Housekeeping is the most critical department at your hotel. Even before the customer reaches the front desk to check-in, he has a fair idea about the quality of service he can expect. You may believe that it is the front desk that makes your guests feel welcomed. But in reality, the actions of the housekeeping staff speak louder. Although the primary responsibility of the hotel housekeeping service is to maintain a clean and well-organized space for travelers, they also manage the reputation and brand image. After all, no guest likes to walk into a shabby hotel to see that cleanliness, organization, and functions are compromised.
For smooth functioning, it is necessary to develop a well-defined process. These operating procedures come in handy to standardize the maintenance status. Moreover, a predefined guide guarantees that the quality standards of hygiene and cleanliness are met.
Since it is a manual effort, housekeeping management is perhaps one of the most demanding roles at a hotel. Fortunately, automated systems are now available to ease the burden of planning. PMS or Property Management Systems use advanced technology to automate a large part of the administrative work. It is a cost-effective way to lighten the stress of housekeeping teams and managers and improve their productivity.
What are the types of housekeeping services in hotels?
Housekeeping services are an inseparable part of the hospitality industry. Even then, the process of recruiting in itself (assuming you decide to recruit yourself) is time-consuming. Also, hiring is only the initial step followed by training and prepping the new hire in housekeeping communication and operations. Ideally, you don’t want to repeat this process too often. Therefore, it is best to learn about the needs of your property and the types of housekeeping services available for hotels.
1. In-house Keeper
An in-house keeper is one of the most common forms of housekeeping services for smaller, individual properties. The in-house keeper is a highly reliable professional responsible for cleaning and providing the highest level of care for the property. This is a popular option for on-site properties that require flexibility and security. An ideal choice for property owners with multiple unoccupied properties that need to be looked after.
2. Housekeeping Manager(s)
The next level of housekeeping service, usually sought by large properties, is a housekeeping manager. The key duties of this individual include a combination of both housekeeping and management. Housekeeping managers are also involved in the administration, supervision of contractors, scheduling of repairs, and quality control for the property. Luxurious, multi-starred properties spread across locations hire multiple housekeeping managers to deliver a positive guest experience.
3. Housekeeping or Cleaning Companies
For maximum housekeeping efficiency, most high-end property managers choose to outsource management to external housekeeping companies. These companies take up the end-to-end duties associated with housekeeping for the hotel. This is a favorable arrangement since you don’t need to worry about hiring or having employees on your payroll. Typically this is a more costly option and the standard or quality guidelines may also vary. It is best to have an open conversation about your expectations before contracting a housekeeping company during your initial stages.
How to choose hotel housekeeping services?
Since housekeeping is unavoidable, the ideal hotel housekeeping service needs to fit your needs and demands. You can start by taking into consideration a few factors like:
- Property size
- Frequency of cleaning
- Flexibility
- Budget
- Tasks and duties for the service provider
7 Housekeeping Management Tips To Increase Productivity
High-end property managers are constantly looking for ways to improve housekeeping efficiency for their housekeeping teams. A smooth working housekeeping team is responsible for not just management of their daily tasks but also delivering a superior guest experience.
Here are eight housekeeping tips to enhance the efficiency of your housekeeping crew by employing a cloud-based property management system:
1. Provide job-specific training:
While housekeeping duties may seem fairly straightforward, it is important to have a training session. Job-specific training is used to familiarize new hires with key parameters like cleaning schedule for common space, sequence of cleaning, the cleaning tools and chemicals needed, and the estimated time for each activity. This also offers consistent and high-level standardization. An intensive knowledge of appropriate working techniques boosts speed, enhances cleanliness and hygiene, and prevents repeated monotonous tasks and injuries on the job.
