7.

ORGANIZATION OF HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

A) Hierarchy in large medium &small hotels

Housekeeper

Housekeeping
jjj Supervisor

Linen room attendant Head houseperson

Head room attendant
public area

Helpers Room attendants Houseperson

Houseperson

Organization chart of a housekeeping department in a small hotel

 Housekeeper

Housekeeping
jjj Supervisor

Linen room attendant Head houseperson

Head room attendant
public area

Helpers Room attendants Houseperson

Houseperson

Organization chart of a housekeeping department in a small hotel

 Housekeeper

Housekeeping
jjj Supervisor

Linen room attendant Head houseperson

Head room attendant
public area

Helpers Room attendants Houseperson

Houseperson

Organization chart of a housekeeping department in a small hotel

 Executive Housekeeper

Assistant Housekeeper

F
Floor supervisor Public area supervisor Linen room supervisors
Desk control supervisor

Room attendants Cloak room attendants Linen and uniform

attendants

Housepersons' Houseperson Tailors

Organization chat of a housekeeping department in a medium- sized hotel

 Director of HK

Executive
Housekeeper

Deputy Housekeeper
DHousekeeper Laundry lo
manager

Assistant Housekeeper Laundry supervisor

Pressure men &

Floor supervisor Public area supervisor Linen roomLsupervisor Control room washers
attendant

Room attendants Cloak room attendants Linen & uniform room

attendants

Housepersons Housepersons TailorsT

Organization chart of the housekeeping department in a large hotel

B) Attributes of staff
Pleasant personality

A pleasant personality is the result of good grooming and good presentation in front of guests.
All the supervisory housekeeping staff and the guestroom attendants should be especially well
groomed, as they come into close contact with the guests. The staff should be turned out in
clean and crisp uniform. Most establishments follow minimum jewellery and light make- up policy
for female housekeeping staff. Aftershaves and perfumes used should not be too strong; mild
deodorants should be preferred. Unclean mannerisms such as scratching of the face or scalp
and chewing gum in front of guests should be avoided. It should always be remembered that a
ready smile on the face wins many a battle.

Physical fitness

HK is a 24X7X365 operation and the staff work long hours on their feet. Most of their work is
manual and may require them to handle heavy equipment. Hence, physical fitness is a must to
cope with the nature of this work.HK staff must maintain their level of fitness at the optimum to
perform to required standards. It is said that ideal housekeeping staff should possess a strong
heart and good feet.

Personal hygiene

Person hygiene deals with matters pertaining to the health of the individual for the maintenance
of which the responsibilities lie with him alone. Elements of personal hygiene include:

Good and healthy habits

Cleanliness of the skin
Cleanliness and care of hair , eyes, ears, teeth, and nose
Cleanliness , tidiness, and condition of clothes and footwear

Housekeeping staff must maintain a high standard of personal hygiene, as it reflects on the
hygiene standards of the hotel. They must take a bath daily to avoid body odour. Their hair must
be well combed, their nails clean and clipped. Their mouths should be free of any offensive
odour.

Eye for detail

This is one of the foremost attributes that housekeeping staff must possess. They must be able
to take into consideration minute details that a layman may let go unobserved. Room attendants
need to have an eye for detail in order to make up a flawless guestroom and HK supervisors
need to have a keen sense of observation to inspect these rooms for perfection.

Cooperation

HK staff must cooperate not only with each other, but also with the staff of other departments.
This is absolutely essential, since HK involves a lot of team work for efficient functioning.
 Adaptability

This is an important quality in HK staff. They should be willing to try out and experiment with new
ideas.

Honesty

This quality is all important to the staff in dealings with both guests and the management; HK
staff has direct access to the guestrooms. Guests belongings are often left lying around the
room and temptations are great.

Tact and diplomacy

HK staff comes into close contact with various kinds of guests. Some guests may make unusual
request or complaints .It requires a lot of tact and diplomacy on the part of housekeeping staff
to handle such guests at their level.

