housekeeping management Flashcards
rack rate
highest possible rate for a room
budget vs forecast
budget - estimated finances/costs for hotel (once a year)
forecast - revenue/expenses (can be done once a week)
Maintenance, types
- routine maintenance: daily basis with minimum skills or trainings to perform
- preventive -“- : infrastructure should be up to speed; keep the look on stuff to work and last longer
- scheduled: planned through a formal work-order, deep cleaning/repairing/checkings (low season)
hotel types
Economy Hotels: Small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer a very limited amount of on-site amenities.
Mid-Market Hotels: Medium to big sized hotels which offer good service to its guest and more than sufficient amenities on-site to enjoy a comfortable stay.
Luxury Hotels: A luxury hotel is a hotel that is upscale and typically costs more than the average accommodation. It has the best services and a stay with leisure and top most service and comfort.
housekeeping with other departments
Front office, maintenance, security, f&b, Stores, personnel, sales and marketing, purchases, laundry
Occupancy report and housekeeping status report
Occupancy Report: This report is referred to at the start of the days shift. It helps the department to plan the work for the day as they know the rooms occupied and the rooms vacant.
Housekeeping Status Report (phisical check): This report is maintained at the end of a shift. This report helps provide information and co ordinate the staff within the department to know the rooms let to clean and clear and the rooms that are ready; based on physical check
eco-purchasing
purchasing products that for durability; reusability, recycle; packaging etc.
triple bottom line
(abbreviated as TBL or 3BL) is an accounting framework with three parts: social, environmental (or ecological) and financial. These three divisions are also called the three Ps: people, planet and profit, or the “three pillars of sustainability”.
cleaning areas responsible in House-keeping
public area: lobby, front desk, public bathrooms, staff room, recreation center
Private area: rooms and guest floors.
restaurants, elevators
Inventory levels
RECYCLED INVENTORIES: Recycled inventories are those items that have limited useful lives but that are used over and over again in housekeeping operations. E.g. linens, uniforms, guest loan items, some machines and equipments.
NON-RECYCLED INVENTORIES: Non-recycled inventories are those items that are consumed or used up during the course of routine housekeeping operations. E.g. cleaning supplies, small equipment items and guest supplies and amenities
turnover
replacement cycle of employees
recruitment
process by which applicants are sought and screened concerning their suitability for positions in the operation
recruiting process
- define job requirements
- review job analysis, JD and job specification information
- identify and review applicable laws and regulations
- determine the message to convey to applicants
- determine what should be learnt from recruits about competitors and the community
- recruit internal/external/both
- where to recruit
- select recruiters
- recruitment strategies and methods
- establish criteria for evaluation applicants
- evaluation recruiting methods
External vs internal recruitment
+ External recruitment refers to recruiting a candidate through references, networks, job portals or they may approach recruitment agencies
+ Internal recruitment is the recruitment of employees within the workforce. The employee may be provided with a new job position in the same organization, he may be promoted within his hierarchy and given job development opportunity.
4 principles when selecting employees
Explicitness: This means that the employee must be observant and make sure he/she makes everything clear.
Objectivity: This can be related to positivity in the work effort. The employee’s efforts or actions must be intended to achieve the goal i.e to maintain the standards of the organization.
Thoroughness: The employee must be spick and span. He/she must maintain a daily thorough procedure to keep up with the work flow.
Consistency: The employee must be consistent. He/she should maintain the work quality and effort and achieve the same or better results everyday.
skill training (4 steps)
training model used to implement an on-the-job training program
+prepare (job analysis, task list; job breakdown to train/stress; tips on know-how)
+present (job breakdown as training guide)
+practice (coaching)
+follow up (coaching; give feedback on correct/incorrect; )
scheduling
a process in which the appropriate number of employees are assigned to fulfill necessary duties and positions each workday
fixed vs variable staff positions
- Fixed staff positions are those that must be filled regardless of the volume of business. These positions are generally managerial and administrative. E.g. exec. housekeeper, assistant exec. housekeeper, supervisor (day shift), department clerk (day and afternoon shift)
- Variable staff positions are those that are filled according to the changes in the occupancy level. E.g. room attendants (day and afternoon shift), housepersons (day and afternoon shift), inspectors, lobby attendants.
a staffing guide
a system used to establish the number of labour hours needed (includes: total labour hours, #of employees, estimated labour expence at specific occupancy level)
Productivity Standards
acceptable amounts of work that must be done with in a specified timeframe, according to an established performance standard.
