Housekeeping Management Report

Swiss Hotel Management School – 2011Housekeeping Management Report Spring 2011

Housekeeping Management

RD 201

Housekeeping Management Report

byPhilipp Soldunov 2D

Yaying Lee 2CJoy Lau 2CAlex Lai 2C

Ankie Hau 2C

Lecturer: Khalida Al Azawi

25/03/11

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Table of Contents1. List of illustrations p. 32. Introduction p. 43. Objectives p. 54. The Role of Housekeeping Department p. 65. Recruitment and Training p. 76. Productivity Standard p. 117. Staffing Guide p. 128. Motivational techniques p. 169. Conclusion p. 1810. Reference list p. 1911. Appendices p. 20

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List of illustrations

Organizational Chart of Housekeeping department p. 7

Table 1 – Staffing Guide for Room Attendant p. 13

Table 2 – Staffing Guide for Supervisors p. 14

Table 3 – Staffing Guide for Lobby Attendants p. 15

Table 4 – Staffing Guide for Housepersons p. 15

Table 5 – Staffing Guide for increased productivity standard p. 16

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Introduction

To begin with, our group would like to present the establishment, which we have chosen for this report: the hotel

“Les Jardins du Marais”. It is four stars hotel, within the Group Plazza Boutiques Hôtels, which also consist of

another hotel “Patio Saint-Antoine” (three stars),

located in Paris, France nearby Place de Bastille. It is

famous historical place, very important for French

people. Hotel was established in 1985 and was known

as “Hotel Plazza Bastille”, the hotel still keeps this

name in official documents. After the opening of a

second hotel, hotel administration was reorganized

into group and hotel changed its name into how it is

nowadays. The hotel facilities are very large, it

consists of six buildings (which named after famous

French artists such as Ravel, Gauguin and Rodin), 265

rooms in total. Also it has 10 conference rooms with

capacity around 800 people. According to their website it is largest boutique hotel in the center of Paris. As four

stars hotel it has its own restaurant with “a la carte” menu. To maintain daily work of the hotel more than 200

employees are involved. Les Jardins du Marais is not a part of a chain; it is independently owned and operated.

Management structure is very wide; administration consists of many departments such as sales, marketing,

housekeeping, food and beverage etc. On the top of organizational chart is CEO/General Manager. Hotel has a

big variety of customers, mainly large tourist groups and conference groups that hold their meetings in the hotel.

Also hotel is popular among leisure travelers.

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(Andtor, 2006)

(Les Jardins du Marais, 2009)

(2Bad, 2010)


Objectives

The role of the housekeeping department:

The responsibilities of the Executive or Head Housekeeper within the Hotel; whose main job is

direct the housekeeping staff and maintaining the cleanliness levels of the hotel. They can also

handling the hiring, firing, and disciplinary actions.

Job description of a room attendant:

The job for a room attendant is examining job that satisfy the guests. Including hygienizing, using

hoover, dusting, and filling up the supplies for the guestroom.

Training the room attendants:

Important in the responsibilities of the Executive Housekeeper, which includes 4 steps. First, set up

a needs analysis. Secondly, build up the training programs. Thirdly, Present and start training.

Fourthly, reviewing.

Recruiting Employees:

Two ways to recruit the employees: internal recruiting, and external recruiting. Which are recruit the

employees from the inside the hotel or chain; and recruit applicants from the outside environment.

Staffing guide

Staffing guide is a tool for the Head Housekeeper to schedule and control the room attendants. Also

including examples of calculating the staffing guide for 100% occupancy for room attendant,

supervisors, and lobby attendants.

Motivational techniques

7 ways for motivating room attendants. Including training classes, retrain annually for the old

workers, promotion, staffing schedule, more employees’ activities, Benefits for the employees, and

the employee of the month.

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The Role of Housekeeping Department

In the housekeeping department, there are lots of employees, so how all the staffs could be managing? This will be the job for

the Executive Housekeeper in the department.

Les Jardins du Marais executive housekeepers main job are to direct and control housekeeping operations and staff of the

housekeeping department and to maintain cleanliness levels in all areas of the property. During their work, they do not just

take care of the day-to-day cleaning responsibilities. There are lots of different problems they have to take care of. If there is

a problem arises within the housekeeping function, they will be the first defensive line of trying to solve the problem, they

also have to give notice around the department to prevent the same problem occur.

