Control
Gloves, Glasses and CPR
Masks
Sharps disposed of at
housekeeping cart
CPR Masks
Maintenance employees
will wear gloves and use an
EPA approved disinfectant
to clean the area.
Ocean Partners Hospitality will review operations on a periodic basis to determine if
additional exposures need to be addressed.
Engineering Controls -- mean controls that isolate or remove the blood borne pathogen
hazards from the workplace. At OPH there are several engineering controls utilized
including:
Potential Exposure
Contaminated Sharps
Engineering Control
All sharps will be placed in sharps containers impervious to stick through from needles,
etc. Hand washing is one of the most important procedures for preventing infection.
Hands must always be washed after first aid treatment contacts (following removal of
gloves), after touching inanimate objects likely to be contaminated by blood and any time
there is a potential of contamination. The rationale for hand washing after the removal of
gloves is that gloves become perforated, knowingly or unknowingly, during use and
allow bacteria to enter and beneath the glove materials, multiply rapidly.
C. Hand Washing Facilities (For more information refer to Appendix B)
D. Handling of Contaminated Needles and Sharps
At Ocean Partners Hospitality there are limited types of sharps which employees may
encounter. These include, but are not limited to needles and other objects found in
guest rooms that may become contaminated with blood or OPIM and have the potential
of puncturing skin.
In order to prevent accidental parenteral contact with sharps in use at OPH the
following procedures and guidelines have been developed.
Disposable Sharps -- Disposable sharps such shall be removed from the room. Sharps
will be placed into puncture resistant Sharps containers by the original housekeeper.
Sharp surfaces which are contaminated and that cannot be removed will be disinfected
by the original user. An EPA approved disinfectant shall be used.
Personal Protective Equipment -- PPE will be required to be worn when working with
any potentially contaminated sharps. Gloves are available at the first aid stations
throughout OPH.
E. Personal Hygiene
NO EATING, DRINKING OR SMOKING IN ANY OF THE FIRST AID
TREATMENT AREAS. In addition, never eat, drink or smoke in any area where there
are contaminated items or risk of exposure to potential blood borne pathogens.
Always wash you hands, using the procedures identified in section C, before and after
work, as well as before and after meals, even if no patient contact took place.
F. Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at OPH is a crucial part of our prevention program.
The following protection is required.
Patient Contact (First Aid) -- Personnel must be equipped with Gloves, Glasses
(equipped with non-perforated side shields if there is a risk of splashing) or goggles, and
masks at a minimum. Personnel falling into this category include First Aid Providers.
Housekeeper Contact -- Personnel must be equipped with Gloves, Glasses (equipped
with non-perforated side shields if there is a risk of splashing) or goggles at a minimum.
Personnel falling into this category include room attendants and housekeepers
G. Housekeeping
Cleanliness is one of the most important aspects to this program and the prevention
of contraction of Bloodborne Pathogens from occupational exposures. At OPH,
there are definite procedures for cleaning and housekeeping. The following is a
synopsis of those procedures.
1. After each First Aid case
a. Sharps shall be placed in the puncture resistant container
throughout the facilities.
b. Disposable items shall be placed in appropriate waste containers.
Disposable items include gauze, towels, cotton products, gloves,
masks and all barriers.
c. The spray, wipe, and spray technique shall be used on all touch
and splash surfaces. An EPA registered surface disinfectant
shall be applied to the surfaces to be cleaned, wiped off, and
then a second coat shall be applied to these same surfaces and
allowed to remain in a moist state for the recommended time
per manufacturer. Although the areas should remain moist,
they should not be dripping wet.
Ocean Partners Hospitality
Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
III. HEPATITIS B VIRUS VACCINATIONS
A. All employees who have had a potential exposure to blood borne pathogens will
be offered a HBV vaccine within 24 hours of notice of exposure at no cost. This
will be communicated to employees during orientation.
Although it is not a condition of employment, Ocean Partners Hospitality strongly
encourages you to protect yourself from Hepatitis B by having and keeping your
immunization current if there is an exposure. A simple blood screening test is
available to determine if you require the vaccine.
B. Prior to receiving the vaccine, all employees will be provided with a copy of the
Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and Ocean Partners Hospitality Bloodborne
Pathogens Program.
C. If an employee refuses the vaccine, documentation must be completed. See below for a sample refusal form:
Ocean Partners Hospitality has made available to me the screening and or vaccination for HBV without cost to me.
Although I realize I am working in a position with potential risk of exposure to HBV, I
do not wish to have the blood screening or vaccination at this time.
Signature Date
Return to General Manager
Ocean Partners Hospitality
Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
IV. COMMUNICATION OF HAZARDS
A. Labels
Universal markings (red containers) or BIOHAZARD Labels will be affixed to all containers with potentially infectious materials contained within them. Some of the containers include: Sharps Container RED CONTAINERS
B. Signs
As no laboratories or research facilities exist at OPH no signs will be posted
indicating potential exposures areas. This is due to the fact that signs are intended
for higher risk operations and to help control patient unease.
C. Employee Training
All first aid designee employees will receive initial and annual Bloodborne
Pathogens training. Training will also be given in the event of change of
assignment or process changes. This training will be completed annually by the
Workers' Comp Carrier, or internally with assistance from the local preferred
providers.
Training topics will include:
1. Copy of standard and explanation of contents
2. General explanation of epidemiology, symptoms and modes of transmission
of blood borne diseases.
3. Explanation of Exposure Control Plan with copies or where to get copies
4. PPE Information on use, storage and maintenance, disposal and
decontamination.
5. How to recognize tasks that may involve exposure
6. HBV Vaccination information
7. How to handle emergencies involving occupation exposure.
8. Exposure incident management
9. Labeling requirements
10. Question and Answer
Ocean Partners Hospitality
Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
v. POST EXPOSURE EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Exposure Incident -- means a specific mouth, eye, other mucous membrane, and non
intact or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that result
from the performance of an employee’s duty.
A. Medical Evaluation and Follow-Up Procedures Immediately after an exposure incident,
the employee is required to report the exposure to their supervisor or designated person.
Designated Person will document the exposure using the Accident Investigation Form
and the exposure Incident Report. The Exposure Incident Report will at the minimum
identify: Route of Exposure Circumstances of Exposure Identification of Source
Individual
B. After the exposure incident has been filed, Designated Person will contact the source
patient to obtain consent for blood testing. Designated Person will explain the purpose of
the test (to protect employee) and that testing will be performed cost free. A follow up
letter shall also be sent with the same information. The source patient will sign a written
consent form for testing or a written denial of testing form.
C. Exposed Worker
1. If source individual consents to testing the exposed worker shall be offered
information about HIV and HBV infection, methods of preventing infection and the
HIV/HBV tests.
2. If source individual denies testing, the employee will be notified by Designated
Person and advised to obtain a blood test. OPH will pay all costs associated with the
blood tests. The appropriate forms will be provided to the employee regarding these
tests.
3. Employees will also have Evaluation of Reported Illnesses, Counseling and other
medical assistance upon need or request.
D. Health Care Provider
1. All health care professionals will be provided with a copy of this regulation and the
exposure control plan.
2. Additional information will be provided to the health care professional including:
Description of exposed employees duties
Documentation of route of exposure
Results of source individual testing’s
All relevant medical records.
3. The health care professional will provide OPH a copy of his written opinion which
will be supplied to the employee.
Ocean Partners Hospitality
Bloodborne Pathogens Control Program
VI. RECORDKEEPING
A. Medical Records
1. OPH will maintain an accurate record for each employee with occupational
exposure including:
a. Name and Social Security Number
b. Copy of HBV Vaccination Status and medical records relative to the
employee's ability to receive vaccination.
c. A copy of all results of examinations, medical testing and follow up
procedures for any exposure incidents.
d. Employer's copy of Written Opinion
e. A copy of the information provided to health care professionals for
exposure incident evaluation.
2. All employee medical records shall be kept confidential and will not be
discussed, disclosed or reported without the employee's express written
consent to any person.
3. All medical records will be maintained for a minimum of 30 years.
B. Training Records
1. Training records will include the date of training session, summary of the
contents of the training session and the names and qualifications of the
persons presenting the training.
2. All attendees to training will sign a log with name and job title.
3. Training records will be maintained for three years from the date on which
the training occurred.
C. Availability
1. All records will be available to the Assistant Secretary and the Director
for examination and copying.
2. Training records will be available upon request for examination and
copying to employees, their representatives, to the Director and Assistant
Secretary.
3. Medical records will be provided upon request to subject employees and
to anyone having the written consent of the subject employee.
APPENDIX A
UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
Blood and other body fluids shall be considered potentially infectious materials. These
precautions are intended to prevent contact exposure to blood borne pathogens by an
employee via parenteral, mucous membrane and/or non-intact skin. All
consumers/clients/patients will be assumed to be infections.
It is the company's policy to treat all patients equally by following the standards for
Universal Precautions outlined in the Infection Control Protocols.
The term "universal precautions" refers to a system of infectious disease control which
assumes that every direct contact with body fluids is infectious and requires every employee
exposed to direct contact with body fluids to be protected as though such body fluids were
HBV or HIV infected. Therefore, universal precautions are intended to prevent health care
workers from parenteral, mucous membrane and non-intact skin exposures to blood-borne
pathogens.
Universal Precautions apply to:
Human blood
Human blood products
Human blood components
Human unfixed tissue and organs (living or dead) other than intact skin
All body fluid visibly contaminated with blood
All body fluids if differentiation is difficult/impossible
APPENDIX B
HAND WASHING
Hand washing is the single most effective barrier to microbial transfer.
Components of hand washing:
Water
Agent
Friction
Time
Hand Washing Technique:
Begin water flow
Remove jewelry
Moisten hands, other skin surfaces
Apply cleansing agent
Apply friction (rub)
Finger planes
Web Spaces
Fingernails
Time: Dependent upon exposure
Rinse thoroughly under running water
Dry thoroughly with disposable towels
Utilize drying towel to turn faucet to OFF position
Discard drying towel in designated container
Material Data Safety Sheets:
The Federal and state offices of OSHA require full disclosure to employees about any
hazardous substances with which they are required to work. Clearly, this specifically
applies to your Housekeeping, Food & Beverage, and Maintenance staff and could apply
to others should they come into contact with any hazardous substances in the course of
their job.
You have the Material Safety Data Sheets on the chemicals you order. These come with
the chemicals you receive. However, we are required to do more with respect to full
disclosure than simply having these sheets available and training the employees on their
use. This memo explains the extent of our obligation. Here is what you need to be doing
and you MUST document it when you do it.
1. List all hazardous substances; be sure to keep the list current.
2. Make sure that you have a Material Safety Data Sheet for all of the hazardous
substances on your list. The manufacturer will send you those you are missing.
Make sure to get one when you get anew hazardous substance.
3. Make sure all hazardous substance containers are labeled.
4. Train all of your employees on proper and safe use of all hazardous substances
before they begin to work with them. All of this information is found on the
Material Safety Data Sheets. Training is to include:
a. Chemical and physical properties of materials and methods that can be
used to detect the presence or release of chemicals (including chemicals in
unlabeled pipes).
b. Physical hazards of chemicals(e.g. potential for fire, explosions, etc)
c. Health hazards, including signs and symptoms of exposure, associated
with exposure to chemicals and any medical condition known to be
aggravated by exposure to the chemical.
d. Procedures to protect against the hazards (e.g. personal protective
equipment required its proper use, and proper maintenance, work
practices, procedures for emergency response).
e. Work procedures to follow to assure protection when cleaning hazardous
chemical spills and leaks.
f. Where Material Safety Data Sheets are located, how to read and interpret
the information on both the labels and these sheets, and how employees
may obtain additional hazard information. This would be to contact their
direct supervisor and/or the General Manager who will contact the
manufacturer if necessary.
5. Be sure you document this training (who, what, when) -everything is lost if you
fail to document this training.
6. Make sure that the Material Safety Data Sheets are easily accessible to all
employees working with these substances. The location of the documents should
be close to their immediate work area.
Key Control Program:
In order to maintain a high level of security in all areas of the hotel, management must
have a solid key control program in place. There are fundamental components to a well
managed and implemented key control program. To determine if those fundamentals are
established at your property, just answer these quick questions:
1. Are all hotel keys kept at the property?
2. Are key sign-in/out sheets used daily in all departments?
3. Are keys kept in a lockbox; and the lockbox is located in a back-of-house area?
4. Are storage room doors and closet doors kept locked?
5. Are keys labeled with a coding system, not the actual location they open?
If you answered “No” to any or all of the questions above then your hotel does not have a
well managed or implemented key control program. Listed below are steps to take in
order to ensure that your hotel has the best key control system in place to keep your
employees and guests safe. We have broken this down into two sections:
1. Implementing Property Key Control
2. Key Control for Housekeeping
Property Key Control
Follow these steps in order to organize and manage the entire properties key control
system.
