Cleaning and servicing guest rooms

Cleaning Procedures for Guest Rooms

Guest rooms should be cleaned on a daily basis. This includes vacuuming the floors, dusting surfaces, and tidying up clutter.
High-touch areas like doorknobs, light switches and remote controls must be disinfected regularly.
Towels and bed linens must be changed according to hotel policies or at the request of the guest.
All trash cans should be emptied and new waste bags put in place.
Toiletries and other room amenities should be replenished as needed.
The need for any repairs or maintenance in the room should be reported to the appropriate department.

Prioritising Cleaning Tasks

The reservation status of a room significantly impacts the order in which rooms are cleaned. Empty rooms assigned to arriving guests should have high priority.
Rooms in which guests have checked out (departure rooms) should be cleaned next because they often require deeper cleaning.
Rooms that are being continued to be occupied (stayovers) should be cleaned after the departure rooms.
For efficiency, housekeepers should follow a systematic order when cleaning rooms, for example, always starting from the bathroom.

Importance of Guest Privacy

Always knock and announce yourself before entering a guest’s room, even if you think the room is empty.
If a guest is in the room, ask permission before entering to carry out your cleaning duties.
Never open drawers or cabinets or move personal items of guests, respect guest privacy at all times.
If a ‘Do not Disturb’ sign is on the door, do not enter the room.

Handling Guest Belongings

Avoid touching guest’s belongings whenever possible.
If the guest’s items are in the way, you may move them slightly, but always try to move them back to their original position after cleaning.
Any lost items found in the room after a guest’s departure should be turned into the hotel’s lost and found department.