Not only do they handle all of the managerial responsibilities, but they may also be responsible for managing the budget for

the department as well.

They have to estimate expenses of the department for the upcoming year. They are a part of the management team and

therefore must be able to provide assessments and updates on what is going on within the housekeeping department at all

times.

They handle all personnel issues in some capacity for the housekeeping function. They handle the hiring, firing, and

disciplinary actions if they become necessary. The hotel executive housekeeper must maintain relationships with all of the

employees within their department. They are responsible for their performance and therefore must be present often.

In Les Jardins du Marais, the executive housekeeper has to plan and maintain the cleanliness levels carefully in our hotel,

since our hotel is a four star hotel and it has a variety kind of guests. He has to keep up the brand image, in order of us to

show the best side to the guests. The executive also have to create a good relationship with the worker, to motivate them to

work. It is like an engine at the back of a car, keep on pushing them to perform their best at work. There will be also a

meeting everyday to discuss any issue or any problem that have happen during the day, this will be a good opportunity

between the executive housekeeper and the staff to increase their communication with each other.

Every year, the executive housekeeper has to go over the working process for each staff, and do a staff evaluation on it, and

this will help to improve every staff working effort and see what are the needs of the staff, to make them feel comfortable in

working here. Also, at the end of the year, he also has to calculate on the expenses that the department has spent in the year,

and also have to estimate of the expenses for next year, he has to work on calculating everything that will be use within the

year, and see if anything they can cut down and try to use less of it, and help the hotel to increase in revenue.

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Executive Housekeeper

Housekeeping Superivisor

Room Attendant

Laundry Attendant

Room Inspector


Organizational Chart for Housekeeping department of Les Jardins du Marais:

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Recruitment and Training

Job Description of a room attendant

A room attendant’s job is to examine every single job so closely as well as to see it that the factors can satisfy the

guests, contributing to the factor’s standard for the guest service. They are responsible for the cleaning of the

rooms by hygienizing, using hoover and dusting. Also to filling up the supplies in guest rooms.

Here are the steps of how room attendants to clean the rooms:

1. Get and use the room assignment sheet that helps room attendants to understand what they have to do.

2. Get all the guest amenities that included the shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, etc. this depends on how

long the guests are staying.

3. Get the cleaning supplies and keep the work areas and cart tidy and organized to get ready for cleaning the

room.

4. Knock on the door, make sure there is no one in the room (Ask the guests when is a convenience time to do

the house keeping if they are in the room)

5. Get in and prepare the room for cleaning.

6. Go into the bathroom; start to clean the tub, shower area, toilet, sink, vanity and the floor by using different

cleaning agents and cloth. Make sure they are not messed up.

7. Begin to clean the guestroom closet, make the bed, dust the room, replenish all the supplies and amenities

that have been used, wipe the windows, tracks and sills, use the hoover on the floor. Check the all the

electronics, make sure they work and report the room status.

8. Exit the guestroom, make sure the door is closed. Correct all the cleaning problems the room attendant

found during inspection and complete the ‘end-of-shift’ duties. Turn the mattresses.

9. Set up/ remove the special guest service equipment and clean multi-room guest suites.

10. Don’t forget to do the turndown service.

There are 265 rooms in the hotel Les Jardins du Marais, which means the room attendants would have do routine

duties in servicing and cleaning these over 265 rooms.

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Training

The executive housekeepers also have the responsibility to train the room attendants. Sometimes they are not very

sure about how they could train the trainees in the best way. In this case, they need a framework for training. The

‘Four-step training method’ does a very impelling training process.

Step 1: Set up a needs analysis

Preparation is indispensable for training successfully. Before started to train the room attendants, the executive

housekeepers do re-examine the job analysis, like job knowledge, job descriptions, set up task list… that was

performed anterior to hire people for the position, and based on this job analysis, develop what training of the

position should be.

Step 2: Build up the training programs

Realistically, new employees can’t be expected to know/learn all the task of the position before the first working

day. Training programs would be based on the job descriptions that I mentioned before.