Step 1. A locked key cabinet and emergency key box will need to purchased,
unless one already exists, for each hotel and placed in the back office on
the wall. Each department has its own color coded zone.
Green – Engineering
Blue – Housekeeping
Yellow – Front Office
Orange – F&B / Breakfast
Red – Administrative & All Manager / Supervisor Keys
Step 2. All of the keys used for each department (zone) listed above need to be
placed on the Key / Location Identification Sheet. See Exhibit A as an
example. You will need to walk around the property and identify every
area that each department needs access to in order to do their job.
Exhibit A:
Key / Location Identification Sheet
Zone Location Type of Key Key #
Green Maintenance Shop Metal Key #1
Green Boiler Room Metal Key #2
Green Pool Pump Room Metal Key #3
Green 5th
Floor storage Electronic Key #4
Blue Linen Closet Metal Key #1
Blue Laundry Room Electronic Key #2
Blue Luandry Chute Metal Key #3
Red
Maintenance
Engineer File
Cabinet
Metal Key #1
Red Housekeeping Office Metal Key #2
Step 3. Now that you have completed the Key/Location Identification Sheet you
can recognize what keys are being used in each department and how many
keys need to be placed on shift key rings.
Step 4. Every key that is listed on your key/ location identification sheet needs to
be put on one key ring and labeled A shift, B shift, C Shift; or how ever
many key rings you would need at one time during a day. As an Example
housekeeping will probably need 12 key rings during A shift so the
housekeeping key rings should be numbered 1-12 vs. Shift A, B or, C.
When your employees sign in for the day they will go to the front office at
each hotel and sign out which ever shift they are working. They should be
able to use that shift key ring to open everything they would need. When
they are done working it will be signed back in.
IMPORTANT: KEYS ARE NEVER TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY!
THEY MUST BE SIGNED BACK IN EVERY SHIFT. THIS IS
EVERY KEY WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
For example: Housekeeping will need to make 12-15 shift key rings for
the room attendants to use each day. Each key ring would contain an
electronic key, laundry chute key and linen closet key. These are the only
keys that the room attendants need to do their job. Once they are finished
working for the day the shift key rings will be signed back in at the front
office of the appropriate hotel. All key rings need to be attached to a
lanyard so the keys stay on the employee and are not lost. The employees
are required to keep the lanyard around their neck while they are working.
Keys should never be left on carts, in guest rooms or left out in the open.
See Housekeeping & Maintenance Key Control further below in this PAP
Step 5. All of the keys on the Shift key ring need to be color coded according to
their zone. For instance all of the keys on the housekeeping shift key rings
need to have a blue plastic cap (for metal keys – see Exhibit B) or a blue
circle sticker (applied on electronic keys). You never want to label keys
with the location that they open. Using this color coded system will be
easy for employees to recognize and no one else will understand your
system. Refer to the color zones in Step 1.
Exhibit B
Step 6. Each manager in the department will also need a key ring made with each
key listed on the key / location identification sheet in their zone and, they
will also need keys for other areas that line level employees do not have
access to. These key rings are labeled red. For example:
The chief engineer at the hotel will have a key ring with every key listed
on the key/ location identification sheet listed in the green zone (see
exhibit A above) plus a key to his / her filling cabinet and any other area
that the maintenance employees should not have access to. All of the
metal keys on this key ring will have red plastic covers; all of the
electronic keys will have a red circle sticker applied to them.
Check Point
Recap: Now you should have following:
List of all keys needed for each zone
Shift key rings created and color coded by zone
Manager key rings created by zone and color coded red
Step 7. Now that all of the employees have keys to work with and the keys are
organized and color coded, we need to talk about backups and the key
cabinet. In Step 1. we mentioned that there should be one locked key
cabinet at each hotel behind the front office. If you opened the key cabinet
you would see each of the shift key rings color coded by zone. Now you
need to create at least one back up for every key in each zone. The backup
keys should be separated by the colored zones. For instance: when you
open the lock box you will see all of the individual backup keys for the
green zone and then the green zone shift key rings and so on with the other
zones. Blue, yellow, orange, red. See Exhibit C for a suggested key
cabinet and color coded tags. The key cabinet will come with white key
tags that can be color coded with color circle stickers, however, we
suggest that you purchase the color key tags to keep things extremely easy
to use, identify and, organize. The inside panel of the key cabinet should
be used for all zone backups and they will be separated by colored zone.
The hooks on the cabinet door should be used for shift key rings again,
arranged by colored zone.
Exhibit C
Step 8. In Step 1. we mentioned that there should be one emergency key box
located at each hotel in the back office. See Exhibit D for a picture of this
key box. Inside this key box should contain a key ring with one set of
emergency keys. These keys would be used for extreme emergencies only.
The box is designed so that the glass can be broken and the keys obtained
quickly vs. searching for a key or key ring in the key cabinet. The key ring
should contain at a minimum the following:
Electronic Key Master – this key will override the deadbolt on guest
rooms and should be programmed as the emergency master in your
electronic key system
Metal key master to all storage rooms and closets
Elevator Key
Main Fire Pump Room
Fire Alarm Testing Systems
Exhibit D
Step 9. A key sign out sheet needs to be used daily for each property. All keys
taken out of the box need to be signed out at the front office and signed
back in at the end of the day. See the standard key sign out sheet. At the
beginning of every MOD shift, the manager on duty must audit each key
box and ensure that all keys are accounted for in the key cabinet with the
exception of what has been signed out at the time of the audit. The MOD
is responsible for all keys on their shift and must make sure they are all
accounted for prior to departing. If an employee or manager has left
without returning their keys, the MOD should call that employee and have
them immediately return the keys back to the property.
Step 10. This step is about organizing your electronic key masters. Each hotel has a
programming which is used to create electronic key masters. These units
are able to label in detail each and every electronic key master. It is
important that you label the Master Keys that are created because if a
guest room lock ever has to be audited we will be able to identify who was
in the room when by what key was used. Most electronic key systems will
allow you to write out a full name, if not then create a coding system of
some kind. Their should only be two people allowed to program master
keys at the property and one of those people should be the chief engineer.
Everyone that uses the key machine (front office employees, management,
and engineering) should have their own individual codes to access the
machine and perform functions. This will eliminate a lot of confusion if a
lock ever has to be audited. There should be master keys for these
positions / uses:
General Manager
Manager On Duty
Executive Housekeeper
2 to 3 Housekeeping Supervisor or Room Inspector
10-15 Section Masters – these would be programmed for specific guest
room access and are the keys room attendants would use
Chief Engineer
5 – Gen Maint
Front Office Master
Sales Master
Key Control for Housekeeping
The housekeeping department has access to many restricted areas at the hotel. For their
own safety and the safety of guests, it is important that all staff understand the
appropriate policies and procedures for all keys used in the department. The items listed
below are basic procedures that take place at almost every hotel.
When staff start work each day they should be assigned a key with a number or
code on it. They should always sign their name, key number and the time they
checked-out the key on a key sign out sheet. At the end of their shift all keys
should be returned to the manager and employees need to sign their name and
time stating what time the key was returned. Keys should never be taken home.
Keys should never be labeled with the location or description of the area they
open. If the keys are dropped and found by guests, then guests have access to
restricted areas.
While employees are working through out the hotel all keys should be kept in
their uniform pocket and or attached to their uniform. Having keys attached to the
uniform is the best way to ensure the keys are not left in the open and keys are not
lost. Keys should never be left on maid’s carts or work carts.
If keys are left in guest rooms after the guests have departed, the room attendant
should put the keys in their uniform pocket. During their lunch break all keys
should be returned to the supervisor or front desk. This is extremely important
since some keys may be programmed for a longer period of time then the guests
decided to stay, so they will still work. If these keys are left on maids cart any one
could access a guestroom with out anyone knowing.
What to do if a guest states they are locked out of there room? Even if a person
claims to be a guest and is walking around the hallways trying to get into a room
you should never let them into any restricted areas especially guest rooms. Tell
them that for their safety they need to go to the front office to verify their
identification before receiving another guest room key. This may make the guest
irritable and frustrated so you must apologize for the inconvenience and reinforce
that they must go to the front office for their safety.
What to do if a person approaches the room you are cleaning and says it is there
room? You must not allow the person to enter the room. You do not know if they
really are the guest occupying that room. You must ask the guest for their key and
open the door using their key. If the key works then they may be allowed to enter
the room.
What to do if a person, such as visitor, approaches you in the hallway and needs
to enter a guest room? You should never ever let people into any restricted areas
of the hotel. You must tell the person that they need to go to the front office and
be announced as a visitor.
Other Key procedures for Housekeeping Management:
All keys should be labeled with a code not the actual location or space the key
opens.
Key rings should have only the minimum keys required for that employee to use.
For example a room attendant’s key ring should only have a guest room key,
laundry chute key and, storage room key. They do not need access to maintenance
closets or other areas of the hotel that are not used to perform their job.
Housekeeping management will need to define what keys should be assigned to
each key ring.
All keys should be on a lanyard or key extender ring. These two options allow the
keys to be on the employee’s person and are more likely not left on maid’s carts
or in rooms. It is also helpful especially for room attendants that the uniforms
have pockets to keep keys on their person.
Keys should never leave the property. All keys should be inventoried and locked
in a secure place at the end of each day. It is important that a manager or
supervisor inventory the locked box for all of the keys in your department. To do
this a Key Audit sheet must be created which is a list of all of the keys used in the
department and a date column so you have a record that the keys were inventoried
each day. The list should be typed. If any of the keys are missing they must be
found immediately or locks must be re-keyed or changed completely.
A new key sign out sheet should be used daily. The sign out sheets should be filed
by date for one month and kept in an immediate area such as the housekeeping
office. After one month the key sign out sheets should be removed and stored
with other hotel records for that month.
Overview
The resurgence of bed bugs is a growing problem for the hotel industry. Over the past
decade, bed bugs have begun to make a comeback across the United States. They are
most frequently found in dwellings with a high rate of occupant turnover; such as hotels,
dormitories, apartments, prisons and health care facilities. Bed bug activity can result in
customer dissatisfaction, lost business and lawsuits.
In this section you will learn about the following:
Bed Bug Basics
Bed Bug Life Cycle
What to do if you think you found bed bugs?
Inspecting the room for Bed Bugs
Clean Up Tips
Inspection Forms
Bed Bugs
Bed Bug Basics:
Bed bugs are wingless insects that live in cracks of furniture, folds of mattresses and
box springs, and behind walls. Adult bed bugs can live up to a year and a half,
frequently feeding on your guests.
Their bodies are broad and flat. Adults are 4-5 millimeters in length, 3 millimeters
wide and reddish brown in color. Their eggs are white, oval and about 1mm in length.
They feed mainly on the blood of humans, but will seek a blood meal from other
animals as well. Bed bugs do not attach themselves to pets. They will only feed on
pets if they are starved. They prefer to feed at night and are able to live several
months without a meal.
The adult female requires a blood meal prior to laying eggs. There is no specific
pattern to where the eggs are laid, but most often they are found near the bed bug’s
harborage site. Female bugs can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifespan. Fertile eggs
hatch approximately 10 days after being laid but can be viable for up to 28 days.
Under consistently moderate room temperatures and an adequate food supply, bed
bugs will live over 300 days. Low temperatures and inconsistent food supply can
actually extend the life span of stressed bed bugs. In these conditions, bed bugs enter
a semi-hibernation period that may extend their lifespan up to a year and a half.
Temperatures held at 111 -113◦ F for 15 minutes will kills bed bugs. Sixty minutes is
required to kill eggs at this temp.
Bed bugs are spread through travel, as they hitchhike with luggage, clothing, bedding
and furniture. They prefer to live in walls, mattresses and furniture. Signs of a bed
bug infestation include rusty spots of blood stains on bed linens, mattresses and
headboards. They do not occur naturally away from man and typically will be found
only in structures occupied by man (home & businesses)
Life Cycle of the Bed Bug
*Actual Adult
Size
Image from www.entm..purdue.edu/publichealth/resources.html
What to do if you think you found bed bugs? Notify your supervisor immediately. These pests are very hard to identify as there are
other species that resemble bed bugs.
Inspecting the room for bed bugs:
Inspect furniture, mattresses, box springs, closets and bed lines for possible
infestations Use the attached inspection charts to sweep every inch of the room.
Remember bed bugs are millimeters and they are flat so they can fit almost
anywhere.
If a suspected infestation occurs, contact your pest control provider immediately
for further planning and guidance.