Right attitude

Most managers agree that a candidate with the right attitude is more of an asset to them than
candidate who has the skills but the wring attitude. The candidate with good attitude displays an
even temper, courtesy, and good humour, and does not betray displeasure even in the most
difficult of times. The employee with the right attitude is proactive and anticipates the guests
needs and wishes.

Courtesy

A housekeeping employee should extend courtesy to both guests and colleagues. It is essential
that while dealing with guests, the staff be humble and polite.HK staff should never argue with a
guest and, if they cannot deal with the situation, it should be referred immediately to a senior
member of the team.

Punctuality

This too is crucially important. IF an employee is continually late for duty, it shows lack of
interest in the work and a lack of respect for the management and guests. Respect for time
during working hours will reflect on the employees work and help to create an impression
worthy of appreciation.

Good memory

This is an essential asset in HK staff, particularly when dealing with regular guests and repeat
customers. A staff member who remembers a guests likes , dislikes, needs, and wishes will be a
tremendous asset to the hotel.

Loyalty

An employees first obligation and loyalty are to the establishment in which they are employed
and to its management. A situation should never arise when employee use guests as their
sounding board. They should respect the polices and decisions of the management.
C) Job description and Job Specification

JOB DESCRIPTION OF AN EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER

Title Executive Housekeeper

Reports to: General Manager
Directly supervises: All housekeeping staff
Coordinates with: Front Office Manager, F&B Manager, Chief
Engineer, Interior Decorator

Scope of the Job-- It is most important position in the HK department of the hotel. It is
responsibility for the cleanliness, maintenance and aesthetic appeal of the hotel. A good
housekeeper must possess:

A degree of tact
Good organizational ability
An eye for detail
Skills in leadership, initiative, problem solving, prioritizing and delegation training and
developing subordinates
The ability to set goals for themselves and their team and be goal oriented

The job involves training staff, administration, setting, standards and implementing then and
maintaining quality, exercising control and seeing to the productivity of the dept.

Training

This involves:

Recruiting, training and dismissal of staff.

Interviewing and selecting the best qualified candidates for the position
Ensuring that there is a proper training program and on- going development.
Conducting regular meeting with all employees.

Administration:

This involves:

Maintaining all related records of materials in an effective manner and according to the
company policies.
Maintaining a record of all activities within the department.

Standards

This involves:

Implementing and monitoring company policies, standards and procedures.

Daily inspections of all areas regarding cleanliness, safety, adherence to standards and
procedures.
Quality

This involves:

Planning yearly departmental budget

Communicating expenses regarding payroll, cost per occupied rooms, condition of
guestrooms and public area inventories to the management.
Informing the general manager when there is need for redecoration and replacements of
guestroom furniture, equipment etc.

Controls

This involves:

Maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of all major projects of the department,
including repairs and renovation.
Controlling contractors and their quality of work and productivity.
Ensuring preventing maintenance in all the guestrooms, public areas and back of the
house areas.

Productivity

This involves:

Evaluating the workload and work habits of all employees.

Improving standards of efficiency to ensure a better performance.
Instituting new process and procedures to increase productivity.

JOB SPECIFICATION OF AN EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER

Title:
Category: Management
Qualification: At the minimum a graduate, preferably in hotel
management
Age: 30 to45 year (depending on the size of the
hotel)
Skills: Knowledge of all housekeeping equipment

Physical requirements: Healthy and sturdy

Mental abilities: Should be able to prepare a budget

Personality: Must display leadership skills

Languages: English, Hindi, local language or languages

Previous experience: Minimum of six years as a deputy housekeeper

Requirements: Should be able to create floral arrangements,

should have an interest in horticulture and
interior decoration, and Should have the ability
to handle money, time, material and personnel.
Should be able to train staff
 JOB DESCRIPTION OF AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT HOUSEKEEPER

Title: Executive Assistant Housekeeper/ Deputy

Housekeeper
Reports to: Executive Housekeeper

Directly supervises: Floor and public area supervisors, linen and

uniform and room supervisors, desk and florist
Coordinates with: Executive Housekeeper and all the
housekeeping staff
Specific requirements: Qualities of leadership, taking the initiative,
problem solving , prioritizing, delegation of
work, training and developing subordinates,
goal setting and being goal oriented

Scope of the Job

The executive assistant housekeeper assists the executive housekeeper in managing the
department, maintaining the level of services and cleaning and maintenance standards in all
areas of the hotel.

