ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF HOUSEKEEPING PERSONNEL

1. CHAPTER 2
ROLES AND
FUNCTIONS OF
HOUSEKEEPING
PERSONNEL
By : Mumtazul Ilyani

2. Defined as the provision of a clean, comfortable
and safe environment.
Should be able to provide a quick and through
servicing of bedrooms and public areas to a high
standard consistency and with as little
inconvenience to the guest.
2
DEFINITION OF HOUSEKEEPING

3. TO PROVIDE – clean, safe and comfortable
environment
TO PROTECT AND MAINTAIN – cleanliness of
building and surrounding
TO CONFIRM –sanitation requirement of health
law
TO EXTEND – friendly and courteous service
3
OBJECTIVES OF HOUSEKEEPING

4. First impression – looking at the condition of the
room, will give good/bad impression to the hotel as
a whole
Provide friendly and efficient manner of hospitality
and services – assisting guest and helping them
Provide ‘home-away-from-home’ feeling to guests –
provide comfortable environment
Maintain excellent standards of services and
cleanliness in the best insurance for investment in a
hotel
4
IMPORTANCE OF HOUSEKEEPING

5. Maintaining cleanliness
Reporting any damages and repairs
Being alert of safety hazard
Proper disposal of trash
Coordinating
5
RESPONSIBILITIES OF
HOUSEKEEPING

6. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

7. JOB DESCRIPTION
EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER
(Director of Housekeeping)
ASSISTANT HOUSEKEEPER
(Housekeeping Manager)
• Oversee the overall administration
and operation of the department.
• To ensure excellence in
housekeeping sanitation, safety,
comfort for hotel guests.
• To act as a source of contact in
interdepartmental communication.
• To provide budget, budget control
and forecasting to upper
management.
• Reports to the General Manager
and Room Division Manager
• To assist Executive
Housekeeper.
• Co-ordinates with other
department.
• Monitoring inventory.
• To improve efficiency and
productivity
• Assigns day to day
responsibility to supervisors
and staff.
• Reports to the Executive
Housekeeper.

8. JOB DESCRIPTION
DEPUTY HOUSEKEEPER FLOOR SUPERVISOR
• To assist Executive Housekeeper.
• Large hotel may have a deputy
housekeeper to whom the assistant
housekeeper report.
Responsibilities :
• Check and ensure all guestrooms,
public areas and back of the house
areas are clean and well maintained.
• Inspect the work done by contractors,
for example pest control and outside
window cleaning.
• Develop and implement training
programs.
• Take charge of HK department in the
absence of EK.
• Reports to the Assistant
Housekeeper.
• Have final responsibility for
the condition of guestroom
(inspect the guestroom).
Responsibilities:
• Prepare daily assignments.
• Supervise and monitor staff.
• Emphasis on safety and
security.
• Training.
• Keep record on movement of
chemical, equipment, keys
and staff attendance.

9. JOB DESCRIPTION
GUESTROOM ATTENDANTS / MAIDS
• Report to the Floor Supervisor.
• Generally hotels employ one room maid per 15-20 rooms.
• Most hotels use the term attendant rather than maid since men already
entered this arena earlier dominated by women.
Responsibilities:
• Cleaning and tidying rooms.
• Change guestroom and bathroom linen.
• Make guestrooms beds.
• Be responsible for getting guest laundry processed.
• Replenish the trolley with guest supplies, cleaning agents and linen.
Evening maids :
- Turn down service / Second service
- Extra work

10. JOB DESCRIPTION
UNIFORM ROOM SUPERVISOR UNIFORM ROOM ATTENDANT
• Reports to the Assistant
Housekeeper.
• Responsible for the maintenance of
hotel staff uniforms
Responsibilities :
• Providing clean, serviceable uniforms
to the staff of the hotel.
• Keep an inventory control of various
uniforms in various stages of use.
• Set the budget for additional material
for staff uniforms.
• Checking repaired uniforms from
tailor room.
• Reports to the Uniform Room
Supervisor.
• In the actual contact with the
staff for the issue of uniforms.
Responsibilities:
• Issue clean uniforms while
receiving soiled one.
• Send soiled uniforms for
laundering
• Examine the laundered items
• Send torn uniform to the
seamstress
• Keep a count of uniforms.
• Count and record uniforms.