Clean Up Tips:
Remember that your pest control provider will have detailed instructions for you to
follow. These are additional tips to remember. These tips are not to be followed as a full
extermination or treatment of bed bugs:
Once the room is deemed as clear the cleaning process may begin starting with
brushing all furniture and bedding with a strong bristly brush, focusing on cracks
and crevices in all furniture, corners, base boards, carpet joints, bed rails, fixtures
and so on.
Vacuum room utilizing a wand attachment focusing on all mattress tufts, folds,
cracks and crevices
Vacuum all carpets completely three times.
Vacuum all picture frames, head boards, door frames, outlets, light fixtures, and
fire suppression systems.
All items that can be laundered need to be removed this would include: mattress
pads, sheets, blankets, comforters, drapes, sheers, towels, rugs, furniture covers,
bed skirts etc. Some items may be needed to be thrown away or you can choose to
throw them away. If these items are not thrown away then they need to be washed
in dried in a hot cycle.
Discard old pillows in sealed plastic bags.
Remove old bedding, furniture, fixtures, and so on when suggested by pest
control provider (usually in severe infestations)
Steam cleaning mattresses may be in order depending on the severity of the
problem. (blood stains may be observed on the mattress)
Mattress and box spring may have to be discarded if so these items should be
encased in plastic bags and sealed. The mattress and box spring should be encased
in the plastic bags inside of the room and then discarded. If you move the
mattresses before you encase them you are opening up many areas of your hotel
for infestation. Your pest control provider should be able to offer you information
on mattress and box spring bags.
Inspection Form Room # Date / Time: Completed By:
Inspection Summary
Done = Inspection & Evidence Key Location
No Evidence Found
Live Insects = L
Dead Insects = D
Skin Castings
Eggs = E
Fecal Matter = S
Blood Stains = B
Inspection Detail
Done = Bed 1 Evidence
Bedspread
Blanket
Top Sheet
Pillow Case
Pillow
Fitted Sheet
Mattress Cover
Mattress
Bed Frame
Box Spring
Head Board
Done = Bed 2 Evidence
Bedspread
Blanket
Top Sheet
Pillow Case
Pillow
Fitted Sheet
Mattress Cover
Mattress
Bed Frame
Box Spring
Head Board
Done = Head Board Wall Evidence
Lamps/ Lampshades
Night Stands
Clock/ Radio
Telephone
Bible
Hotel Literature
Base Board
Picture/ Mirror/ Frames
Wall Paper
Ceiling
Done = Far Wall Evidence
Closet
Suitcase Rack
Base Board
Wall Paper
Ceiling
Armoire
Dresser
Desk
Chair
Base Board
Picture/ Mirror/ Frames
Wall Paper
Ceiling
Done = Exterior Wall Evidence
Draperies
Base Board
Chairs
Tables
Picture/ Mirror/ Frames
Wall Paper
Ceiling
Done = 4th Wall Evidence
Picture/ Mirror/ Frames
Base Board
Wall Paper
Ceiling
Sofa
Chairs
Table
Done = Bathroom Evidence
Sink Cabinet
Mirror and frame
Base Board
Wall Paper
Ceiling
Terry
Shower Curtain
Floors
Done = Guest Belongings Evidence
Suitcases
Hanging Items
Dresser Items
Computer Bag/ Briefcase
Done = Housekeeping Items Evidence
Rollaway
Cribs
Spare Bedding (pillows / blankets)
Maids Cart
Code Red Procedures
Our Business operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The Code Red
procedures include the very basic general information necessary in the event of most
emergencies at your hotel. The hotels Emergency Handbook has more complete and
detailed instructions for you to follow in the case of an emergency. It is important that
these procedures be thoroughly understood to ensure competent performance regardless
of the nature of the emergency with which you and/or other employees are responsible
for.
There is a Code Red stand in each department at the hotel. The stand contains ten
different emergencies cards that can happen and the steps that you need to take. Please
review each of the cards with your department head so you understand the steps
completely.
Cost Controls
Staffing & Scheduling Guidelines
The key controllable expense in housekeeping is payroll. There is a specific formula for
managing this expense and if it is followed then this department will be profitable.
The formula works as follows:
One Room Attendant for 15 rooms to be serviced, with a maximum of 16
rooms in 8 hours
30 minutes average POR (Per Occupied Room)
No more than 7 minutes for laundry POR (Per Occupied Room)
The first opportunity is when the schedule is produced. All schedules should be
based on occupancy. This is critical to managing proper staffing levels. To do this
an accurate forecast must be done by the Front Office Manager. We recommend
the format as shown in Exhibit (1). As soon as the forecasted number of rooms
can be established then the schedules should be based on this demand. Once again
use the above ratio of one Room Attendant per fifteen occupied guest rooms.
Every process in housekeeping is designed to meet this formula. The quicker the
staff can get into the rooms and clean them, then the less payroll hours that are
consumed.
Management must monitor this on a daily basis. When room assignments are
given out then the expected time of completion should be noted on the Room
Assignment Sheet. As the Inspectors work throughout the day, they should check
to make sure each Room Attendant is on schedule. If someone is “lagging” behind
then additional help can be directed his or her way.
The housekeeping hours should be tabulated and the minutes per occupied room
calculated. This should be done on a weekly basis at a minimum. If problems
exist it may be done daily. This will allows managers to make adjustments to
upcoming schedules so as to maintain a targeted budget.
Example
Total housekeeping hours= 800
Multiplied by 60 minutes per hour = 48000
Divided by Number of occupied rooms 1600
= Average Minutes POR (Per Occupied Room) 30
Exhibit (1) 10-Day Forecast
HOTEL NAME:
HOTEL CITY:
NUMBER OF ROOMS:
10 DAY FORECAST
DAY Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
DATE 06/07/02 06/08/02 06/09/02 06/10/02 06/11/02 06/12/02 06/13/02 06/14/02 06/15/02 06/16/02
OCCUPIED ROOMS NIGHT BEFORE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHECK-OUTS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RESERVATIONS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ESTIMATED WALK-INS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FORECASTED OCCUPIED ROOMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OCCUPANCY PERCENTAGE #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
ESTIMATED ADR 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
FORECASTED ROOM REVENUE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FOR FOOD & BEVERAGE:
AVERAGE # GUESTS PER ROOM 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
FORECASTED GUESTS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FOR HOUSEKEEPING:
CHECK-OUT ROOMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
STAYOVER ROOMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GROUPS ARRIVING DURING 10 DAY FORECAST PERIOD
Name Arrival # Nights # Rooms
VIPs ARRIVING DURING 10 DAY FORECAST PERIOD
Name Arrival # Nights # Rooms
Some additional key points about controlling housekeeping labor:
Make sure no one clocks in before their scheduled time.
Once clocked in, Room Attendants should report immediately to work with no lag
time for socializing.
Meal breaks need to be kept on time.
When the shift is over ladies need to promptly finish up and clock out. Once again
do not allow time for lagging and chatting about the days work.
If you have a challenge of getting the team focused on their time, display a chart
and track their time on a daily basis. Make it fun with a prize for “most improved”
or an over all “Team Goal”
We recommend that you pay an incentive for reaching targeted time. The Room
Attendants at American Hospitality Management are paid a $.10 an hour bonus
for every minute under 35 minutes (including laundry) that the team achieves
during a month. This is a great incentive for the staff to perform and with a
payroll that is running that efficiently, there is enough savings to pay the bonus
and still maintain departmental profit.
Look for “Time Robbers”. This can be watching TV in the rooms or listening to
the radio, visits from friends or families, telephone calls, wandering around
“looking for supplies”. A work culture that has a sense of urgency should exist
and this has to be woven into the daily operation.
Make sure that all systems are in place and adhered to. If the Houseman does not
stock the carts properly or at all, then the whole system fails, inspect what you
expect!
Introduction to Purchasing
Efficient purchasing practices can make a significant contribution to the Executive
Housekeeper’s role in controlling housekeeping expenses. In fact, the most controllable
expenses under the Executive Housekeeper's responsibility involve the various items
whose inventories are maintained by the housekeeping department.
Inventory control procedures enable the Executive Housekeeper to know when to buy
and how much to buy for each inventoried item. Deciding what to buy, whom to buy it
from, and exactly how to purchase it requires careful consideration on the part of the
Executive Housekeeper. Although the actual purchasing may be done by the hotel's
purchasing department, quantities and specifications are submitted to the purchasing
department by department heads. When ordering items for the housekeeping department,
the Executive Housekeeper will need to fill out and sign a purchase order. This order
form then has to be approved by the controller and general manager. For all items
purchased for the housekeeping department, the recommendation of the content,
quantities and source of a purchase is made by the Executive Housekeeper. Although
various properties have various procedures for processing and approving purchases the
evaluation of what's needed, when it's needed, how much is needed, and from whom it is
needed fall under the responsibility of department heads. The Executive Housekeeper
needs to know how to obtain the best value when purchasing the items needed by the
housekeeping department.
Purchasing Linen
The Executive Housekeeper is expected to carefully select suppliers and linen products to
ensure that the hotel receives good value for money spent. The most important
considerations are the suitability of the products for their intended uses and whether the
products are economical. Regarding linen, the expected useful life of the linen is often
more important than purchase price in determining whether alternative products are
economical or not. The cost of laundering linens over their useful life is usually much
greater and more important than their initial price. The life span of linen is measured in
terms or how many times it can be laundered before becoming too worn to be suitable for
guestroom use. Linen that is purchased at bargain prices but that wears out after only
moderate laundering will damage guests' perceptions of quality, increase annual usage
rates, and increase costs in the long run. Durability, laundry considerations, and purchase
price are the main criteria to use in selecting linen. A cost per use can be calculated in
order to evaluate alternative linen purchases using the following formula:
Cost per use =
Purchase Cost + Life span Laundering Costs
Number of Life span Laundering
The laundering costs over the life span of a linen product can be determined by multiplying the item's weight by the hotel’s laundering cost per pound-and then multiplying again by the number of launderings the item can withstand before showing excessive wear.
When orders of new linens are received, shipments should be checked against purchase orders and inspected to ensure that the linens meet all quality and quantity specifications. Newly received linen orders should be immediately moved to the main linen room for storage. In the main linen room, new linens that have not yet been put into service should be stored separately from linens that are already in use.
Inventories for all new linen received and issued at the hotel should be kept on a perpetual basis. This means that a running count should be kept for on-hand quantities of every type of new linen stored in the main linen room. The inventory record should show the linen type, specific item, price, storage location, and dates of ordering and receiving. As linen items are put into service to replace worn, dam-aged, lost, or stolen linen, the quantity recorded on the perpetual inventory record should be adjusted accordingly. See Exhibit A for a linen inventory Sheet. The Executive Housekeeper is responsible for placing new linen in use on an as-needed basis to maintain the par level for each linen item. Issuing new linen to be used in daily operations typically occurs each month on the basis of shortages revealed by a physical inventory. New linen may also be issued between physical inventories to replace discarded linens. Some hotels inject a predetermined quantity of new linen into circulation at pre-established intervals based on past usage rates. New linens should be placed into service all. A "first-in, first-out" basis. New linen not in service should be under the control of the Executive Housekeeper or laundry manager in the main linen room or another secure place. Purchasing Operating Supplies
Some hotel chains have centralized, national purchasing systems for major house-
keeping items in order to achieve quantity discounts. Other hotels may join together in
purchasing groups to achieve savings on bulk purchases of commonly used items. But,
for the most part, operating supplies are purchased by the individual property and with
the direct involvement of the Executive Housekeeper.
Inventory tracking forms can be used to create an exhaustive list of operating supplies
that the Executive Housekeeper will need to purchase on a regular basis. Inventory
control procedures will show how often and in what quantities supply items will need
to be purchased to maintain par levels. Usage rates and cost-per-occupied-room
figures can be determined from the inventory records. This information can form the
basis for an effective purchasing system. By following careful purchasing procedures,
the Executive Housekeeper can help the hotel control costs while ensuring that
adequate supply levels are maintained.
Before buying any product, the Executive Housekeeper should obtain samples in order
to test the product and determine whether it meets specifications. Suitability for the
intended task, quality, ease of handling, and storage requirements are just as important
as the price in determining whether a product is economical.
Value-not price-should be the leading consideration in making purchase decisions. An
inexpensive cleaning agent that has to be used in much larger quantities than a more
expensive one may actually cost more in the long run.