Step 3: Present and start training

The hotel Les Jardins du Marais provided 4-day training.

On the first day, the new employees are requested to attend the orientation for making sure they know the Les

Jardins du Marais as well as the room divisions, (there are classic rooms, executive rooms, junior suites, junior

suites executive, suite prestige and the presidential suite. Also the environment& facilities in the hotel, greet the

department head although they will only be working in the housekeeping department. Give new employees their

task list and the rules of the hotel.

The executive housekeepers start training on the second day and third day. Before started training the new

employees, the new room attendants would have to memorize the task list.

Step 4: Review

And the fourth day, the room attendants and the housekeepers should do a review. if they have any problems

should ask the executive housekeepers as soon as possible so that they will understand all what they are going to go

before start working.

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Recruiting Employees

Recruitment is the process of identifying and hiring best-qualified candidate for a job vacancy.

The Executive housekeeper tasks during the recruiting employees have tasks such as initial interviewing,

contacting applicants references, and related selection tasks. They will also personally interview the candidates

they are willing to choose for the open positions in the department.

Internal recruitment is hiring employees from the inside the hotel, different department or chain hotels. This is a

good way to find out the manager or supervisor who is good at something. The employees can also improve their

knowledge in the new department. And external recruitment is to hire only employees from outside of the hotel, for

part-time, full-time and internship. When to hire the new employees, executive housekeepers evaluate the skills,

abilities, and flexibilities of them

Internal recruiting:

Consider how to recruit the employees from the inside the hotel or chain.

1. Post the recruitment at the announce board, using internal e-mail, tell them the job description see if there is

any employees interested.

2. There is good way of internal recruitment, which is “Employee referral program”.

External recruiting:

How to recruit applicants from the outside environment

1. School, other hotels, and also word to mouth. There is good benefit to do the external recruitment because

some new idea, and blood will come from the new employee, and all of the new staffs have more potential

and passion, so it will be good influence for the existing employees. External recruitment also has many

ways of the recruitment.

2. Managers will visit the large international population school and collages to find the new internship or full-

time job employee. Managers can also use the advertisement, magazine, own website, and employment

agency to announce the external recruitment.

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Schedule that the Les Jardins du Marais uses

Morning:

9 AM started to clean the rooms (about 23 mins per room).

Have 15 mins break after cleaning 4 rooms, tell the supervisor before taking break.

Start cleaning rooms again until lunch.

Afternoon:

Have lunch after providing cleaning for 3-4 rooms, which is about 1pm.

Start working again till 5:30pm.

Each room attendant can have 30mins break within the afternoon duties.

Each of the employees got 2 days off a week. Their days off are very flexible which employees can choose which

date they do want to have a day off by communicating with the supervisors.

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Productivity Standard

Information that was provided by Housekeeping Department of hotel Les Jardins du Marais states:

Approximate time for one room cleaning is 23 minutes

Standard day shift of room attendant is 8.5 hours, which equals 510 minutes

Beginning of shift duties is 15 minutes

Morning break – 15 minutes

Afternoon break – 30 minutes

End of shift duties – 15 minutes

Using this information it is possible determine the time available for guestroom cleaning:

510 – (15 x 3) – 30 = 435 minutes

After time available for guestroom cleaning is determined, productivity standard will be:

435 minutes / 23 minutes ≈ 19 guestrooms per shift

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Staffing Guide

The Staffing Guide is a tool which helps to schedule and control employees. It serves to Head Housekeeper to

determine Total Labor hours, the number of employees. It estimates expense that will be spent for housekeeping

operations.

Room attendant

Example of calculating the Staffing guide for 100% occupancy for room attendant :

23 / 60 = 0.38 – Productivity Standard for Staffing guide

Number of rooms in hotel - 265 Occupied - 265 / 100% = 265 rooms

Labor hours needed = 265 x 0.38 = 100.7 hours

Number of rooms cleaned per shift = 19

Number of employees need for day = 265 / 19 = 13.9 (Rounded to 14)

Total Labor Cost = 100.7 x 10.40 = 1047.28 CHF

Using following example, it is possible to calculate staffing guide for all required occupancy levels.

