Hotel Housekeeping Tips: Room Cleaning Ideas

The hotel’s housekeeping department acts as the foundational pillar of every hotel. The housekeeping department is responsible for revenue generation for hotels because customers prefer to get a clean, comfortable, and tidy environment.  

A survey was conducted by Proctor and Gamble, where 63% of travelers consider cleanliness as an important factor before visiting any hotel.

Housekeeping is considered the operational department of any hotel because it operates 24*7*365, aiming to clean and maintain the hotel rooms, back areas, and other surroundings.  

Glenmore, Manager of Gleneagles Hotels, once said, Hotel housekeeping is considered as the heart of hotels". To ensure that the hotels function effectively, housekeeping staff keep the hotel premises clean, safe, and comfortable for the guests.  

Housekeeping is the combination of 2 words – House and keeping, wherein there is a house, and one is the housekeeper responsible for caring and maintaining the hotel that offers value for money to the hotel's guests.  

You can imagine yourself entering a hotel where you will see the magic, and you can come across the fragrance of flowers in the lobby, polished marble floor, and crystal-clear doors, and you are in love with that place. All credit goes to the housekeeping department.  

People don't love staying in hotels; people love creating pleasant memories by spending time with their close ones to enjoy those experiences. And if your hotel focuses on creating such experiences, then your hotel will be successful in the long term.  

Some significant responsibilities of hotel housekeeping staff involve cleaning the floor area, changing bedsheets, removing debris, and creating an aesthetically pleasing environment.  

Remember! No one is interested in visiting a hotel that is dirty and unhygienic. So, keeping the rooms well organized, clean, and presentable can meet your guest's expectations.  

It is expected by housekeeping staff to maintain a certain level of standard in serving their guests because, these times, people want personal hygiene along with visual appearance.

Here, the hotelier needs to make sure that guests feel comfortable while they enter the hotel and make them think that it's their room even if they are staying away from their homes.  

In a nutshell, housekeeping is what makes a hotel look best.  

Hotel room cleaning checklist  

Here's a checklist that your housekeeping staff can follow to keep the hotel clean and healthy - 

• 85% of hotel guests prefer to read online reviews regarding which hotels maintain cleanliness. Keeping the hotels clean is a #1 factor for determining the success of hotels
• Housekeeping staff should ensure that the hotel's rooms are clean, well maintained, and there is no clutter.  
• Use the housekeeping software that can take off extra load from your housekeeping staff.  
• A general rule of thumb is to straighten the lobby, clean public washrooms, ensure everything sparkles and smells good, prepare the entrance, remove the trash, keep guests' bedrooms clean and tidy, polish the doors, and provide them everything they deserve.  

P.S - Here's a free hotel cleaning room checklist that you can use now to please your guests

Importance of hotel housekeeping  

Hotel housekeeping is a crucial part of hotel management and it has the following importance:

It is the first point of contact for the guests 

When a guest lands at the hotel, their first point of contact after check-in at the hotel is the housekeeping staff, the important pillar representing the hotel management team.  

Your guests will always meet the housekeeping department by asking for an extra pillow or dropping off the bag at the desk. You need to ensure that your housekeeping staff is well-trained, polite, and courteous in communicating with your guests.  

Responsible for handling guest complaints  

It does not matter even if your hotel provides a clean and welcoming environment for the guests; some problems can always arise on the go. Guests generally have high expectations and less patience, so ensure your housekeeping staff is trained enough to answer all their queries.  

For instance – It might be possible that the hotel's guest is unhappy with the service or found a dirty towel in the washroom, so make sure to resolve those guest complaints on the go.  

Keeping your guests happy and satisfied  

Do you know that hotels generate a large portion of revenue from the sale of rooms? Research studies suggest that the hotelier can increase profits from just one room because a room can be sold repeatedly.  

The housekeeping department in the hotel is responsible for cleaning the rooms, taking care of special guests, and making them feel satisfied so they are likely to return in the future. If the hotel's hygiene is not clean and does not meet guest expectations, it will likely affect the hotel's reputation. 

Hence, the housekeeping department enhances the guest experience and makes them feel personalized.  

Hotel Housekeeping Tips for Room Cleanliness

Here are the housekeeping tips to clean your hotel:        

Dusting and wiping  

To make your hotel evergreen, you must remove the dust because a small piece of dust can frustrate guests.  

You can start the process by doing necessary cleaning supplies such as microfiber clothes, disinfectant wipes, dusting tools, etc., to ensure that all dust can be cleaned and captured.  

Use an appropriate cleaning agent to clean the surfaces inside out, including lampshades, door handles, and light switches, and try to clean the dust from the higher surfaces to the lower surfaces.  

Don't forget to dust and wipe down windows, mirrors, and glass surfaces using a glass cleaner. Additionally, run the vacuum under the table and chair because these are the areas where dust accumulates.  