Bidding Process
The crucial concern is to obtain the best value for the money, selecting the right
vendors can often make the Executive Housekeeper's purchasing systems more
efficient. The Executive Housekeeper needs to competitively shop suppliers and
vendors for the products to be purchased on a regular basis. When asking for price
quotations, the Executive Housekeeper needs to be as precise as possible regarding
such specifications as weight, quality, packaging, size, concentration, quantities, and
delivery times. In evaluating alternative suppliers, the Executive Housekeeper needs to
be concerned with how well the supplier will service the hotel's account. It is impor-
tant that the vendors selected appreciate the operations of a hotel's housekeeping
department, fully understand the products they sell, and be able to provide dem-
onstrations and even training in how to use the products. It is not unusual for the
Executive Housekeeper to select one vendor for all guest supply items, another for
cleaning products, and still another for all paper products. By limiting the number of
suppliers with whom the housekeeping department has to deal, the Executive
Housekeeper can streamline the purchasing process, reduce paperwork, and use time
more efficiently.
All housekeeping supplies, linens, and equipment are to be bid out every six months.
This will provide the best pricing for the hotel and keep the current vendors of the hotel
working competitively to keep your business. This also makes the Executive
Housekeeper aware of any alterations in pricing. Bidding should come from three
different vendors so that the hotel has a sampling of a variety of vendors. Make sure
that new vendors are considered and put in the mix. Quite often our hotel management
gets comfortable with a specific vendors or a particular sales person and is reluctant to
bring in new companies. The responsible Executive Housekeeper always remember
that they are obligated to control expenses and controlling purchasing and getting the
best possible value from vendors is one of the essential ways to make this happen.
The bidding is done via a Vendor Pricing Analysis spreadsheet so that all products are
listed on the left and a column for each vendor is listed next to it. This pricing method
should be done every six months and maintained on file.
We suggest the following example:
Vendor Pricing Analysis
Date:
Hotel:
Product Weight Pack Vendor #1 Vendor #2 Vendor#3
In addition, concentrating business with a limited number of suppliers often achieves greater purchasing-and thereby bargaining-power, resulting in improved quantity discounts and better service. Another consideration in selecting vendors is whether they will be able to stock the products the hotel purchases at their own warehouse facilities and drop ship the products to the hotel on an as-needed basis. This enables the Executive Housekeeper to achieve savings by purchasing products in bulk whenever possible and, at the same time, solve the problem of limited storage space. In the process of reordering operating supplies, the Executive Housekeeper needs to periodically reevaluate the suitability of existing products for their intended purposes. Meeting with housekeeping staff who use the product can help determine any problems that may lead to a reconsideration of quality or functionality. The functionality of the product should be tested, and the Executive Housekeeper should determine whether the existing specifications for the product should remain the same. Alternative products should be investigated and compared to existing products in terms of performance, durability, price and value. Worksheets can be used to monitor usage rates and costs for the various types of operating supplies kept in inventory. Exhibit 6 illustrates one such worksheet for tracking the use of various chemical cleaners. For each product the Monthly Chemical Use Report identifies the vendor, the product name, and its intended use. Each month, physical inventories provide the Executive Housekeeper with information concerning how many purchase units of each chemical cleaner have been used. Multiplying the number of units used by the cost per unit yields the total cost of the product used during the month. Dividing the total cost by the number of occupied rooms yields a cost per occupied room figure for each product. By reducing the size of each purchase unit (e.g., gallons, cans, pints, quarts) to a common-sized unit (e.g., ounces) and multiplying the number of purchase units used by the common sized amounts, the total amount used for each product can be determined in terms that render the different-sized products comparable.
After using a common measure to calculate the actual amounts used, the Executive Housekeeper can divide by the number of occupied rooms to determine the usage of each product per occupied room. In this way the Monthly Chemical Use Report enables the Executive Housekeeper to compare the relative efficiency of using various products for similar tasks. By comparing the costs per occupied room and the usage per occupied room achieved by alternative products, the Executive Housekeeper can evaluate which products yield greater cost savings and make purchasing decisions accordingly.
Managing Inventories Establishing Par Levels for Linens
The first task in effectively managing linens is to determine the appropriate inven-
tory level for all types of linen used in the hotel. It is important that the inventory
level for linens is sufficient to ensure smooth operations in the housekeeping
department. Shortages occur when the inventory level for linens is set too low.
Shortages disrupt the work of the housekeeping department irritate guests who have
to wait for cleaned rooms reduce the number of readied rooms, and shorten the
useful life of linens as a result of intensified laundering. Although housekeeping
operations run smoothly when inventory levels are set too high, management will
object to the inefficient use of linen and to the excessive amount of cash resources
tied up in an overstock of supplies. The par number established for linen inventories
is the standard stock level needed to accommodate typical housekeeping operations.
One par of linens equals the total number of each type of linen that is needed to
outfit all guestrooms one time.
One par of linen is also referred to as a house setup. Clearly, one par of linen is not
enough for an efficient operation. Linen supplies should be several times above what
is needed to outfit all guestrooms just once. Two par of linens is the total number of
each type of linen needed to outfit all guestrooms two times; three par is the total
number needed to outfit all guestrooms three times; and so on. The Executive
Housekeeper must determine how many par of linens are needed to support efficient
operations in the housekeeping department.
When establishing a par number for linens, the Executive Housekeeper needs to
consider three things: the laundry cycle, replacement linens, and emergency
situations. The hotel's laundry cycle is the most important factor in determining
linen pars. Quality hotels change and launder linens daily. At any given time, large
amounts of linen are in movement between guestrooms and the laundry. When set-
ting an appropriate linen inventory level, the Executive Housekeeper must think
through the laundry cycle in terms of the hotel's busiest days-when the hotel is at
100 percent occupancy for several days in a row. If housekeeping manages an effi-
cient on-premises laundry operation, the laundry cycle indicates that housekeeping
should maintain three par of linens: one par-linen laundered, stored, and ready for
use today; a second par-yesterday's linens which are being laundered today; and a
third par-linens to be stripped from the rooms today and laundered tomorrow.
Executive Housekeepers also need to figure in guest requests for extra linens, and
linens for rollaway beds, sofa beds, and cribs.
The second factor to consider when establishing linen par levels is the replacement
of worn, damaged linen, or stolen linen. Since the linen losses vary from
property to property, Executive Housekeepers will need to determine a
reasonable par level for linen replacement based on the property’s history. The
need for replacement stock can be determined by studying monthly, quarterly, or
annual inventory reports on which losses and replacement needs are
documented. A general rule of thumb is to store one full par of new linens as
replacement stock on an annual basis. Finally, the Executive Housekeeper must
be prepared for any emergency situations. A power failure or equipment damage
may shut down a hotel’s laundry operation and interrupt the continuous
movement of linens through the laundry cycle. The Executive Housekeeper may
decide to hold one full par of linens in reserve so that housekeeping operations
can continue to run smoothly during an emergency.
Exhibit 1 Sample Par Calculation
Therefore, the hotel's laundry cycle, linen replacement needs, and reserve stock for
emergencies suggest that a minimum of five par of linen should be maintained on an
annual basis. Properties using an outside commercial laundry service will need to
add a sixth par to cover linens in transit.
Exhibit 1 illustrates a sample par calculation for the number of king-size sheets
required for a hotel with 300 king-size beds. In this example, 3,000 king-size sheets
should be in the hotel linen inventory at all times. Similar calculations need to be
performed for every type of linen used in the hotel. Both Properties are to maintain
a 2.5 Par Level.
See the following exhibits in the Housekeeping Checklists & Forms section at the end of
this document:
Exhibit A for a Linen Inventory
Exhibit B for a Lost Linen form
This is a sample calculation of how to establish a par stock level for king-size sheets for a
hotel that uses an in-house laundry operation and supplies two sheets for each of the
property's 300 king-size beds.
300 king-size beds x 2 sheets per bed = 600 per par number
One par in guestrooms 1 x 600 = 600
One par in floor linen closets 1 x 600 = 600
One par soiled in the laundry 1 x 600 = 600
One par replacement stock 1 x 600 = 600
One par for emergencies 1 x 600 = 600
Total number 3,000
3,000 sheets / 600 sheets/par = 5 par
Housekeeping Storage & Back of House Areas
Any storage room, closet, laundry room or, office is typically labeled as a “back of
house” area at a hotel. The back of the house should be kept just as tidy, clean and,
organized as the front of house area at a hotel for two reasons.
1.) Time is wasted when things are not organized and clean
2.) Guests may see into these restricted spaces as they are passing by.
Any front of house areas would be places such as, lobby, front desk, breakfast room, etc.
Basically any area that is in guest view or a guest has access to during their stay. Even a
glimpse into a storage closet can leave a lasting impression on a guest. It is your
responsibility to make sure these areas are always clean, organized, safe and, are in good
appearance. Many of these areas become so unorganized that they are wasting space and
time instead of doing there actual job of storing department products in an organized
fashion for quick and easy access. They also become dirty and if left without attention for
very long can become dangerous for employees to work out of.
In order to manage the back of house areas at your hotel there are a few key steps that can
be taken. These steps are outlined below
1. First identify all back of house areas. Take a blue print of your property and
number or label all of the storage rooms and closets.
2. Determine what the best use of the space is for each room or closet. As you
determine what the space will be used for it is important to note if any of the
rooms have structural items that can not be moved and or require specific
attention. For example electrical breaker boxes, these sorts of items require a
certain amount of free space to be withheld around the box. That may impact your
storage management.
3. Clean out the space. Remove all objects from the space to clean and repair
necessary items. This is also a good time to paint things if necessary and throw
away old junk that has collected over time and the hotel doesn’t need or use
anymore.
4. Re-stock the space with the appropriate supplies or equipment that was
determined in step two.
5. Label the storage room door and place an inventory sheet on the inside of the door
which notifies all employees of what is in the space. The shelves should also be
labeled with the specific items located in the storage room. These inventory sheets
should be updated as things are removed and used.
6. Create a cleaning schedule to ensure that the storage rooms are cleaned and
inspected daily or weekly as needed.
Housekeeping Guest Room Floor Storage:
Typically there are storage rooms on each guest room floor of a hotel. These spaces
should be set up and used to service the guest rooms for that floor or immediate space.
Remember housekeeping is measured and graded on efficiency so the quicker and easier
it is for the room attendants, houseman and, other staff to turn around guest rooms the
better the department will look as a whole. A big component to cleaning a guest room is
the flow of linen and product to and from the guest room. This particular process can eat
away lots of time if the department does not have organized systems and functional
storage rooms. In order to setup your guestroom floor storage you need to decide how
many rooms will be serviced from each storage room. Once you have decided that then
you can figure what the minimum linen supplies, cleaning supplies, guest supplies and,
maids cart supplies, if necessary, are needed in the room. After you have figured these
numbers then you can stock the space and maintain a PAR Level sheet on the back of the
door. This sheet will let the houseman know which items and how many need to be in the
storage room at the beginning and ending of each day.
The following are keys items that need to be used and remembered when setting up
housekeeping guest room floor storage.
o All storage rooms on a guest room floor should be labeled (named) and have
an inventory sheet on the inside of the door indicating what the supply and
linen par levels are. The doors to these spaces should always be kept locked.
o During housekeeping department hours (8:00AM – 4:00PM) these spaces
should only house a certain amount of linen, cleaning supplies and guest
supplies for the room attendants to service an amount of guest rooms within
the immediate area. They should also be set up as the drop off and pick up
points for dirty laundry and trash. If the hotel has a laundry chute then all
laundry should be dropped down the chute. If the hotel doesn’t have a laundry
chute then the storage rooms should contain two linen trucks one for dirty
laundry and one for trash. This keeps dirty laundry and trash from piling up in
the hallways which is in the guest view.
o The linen/trash trucks should be placed in the storage rooms after
housekeeping has start cleaning in the morning and they have removed their
maids cart from the room. The linen / trash trucks need to be removed from
the storage closet when the last round of trash and laundry has been picked up
from the space and before the room attendants stock and store their maids cart
for the evening.
o The houseman’s responsibility is to make rounds to these pick up points and
remove the soiled linen and trash and drop off fresh clean supplies for the
room attendants to use. Remember the room attendants should never stop
cleaning rooms to run dirty laundry or trash or retrieve fresh supplies. They
must continuously clean guest rooms.
o During non housekeeping hours these rooms should house the maid’s carts.
When a room attendant has finished everything on his / her room assignment
the cart should be taken to the storage room and re-stocked completely with
linen and guest supplies. The cleaning caddy should be taken the central
location where chemicals can be refilled.
Additional housekeeping storage needs:
o Master Linen Closet - This closet would house all new purchased linen that has not
been opened. Only one to two people should have access to the room and strict
inventories need to be kept over the room. Anything that goes in or out of the room
should be recorded on a linen / supply request sheet.
o Rollaway & Crib Storage – depending on the size of your guestroom floor storage
areas you may have room for roll-away beds in these spaces.
o Pillows, blankets, mattress pads, comforters – only a limited number of each of these
items should be placed in each of the guest room floor storage spaces. If you separate
these items over the various guestroom floor storage spaces you will not have to
waste one storage closet with just these items.
