Most of us have been lucky enough to travel in our lifetime. Whether that be local, across the country, or to an entirely different country. And when we are traveling somewhere other than our homes, the most common place to stay, in is a hotel.
Traveling can be exhausting, and a lot of times at the end of the day, we just want to go back to our rooms, order room service, watch TV and go to sleep. But, how did the rooms get like that in the first place? How did that delicious little mint get on top of your pillow? Why can you see your own reflection looking back at you when you look down at the lobby floor? The answer to all of these questions (and many more) is because of housekeepers. Hotel housekeepers and maids to be specific.
They are a major part as to what makes a hotel glimmer, sparkle and what makes guests feel comfortable to relax in their home away from home. Because, in all honesty, if a place (hotel or not) is not up to “clean” standards, things can quickly take a turn for the negative.
It is a hotel housekeepers job to assure that everything is up to the hotel and cleanliness standards. It is their job to follow the rules provided and assure that every guest is able to feel comfortable, relaxed and taken care of when they enter the hotel and their individual room. To most of us, doing their job just simply means cleaning? Making sure the sheets are changed, the trash is gone, our towels are replaced, and the bed is made? But, it’s honestly so much more than that. Things that never even crossed our minds have become a part of everyday tasks for the men and women that keep the hotel and accommodations spot-free clean.
So, we have created a short list of things, we found interesting about being a hotel housekeeper that is so much more than putting on a housekeeping dress and sweeping.
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Each hotel works differently and has different rules: It really is not all the same when it comes to hotels and how their housekeeping staff is run. Different employees are appointed to clean and oversee different parts of the hotel. Creating a housekeeping and cleaning plan for the staff is what is most important. Organizing before actually organizing makes for a successful staff where everyone is on the same page, understands where they need to be and what they need to do; which ultimately makes for a more efficient and collective team.
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Cleaning Routine: Because each hotel and housekeeping staff is not the same, when employees are assigned to their specific region of the hotel, there are different ways for those places to be cleaned. For instance, when entering a guest room, beginning with putting on specific housekeeping gloves and dusting and vacuuming before anything else is done might be how some staff start off. Whereas, for others, changing the sheets and towels might be the first task to accomplish. Each hotel, staff and location of cleaning is different and the employee is to follow a different cleaning method, which truly turns into a specific routine.
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Being aware of products and surroundings: Following the plan and tasks assigned is only a fraction of a successful hotel housekeeping staff. Assuring the staff is always aware of the products being used in the cleaning process as well as being aware of their surroundings. Because a hotel is 24/7, being aware of what is going on in surrounding areas, tasks already completed and which products to use and not use in certain circumstances is extremely important. As long as there is a confident understanding of this, then the housekeeping staff should always be consistent.
- Treat everything and everyone equally: Setting expectations when entering a room, how to handle certain circumstances or situations and treating everyone equally (guests and staff) is important in any job, but especially in hospitality. People are making memories whether they’re vacationing, visiting, or just passing through. They have chosen that specific hotel for one reason or another. So, housekeeping staff is trained on numerous situations and circumstances they might come across and how to handle them accordingly. They are taught to treat every task and every guest with the same respect and guidelines that were given to them.
There is so much more that hotel housekeeping staff does that we could go on and on. But, sometimes we forget that even though it’s something we’re personally experiencing, it is someone else’s job. Every hotel has standards, rules and guidelines and without the hard-work of these members, we probably wouldn’t want to know what our rooms would look like!