11. JOB DESCRIPTION
LINEN ROOM SUPERVISOR LINEN ROOM ATTENDANT
• Reports to the assistant housekeeper.
• Supervises the work of the linen room
and may have several linen attendants
to assist him/her.
Responsibilities :
• Responsible for the entire hotel’s linen.
• Send dirty linen to the laundry after
checking them piece by piece.
• Checking repaired linen from tailor
room.
• Maintain a register of linen movements
and check the linen regularly.
• Supervise the work of the linen
attendants and tailors.
• Reports to the Linen Room
Supervisor.
Responsibilities:
• Sorting all the bed sheets,
pillowcases, towels, napkins, table
cloths into separate stacks.
• Issue clean linen on a clean-for-
soiled basis.
• Place soiled linen in containers and
send to laundry.
• Examine and count items on their
return from laundry.
• Send torn articles to the seamstress
for repair.
• Maintain proper records.

12. JOB DESCRIPTION
NIGHT SUPERVISOR
• Reports to the Assistant
Housekeeper.
• Supervises all night staff engaged in
the cleaning of public areas and
guestrooms in the hotel.
Responsibilities :
• Ensure all public areas are cleaned at
night (low traffic).
• Organize special cleaning of rooms
as required.
• Ensuring the provision of guest
supplies such as water bottle, extra
bed or towels.
• Help with the training staff.
• Report any safety and security
hazards.
NIGHT ATTENDANT
• Reports to the Night Shift
Supervisor.
Responsibilities:
• Reporting any safety issues to
the Night Supervisor.
• Performing housekeeping
duties during night.

13. JOB DESCRIPTION
PUBLIC AREA SUPERVISOR
• Reports to the Assistant
Housekeeper.
Responsibilities :
• Ensure all public areas are kept clean
all times.
• Organize special cleaning of public
areas.
• Ensure all maintenance jobs are
attended by maintenance department
• Ensure that flower arrangements are
placed in appropriate places in the
public areas.
• Ensure banquet halls and conference
halls are kept ready for functions and
conferences.
• Supervise operating staff.
PUBLIC AREA ATTENDANT
• Reports to the Public Area
Supervisor.
Responsibilities:
• Clean all the public areas.
• Keeping the parking, lobbies,
lifts, elevators and corridors in
best maintained status.
• Keeping these areas smelling
fresh and clean.

14. JOB DESCRIPTION
STOREKEEPER
• Reports to the Floor Supervisor
Responsibilities:
• Control the stock of equipment.
• Store cleaning materials and
cleaning agents.
• Issue cleaning equipment and
cleaning materials as per
demand.
• Prepare the requisition for used
up material and purchase new
products.
• Interaction with purchase
department.
HOUSE PORTER
• Reports to the Public Area
Supervisor.
• Job involves heavy physical
work.
Responsibilities:
• Clean and shampoo carpet
• Shift and arrange beds, chairs
and heavy furniture.
• Clean the swimming pool.
• Take down and re-hang curtains
as needed.
• Wash walls, chandeliers and
other hard to reach areas.

15. JOB DESCRIPTION
TAILORS / SEAMSTRESSES
• Reports to the Linen Room
Supervisor.
Responsibilities:
• Repair all damaged linen.
• Repair all the damaged uniforms.
• Repair guest’s clothes if
damaged.
• Refurnish all damaged
upholstery.
LAUNDRY WORKERS
• Reports to the Linen Room
Supervisor.
Responsibilities:
• Sort soiled linen according to the
fabric types, colors and degree of
soiling.
• Load linen into washing
machines.
• Load washed linen into dryers.
• Transport soiled linen to the
laundry and washed linen to the
linen room.
• Keep the laundry clean.

