Housekeeping department is a backbone of the hotel. It is responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of the hotel. The housekeeping department plays an important role in keeping a clean, comfortable and safe hotel. The housekeeping department takes pride in keeping hotel clean and comfortable so as to create a “Home Away From Home”. The housekeeping department is responsible for cleanliness of rooms, floors, public areas, & the whole hotel. Cleanliness of the rooms is most important thing because one can live in clean & safe environment. Sale of rooms contributes 50% revenue to the hotel. The housekeeping department takes care of rooms & performs important role for impression of the hotel in front of guest. The housekeeping department makes the rooms clean & comfortable for guest.
Housekeeping may be defined as “Provision of clean, comfortable, safe and aesthetically appealing environment”. Or “Housekeeping is an operational department in a hotel, which is responsible for cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public areas, back areas and the surroundings”. The effort that a housekeeping department makes in giving a guest desirable room has a direct bearing on the guest‘s experience in a hotel. Guestrooms are the heart of hotel. Unless it’s decor is appropriate, the air odor free, and furnishings and upholstery spotlessly clean, in the hotel may lose the guest as a potential repeat customer. The housekeeping department not only prepares clean guestrooms on a timely basis for arriving guests, but also cleans and maintains everything in the hotel so that the property is as fresh and attractive as the day it opened for business. It is rightly said that housekeeping is a 24*7*365 operation. Imagine the stacks of linen needed to make up all the beds in a hotel; the huge amount of bath soap, tissue and other amenities such as shampoos, colognes and so on that must be placed in the guestrooms. The miles of carpeting, floors, walls, and ceilings to be cleaned and maintained, the countless pieces of furniture that must be dusted and polished, and the barrels of cleaning compounds along with special tools and equipment needed in order to clean these like dry mop, wet mop, wiper & so on.
On arrival the guest enters the hall and gets an impression of the establishment from what can be seen, mainly from the appearance that it presents. From the reception desk the guest goes to the lift, staircase or corridor to reach the allocated room, possibly passing the lounge and other public areas. On reaching the room, the guest probably has time to explore the surrounding more closely. He or she takes a closer look at the decor, the furnishing and the furniture, especially the bed & cleanliness and comfort of the surroundings. By this time guest is better able to judge the standard of the establishment and it decides whether it is likely to meet the requirements and to provide satisfaction. In a hotel accommodation operation earns most money and satisfaction of the guest.
Housekeeping is an important and integral part of the guest experience and satisfaction. The impact of the housekeeping function on the success of a hotel’s operations cannot be underestimated, since large revenue for hotel industry is generated mainly from the sale of rooms. The housekeeping is the department of a hotel charged with cleaning and maintaining rooms and public spaces. From the time a guest checks-in in a hotel till he checks out, it is the housekeeping department which takes care of the guest by making his/her stay pleasant and comfortable. In general, the housekeeping crew is responsible for the daily cleaning of public rooms (lobbies, corridors, meeting rooms), private bedrooms and public washrooms. In addition, it handles the laundering of linens and in some instances, guest laundry. Housekeeping also performs a minor security function by providing a “first alert” to potential guest problems while staff undertake daily guest bedroom cleaning.Labels: Housekeeping