Provide Housekeeping Services to Guests WEEK 1 HOTEL HOUSE RULES Hotels follow different approaches in giving the best service they can provide for their guests. Hotel house rules are designed to instill discipline among hotel staff, thereby ensuring guest satisfaction in terms of comfort, safety, and security. Well-mannered staff is an asset of the hotel as they can help build hotel guests' contentment and trust. Every guest coming and checking in wants security thus providing security is one of the most important duties of a hotel. Entry into a Guest's Room One of the responsibilities of a housekeeper are to clean the room of the guests. in entering a guest's room, most hotels have a mandatory two-knock, three announcement rule must knock twice using the knuckles of his hand and say "housekeeping" upon entering the room, the housekeeper again announces "housekeeping" in case the guest did not hear him or her from outside the room if the door is locked from the inside and there is no response from the guest, wait for about 24 hours. If after which there is still no response from the guest, the housekeeper must inform his supervisor about the incident and the supervisor will report to the security who will confirm the guest's safety. Cleaning To be able to do this, they are expected to complete a series of cleaning and sanitizing procedures are expected to perform are changing of linens and toiletries, cleaning the floors, dusting surfaces, and cleaning the bathrooms of guest rooms assigned to them. Gifts and Tipping Some hotels require their housekeepers to ask a note coming from the guest just in case they are given a gift. Housekeepers are also required to surrender to their supervisor anything they found in a room together with a note indicating the room number and the item found. Guest's personal items should also be respected by not touching them or moving them anywhere. All hotels allow guests to give tips as appreciation for quality service but housekeepers should not solicit tips or negotiate the amount with guest. Lost and Found Lost and Found items after a quest's departure must be reported immediately to the floor supervisor. It is the duty of the floor supervisor to check whether the quest is still around or not. If the guest is no longer around, the floor supervisor will follow the lost and found procedure. Below are hotel rules for lost and found items: Perishable items are lost and found items under food like fruits, chocolates, can goods, etc. After three days if the owner will not call or come back to claim the items, it will be given to the housekeeper who finds the items. This is what they call "finders keepers rule”. Non-perishable items are lost and found items under non-food such as umbrella, shoes, bags, clothes, etc. These items are only given one month for the owner to claim. If left unclaimed, the items again will be given to the employee who found it. Valuables are lost and found items such as cash, gadgets, and jewelry. Items considered as valuables are given one year to be claimed by the owner. If left unclaimed, the hotel management will decide on what to do with the unclaimed items. Professionalism This includes specialized skill, good judgment, polite behavior, honesty, and integrity. Housekeepers are expected to perform their job well. They have to wear their uniform at all times during work. They are also expected to comply with cleaning request of guests. Going above and beyond a guests' expectations while staying within professional boundaries ensures guests continued patronage. INTERPERSONAL AND INTRAPERSONAL SKILLS OF A GOOD HOUSEKEEPER Interpersonal Skills Ability to manage conflict Ability to communicate clearly Ability to listen Demonstrate responsibility Being accountable for your action being able to face the consequence of your action and not blaming others. Showing appreciation Flexibility. Intrapersonal Skills Adaptability Self-awareness Self-management or self-development Relationship management Social awareness- PERSONNEL IN THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT WEEK 2 Organizational Structure of a Housekeeping Department 1. The Executive Housekeeper - is the head of the housekeeping and serves several responsibilities that include managing the housekeeping team; - translating all hotel policies, procedures, and standards into housekeeping operations; - serving as the representative of the department during top management meetings; and ensuring all resources are effectively utilized. 