The Housekeeping Department is a standard, crucial part of a hotel’s day-to-day operations. With such importance, this department is often regarded as the backbone of a hotel, as its role is directly related to guests’ satisfaction and greatly affects the hotel’s reputation. While many may think that the Housekeeping Department is merely a hotel cleaning service or room attendant, the fact is that their responsibilities encompass a lot more activities than that.
This article will shed light on the intricacies of the Housekeeping Department operations some of which you might be unaware such as its organizational structure, specific responsibilities, opportunities in the Hospitality industry, and more. If you are ready to delve into the world of hotel housekeeping, buckle up and let us guide you to the behind-the-scenes of the Housekeeping Department!
Housekeeping Department’s Structure
Along with the Food and Beverage Department, the Housekeeping Department tends to be the one with the largest workforce compared to other hotel departments; the bigger the hotel, the more manpower is needed, especially in the housekeeping area.
A proper and well-functioning Housekeeping Department has an organizational structure to accurately delegate duties and efficiently execute them. In some hotels, the structure is organized as the following:
Organizational Structure of the Housekeeping Department.
The above structure shows that the Housekeeping Department is composed of several positions that handle various areas of housekeeping operations, with the Executive Housekeeper as the head of the department. Each position has been assigned different responsibilities, all of which are equally essential in maintaining the quality of the hotel’s cleanliness and guests’ satisfaction.
Housekeeping’s Positions and Responsibilities
1. Executive Housekeeper
The Executive Housekeeper.
As the key leader of the Housekeeping Department in a hotel, an Executive Housekeeper or Director of Housekeeping is in charge of the cleanliness and aesthetic maintenance of the entire hotel’s property.
In specific, the scope of their duties is as follows:
- Organizing and overseeing all staff schedules and tasks on a daily basis;
- Managing and maintaining housekeeping operating procedures, inventories, budgets, department activity and staff performance records, as well as guests’ feedback;
- Working closely with fellow Housekeeping staff members and other departments,
- Recruiting and providing training for new staff members.
The Executive Housekeeper usually reports to General Manager, Resident Manager, or other similar roles whose names may differ in some hotels. In their line of work, an Executive Housekeeper is typically assisted by an Assistant Housekeeper.
2. Assistant Housekeeper
The Assistant Housekeeper.
An Assistant Housekeeper is another core member of the Housekeeping Department. As stated by Hilton Garden Inn, this role is responsible for assuming leadership of the department when the Executive Housekeeper is not present, while their full duties include:
- Assisting the Executive Housekeeper in managing the Housekeeping staff, procedures, inventories, budgets, and reports as needed;
- Helping in training and coaching for both new and existing staff members;
- Collaborating with other Housekeeping staff and fellow hotel departments to ensure the guest’s satisfaction;
- Responding to guests’ complaints or concerns in a professional manner.
As they are the Housekeeping Department’s second in command, the Assistant Housekeeper must be able to work efficiently and effectively to assist the leader, as well as provide professional housekeeping services for hotel guests.
3. Floor Supervisor & Room Attendant
Floor Supervisor and Room Attendant.
As we look into the Housekeeping Department’s structure, we will get to know the role of the Floor Supervisor. They are in charge of maintaining the cleanliness of guest rooms and working areas, as well as supervising their team: Housekeeping Room Attendants.
The responsibilities of a Floor Supervisor’s tasks include:
- Organizing daily allocation of guest rooms and other areas of the floor for cleaning services by team members;
- Managing guest requests and room inspections to ensure that they meet hotel standards;
- Assisting the Executive Housekeeper and Assistant Housekeeper in staff training, as well as working closely with other related Housekeeping positions and hotel departments.
Meanwhile, the duties of Room Attendants are as follows:
- Maintaining the cleanliness of guest rooms, bathrooms, and other areas of the floor, which includes changing linens and towels, sweeping, vacuuming, and other cleaning services;
- Responding to guests’ requests in a friendly and professional manner;
- Following all housekeeping procedures in order to meet the standard of a clean hotel.
By order of hierarchy, the Room Attendant directly responds to the Floor Supervisor, while the latter reports to the Assistant Housekeeper.
4. Public Area Supervisor & Public Area Attendant
Public Area Attendant.
The next in line is the Public Area Supervisor. They are in charge of overseeing the performance of Public Area Attendants and ensuring the hotel’s public and functional areas stay clean.
Specifically, the scope of the Public Area Supervisor’s responsibilities includes:
- Organizing cleaning services by staff members for all public areas;
- Maintaining safety and security systems in public areas by coordinating with the Security and Maintenance Department;
- Training and briefing new staff members.
As for Public Area Attendants, their job description covers:
- Cleaning the hotel’s public areas, such as hallways, lobbies, elevators, and more;
- Maintaining housekeeping equipment and inventories;
- Following all housekeeping procedures and the assigned cleaning schedule.
Similar to the Floor Supervisor and team, the Public Area Supervisor reports their work to the Assistant Housekeeper, with Public Area Attendants being directly responsible to the former.
5. Control Desk Supervisor, Housemen & Mini Bar Attendant
Mini Bar Attendant in the Guest Room.
The Control Desk Supervisor is the center of communication in the Housekeeping Department, as they are tasked with delivering and receiving information from the control desk. They are also the supervisor of Housemen and Mini Bar Attendants, with the summary of their full responsibilities is as follows:
- Maintaining and handling up-to-date information regarding all Housekeeping staff, records of the Housekeeping Department’s daily operations, and guests’ requests or complaints;
- Assigning tasks for staff members according to the daily workload and preparing mini bar as well as other amenities list;
- Coordinating with staff and related hotel departments, such as Maintenance Department for room maintenance issues or Front Office Department for room status matters.