2. Ensure fast access to task-list:
Each member of the housekeeping crew needs to have a clear understanding of their daily activities to deliver them on time. Therefore, for utmost housekeeping efficiency, it is important to make the list of tasks and cleaning locations easily accessible to the team. Setting recurring tasks, such as checklists for bedrooms, cleaning schedules for stilts, and common spaces like gardens, etc is a great way to assign tasks for the employees before the start of their shift.
3. Keep inventory up to date:
One of the housekeeping team’s biggest tasks is to monitor inventory levels. Without a constant supply of utilities, housekeeping will be paused. Therefore, it is important to routinely check the inventory for stock of sheets, mops, cleaners, etc. Inventory management can avoid preventable delays and ensure the staff has all the resources they need.
4. Upgrade housekeeping tools:
Most people assume housekeeping needs no technology. This is a common misconception. Vacuums, laundry machines, and floor polishers are far from obsolete. However, these can wear out over the years. Upgrading your housekeeping tools is one of the easiest means of improving housekeeping productivity.
Consider finding recommendations for the housekeeping department, especially before investing in technology. Make sure your staff is familiar with the latest in these devices and report any wear or tear daily. Train your supervisors to frequently plan maintenance and quality checks. With the correct equipment, the housekeeping staff can get the job done with precision and efficiency.
5. Identify neglect:
Neglect in housekeeping cannot be ignored. If you have invested the time in building a well-trained and accountable housekeeping team, you will rarely find neglect. However, sometimes, due to failures or challenges, housekeeping efficiency may be compromised. To minimize the number of out-of-service rooms, it is important for housekeeping managers to first identify problems or problems with equipment.
6. Offer smooth communication with other staff:
To keep your hotel functioning smoothly, a system that promotes smooth communication between teams is essential. For example, if a room has a leaking tap or problems with air-conditioning, the front desk should be able to call for help immediately using a simple unified system. Moreover, your communication system should also have a record of the communications passed on so that intricate documents are never lost.
7. Put technology to work:
Typically, housekeeping demands sweat and grind, but when done right, technology can play a significant role. Using modern technology can automate monotonous tasks and take the burden off the housekeeping crew. A good example is digital solutions that track inventory and warn supervisors when supplies run low. This digital software provides valuable insight into the consumption of supplies and ordering cycles, allowing the management to order in bulk, reducing spending on vital products.
How Hotelogix can help increase housekeeping productivity?
Of course, the guest experience is the ultimate focus of every hotelier, which is directly related to income. However, ensuring a comfortable stay is a mosaic consisting of numerous elements – not just smiling front-desk employees and courteous carriers. There are several intangible things such as crisp clean white sheets and spotless mirrors. Housekeeping is one of the differentiating factors for a premium property. Housekeeping employees create a stress-free and welcoming experience without interacting with the guests.
Hotelogix’s PMS has a housekeeping module that is a great way to organize your housekeeping staff efficiently. It contributes to improving cleanliness and lowering stress levels for staff and minimizes guest-to-house keeping interaction. Here’s how it works:
As soon as a guest checks out of a room, the Hotelogix system updates its housekeeping status. The housekeeping manager can then determine the cleaning priority, depending on how quickly this room needs to be used again. In the housekeeping module, front-desk employees can also report changes to a room status with only a few clicks. For example, in case of an early or late check-out, the front desk employees can utilize a high-priority filter for all unclean rooms to create a list of rooms. The housekeeping employees can use filters such as floors or room types to prioritize their tasks.
Hotelogix’s PMS can be accessed from any smartphone or laptop since it is a cloud-based technology. You don’t have to buy any other appliances for your housekeepers – internet connectivity is all you need!
Summary:
Housekeeping is a high activity, physically demanding role. Although the housekeeping list of activities is simple and straightforward, it is still manual and technology has limited contribution. Therefore, the productivity of housekeepers cannot be compared to other jobs in a hotel. But with a cloud-based PMS, you can improve planning housekeeping operations and productivity of your crew. With a little help from technology, and the right tools, can be helpful in avoiding physical fatigue and injuries.