2. Assistant Housekeepers - is the head of a given shift and is responsible in managing the resources provided by the executive housekeeper to achieve its goal of cleanliness, maintenance, and attractiveness of the hotel during a given shift. - It is also his or her responsibility to translate into practice all the housekeeping Supervisors and executive housekeeper's policies, procedures, and standards making sure that executive housekeepers actualize them at the grass root level of operations - In the absence of a housekeeper, an assistant housekeeper will take over. 3. Floor Supervisors - are responsible in checking the cleanliness and maintenance of guest rooms on allotted floors for quality assurance - also responsible in controlling the housekeeping personnel which compose of room attendants and housemen - responsible in controlling the material assets of the floor such as bed and bath linen, guests and room amenities, and cleaning equipment and detergents - are the ones who supervise the changing of floor linens with the assistance of laundry department and ensure their proper storage in the floor pantry - also give feedback to the front desk office of the availability of quest rooms in each shift for occupancy. 4. Control Desk Supervisor - housekeeping control desk is considered as the main communication center of the housekeeping department - ensure the communication with housekeeping personnel is coordinated to all staff of the hotel - coordinate with the maintenance department to make sure that all maintenance requests are attended to and done. 5. Public Area Supervisor - is responsible for ensuring that the public area attendants or housemen are doing their job in maintaining the cleanliness, orderliness, and upkeep of the aesthetic image of all public areas in the hotel like the lobby, hallways, banquets space, and banquets space. 6. Linen Room Supervisor - responsible in coordinating the exchange of soiled linen for clean ones - also the custodian of all linens used and the one responsible for the maintenance and proper storage of linens to minimize loss - tasked to coordinate closely with the laundry supervisor for the supply of clean linens. 7. Laundry Supervisor - responsible for ensuring that laundry attendants are doing their job-washing, drying, folding, and pressing items-properly. 8. Uniform Room Supervisors - major responsibilities of a uniform room supervisor include keeping all uniforms in safe conditions and to issue laundered uniforms to hotel staff. 9. Room Attendants - are also called chambermaids since mostly women are employed for the job - are the ones who are responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of assigned guest rooms - they serve as the eyes and ears of the security team to report any untoward incidents - make sure that the privacy of all their guests are not invaded. 10. Laundry and Linen Room Attendants - responsible for laundering linens, towels, napkins, aprons, uniforms, and any other items. 11. Tailor or Upholsterers - is employed on-site to mend uniforms, linens, and upholstery or repurpose ripped linens into aprons and rags. GUESTROOM CLEANING, CARE, AND MAINTENANCE Points to Remember When Doing Cleaning Service to a Guest's Room: Clean in one direction Clean from top down Clean from farthest point out Check for damage, if there is something that requires maintenance, or if a proper lost Use correct equipment and cleaning agents to clean surfaces Phases of Cleaning a Hotel Guest Room Phase 1 Opening the windows to air out the room and turning off of air-conditioning system Washing hands and putting on protective disposable gloves Emptying out the trash cans or bins Stripping the bed and removing dirty linens Phase 2 Removal of dirty towels from the bathroom (bath towels, hand towels, and face towels) Spraying the cleaning products necessary for disinfection Removal of gloves Phase 3 Making up the bed Phase 4 Dusting all surfaces such as bedside table, desk, chair, TV, etc. Checking TV, air-conditioning, and lights to make sure they function properly Phase 5 Cleaning the bathroom Phase 6 Replacing all free hotel products such as brochures, mints, shampoo, soap, etc. Vacuuming the room Checking over the room, making sure that everything is in place Bedroom and Bathroom Amenities in a Hotel WEEK 3 Bedroom amenities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Spacious bedrooms with king or queen size beds High grade premium pillow top mattress Premium quality linens Plush duvet Extra pillows Clothes hanger Bedside alarm clock Cordless telephone High-speed internet access High-definition flat screen televisions Desk and comfortable desk chair Cable television channel Mini-fridge Iron and ironing board Bedside telephone with note pad and pen Safety deposit locker Coffee maker Telephone directory and service directory Luggage scale Printing of boarding pass for free Bathroom Amenities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Shampoo Conditioner Bath Gel Lotion Toothbrush Hairbrush Comb 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Shower Cap Cotton Swab Razor Shaving Foam Scrub towel Hair dryer Hot and cold water