Specific Responsibilities

The specific responsibilities of an assistant executive housekeeper are as follows:

Preparation of daily work assignments or the duty roster for all staff.
Allocation of work to the housekeeping staff.
Spot checking the housekeeping staff and maintenance of guest rooms and public
areas.
Following up on all outstanding issues from previous staff.
Conducting daily briefings with the staff.
Attending to courtesy calls.
Grooming the staff.
Training the staff in cleaning and supervising the guest rooms and public areas.
Ensuring that all records like inventories, budget, purchases, equipment, front office
reports, special cleaning etc., are maintained.
Inspecting all the guest rooms and public areas regularly.
Sanctioning leave only after approval of the desk coordinator.
Taking care of lost and found items in the hotel.
Coordinating all repairs and refurbishment.

JOB SPECIFICATION OF AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT HOUSEKEEPER

Title: Executive Assistant Housekeeper

Category: Management
Qualifications: At the minimum a graduate preferably in hotel
management

Age: 30 to 40 years (depending on the size of the

hotel)
Skills: Knowledge of all housekeep[ping equipment

Physical requirement: Healthy and sturdy

Mental attributes: Should have high degree of tact, and should be

able to maintain all types of records

Personality: Must display leadership skills

Languages: English, Hindi, and the local language

Previous experience: Should have worked in hotels as a supervisor

Special requirements: Should be able to create floral arrangements,

have an interest in horticulture and interior
decoration, and should have training skills.

JOB DESCRIPTION OF A HOUSEKEEPING SUPERVISOR

Title: Floor Supervisor/ Public Area Supervisor

Reports to: Deputy housekeeper

Directly supervises: Housekeeping employees allotted to his or her

area of activity

Coordinates with: The front office, maintenance department,

desk supervisor, laundry and linen room
supervisor

Scope of the Job

A HK supervisor is responsible for keeping the entire area allotted to him or her clean,
maintenance free and ensuring a high level of services

Specific Responsibilities

The various supervisors have the following, specific responsibilities.

Floor Supervisor

Assigns duties to housemen, room boys and maids.

Supervises the corridor and guest rooms boys and maids.
Submits performance appraisals periodically.
Release check out rooms on time.
Carries out maintenance jobs and follow up.
Ensure rooms are ready with special care e.g., VIP rooms.
Take care of special guest and long staying guests.
Identifies supplies.
Checks the floor pantries
Coordinates room service for clearance of food trays and other items.
 Checks the serviceability of equipment on the floor.

Public Area Supervisors

Daily supervision of public areas.

Allocates duties for cleaning the public areas.
Makes maintenance complaints and follow up.
Plans a periodic cleaning schedule.
Coordinates with contract cleaners.
Submits performance appraisals of the staff working under his or her supervision.
Checks and controls equipment.

Desk Supervisor

Attends to all queries complaints and requests to guests.

Acts as a centre of communication with other departments.
Is responsible for the issue of keys, pagers, mobiles, etc.
Maintain all records.
Enters occupancy in a consolidated slip and sends it to the front office.
Prepares the duty register daily after checking the duty chart.
Records all messages for the executive housekeeper or other staff and intimates the
same to them.
Handles all computer records.
Ensure any extra item given to guest is collected.

JOB DESCRIPTION OF ROOM / PUBLIC AREA ATTENDENT

Scope of the Job

To provide a high standard of cleanliness in guest rooms, corridors, pantries and staircases
assigned to them.

Specific Responsibilities of a Room/ Public Area Attendant

Cleans a given number of rooms or public areas.

Provides a high standard of service.
Follow periodical cleaning schedules.
Reports any loss or damage.
Maintains a high level of hygiene.
The afternoon shift is responsible for turn down service and late checkouts.
Report s maintenance complaints to the desk and floor supervisors.