Laundry
Program
Laundry Schedule
Staff members in this position process all the laundry for the hotel This includes the
filling and operation of the machines, the quality control of the preparation of the linen,
and the control of the stock and inventory of linen.
Below is an example of a typical day for a laundry attendant:
11:00am - Laundry Attendant arrives and checks with the Executive Housekeeper
for any key items or projects for the day.
11:15am- Checks all chemicals for laundry machines, then sorts and loads
machines to capacity.
11:45am- While the first load is washing, start stain treatment on any linen to be
reclaimed. Make sure carts are in place and shelves are prepared to process linen
after washing.
12:00pm- Process laundry
1:00pm- Restock maid’s carts while Room Attendants are at lunch
2:00pm- lunch
3:00pm- Clean Dryer filters and continue to process laundry
4:00pm- Start restocking carts for days end. Make sure all carts are wiped clean
prior to stocking and all carts are stocked identically.
6:00pm- Check with front desk for any special services or guest assistance needs
7:00pm-Complete all laundry and finish restocking store rooms and maid carts
8:00pm- Shift ends
The key to the laundry operations is efficiency. Wasted steps equal wasted time, and
wasted time equals wasted money. This means that everything processed is done with the
idea of getting the rooms cleaned as quickly as possible so that they can be returned for
rental and done with the least amount of payroll used.
Exhibit (A) the Flow of Laundry
The Restocking Operation
(For this entire section refer to diagrams below)
The physical layout of the two Ocean Partners Hospitality Hotels requires that all
movement of operating product be done in an efficient manner. If not great amounts of
time is wasted running around the complex to restock and retrieve linens and supplies.
Remembering that time is money, the following process is to be used to maintain the
operation in an efficient manner.
Storage Rooms
Around the various building there are located storage rooms. These rooms are to be used
as holding areas to service the rooms in their immediate area. This means that each room
must be able to have in storage:
o Linens
o Guest supplies (shampoo, toilet paper, etc)
o Cleaning supplies (Ecolab products used to clean the room)
o Roll away beds for guest use
o Cribs for guest use
Additionally, it is the place where soiled linens and trash are kept until it is ready to be
moved at the end of the day.
The specific schedule for this program is as follows:
Beginning of the day
o After receiving their room assignments the Room Attendants go to their
Maid’s closet and retrieve their already fully stocked cart.
Throughout the day
o The Houseman makes routine checks to restock the cart from the closet, and
to deliver soiled linen and trash to the bins in the closet.
o At lunch the maid’s cart is placed in the closet and the houseman restocks
again.
Days End
o The Maids return their carts to the closets.
o The Houseman removes all soiled linen and trash from the closets
o The Maids Carts are restocked for the next day (this is typically the night
maid, laundry, or night houseman)
o
STORAGE ROOM LOCATIONS
9
1 5
3 4 2 6 7
8
10
11
1 = A Bldg-Up 5 = B Bldg-Up 9= Tower 3rd
- 8th
Floor
2 = A Bldg-Down 6 = B Bldg-Down 10 = Tower 6th
Floor
3 = A Bldg-Down 7 = B Bldg-Down 11 = Suites 2nd
– 5th
Floor
4 = A Building-Up/Down 8 = C Bldg-Up/Down
STORAGE ROOM LOCATIONS
1
4 3
2
1 = Main Bldg-Down 2 = Main Bldg-Up
3 = Efficiencies-Up 4 = South Bldg-Up/Down
5500 NORTH CORP
TRASH
LINEN SETS
DIRTY
LINEN
GU
ES
T
SU
PP
LIE
S
SPACE FOR
ROLLAWAYS
AGAINST WALLS
Layout for Typical Maid’s Closet *
*Exact Placement may vary depending on exact dimensions
of the closet.
Laundry (continued)
There are some basic standards that should be followed to make this efficiency happen:
All laundry is done to completion every day. Not only is it good for the operation,
but this helps maintain the quality and life of the linen. Observe the basic flow of
laundry in Exhibit (A) “The Flow of Laundry”:
The Laundry Attendant and/or the Houseman stock the Maid’s carts for them.
That way their time is spent cleaning rooms and not looking for stock and loading
carts.
All carts should have spring-loaded bottoms to keep the laundry close and to save
on the wear and tear on the staff.
All laundry is to be sorted into terry (towels, wash cloths, hand cloths) or percale
(sheets, pillow cases).
Washing machines should be stuffed full. Linen will clean very well this way and
you get maximum production out of your cycles.
Bed linens should be folded into sets. A set includes a top sheet, a bottom sheet,
and pillowcases needed for each bed type. This allows for all linen to be carried to
the bed in one trip and easily made on the bed.
All carts should have canvas bags on each end of the cart. One is for dirty laundry
and one is for trash.
Since all laundry is done to completion each day the laundry shift starts at
11:00am. This later time allows for the first load of dirty laundry to come down
from the rooms. This also allows for extra time after the completion of the rooms
for the laundry attendant to complete all laundry and stock the carts for the next
days work.
When processing laundry, observe proper fabric care and handling. This will best
preserve the life of the linen and prevent unnecessary destruction of linen.
Laundry Room Procedures
Repairs By using a work order, report all mechanical problems to the
Chief Engineer.
Major Repairs Problems of a more serious nature such as electrical, water
spillage, machine breakdown, etc. must be reported
immediately to the Engineering Department.
Lint Build Up Lint build up on dryers, folders, and ironer should be
reported to the Laundry Manager for cleaning. This should
be done as often as necessary to keep the equipment
relatively free of lint.
Chemicals Chemical vendor comes once a week to check all dispensing
machines and/or answer any washing questions you may
have.
Fire In the event of fire, evacuate IMMEDIATELY and then
report it to the hotel operator by dialing “0”. In the event of a
fire, the gases dryers can cause sever explosions.
Visitors There is to be no unauthorized personnel in the laundry room
at any time.
Floors All clean and dirty linen must be kept off of the floor.
House Count Call the Housekeeping Department to find out the house
count for the day.
Carts Laundry carts are for laundry room use only; they cannot and
will not be used for any other purpose. Housekeeping has
one old white linen cart that will remain in Housekeeping for
their use. Banquets use five laundry carts to transport their
dirty banquet linen.
Breaks/Lunch At the discretion of the Laundry Manager, breaks/lunch is to
be taken. The laundry room must never be left unattended
Monday through Friday with out the door being locked.
Pre-Sorting Dirty housekeeping linen is to be sorted with rubber gloves
on during the day by taking one sheet at a time and placing
60 individual sheets into a cart. (Do not fold or roll the
sheets into a ball.)
Dump the terry out of pillow cases, placing the terry into one
cart and all pillow cases into another cart.
Laundry Housemen Duties It is the responsibility of the Housemen to collect the dirty
linen from the maid carts often enough to keep the laundry
bags from over filling. Dirty laundry must never be left in
the hallways.
It is also the responsibility of the Laundry Runner to keep the
maid’s carts stocked throughout the day by pulling linen from
the store rooms or carts and restocking the maid’s carts as
they clean rooms.
Bedspreads Whenever a bedspread is damaged by a guest and they are
billed for the damages, the following information needs to be
pinned onto the spread:
Guest Name
Room Number
Folio Number
Date
Description of Damages
The spread will be then sent to the laundry where it will be
stored on a shelf and held for the guest (in case he/she should
want it) for a period of three (3) months. If after this time,
the guest does not request the spread, it will be pulled and put
onto the “For Sale” shelf.
Laundry Duties Performed by Housekeeping
Rubber Gloves are to be worn whenever handling soiled linen
Sheets The maid is to place all sheets into the laundry bag on the
maid’s cart.
Terry The maid is to take one pillow case and stuff all terry and
remaining pillow case into that one pillow case.
Rags Dirty rags are never to be placed into the laundry bag on the
maid’s cart.
Trash Laundry will not tolerate used soap, trash, glasses, ash trays,
etc., in the maid’s dirty laundry bag.
Stains If a stain is found on a CLEAN sheet or pillow case, it should
be tied in a knot and placed in the maid’s laundry bag.
Blood, Vomit Linen that has blood or vomit on it should be put in a red
plastic bag and placed in the maid’s laundry bag.
Never put clean folded linen in your dirty laundry bag.
Please re-fold the clean linen and place back on your cart.
Bedspreads Whenever a bedspread is damaged by a guest and they are
billed for the damages, the following information needs to be
pinned onto the spread:
Guest Name
Room Number
Folio Number
Date
Description of Damages
The spread will be then sent to the laundry where it will be
stored on a shelf and held for the guest (in case he/she should
want it) for a period of three (3) months. If after this time,
the guest does not request the spread, it will be pulled and put
onto the “For Sale” shelf.
Weekend Duties It is the responsibility of the Weekend Laundry Housemen to
collect the dirty linen from the maids carts often enough to
keep the laundry bags from over filling. Dirty laundry must
never be left in the hallways.
Weekend Sorting Weekend sorting is to be done during the day by taking one
sheet at a time and placing it in the six carts that are in the
corner by the fire escape door. Once the six carts are full,
continue stocking piling on top. No sheets are to be put on
the floor.
Weekend sorting of terry should be done by dumping the
terry out of pillow cases and placing the terry into one cart
and the pillow cases into another.
Bin Carts The weekend laundry person responsibilities are to fill the
empty Bin Carts with clean linen from the laundry room
shelves.
The weekend laundry person will take bin carts from the
laundry room and exchange these racks with the empty or
partial racks in the housekeeping rooms. All housekeeping
rooms must have full carts in them. The reason for having all
housekeeping rooms with full carts is to ensure that the maids
have enough clean linen to complete their rooms. Each room
must be maintained at its designated par level.
When exchanging bin carts never put dirty linen on the rack
with clean linen.
A bin cart with clean linen on it MUST never be left
unattended. Leaving this cart unattended is inviting the linen
to sprout legs and walk out the door.
Quality
The Daily Line Up:
The purpose of the daily line up is to review your staff’s appearance and to focus their
attention toward the days work. It is also an opportunity for staff to provide valuable
feedback back to the supervisory team about equipment or product needs that may be
impacting the department.
Each morning the housekeeping manager or person filling in as that role is required to
conduct “The Daily Line Up” with all of the housekeeping staff that are scheduled for the
day. The meeting should be no more than 10-15 minutes long and should start before the
room attendants begin cleaning rooms. The meeting should be in the general working
area; such as, around the time clock, break-room or, housekeeping offices. There are Five
Key items that should be on the agenda every morning to be reviewed and they are:
1. Staff Appearance
2. Discuss Any VIP’s, Groups or, Tours
3. Service Point for the Day
4. Cleaning Focus Point or Special Cleaning Projects for the Day
5. Room Assignments & Keys Distributed
Each of the items is listed below in detail and offers examples. The items on the agenda
should be reviewed in that order to keep the attendants concentration and focus during the
meeting. If you give them their room assignments first, then they may be reviewing the
rooms they were assigned and thinking or planning instead of, listening to other critical
items on the agenda.
Appearance: The first thing the manager needs to review is the appearance of each
room attendant from top to bottom. If any of the employees do not comply with the
items on the list below they will not be allowed to work until the issue is resolved.
This may result in them being sent home for the day. Make sure you check:
o All employees are wearing the approved uniform with a nametag and closed toe
shoes. Their uniform needs to be clean, neat & ironed; No modifications added.
o Hair is groomed and neat, unnaturally colored hair and extreme hairstyles are not
appropriate or professional. Mustaches and beards (if permitted) must be clean
and well trimmed.
o Excessive makeup is not permitted. Perfume, cologne and aftershave is used in
moderation or avoided altogether.
o Offensive body odor and poor personal hygiene are not permitted
o Jewelry should not be functionally restrictive, dangerous to job performance, or
excessive.
o Facial Jewelry such as, eyebrow rings, nose rings, lip rings and tongue studs are
not allowed. Torso body piercings with visible jewelry or jewelry that can be seen
through or under clothing must not be worn during business hours.
o Visible excessive tattoos and similar body art must be covered during business
hours.
Discuss Any VIP’s, Groups or, Tours staying at the hotel: The staff likes to be
involved and aware with what is going on at the hotel. Making them aware of VIP’s
and groups will also help them prepare when cleaning those particular rooms. For
instance a soccer team may have numerous rooms and require more time to remove
trash or they may require more towels which can help the room attendant bring more
towels on her cart.