Shoe mitts Disposal bag Shower cap Toilet tissue Water tumblers Blade dispenser Conducting Room Check, Turndown, and Make up Beds The bulk of cleaning in hotels is done mostly in the morning shift but there are exceptions like the rooms with a DND or "Do not Disturb" sign, rooms which are occupied by late night guests, and early morning arrivals by guests with international flights. These are cases when an evening service or turndown service is needed. Turn Down Service (TDS) is a special service provided by the housekeeping department in which a housekeeper enters a guestroom early in the evening to do second cleaning or tidying up the room, re-stocking supplies, and turning down the bed. The procedure for turn down service involves preparing the room for the guest to sleep comfortably. An item is typically left on top of the pillow that has been turned down. This is usually any of the following: flowers, a chocolate, candies, cookies, etc. Taking Requests and Handling Complaints from Guest 1. Remember not to argue with the guest, remember also that the guest is always right. 2. Listen attentively to the guest and understand what exactly is wrong. 3. Have a log system in place. Make sure all requests are written and properly documented. Handover to the next shift the problems still unresolved. 4. Apologize for the inconvenience caused. 5. Find out exactly what the guest expects during the request. Make sure you ask the right questions to deliver exactly what is expected. 6. Record the time for handling the request. 7. Rectify the situation if you can. There are some instances where common sense will prevail but do not forget the standard procedure of rectifying complaints. 8. Inform the manager of all complaints immediately, even if you have successfully resolved the situation. 9. Complaints need to be handled positively and with empathy for the guest, aspiring for 100 % guest satisfaction. 9. If the problem is out of your authority, inform the manager or Duty Manager. 10. Record all the details in Guest Call Register -noting down any request or complaint made by hotel guest. 12. Repeat the request back to the guest before ending the call. Tips in Handling Guests Request 1. Handle all guest requests within ten minutes. 2. Use proper door knocking standards when arriving at the guest's room. 3. Be prepared to handle situations like angry guests when you arrive at the room. 4. Inform the front desk staff by radio or cell phone as soon as you have completed the request. 5. Guest should be kept informed of the developments of his or her request Types of Housekeeping and Front Office Forms WEEK 4 Housekeeper should be knowledgeable in filling out housekeeping forms which includes: housekeeping daily assignment checklist maintenance request form; housekeeping work order form; guest room cleaning checklist; stock requisition form; and lost property report 1. Housekeeping Attendant's Daily Assignment Sheet - Housekeeping attendant's daily assignment sheet is a form used by housekeepers or room attendants to record the task done during their shift. - This form will also help them plan their work for the day. After each room is serviced, the room attendant must list down the time they have entered the room for the room service and log in their time out after completion. - The housekeeper will receive this form after their briefing in the morning before they can start their daily task. 2. Maintenance Request Form - Maintenance request form is used whenever there are problems reported by the guest to the housekeeping department. Common problems for maintenance are faulty equipment, electrical issues, broken furniture, TV not working properly, etc. 3. Housekeeping Work Order Form - Housekeeping work order form is used when there are requests for work to be done. 4. Guest Room Cleaning Checklist - The guest room cleaning checklist is used by the housekeeping supervisor to check, on a daily basis, how the cleaning service for every guest room was done. This is done to be able to attain guest satisfaction. The use of this form is to establish a set of procedure that would ensure there will no defects and any missing amenities for the guest. 5. Lost and Found Slip - Lost and found slip is an important document to keep track of records for lost and found items. Useful Tips in Answering a Call Answer the phone within three rings. Say the name of the hotel, your name, and the customary greetings. Have in hand a pen and paper for documentation Listen carefully to the details being said by the caller Make them feel that they have your full attention. Explain the reason if you want to put them on hold. Wait for their response. For callback, do it in the soonest possible time. Do not forget to say the approximate time you can do the callback. Repeat all the details End the conversation politely.