Move to eco-friendly products

Another important tip to keep your hotels clean is to use eco-friendly solutions to facilitate cleanliness within the hotel area. Often, guests are worried about harmful chemicals that are used to clear the hotel toiletries.

Instead, hoteliers can switch to eco-friendly products and adopt sustainable practices for hotel room cleaning.

 Do you know that using chemicals to clean hotel surfaces can degrade the quality of air? Moreover, these harmful chemicals are not biodegradable. You can use plenty of eco-friendly products to reduce the hotel's costs, keep the environment healthy and satisfy the guests. Some of them include: 

1. Microfiber towels  
2. Natural Disinfectant sprays  
3. Nontoxic air filters            
4. Investing in green equipment  

Pay attention to the furniture  

 Here, you need to vacuum the furniture because some areas will feel dingy for the guest. Wipe out the dust from the sides and backsides of chairs, nightstands, sofas, etc. 

Generally, furniture plays a pivotal role in shaping the guest's experience. Hence, it's the responsibility of the housekeeping staff to clean the chairs, tables, and other furniture so that everything looks presentable.   You May Also Like: 7 Hotel Renovation Ideas

Take care with chemicals

 Housekeepers use various sorts of cleaning agents to keep the hotel rooms and guest areas neat and clean. When cleaning hotel rooms and other surfaces, TASKI products are considered of supreme importance in the hospitality industry. All these chemicals start from the R name, and every chemical is used for specific requirements.  

Here's is a list of chemicals that are being used by housekeeping staff used to clean the hotel - 

Chemicals used for cleaning in Housekeeping

1. R1 - It is a bathroom cleaner that is used for cleaning all the surfaces in the bathroom  
2. R2 - It is considered an all-purpose cleaning agent that is used for cleaning hard surfaces  
3. R3 - It is a glass cleaner used to clean glass, windows, and mirrors. 
4. R4 - It is a furniture cleaner that is used for furniture cleaning and polishing  
5. R5 - It is primarily a room freshener. Bathroom freshener that is used for adding floral scent in guest rooms  
6. R6 - It is a toilet cleaner that is used for removing stubborn stains from the toilet  
7. R7 - It is a floor cleaner that is used for removing oil/grease from the floor  
8. R8 - It is a kettle descaler used to clean kettles, kitchen equipment, etc. 
9. R9 - It is a cleaner that is used for removing stains from bathroom walls and fittings  

Bathroom cleaning  

Housekeepers should clean the bathroom thoroughly before guests can arrive. Housekeeping staff should mop the floor and clean the toilet using a disinfectant. Every section of the bathroom should be cleaned, from the toilet to the bathtub to the sink.  

Here's the checklist you need to follow to clean your hotel's bathroom - 

1. Remove unused towels and keep them separate from new ones  
2. Remove the spots, if any using a natural detergent or cleaning agent  
3. Mop the floor  
4. Sanitize the toilet  
5. Give it a final touch at the end 

Latest housekeeping techniques  

With trends changing fastly in hospitality industry, following are some of the latest housekeeping practices that you need to take a look at:

Sustainable housekeeping is adopted  

The evolving trend increasingly popular in the hotel industry is moving toward sustainability. Today's guest are already aware of sustainability and the impact of using harmful chemicals on their lives.  

Therefore, adopting sustainable practices has become the focus area for every hotel now - 

1. Going green reduces the impact on the environment  
2. It will cut down hotel's costs and ensures effective utilization of resources  

To give it a start, the housekeeping department can adopt sustainable practices by using automation and reducing carbon footprint. To clean the hotel's surfaces, housekeepers should use green and eco-friendly products that can keep your guest satisfied and healthy.  

Technologically advanced cleaning  

Another trend that has entered the hospitality sector is the introduction of robotic technology. It frees up the human staff and facilitates better cleaning of hotel rooms. Many hoteliers are shifting towards this trend by adopting robotic cleaning, which provides numerous benefits to hotel guests and housekeeping staff - 

1. It reduces the risk of human error.  
2. It provides Guest satisfaction.  
3. Robotic devices can perform mundane tasks such as mopping the floor, disinfecting the floor, collecting sheets and towels, etc.  

Also Read: Hotel Automation in 2024

Multinational housekeeping team  

Increasing number of Multinational hotel teams have become a popular trend in the hospitality sector. Multinational housekeeping teams can collaborate with international housekeeping teams through automatic translations.  

Automatic translations allow housekeeping staff to translate messages into a specific language. Thus, making it easier for senior-level staff to onboard new hires.  

For instance – There is flex-keeping software that can translate messages into a specific language.

Conclusion    

Now, you might understand the tricks and tips to clean your hotel room. This checklist will help you to serve your guests well and make them feel comfortable. Try out these strategies to take your hotel business to the next level.  

If you ignore the hotel housekeeping component, you might miss out on many opportunities. Following such housekeeping tips makes your hotel look organized and presentable.  

Are you looking to upscale your hotel biz? At BOTSHOT, we can help you to personalize your guest journey by automating your hotel operations.  

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