Service Point for the Day: It is important for the staff to remember that they are
guest service agents. They interact and engage the guests just as other employees of
the hotel do. In order to maintain a high level of guest service throughout the hotel
where your employees are working, the department should have a Service Point
Calendar which has service points that will be reviewed with the staff each day during
the line up. During your daily line up the service point should be discussed openly
with the staff. Use examples of how they can interact and engage the guests using
your daily service point. Get feedback from the staff on there exchanges with the
guests. There should be any where from 10-20 different service points and they
should be rotated after 10 or 20 days back to the beginning. Below are list of example
service points that could be on your calendar:
o Welcome the guest to our hotel and geographic location. Tell them something
about the area, an attraction or historic area.
o Smile & use appropriate, professional language when speaking with guests. Use
the guest’s name.
o Make sure your appearance is professional.
o Take Pride in your work area! The most likely place for you to interact with a
guest will be over or near your maid’s cart. Be sure your cart is neat and tidy!
Cleaning Focus Point or Special Project for the Day: Each of the room attendants
should be advised if there are any special cleaning projects for the day or focus points
in the guest rooms that should be addressed. You should review the project with the
team and instruct them on how to clean the item or space and what chemicals to use.
This may require adding additional tools or cleaning supplies to the carts. The
cleaning focus or cleaning project should be also be written or typed on the room
assignment sheets. Examples of cleaning focus points or special cleaning projects
would be:
o Bathroom Tile grout
o Door Tracks
o Bathroom Vents
o AC Vents
o High dusting
o Low dusting
o Adding or removing a piece of collateral from the room
o Moving the location of something in the room, such as furniture or amenity
placement
Room Assignments & Keys Distributed: Before the attendants are released, the
room assignment s should be distributed and keys should be signed out for the day.
See the following Exhibits in the Housekeeping Checklists & Forms section at the end of
this document:
Exhibit D – Room Attendant Key Sign Out Sheet
Exhibit E – Management Key Sign Out Sheet
Room Assignments:
Assigning rooms to the Room Attendants to clean is done by using a Room Assignment
Forms. These Room Assignment Forms are a very important document and tool that are
used every single day in the housekeeping department. A room assignment is a list of
rooms with the house status of each that is given to a room attendant for them to
complete each day. The property management system (PMS) at your hotel most likely
has a housekeeping module capable of printing room assignments automatically vs. prior
methods of hand writing the room assignments onto a form. This prior method of writing
everything out is very time consuming and is not error proof. You may miss pertinent
information by transferring the printed data to written data such as, the status of a room
or you may miss writing an entire room number down and that would result in a very
unhappy guest because their room did not get cleaned. To insure accuracy, all of the
room assignments distributed at your hotel should be printed directly from the PMS. One
thing you need to be sure of is that no guest information is shown on the printout. Room
assignments are most likely left on the maids cart out in the open and anybody that walks
by can read it and gain guests location. To assign the room for housekeeping service you
must identify the status of the room. A guest room will be identified with one of the
following status labels each day:
Checkout: The guest is departing for the day and the room requires full
service
Stay Over: The guest is remaining in the room for another day and requires
partial/stay over service.
There are many different PMS and they often have various codes to note these status
labels so make sure you and your team are familiar with what codes are used.
Once you have a printed room assignment sheet you must assign one attendant to a list
and record a “target time.” A target time or ending time shows a room attendant when
they must have all of the rooms on their room assignment sheet finished. This is a critical
task and must be done each day and on each room assignment sheet. The housekeeping
department is measured on efficiency and how many minutes are spent cleaning in each
occupied room. The industry standard minutes per occupied room (Min POR) is 30.
Calculating the target time is a simple formula which is 30 minutes allowed for each
due out (check-out) and stay over. Once you have figured how much time it would
take the room attendant to complete there list, plus their lunch break, you can use this
formula to determine what time the room attendant should be finished working for the
day and this time becomes your target time.
The room assignment sheets are to be prepared early each day before the room attendants
arrive and are to be distributed to the room attendants at the Daily Line Up. Please be
sure you have checked the following items before you distribute your room assignments:
Each of the room attendants should have a room assignment sheet pre-printed and
placed on a clipboard w/ a pen ready for distribution. All of the room attendants
should have a clipboard with a pen so it is easy for them to update their sheets and it
keeps the papers organized and less crumpled. All of the room assignment sheets are
saved and may be referred to in the future so it is important that they are not
crumpled, stained or illegible. The boards should be kept clean and professional. No
stickers, doodles, etc.
Room Attendant’s Name
Target Time has been recorded.
Be sure there is a space for the room attendant to write the starting and ending time
for each room.
List of the rooms and the status for each
A place to right life safety or maintenance issues for the corresponding room or
location
Special Projects or cleaning focus point for the day should be written on the sheet
A place for the room attendant to sign the sheet at the end of their shift
Reminder!!!! No Guest Name or information should be on the room assignment
sheets
Reminder!!!! Any Room with a Do Not Disturb or No Service Requested must be
reported to the section supervisor.
All room assignment sheets should be filed by date and kept for one month in the
immediate housekeeping office area. This will help you offer an immediate answer to any
guest or room number issues.
How to Clean a Guest Room:
There are many different types, shapes and sizes of hotel rooms. Many hotels have
features in their guest rooms that make their rooms unique and require special cleaning
procedures and chemicals. However, almost all hotel rooms can be separated into two
areas which have basic cleaning procedures. Those two areas are the Bedroom and the
Bathroom. It is important for the entire housekeeping team to clean the guestrooms at
your hotel the same way each time they go into a room. This will ensure efficiency and
safety for the employees as well as the guests. We have separated the basic guest room
cleaning procedures into 6 categories. Those categories are, from start to finish:
Entering the Guest Room
Cleaning Preparation - Remove All Trash & Linen
Making the Bed
Clean Bathroom
Wipe Down & Dust
Vacuum
Leaving the Guest Room Ready for Inspection
Each step in the guest room cleaning process is further explained below. These
procedures are the basic procedures used in a typical hotel guest room. All HVS/AHMC
managed hotels are required to use ECOLAB products. The processes described below
reference the colored ECOLAB cleaning supplies designed for hotel guest rooms. The
housekeeping manager at your hotel may want to expand any of these processes further
and add more details. Before you start cleaning a guest room you will have received a
room assignment sheet, keys and, fully stocked maids cart.
Entering the Guest Room
It is important that you following these steps when entering the guestroom:
1. Knock twice announcing “housekeeping” after each knock. Do not knock with
anything but your hands.
2. As you open the door announce “housekeeping” one last time. This gives the
guest three announcements of who is at the door. If no one is in the room apply
your wedge or sandbag to the bottom of the door. If someone is in the guestroom
see the next section.
3. Pull your cart up to the door frame as close as possible. You will do this for the
following reasons: blocks intruders from entering the room while you are
cleaning, lets guests know you are cleaning the room, allows for easier traffic in
the hallway around your cart and, allows easier and quicker access to your
supplies.
4. If necessary record what time you entered the room and began cleaning.
5. Be sure your keys are secured to your uniform or in your pocket. Your room
assignments should be kept in an inconspicuous place on your cart or kept in the
guestroom.
If a guest is in the room after you have knocked twice and announced yourself three
times:
1. Apologize and ask the guest if they would like the room cleaned later?
2. Show the guest where the Do Not Disturb sign (DND) is located in the room so
that they are not disturbed again in the future.
3. Fulfill the guest’s request either coming back later or proceeding with your
normal routine. Keep the door and windows open if you stay and clean the room
with the guest in the room.
4. Note on your room assignment sheet if you need to come back later or if the
DND was placed on the door.
Cleaning Preparation - Remove All Trash & Linen:
The following items should be the first items completed once you enter the room:
1. Walk around the room turning all of the lights on. Make sure lamp shades are
tight and seams are towards the wall
2. While wearing gloves collect all trash throughout the room and place in the
wastebaskets. As you make your way back around to the entrance door, dump the
trash from the guest room wastebaskets into your maids cart trash bag.
3. Remove AC Vents – wipe them off into your maids cart trash bag.
4. Clean the trash cans inside and out with the appropriate cleaner.
5. Strip the bed linen: do not place any pillows, blankets or, comforters on the floor
6. Strip the bathroom towels
7. Spray the bathroom down with disinfectant: Spray the shower walls from one
corner, top to bottom, to the opposite corner; spray the tank, seat and, base of the
toilet.
Making the Bed
1. All Sheets should be folded into packs for easy cart stocking and quick access to a
full set of bed sheets.
2. The corners should be squared off
3. Pillow cases should not be put on the pillows by placing the pillow under your
chin
4. King beds should always have three pillows
5. Leave edges and bottom of comforters pulled onto the bed for vacuuming
Cleaning the Bathroom
1. Start with cleaning the shower walls; start in one corner, top to bottom, and work
your way around the entire shower surround. A soft scrub brush should be used
on the entire bath and shower surround. Do not use any scrubbing or abrasive
material on the chrome handles or tub plug.
2. Use a soft cloth and blue cleaner on any chrome in the tub
3. Clean showerhead; leave the showerhead facing the inside shower wall.
4. Clean bathtub walls and floor. Be sure to scrub all around the soap dishes.
5. Remove the tub stopper and clean thoroughly. Remove any hair attached to it.
6. Rinse the residue off the walls with rinse cups. By scrubbing you will have a
residue on the walls and tub that will need to be rinsed.
7. Dry, by wiping down with dry rag, the entire shower walls and bathtub of the
rinsing water.
8. Wipe down the shower liner. If the liner is stained or has mildew it needs to be
replaced
9. Clean the toilet; wipe from top to bottom including tank, seat and, base. Use a
toothbrush to clean around the hinges of the toilet seat. Use a toilet brush to clean
inside the bowl. Flush once you are finished cleaning and leave the seat down.
10. All chrome pieces in the bathroom should be cleaned with the blue cleaner. These
items would include: towel bars / racks, toilet flusher, robe hooks, toilet paper
holder, shower handles and shower heads.
11. Fold the toilet paper into triangles. If roll is ¼ or less it needs to be replaced.
12. Spray and clean the vanity with pink cleaner. Be sure not to spray the sink fixture
with the pink spray. The fixture needs to be cleaned with blue cleaner.
13. Clean the mirror with blue cleaner. Start in one corner, top to bottom and work
your way to the bottom corner.
14. Fold facial tissue into triangle.
15. Clean the ice bucket in the sink – Use appropriate chemicals
16. Clean the coffee pot in the sink – Use appropriate chemicals
17. Wipe down the inside, outside and, cord of the hairdryer – be sure it is plugged in
18. Sweep the floor. Start at the farthest point into the bathroom and sweep towards
the carpet. Do not sweep debris onto the carpet; sweep debris into a dust pan
19. Re-stock all towels and amenities in the bathroom. The towels should look fresh,
clean and fluffy. The presentation of both the towels and amenities should be
appealing.
20. Clean bathroom floor and grout; start at the farthest point into the bathroom and
work your way out to the carpet. Scrub the tile grout with a soft scrub brush and
wipe the tiles down with a soft rag. Be sure to wipe behind the door, under vanity
and, behind / around toilet base.
21. Use adhesive (sticky) roller on tile floor and shower/ tub surround to remove any
remaining hairs.
Wipe Down & Dust
1. Start in a corner of the room with your feather duster and dusting rag. As you
walk around the room clockwise dust from top to bottom, wiping down anything
that comes in your way. Be sure to move objects and wipe under and behind
them. This will ensure the entire room is covered. If you come across electronics
turn them on or check to make sure they are working. For instance: TV remote,
TV, phone, alarm clock, etc.
2. Be sure to wipe down the hand set, cord and, base of the phone
3. Open all drawers and wipe down the insides and outsides
4. All Mirrors need to be cleaned with blue cleaner and soft rag. Start in one corner,
top to bottom, and work your way to the bottom corner.
5. All windows need to be cleaned with blue cleaner and soft rag. Start in one
corner, top to bottom, and work your way to the bottom corner.
6. Wipe down windowsill
7. Wipe down top, control panel, sides and, grill of PTAC unit.
8. The AC needs to be left on low cool around 1:00
9. Check under chair cushions and wipe down.
10. Wipe down lamp shades and bases.
11. Bundle cords neatly and hide them out of the guests view.
12. Dust and wipe down top shelve or bars in closet.
13. Wipe down all light switches and outlets
14. Wipe down both sides of door and door handles, check view finder, be sure the
door closes from the half way point. Check deadbolt and secondary lock and wipe
them down. Check for fire evacuation signage
15. Make sure all collateral in the room is crisp and fresh. If any pieces are stained or
damaged they must be replaced.
Vacuum
1. Start from the farthest point in the room, working your way back to the entrance
of the room with a broom, edging all of the carpet.