Subsequently, Housemen and Mini Bar Attendants’ duties include:
- Following assigned tasks and schedules from the Control Desk Supervisor, along with the standard operating procedures;
- As for Housemen: cleaning the hotel’s furniture, rooms, and other areas;
- As for Mini Bar Attendants: maintaining and tracking the stock of mini bar items, as well as attending to guests’ requests for mini bar service.
Although both Housemen and Mini Bar Attendants report to the Control Desk Supervisor, there are exceptions in some hotels, where the Mini Bar Attendant is directly reporting to either Executive Housekeeper or Assistant Housekeeper, just like the Control Desk Supervisor.
6. Linen Supervisor & Linen Room Attendant
A Linen Room Attendant.
As another important position in the Housekeeping Department, the Linen Supervisor role is in charge of all linens and uniforms in the hotel. With their subordinates of Linen Room Attendants, the area of the Linen Supervisor’s responsibilities include:
- Supervising staff performance in the linen room’s daily operations, which involves maintaining the cleanliness of the linen area, as well as laundry supplies;
- Ensuring that linens and uniforms are stored and ready for any events while following the proper procedure for issuing linens and uniforms to other Housekeeping members and hotel departments;
- Working closely with staff members, the Laundry team, and other related hotel departments.
On the other hand, Linen Room Attendants’ duties consist of:
- Sorting dirty linens and uniforms before sending them to the Laundry team;
- Receiving, arranging, and issuing clean linens and uniforms to all employees;
- Checking linens and uniforms conditions regularly, as well as ensuring that the items are properly stored and recorded.
On the basis of day-to-day operations, Linen Room Attendants are required to report to the Linen Supervisor, while the latter is directly responsible to the Assistant Housekeeper.
7. Laundry Supervisor & Laundry Attendant
A Laundry Attendant or Valet.
Last but not least, is the Laundry team which is led by a Laundry Supervisor. This position is the one responsible for running the hotel’s laundry operations while overseeing Laundry Room Attendants.
To summarize, the job descriptions of a Laundry Supervisor are as the following:
- Preparing annual laundry budget, efficient laundry methods, as well as maintaining the washing quality of linens and uniforms;
- Training Laundry Room Attendants and monitoring laundry costs;
- Coordinating with staff members, the Linen team, and related hotel departments.
As for Laundry Attendants, the scope of their duties include:
- Sorting, washing, drying, and folding linens, uniforms, and other textile-related items to maintain cleanliness;
- Tracking laundering inventories and equipment;
- Following the standard operating procedures for laundering linens and uniforms.
The Laundry team works very closely with the Linen team. Just like them, the Laundry Supervisor is responsible to the Assistant Housekeeper, while the Laundry Attendant or Valet is required to report their tasks to the Laundry Supervisor.
Codes in Housekeeping
One thing about the Housekeeping Department that differentiates it from other hotel departments is the use of unique codes during work. These codes are known as room status codes, which help Housekeeping employees operate smoothly.
Each code has a different meaning, with some examples shown below.
- Occupied (the room has been assigned to the guest.)
- Stayover (the guest extends their stay in the room.)
- On-change (the guest has checked out, but the room has not been cleaned yet.)
- Do Not Disturb / DND (the guest request to not be disturbed in their room.)
- Sleep-out (the bed has not been used by the registered guest.)
- Sleeper (the guest has settled their payment, but the room’s status has not been updated by the Front Office.)
- Vacant & Ready (the room has been cleaned and is ready for use.)
- Out Of Order / OOO (the room is under maintenance and isn’t available for guests.)
- Late Check-out (the guest has been allowed to check-out of the room past the standard check-out time.)
- Early Check-in (the guest has been allowed to check-in to the room earlier than the standard check-in time.)
Housekeeping’s Area of Responsibilities
Although Housekeeping is considered a back-of-the-house department due to their lack of direct contact with guests, they are also responsible for handling the hotel’s front-of-the-house areas, as shown below.
Housekeeping’s Area of Responsibilities.
From the guest room to the laundry room, all members of the Housekeeping Department work together to provide housekeeping services and ensure the hotel meets its cleanliness standards!
How to be a Housekeeping Employee
Housekeeping services in hotels have always been one of the very high-in-demand departments in the Hospitality industry, which is why many inevitably wish to work in this field of Hospitality. Becoming a Housekeeping employee in a hotel requires qualifications from the general to the specialized ones based on the position’s responsibilities, levels, and other aspects of the job.
If you are preparing for a career in the Housekeeping Department, you may want to check this out! Here are the general requirements to be a valuable Housekeeping employee, summarized for you!
- Excellent knowledge and ability in housekeeping, such as laundering for the Laundry team.
- Exceptional skills in time management, communication, and details.
- Good physical stamina for going through hectic work shifts.
- High school diploma or GED certificate.
Each position in the Housekeeping Department has other specific requirements for their employees, as well as higher positions in the department that require more advanced qualifications. Although climbing to the top level of the Housekeeping Department won’t be easy, there will always be options worth trying.
To give you a heads up, RMC Asia is offering opportunities for those passionate about Housekeeping and Hospitality industry with our internship programs!
As we have always been dedicated to providing quality internships, our participants will not only gain professional self-development, career enhancement, and connections with 5-star hotels–but also unforgettable cultural exchange experiences in our program destinations.
Join our successful participants and start your Hospitality career with us now!
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