It is presented as table:

Occupancy 100 % 85 % 50 % 95 % 60 % 67 % 58 % 77 %

Productivity standard 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38

Labor hours 100.7 85.6 50.4 95.7 60.4 67.6 58.5 74.8

Rooms to clean 265 225 132 252 159 178 154 197

Number of employees 14 12 7 13 8 9 8 10

Expense (CHF) 1047.28 890.24 524.16 995.28 628.16 703.04 608.4 777.92

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Staffing guides for other positions:

Supervisors:

The following staffing guide is calculated with the expectation that one supervisor is needed for 44 rooms and

standard shift is 8.5 hours.

Example of calculating the Staffing guide for 100% occupancy for supervisors :

8.5 / 44 = 0.19 – Productivity Standard for Staffing guide

Number of rooms in hotel - 265 Occupied - 265 / 100% = 265 rooms

Labor hours needed = 265 x 0.19 = 50.4 hours

Number of employees need for day = 50.4 / 8.5 = 5.9 (Rounded to 6)

Total Labor Cost = 50.4 x 15.20 = 766.08 CHF

Occupancy 100 % 85 % 50 % 95 % 60 % 67 % 58 % 77 %


Labor hours 50.4 42.7 25.1 47.9 30.2 33.8 29.3 37.4


Expense (CHF) 766.08 649.0

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381.52 728.08 459.04 513.76 445.36 568.48

Lobby attendants:

The following staffing guide is calculated with the expectation that hotel has 6 buildings with tiled-floor lobbies;

one lobby attendant is needed for 2 floors.

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Example of calculating the Staffing guide for lobby attendants :

8.5 / 2 = 4.25 – Productivity Standard for Staffing Guide

Number of “Lobbies” – 6

Labor hours needed = 6 x 4.25 = 25.5

Number of employees need for day = 25.5 / 8.5 = 3

Total Labor Cost = 244.80 CHF

Productivity standard 4.25

Labor hours 25.5

Number of employees 3

Expense (CHF) 244.80

House persons:

The following staffing guide is calculated with the expectation that hotel has 3402 m2 of facilities that has to be

cleaned daily by house persons including parking, garden, restrooms and corridors; one house person is needed for

300 m2.

8.5 / 500 m2 = 0.02 – Productivity Standard for Staffing Guide

Area of work – 3402 m2

Labor hours needed = 3402 m2 x 0.02 = 68.04

Number of employees need for day = 68 / 8.5 = 8

Total Labor Cost = 68 x 11.60 CHF = 788.80 CHF

Productivity standard 0.02

Labor hours 68

Number of employees 8

Expense (CHF) 788.80

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If productivity standard will be increased by 5 minutes labor cost for room attendant will be:

Occupancy 100 % 85 % 50 % 95 % 60 % 67 % 58 % 77 %


Labor hours 79.5 67.5 39.6 75.6 47.7 53.4 46.2 59.1

Rooms to clean 265 225 132 252 159 178 154 197


Expense (CHF) 826.80 702.00 411.8

4

786.24 496.08 555.3

6

480.48 614.64

In general solutions that manager can take for minimize salaries can be various. First of all, hardest way will be change contracts for room attendants. It is hard because need to wait till next financial year to actually break old contracts and make new ones. And probably employees will be against that. Next solution, most possible, can be to give employees more days off. According to estimated Staffing Guide it is possible to leave on shift only exact amount of room attendants that actually needed for cleaning room regarding to occupancy. Rest of employees can enjoy their free time. That can prevent overspending of hotel’s budget, and forward it only on necessary expenses. And one more solution that manager can take is to train his staff to improve productivity standard so that will decrease time for cleaning one room, and less amount of room attendants can clean bigger amount of rooms.

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Motivational techniques

Motivate the employees is very important to every department, housekeeping department is not an exception.

When the guest just arrived in the hotel, their first impression is the cleanness and the level of tidy of the front of

hotel and the lobby; therefore, the housekeeping department has a very important position in the hotel. By

motivating the workers, they will improve their work and the stander of the hotel. The following are the ways to

improve the workers stander and the ways to motivated them to achieve the highest level of their job.