16. LAYOUT OF DEPARTMENT

17. HOUSEKEEPING INTERACTION WITH
OTHER DEPARTMENT
• FRONT OFFICE
 exchange information on room status.
 guest feedback and skippers
 lost and found item
 special request
• ENGINEERING/MAINTENANCE
 task of fixing "out of order" furniture and fixtures.
 checking on the room condition.
 Housekeeping hand over rooms to
Engineering Department for major
repair or renovations.
 Routine maintenance.

18. HOUSEKEEPING INTERACTION WITH
OTHER DEPARTMENT
• SECURITY
 Housekeeping personnel work directly with the guest
room area.
 work closely to eliminate thefts and violence.
• FOOD AND BEVERAGE
 coordination of housekeeping with the restaurant
and banquet halls
 room service
 both restaurant and kitchen staff required clean
uniform on a daily basis.
• STORES
 keeping stock

19. HOUSEKEEPING INTERACTION WITH
OTHER DEPARTMENT
• PERSONNEL / HR DEPARTMENT
 recruitment of housekeeping staff, managing staff salaries & wages
 addressing indiscipline
 issuing identify card, running induction program
 promotion, appraisals and organizing training sessions.
• PURCHASING
 purchase out of stock item for housekeeping
 form of a purchase requisition.
• SALES & MARKETING
 inform HK of the occupancy forecast for the entire year.
 enable HK to budget for the necessary expenses.

20. AREA OF RESPONSIBILITIES
FRONT OF THE HOUSE BACK OF THE HOUSE
•Hotel entrance/porch
•Lobbies
•Guestrooms
•Public areas
•Elevators and escalators
•Banquets
•Public restrooms
•Swimming pool areas
•Service lift
•Service corridors/passageway
•Storage areas.
•Laundry rooms.
•Linen room
•Staff prayer rooms.
•Emergency exit stairway.
•Offices
•Kitchen

21. VIDEO

22. HOUSEKEEPING SHIFTS
 Most hotels operate 24 hours and covered in 3 shifts. Each shift’s
duration is 9 hours.
1. STRAIGHT SHIFT
• Extends for a period of 9 hours with a break of 1 hour.
2. NIGHT SHIFT / GRAVEYARD SHIFT
• Starts from 10 pm and ends at 7 am.
3. SPLIT SHIFT
• Split 2 sessions that add up to regular shift of 9 hours. This includes
a break approximately 4-6 hours.
4. ROTATING SHIFT
• An employee may be given a particular shift for a week or two
weeks, and then changed over to the next shift. The rotation is done
to ensure that all employees get a fair share of all the shifts.

23. THE HOUSEKEEPING DAILY
ACTIVITIES
• Opening of Housekeeping Office
 At 6.30 am, 7.00 am shift room attendants and supervisor arrive.
Supervisor assigns room attendants to service early check out
rooms.
 Supervisors make adjustment in the room assignments.
 Desk clerk prints all room status report for distribution to staff
and supervisor.
 Supervisor prepares room assignment for distribution.
 At 7.45 am supervisor –
• Gives briefing to staff on the day’s activities or special
assignments.
• Distribute room assignments.
• Issue key to room attendants.

24. THE HOUSEKEEPING DAILY
ACTIVITIES
• Morning activities (8.00 am – 3.00 pm)
 Most housekeeping department starts their daily routine at about
8.00 am.
 Once the room attendant receives her assignment, she should
carefully checked the status of each room.
 If there already a vacant dirty room assignment, then she should
proceed to clean this room first.
 Some hotels practice PHYSICAL CHECK of room, in which the
maids has to enter every room assigned for her. The purpose:
• To find out actual status of rooms
• To check for laundry – laundry can be collected and delivered to
guest on time
• To check for minibar consumption minibar losses can be minimized

25. THE HOUSEKEEPING DAILY
ACTIVITIES
• Evening activities of maid
 To service quota of rooms
 To do PM room physical check
 To service previously DND rooms
 To do turn-down service
 To service late check-out rooms
• The final step in each evening’s activity is for the supervisor to
assemble all reports, forms and paperwork associated with the
day’s activities for filing according to date.
• After 11.00 pm, all guest calls to HK are diverted to front office
department.