ABSTRACT
Most large hotels have a Housekeeping Manager or an Executive Housekeeper or person with a similar title. Senior unit housekeeping staff thus rarely have an input into design issues; their role, and that of their staff, is to maintain the hotel premises which, given the nature of hotel design practices, can add to the challenge of housekeeping operations. This chapter describes the main functions of the housekeeping department with regard to the cleaning of hotel premises, and helps the reader recognize the various forms of provision available for the laundering of materials within a hotel. It helps the reader understand the role of performance standards in guest-room cleaning, and appreciate the physical and psychological dimensions to security and the importance of safety and security to hotel guests and employees. There are nicer jobs than housekeeping, there are fancier jobs than housekeeping – but few of them impact quite as much on the overall success of a hotel.