2. Then start from the farthest point in the room again, working your way back to the
entrance of the room by vacuuming. Do not vacuum over the cord.
3. Move objects such as chairs, waste baskets and, lamps to vacuum underneath
them. Do not vacuum around items.
4. vacuum behind doors that are open
Leaving the Guestroom Ready for Inspection:
1. As you are finishing cleaning the room you need to leave the guest room ready for
inspection. All guest rooms are inspected and you should be prepared to return for
correction if things are not done accurately.
2. All lights should be left turned on. Shades need to be positioned so seams are
hidden
3. All electronics need to be left turned on. This would include: TV and clock radio.
The alarm on the clock radio needs to be turned off. Be sure the TV remote works
4. All drawers need to be left open
5. All bed comforter edges need to be flipped up
6. All Balcony Doors and windows need to be locked
7. The last thing you should do is check the room one last time. Step back and take
an overview shot of the room to see if anything looks out of place or is missing.
8. If necessary record the time you finished cleaning the room on your room
assignment sheet.
Additional Tips & Reminders
You may be required to vacuum the carpet immediately outside of each guest room you
clean. If you work at an exterior corridor property you may be required to sweep the
balcony immediately outside the guest room.
Many hotels have private balconies off of guest rooms that require cleaning. This may
fall under room attendant responsibilities.
Other common items in hotel rooms that need to be cleaned: microwave, refrigerator,
dishes, sofa beds etc.
As you are cleaning rooms your cart will fill up with trash and dirty laundry. You may
also run low on amenities and clean linen. It is important that your housekeeping
department have a procedure in place so that you do not have to stop cleaning to run and
empty your cart of dirty linen and trash or run and get fresh supplies. All of your time
should be spent cleaning guest rooms. You need to work efficiently to achieve your target
time. (See Room Assignments SOP)
At the end of the day maid’s carts and caddies are fully stocked and stored for the next
day. This responsibility may be for the room attendants at your hotel.
Keeping A Quality Maids Cart The maid’s cart is important to the housekeeping process. A well-organized cart can
provide better efficiency to the Room Attendant and allow them to gain access to their
supplies quickly and neatly. Since the guest in hallways also observe this cart it is
extremely important that it is maintained in good repair and a professional manner. A cart
that is in need of paint, is dirty or is in disarray reflects poorly on the housekeeping
department. Like wise, a clean well-organized cart gives our guest confidence that the
same quality care we use on the cart is also being used in their room. The following is a
format for stocking the maid’s cart:
The type of cart varies and some have glass racks on the bottom some have no glass racks
at all. But the inventory above is a solid reference.
Additional items that should be on the Maids Cart and their use
Utility Items for Carts Use
Scissors Trim loose threads on bedspreads and carpets.
Light bulbs Replace burnt out bulbs
2” Paint brush Clean bathroom vents
Long handled hair roller To finish off bathrooms and remove loose hair
Screwdriver & screw
assortment
Replace old or missing screws in light plates, grab bars,
etc.
Long handled duster To clean around vanity lights, room corners, ceiling, and
drapery tops.
Two-step step ladder To assist Room Attendants in hard to reach spots.
The extra care in preparing the maid’s cart makes this an ideal responsibility for the
Laundry Attendant. They are centrally located with all of the supplies and they have
ample opportunity to provide this service later in the day after the Room Attendants have
completed their work.
There are some Don’ts that you should be aware of in reference to Maid’s Carts:
Don’t tie plastic bags around the edge of the carts. A proper container can be found for
every possible need. It looks cleaner and more professional.
Don’t allow stickers or personal items to be attached to the carts. They trash the
appearance and look dirty and ragged with time.
Don’t allow food to be consumed on the cart and while cleaning rooms. Once again it
looks bad to the guest.
Don’t allow vacuums to look trashy either. Fix or replace broken trim pieces and clean on
a regular basis.
Don’t leave carts unattended in hallways. Once again this looks bad to the guest, and you
could have items taken from the cart.
Don’t get carts with black or dark wheels. These wheels will scuff and mark the walls of
the hotel. Always order white or gray non-marking pneumatic wheels.
Don’t hang garbage and dirty rags on the same side as clean linen.
Don’t store chemicals above or near coffee products or coffee cups
Don’t hang chemicals from the end of the cart - they should be placed in a separate caddy
/ container on top of the cart in case of leaks.
Do contain all dirty rags and not thrown all over the cart.
Guest Service for Housekeeping:
All positions at the hotel need to offer excellent service to all guests. Your appearance
and interactions with the guest could be the first or last our guest has with the property.
You should always make sure you look, act and, talk professionally. You are a
representative of our business and we trust you to follow through on these key items:
Always acknowledge guests when you encounter them.
Be polite and answer questions to the best of your ability. Use appropriate
language.
Welcome them to the hotel and area location. Tell them something about the area
that they may not know such as a historic district or major attraction.
Two things every guest wants to see are eyes & teeth. Make sure you look at them
when you are talking to them and smile.
Take Pride in your Work Area! The most likely place for you to interact with a
guest will be over or near your maid’s cart. This means you must keep an
exceptionally tidy cart. The cleanliness of our cart is a reflection of you and hotel
management
All employees need to be in the appropriate uniform and follow all personal appearance
standards of the company. Those standards are:
All employees wear the approved uniform with a nametag and closed toe shoes.
The uniform needs to be clean, neat & ironed; No modifications added.
Hair is groomed and neat, unnaturally colored hair and extreme hairstyles are not
appropriate or professional. Mustaches and beards must be clean and well
trimmed.
Excessive makeup is not permitted. Perfume, cologne and aftershave is used in
moderation or avoided altogether.
Offensive body odor and poor personal hygiene are not permitted
Jewelry should not be functionally restrictive, dangerous to job performance, or
excessive.
Facial Jewelry such as, eyebrow rings, nose rings, lip rings and tongue studs are
not allowed. Torso body piercing with visible jewelry or jewelry that can be seen
through or under clothing must not be worn during business hours.
Visible excessive tattoos and similar body art must be covered during business
hours.
Phone Etiquette
The kind of service that our guests receive over the phone is as important as the service
they get in person at your hotel. It is important that every phone interaction reflect high
standards of friendliness and efficiency and be a positive impact on the guest perception
of the quality of service at your hotel. Not only does it make a positive impression, it
helps business because guests who feel positive about your service will select your hotel
to stay at.
Techniques
All phones are to be answered within three rings.
When the phone is answered, you should speak clearly and slowly, and have a
welcoming upbeat tone to your voice. Remember you want them to feel like they
are getting service. Smile when you talk. A smile helps you sound more relaxed
and pleasant
Always Speak Clearly into the receiver
Always tell the caller your name and try to get theirs, then use it throughout the
call
Answer using the appropriate greeting appointed by your hotel management. It
may be something like “It’s a beautiful day at the (Name + Location of your
hotel), how may I assist you?”
If you have to transfer the call to a room, or to an in-house extension, you should
always confirm where you are transferring them and us the following line: “ I am
transferring you to Room 425, it is my pleasure to connect you”
If you are answering an in-house line from a guest in the room, use the guest
name if your system shows the room number and name along with the following
greeting: “Good evening/morning Mr. Smith, this is (your name) in Housekeeping
How may I assist you?”
If you have to place a call on hold, make sure you inform them and ask them if it
is OK. When you take them off of hold, you must thank them. The exchange
should go like this: “Mr. Smith I will need to put you on hold just for a minute,
will that be OK with you?” Then when coming back “Mr. Smith thank you very
much for holding, here is the information you asked for….”
Always take the time to give proper phone service, even if you are really busy.
The guests on the phone expect it, and the actual physical time it takes to do it
right is only the matter of a few seconds. Do it right every time. Talk to only the
person on the phone, not to anyone else around you. If you absolutely have to
speak to someone else in the room ask permission to place the caller on hold.
Do not use slang or lazy vocabulary like, “Huh? Yeah,” etc.
Do not use technical terms or hospitality words that callers may not understand
Do not argue with guest. Transfer them to the MOD using the same protocol
defined above.
If you are on a call and another call comes in, you must “stack” the calls. This is
done by placing the caller you are with on hold, and answering the incoming call.
You must immediately transfer the call (remember the script above!) or get their
callback information and offer to call them back. You then go back to your
original call and complete that call. It is never OK to not answer every call within
three rings.
Someone must man the phone at all times. During breaks, and busy times, no
matter what. If you feel can not give great service on the phone then ask your
manager for assistance.
Closing a call is just as important as the opening and greeting of the call. Always
say thank you or you are welcome. Try to use the callers name whenever possible
and say “good bye” not “bye-bye” or “buh-bye”
Radio Etiquette
Each property and department is staffed with a radio. This allows each department
throughout the properties to communicate with each other. Using radios at a hotel should
be done in a professional and discreet manner. Please remember the following:
Each hotel should create and use their own form of radio terminology
Each radio should be equipped with an earpiece for the employee to wear in order
to keep hotel communications silenced from guests and other clients that are
visiting. If ear pieces are not available then all radios should be kept at medium
volume.
Radio’s should be numbered and signed out, just like any other piece of hotel
equipment
Don’t forget to charge your radio at the end of your shift.
If there is something that you don’t think should be said over radio
communication then ask the appropriate manager to call you back on a land line.
Radio Terminology
Radio Codes:
* CODE 0 – ARMED ROBBERY
* CODE 1 – TOILET OVERFLOW
* CODE 2 – INTOXICATED PERSON
* CODE 3 – ELEVATOR
* CODE 5 – BUGS
* CODE 6 – BED BUGS
* CODE 9 – EMPLOYEE HURT
* CODE 11 – TRESPASSING ISSUE
* CODE WHITE – MEDICAL EMERGENCY
* CODE RED – CALL FIRE DEPARTMENT
* CODE BLUE – CALL POLICE DEPARTMENT
* CODE YELLOW – AMBULANCE
* CODE GREEN – EMERGENCY ACCIDENT AT POOL
* CODE ADAM – MISSING CHILD
* CODE FOX TROT – CHILD WITH NO PARENT
Department names:
Maintenance for Days Inn – 103
Maintenance for Best Western – 203
Front Desk for Days Inn – 101
Front Desk for Best Western – 201
Housekeeping for Days Inn – 102
Housekeeping for Best Western – 202
Managers – Unit #’s
Words not to be said over the radio: (When ever there is a situation that is sensitive to
guest’s ears, please ask the department to give you a land line)
Toilet
Toilet Paper – instead say TP
Bad Language
Bugs, Insects, Roaches, etc
Elevator not working jammed, etc
Room Inspections:
Room inspections are a necessary and critical component to the housekeeping operation
at any hotel. The room inspection process is our last chance to make a perfect first
impression on guests. The responsibility of room inspections may be under the
housekeeping manager or supervisor. In larger hotels there may be designated room
inspector positions. However, at all hotels all rooms must be inspected each day and the
department must have a good process in place for completing this serious task. The room
inspection process is outlined below in chronological order, as it would happen in a
typical housekeeping day:
1. Room inspections must start within the first hour room attendant’s start cleaning.
It is not affective to wait 2-5 hours, towards the end of the day, to inspect rooms.
2. All rooms (due-outs and stay-overs) must be inspected every day and a room
inspection form must be used. The form should have a space for: the property, the
inspector, the room number, who cleaned the room; if the room passes or fails, a
list of each item to be inspected in the room and five columns to do five room
inspections on one sheet. An “X” should be placed on the sheet next to the item
that needs attention.
3. As rooms are inspected, room attendants must be sent back to rooms where
cleaning was not done correctly. As the room inspector you must do this
immediately after you inspect the room. You also must remember that you are not
helping the room attendant by fixing their mistakes. You will only continue to
find mistakes as you keep inspecting.
4. When you send a room attendant back to a room, you must go into the room with
s/he and coach them by showing them where the mistake is and explaining how to
fix the problem(s). Never just tell a room attendant about an issue in a room and
expect them to go back and find exactly what you are talking about and take care
of it. If you find life safety or maintenance issues you should bring the room
attendant back and show them what you have found and how to proceed with
maintenance request orders or life safety orders.
5. Once the room has been inspected it must be entered back into the Property
Management System as clean – vacant if a due out or just clean if a stay-over.
This helps the front desk employees check –in guests without having to interrupt
the housekeeping manager or room inspector to ask if a room has been clean.
They will already know and can check the guest in without making the guest wait.
6. The room inspection forms should be kept and filed for one month with other
paperwork for the day such as room assignment sheets, key sign out sheets etc. At
the end of the month the all of the room inspection forms should be stored with
other hotel financial records for the month.
