Apeejay Institute of Hospitality, established in the year 2007, is committed to bridging the gap between academics and industry, by providing quality human resources and infrastructure to the hospitality business. This promise comes from a Group that has been closely associated, for almost fifty years, with both education and hospitality in the country-the Apeejay Surrendra Group. 
Importance of Housekeeping in the Hotel Industry
The Housekeeping Department of the Hotel Industry stands for one motto–‘Creating a home away from home’. The Housekeeping Department takes immense pride in maintaining the utmost standards of cleanliness and quality. The target of all accommodation establishment is to offer their clients with hygienic, pleasant, serene and welcoming surroundings that offer complete value for client’s money.
Housekeeping makes your hotel experience an enjoyable one!
Nothing attracts customers more than a spick and span hotel environment. No standard of service, courteousness or glamour can equal the happiness a customer has upon entering a spotless, clean and conveniently arranged room and amenities. Management and guests both agree that maintaining a clean and tidy room environment is a pre-requisite to command a fair compensation and get repeat business, hence, creating a loyal customer base and increased profits.
More About Importance of Housekeeping
The hotel industry and housekeeping go hand in hand. The role of housekeeping holds a significant place in the hotel industry as it includes the tasks of cleaning and maintaining hotel rooms and handling guests.
A good housekeeping staff can increase the popularity of your hotel amongst customers. Good housekeeping service will attract more guests and increase business sales. This blog lists all the major benefits of housekeeping in the hospitality sector.
Why is Housekeeping Important in the Hotel Industry?
Housekeeping is an important department of the hotel industry especially responsible for cleanliness, aesthetic upkeep of the rooms, maintenance, public area, back area and surroundings. After cleanliness and quality of the rooms and services, a hotel solely survives on the sale of room, food, beverages and other minor amenities and services, for instance, health club, gymnasiums, relaxing spas etc.
The sale of the rooms and services constitute a minimum of 50% of all sales, making it a major constituent of the hotel’s margin of profits. Now, the effort and hard work that the housekeeping department makes in giving their clients a desirable experience often has a direct bearing on the guest’s stay in the hotel. Hotel rooms and suites are the heart of a hotel. And the housekeeping department not only prepares tidy and comfortable guestrooms on a regular basis for arriving clients, but also cleans and maintains a certain quality of rooms in a hotel so that the surroundings look as fresh as new and attract customers to stay longer or choose the services again in future.
Thus, Housekeeping is an ancillary department that is committed to devoting its services in a huge way towards the overall reputation and success of the hotel industry.
It is often said that the job of housekeeping department is a well-rounded operation that tirelessly works for a time frame of 24 x 7 x 365. Other than the hotel industry, professional housekeeping personnel are highly in demand in cruise liners and luxury settings. Since several such organizations prefer to outsource housekeeping functions, contract housekeeping is becoming an extremely popular choice these days.
Housekeeping is important for the hotel industry in several ways such as:
1. Solving the complaints of the guests
Many guests visit hotels for a stay and they often face minor problems in hotel rooms. The housekeeping team will look into these complaints of the guests and solve them immediately. They will treat every customer professionally and make guests as comfortable as possible in the hotel rooms. Housekeeping staff will handle every kind of complaint of the guests.
2. Framing hotel policies and procedures
Every hotel runs on a set of fixed policies and procedures. Housekeeping staff is responsible for drafting policies and procedures for hotels. It also checks whether the guests are provided with all the necessary amenities in the rooms.
In addition, the housekeeping staff will fix the rules for check-in; check out, guest’s room access, and so on. The housekeeping team will also inspect every room of the hotel. Moreover, the housekeeping staff will communicate smartly with every guest.
3. Creating an appealing environment for guests
The hotel's main objective is to make guests feel comfortable during their stay. Housekeeping staff will create a welcoming atmosphere in the room by offering the necessary amenities. In some hotels, they can place beautiful and fresh flowers to welcome guests while some hotels provide complimentary breakfast and other facilities to impress the guests.
4. Maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness
The housekeeping team has to check whether all the hotel rooms, hallways, elevators, lifts, and staircases are clean or not. They will clean all the common spaces daily for the safety of the guests. Cleanliness builds a good impression of hotel staff in the minds of the guests. It will attract more customers and make them feel comfortable and safe.
5. Increasing the safety of the customers
The housekeeping team will provide full safety to the guests and visitors. They will place the security tools such as CCTV cameras at the cash counter to check the activities of the visitors. Apart from that, the housekeeping staff will also check the lock of every room and provide the latest key to open the locks.
Read: Hotel Management Courses After 12th
Golden rules of the Housekeeping Department
- Always achieve the maximum possible efficiency in ensuring the comfort of clients and in smooth sailing of the guest’s stay,
- Always establish a comforting and soothing atmosphere and ensure reliable and courteous services from all other staffs of the department,
- Always ensure utmost standards of cleanliness and general upkeep in all areas that befall on the shoulders of the housekeeping department,
- Always honour the idea that the hotel guest is your guest, and the hotel room is your own home. Have a sense of pride in hosting the client and make him feel welcome at all times,
- Always ensure that all required safety and security guidelines are met for the client’s satisfaction,
- Always provide clean linens and maintain the inventory for the same,
- Always provide the necessary uniforms for all the staff and maintain adequate reserves for the same,
- Always cater to the laundering requirements of the guests and maintain the decor of the room to the best standard,
- Always coordinate renovation and refurbishing of the hotel property in accordance with the rules provided by the management and interior designers,
- Always ensure a good working relationship with other departments.
Final words
The hotel industry's success depends highly on the work of the housekeeping staff. The team of housekeeping will do everything from changing the bed sheets to offering laundry services.
The role of the housekeeping staff is to maintain the image of the hotel. This contributes to the goodwill and reputation of the hotel and helps it to develop at different levels.
Housekeeping management, thus, is at the core of all vital hotel operations and can make the difference between a beloved hotel and one that guests are unlikely to visit again.