Training classes

By achieving the higher quality of the workers, the hotel has to provide training class for the new workers. Every

hotel has different standers for the quality of different hotel rooms; therefore, hotel has to train the new workers

until they can achieve the best quality. For example, before the new workers start they work, they have to attend at

least one or two weeks housekeeping classes, in order to be qualified for the stander.

Retrain annually for the old workers

After long times working in the department, the workers will be more relax and their attitude for achieving the high

quality will not be as well as high when their just start the job. By retraining they annually will improve their work.

For example, having retrain class for no more than one week for the workers once a year.

Promotion

Due to the housekeeping department have very heavy works in the hotel; therefore, workers in this department will

leave when they cannot hander the job anymore. Many new workers will join this department; therefore, for the old

workers in this department can have many promoting opportunities. For example, have promotion once after one

worker leaves their job, the workers still in hotel will achieve their best quality for having the promotion.

Staff’s working schedule

Housekeeping is one of the hardest departments in the hotel; therefore, workers in this department will need more

time off. Workers in this department need more vacation period, e.g. In the hotel there are just 20 days of paid

vacation holiday, but that it is not enough to satisfy the employee because they have massive workload, so we will

increase their holiday for one more week to 27 days, to let the employee feel that they are treated by the hotel

fairly, and also let them fell their importance in the company.

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Employees Activities

To hold employees activities, in order to increase the communication between the employees. E.g. during Chinese

New Year, Easter, Christmas, we will hold outdoor activity, such as hiking, cycling, barbeque etc. Within the

activity, we can also play some game, for the employees to increase their communication within each other and

also increase their team work ability. Furthermore, during communication, manager can also know the needs of the

employee and try their best to co-operate the staff and let them know the importance within the organization.

Benefits for the employees

One of the ways to motivating the employees is proved more benefits for them. For example, proved insurances,

transports benefits, health benefit for the workers, that they will be more grateful and having more emotion to work

harder and achieve the best.

Employee of the Month

To encourage the employee to provide the best quality of service to the guest, the hotel will set up an award of

Employee of the Month. The employee will be awarded will a certificate, and also be awarded with shopping

coupons. This will be recognition to the employee effort, and this can also affect the other employee try to achieve

the award.

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Conclusion

During our detail research on our hotel Les Jardins du Marais; we have a deeper knowledge of the housekeeping

department. We know more about:

The responsibilities of the executive housekeeper, whose main job are to direct and control housekeeping

operations and staff of the housekeeping department and to maintain cleanliness levels in all areas of the

property

Recruiting process within Housekeeping department: Internal & External

The productivity standard for a room attendant: 19 guestrooms per shift

The purpose of Staffing Guide, a tool which helps to schedule and control employees

Motivation techniques:

1. Training classes

2. Retrain annually for the old workers

3. Promotion

4. Staff’s working schedule

5. Employees Activities

6. Benefits

7. Employee of the month

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Reference List

Andtor (2006) Paris: Hotel Les Jardins du Marais. [Online image] Flickr, USA. Available from:<

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4276475192_9c4c9dda49.jpg> [Accessed 24th March, 2011]

2Bad (2010) Orange iPhone. [Online image] 2Bad.ru, Russia. Available from:<

http://2bad.ru/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/paris05day7017small.jpg> [Accessed 24th March, 2011]

Les Jardins du Marais (2009) Les Jardins du Marais: Blog. [Online image] Blogspot, USA. Available

from:<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zHeKCxIjMa8/SnsuKKP5b3I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/3ZXbhiVbvtw/S660/

Les_Jardins_du_Marais.jpg> [Accessed 24th March, 2011]

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Appendices

In order to complete this report our team had several meetings:

11th March 2011 – All group members are present, organization of work were discussed

15th March 2011 - All group members are present, brainstorming results were reviewed

24th March 2011 - All group members are present, final adjustments to the text were made

Group Members

Philipp Soldunov Alexander Lai Yaying Lee Ankie Hau Joy Lau

Attendance at meetings

5 5 5 5 5

Contribution to discussions

5 5 5 5 5

Contribution to research

5 5 5 5 5

Meeting deadlines

5 5 5 5 5

Contribution to final report

5 5 5 5 5

Final 25 25 25 25 25

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Housekeeping Management Report

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