The housekeeping manager or person filling in as that role needs to inspect what they
expect! This means they need to inspect the rooms that the room inspectors have already
checked. If there are items in the room that require attention then the room inspector
should be brought back to the room and coached on the issue. The room inspector will
then make sure the room attendant has taken care of the issue.
The General Manager also needs to inspect what they expect and should inspect 5 rooms
a day that have been double inspected, by the room inspector and housekeeping manager,
if there are issues in the room the housekeeping manager should be coached and then
notify the appropriate staff to fix the problem.
Remember if there ever is a problem in the room it is not the room attendants fault, it is
the room inspectors.
See the following exhibit under the Housekeeping Checklists & Forms section at the end
of this document:
Exhibit G – Room Inspection Form
Public Space Cleaning & Inspection:
Cleanliness of the hotel is housekeeping’s ultimate responsibility. All areas of the hotel
need to be kept clean all of the time. In addition to guest rooms there are other areas that
guests use and gather in. These areas are known as the public spaces and could include:
fitness room, pool area, business center, guest laundry, public restrooms, lobby, breakfast
room and, meeting rooms. All of these areas need to be cleaned each day just like the
guest room, and just like the guest room these areas need to be inspected. This task could
fall to many different positions within the housekeeping department but, whoever
completes this task must know how important it is. Our last inspection is a guest’s first
impression of the property. Each of the public spaces at your hotel needs to have an
inspection checklist form. This specific form will ensure that all components of that area
have been cleaned and are ready for the guest to use.
Below are basic items that need to be on every public space checklist and inspection
form:
The appearance of the space is clean, neat and organized. Make sure the space
smells fresh and clean. All of the lighting should work, cords should be bundled.
The temperature should be comfortable.
Trash has been removed. All trash receptacles are clean.
All surface areas have been wiped down and or dusted.
If there is furniture with cushions, the cushions have been removed and inspected
for debris.
If there is hard surface furniture such as breakfast room tables and chairs or pool
furniture, each piece has been wiped down from top to bottom.
The flooring is free of debris, has been swept and wiped down or, vacuumed.
All windows and mirrors have been wiped down and no streaks are left behind
All electronics and equipment work such as telephones, TV’s, fitness equipment
or, vending equipment, guest laundry equipment
All collateral is fresh and crisp
All linen and supplies are stocked and clean. For example; pool towels, fitness
center towels, toilet paper, facial tissue, soap, etc.
Public Space Cleaning Checklist:
Name:
Date:
Hotel and Cleaning Locations: (put a checkmark next to the hotel/ cleaning location)
□ Best Western Lobby □ Best Western Tower □ Best Western Suites □ Best Western A&B Buildings □ Days Inn Lobby (Main Building) □ Days Inn Efficiency Building □ Days Inn South Building
Cleaning Location: Check what location you are using this checklist for. A separate Checklist should be used for each hotel to ensure all items are completed. Please Mark Not Available (N/A ) if there is a section on the checklist that is not included in the particular building you are cleaning. Please put your initials by each section and a checkmark in the box for each task after each item has been completed. Do not mark an item if it was not completed.
Section Task
Initials
Starting Shift Tasks
□ Retrieve full stocked cart and gather any remaining supplies
□ Sign out Keys
Lobby / Vestibule Areas
□ Dust and straighten all furniture, lamps, pictures □ Wipe down window sills □ Wipe down glass on all entrance doors □ Remove rugs – shake out □ Move furniture away from the walls and
windows to sweep and mop or vacuum the floor □ Wipe down the luggage carts □ Wipe down coffee station and re-organize
contents □ Wipe down all telephone banks
Public Restrooms
□ Wipe down the door and both handles □ Take trash out □ Wipe down inside, outside and lid of trash cans □ Wipe down vanity / sink / faucet □ Wipe down the mirror □ Clean the toilet – inside stool, seat and the base □ Sweep and mop the floor □ Restock towels, soap, tissue and toilet paper as
needed
Elevator
□ Vacuum carpet or sweep and mop flooring □ Wipe down walls and stainless steel panels □ Clean lighting panels (as needed) □ Sweep and clean elevator tracks
Hallways & Stairwells
□ Spot check the Hallways – Vacuum or sweep and mop where needed
□ Check Stairwells – Vacuum or sweep and mop where needed
□ Wipe down all window sills in stairwells □ Wipe down all window sills at end of each
corridor □ Wipe down the blinds on any windows □ Check AC Settings and reset to 72 degrees □ Wipe down top and sides of all vending
machines. Check underneath and on sides for trash.
□ Wipe down top and sides of all ice machines. Check underneath and on sides for trash.
Guest Laundry
□ Take trash out □ Wipe inside and outside of trash can □ Wipe down folding table □ Wipe down the outsides of all machines □ Check Vending machines and make sure they are
full □ Check and clean the insides of the machines □ Check and clean the lint trap in the dryer □ Sweep and mop the tile floor
Fitness Room
□ Take trash out □ Wipe inside and outside of trash can □ Wipe down machines □ Turn TV on to CNN □ Vacuum carpet □ Stock towels and cups as needed □ Wipe down mirrors and windows
Pool Area
□ Take trash out □ Wipe down tables and chairs □ Stock towels □ Clean the windows
Meeting of Conf. Rooms □ Wipe down all furniture □ Vacuum carpet or sweep and mop floors
End of Shift Tasks □ Clean and restock cart for next □ Make sure all areas are locked and secured
Check with your supervisor when you have finished this list. They will inspect your work before you are allowed to leave for the day.
Mattress Rotation
To insure the longest wear possible on all mattresses and box springs, all mattresses
should be rotated. This requires that the mattress be physically rotated on the bed so that
the wear from body pressure is spread evenly around the mattress set.
To complete this process please see that:
1. Mattresses are turned every 90 days. Numbering the ends of the mattresses 1
to 4 and requiring the same number to be up at the top left hand side of the
bed each quarter is the simplest method.
January, February and March - 1
April, May and June - 2
July, August and September - 3
October, November and December - 4
2. Turn box springs twice a year using a similar method
All rotation of mattresses should be recorded on a log sheet and this log sheet should
be maintained in the Executive Housekeepers office. It should always be available for
inspection and for many franchised hotels this log is a requirement of the quality
inspection they perform for your hotel.
Lost & Found Procedures
Any Lost and Found article found at the hotel (inside or outside) by a member of the staff
(or given to a staff member by a non-employee such as a guest or visitor), must be turned
over to a Supervisor, Department Head, Assistant Manager or General Manager. This
would include, but not be limited to, items found in guest rooms, in public spaces, food
and beverage outlets and on hotel grounds.
Below are standard lost and found procedures to be followed:
Use a standard lost and found tag. Tags should be generally available in various
offices throughout the hotel for easy access and use.
A logbook must be available and used. The logbook should be available to the
Manager on Duty or other Supervisor when the Housekeeper is not available.
Another option is to keep the book available in the Front Office area in a manner
where it is accessible but will not get lost.
Describe the article found on the tag and in the book. If the item is an unlocked
container, such as a pocketbook or suitcase, the contents should be inventoried
also. Two people should take an inventory, one acting as a witness. State where
the article was found by the nearest room number or in relation to a specific
facility landmark.
List when the article was found, including the day, time, and date.
Identify the person who found it.
Record the date and method of disposition for any item that is not claimed.
If a guest calls looking for a lost article, calls should be referred to the
housekeeping department or the location where the lost and found book is kept. If
the person taking the call cannot resolve the question for the guest in an
immediate or timely manner, the guest's telephone number should be taken and
arrangements made for someone to call the guest without fail.
All items should be stored to prevent damage and labeled so they can be easily
located in the storage area.
Valuable items, such as credit cards, jewelry, cameras, or airplane tickets should
be turned over to the General Manager, who personally should record it in the lost
and found log. After packaging and identifying the item, it is to be stored in the
safe. These items are to be kept for 90 days or at the discretion of the General
Manager.
All other items are to be locked securely in a cabinet to which only the
Housekeeping Supervisor, General Manager or Manager-on-Duty have access.
These items are to be kept for 60 days at which time the General Manager will
offer the item to the person who found it. Guests are not to be called and informed
that they left an item behind except at the discretion of the General Manager for
items of obvious monetary or sentimental value.
Items of little or no value should not be saved; this is at the discretion of the
Supervisor. No food items are to be stored in Lost and Found.
When inquiries are received about an item, the person should be asked for a
specific description of the item. Log description and details should never be
provided to the caller.
Alcohol, beer and wine are to be disposed of by pouring the remaining contents
down the drain. Unopened bottles are to be disposed of in the same fashion. These
items are never to be given to staff or other guests.
When the owner picks up items, the individual should sign the log book to
acknowledge that the item has been returned. Items should be mailed only when
the owner requests it; the item should be sent to the address given by the owner.
The address should be logged.
Lost and found articles are never to be taken from the property except as provided
above. Employees may not accept gifts other than normal cash tips from guests
without the specific permission in advance from the General Manager.
Housekeeping
Checklists & Forms
EXHIBIT A:
# Of King Beds
# Of Queen Beds
# Of Full Beds
# Of Rooms
LINEN INVENTORY
PROPERTY:
MONTH:
TYPE OF LINEN GUEST MAID LAUNDRY LINEN
Total
this
Total
last Loss/
ROOMS CARTS ROOM ROOM month Month Gain
SHEETS
KING FLAT 0 0
FULL FLAT 0 0
QUEEN FLAT 0 0
QUEEN FITTED 0 0
KING FITTED 0 0
FULL FITTED 0 0
PILOW CASES
STANDARD 0 0
PROTECTORS 0 0
PILLOWS
STANDARD 0 0
MATTRESS PADS
KING 0 0
QUEEN 0 0
FLAT 0 0
BLANKETS
KING 0 0
QUEEN 0 0
FULL 0 0
TOWELS & BATH
BATH 0 0
HAND 0 0
WASH CLOTH 0 0
BATH MATS 0 0
POOL TOWELS 0 0
CLOTH SHOWER COURTAIN 0 0
PLASTIC SHOWER CURTAINS 0 0
EXHIBIT B:
LOST LINEN
PROPERTY:
MONTH:
DATE BT HT WC BM PC MISC SPREADS SHEETS BLANKETS
K Q D K Q D K Q D
TOTALS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
EXHIBIT C:
STORE ROOM PAR LEVELS
STORE ROOM COUNT GIVEN NEEDED TO REACH PAR
A UP
A DOWN
B UP
B DOWN
C UP
C DOWN
3RD FLOOR
4TH FLOOR
5TH FLOOR
6TH FLOOR
7TH FLOOR
8TH FLOOR
MAIN UP
MAIN DOWN
SOUTH UP
SOUTH DOWN
SUITES 2ND
SUITES 3RD
SUITES 4TH
SUITES 5TH
EXHIBIT E:
HOUSEKEEPING MANAGEMENT KEY SIGN OUT SHEET
Date: Day:
KEY TIME OUT: SIGNATURE TIME IN: SIGNATURE:
EXHIBIT G:
ROOM INSPECTION SHEET
DATE: PROPERTY: INSPECTOR:
Room Item Rm # Rm # Rm # Rm # Rm #
Guest Room
Doors: Locks, Self-Closure, Door Viewer, DND
Fire Evacuation route, rate cards, State Laws
Connecting Doors: Locks
Lights: switches, plates
Lamps: shades, bulbs, cord covers, cords bundled
Walls, electric outlets
Ceiling, wood work and trim
Pictures, Mirrors, Frames
Carpet
Drapes: rods, hooks
Windows: sills, balcony sliding doors
Telephones: message lights, cords, memo pad, pen, phone book
Television and remote control
Alarm clock radio
Headboards & Night Stands
Mattress, box spring, frame
Spreads, linens, pillows, mattress pad
Credenza / armoire/ dresser
Chairs / sofa / desk chair
Table / desk
HVAC Unit: vents, room temperature at 72degrees
Smoke Detector
Iron / Ironing Board
Closet: clothes rack, shelf, hangers, laundry bag, luggage rack
Collateral: directory, comment card, LD carrier tent
Ice Bucket & Coffee Maker: tray, liner, cups, condiments
Ash trays or non smoking tents
Wastebasket: liner
Bathroom
Doors, robe hook, door stopper, hinges
Lights & Ventilation: switches, plates
Walls, Ceilings, Floor: vinyl, paint, tile, trim
Tub, caulking, grab bar, non skid protector, soap dish
Tub: fixtures, drain, shower head, curtain rod, curtain liner
Vanity / Sink: fixtures, drain
Bath Linen cleanliness & presentation, towel racks
Toilet Tissue and Facial Tissue: holders, tissue folded
Hairdryer
Wastebasket: liner
Bathroom Amenities: replaced and proper placement
Mirror
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