Productivity Complications
\+Trainees/turnover Send backs Meetings Messy rooms Suites Late check-outs and room changes Maintenance rooms Show rooms
Motivation
An environment that fosters professional growth and development of its employee’s, is an enormous positive factor to have in a hospitality environment. Motivation plays a significant role in this and can be defined as the art of stimulating or challenging a person’s interest. Training Cross-Training Recognition Communication Incentive Programs "R&R" PerformanceAppraisals
par
the standard quantity of a particular inventory item that must be on hand to support daily, routine housekeeping operations (3-5 is best)
house setup
the total # of each type of linen that is needed to outfit all guestrooms one time (one par of linen)
6 steps to perfect linens
- Notice and treat stains
- Laundry awareness
- Repair and remove
- Investigate reoccurrence
- Management support
- Ongoing inspections
floor par
The quantity of each type of linen that is required to outfit all rooms serviced from particular floor linen closet.
issuing
procedures ensure that each floor linen closet is stocked with its par amount at the start of each day.
cleaning supply varies between (par number)
- minimum quantity - fewest number of units that should be stock at any given time
- maximum quantity
lead-time quantity
the number of purchased units that are used up between the time that a supply order is placed and the time it is actually received
safety stock
the number of purchase units that must always be on hand for the housekeeping department to operate smoothly in the event of emergencies, spoilage, unexpected delays in delivery, etc. By adding lead time quantity and safety stock level, the executive housekeeper can determine the minimum purchase units that always need to be stocked.
perpetual inventory
inventory system in which receipts and issues are recorded as they occur; this system provides readily available information on inventory levels and cost of sales
On Premise Laundry (OPL)
there are facilities present to do laundry on the property
can save money by doing it yourself
turndown service
special service provided by the housekeeping department in which a room attendant enters the guestroom in the early evening to restock supplies; tidy the room and turn down the covers on the bed
types of budget
capital budget - a detailed plan for the acquisition of equipment, land, buildings, and other fixed assets(furniture, fixtures, equipment)
operating budget - a detailed plan for generating revenue and incurring expenses for each department within the hospitality operations (salaries, wages; cleaning, guest supplies)
planning budget
(annual)
1)room sales (for other departments and occupancy)
2)occupancy
3)expense level
4)feedback and discussions
Income statement comes from actual results
income statement
a report on the profitability of operations, including revenue and incurring expenses for each department within the hospitality operation
schedule
report (department income statement) gives supporting detail to a property’s financial statements; f.e. rooms,
LINEN
Shortages occur when the inventory level for linen is set too low. If set too high excessive amount of cash resources get tied up in overstock.
uniforms
All uniforms should be inventoried at least on a quarterly basis. The same general principles that pertain to taking physical inventories of linen supplies apply to counting uniforms.
guest supply
- Guest expendables; items that the guest is either expected to use or take away on departure from the hotel ( TV table tent cards, guest services directory, instruction sheets..)
- Guest essentials - essential for the guest use in rooms but are not taken away by the guests, for e.g. ashtrays, etc.
- Guest loan items - not maintained in the guest room but are available on request to a guest, on a receipted loan basis at no charge (irons, ironing boards, hot water bags, alarm clocks, bed boards, adapters, non-allergic pillows, electric blankets, etc. )
laundering factors to consider
colours; material; temperature;
OPL process
Collecting soiled linens Transport linens to OPL Sorting (types, soils etc.) Loading Washing (temperature, chemicals, cycle) Extracting and drying Finishing & folding Storing & transferring linen to use areas
2 types of sorting (OPL)
- sorting by degree of soiling: no waste of water and energy
- by linen type: no damage to linens
outside laundry consideration
- equipment - productivity
- working hours
- staffing (peak; non-peak hours)
- facility space - linen volume
- transport
3 steps for safety
+Place mops, buckets, and other equipment where
no one can fall over them
+Practice safe lifting techniques – lift with your legs,
not your back
+Use the right tools for the job, such as long-
handled scrubbers to reduce stooping and bending
while cleaning
safety equipment to use when handling chemicals
- safety glasses with side shields for dust and flying object protection
- chemical splash goggles for chemical splash, spray and mist protection
- face and neck shield for head and neck protection (these devices must always be used with safety glasses or goggles).
- gloves; boots
3 ways to prevent guest/employee theft
-use as few monogrammed items as possible
-keep storage rooms closed and locked
affix/bolt guestroom items and fixtures to appropriate
3 fire-detection systems
1) Smoke detectors in every room save occupant’s lives. If a fire starts in a guest room, the occupant
has, on average, two minutes to get out alive. A smoke detector will give the necessary warning to
facilitate escape.
2) Self-closing doors (fire doors, stairwell doors) save lives by confining the smoke, flames and heat and
leaving evacuation routes clear. It is imperative that these doors are not blocked or propped open.
3) Sprinklers work to limit fire spread to the room of fire origin. 96% of fires in which automatic
sprinklers are present are extinguished or contained by three or fewer sprinkler heads. There has been
no multiple loss of life in the United States in buildings in which sprinklers were functioning correctly.
deep cleaning scheduled (3 ways)
- preventive maintenance
- guests expect clean accommodation
- frequency
porosity for cleaning
Porous:(of a rock or other material) having minute interstices through which liquid or air may pass.
since porous allow liquid to pass easily the chance of growth of mold is high.
Non Porous: (Of a substance) not allowing liquid or air to pass through it
Semi Porous: Semi-porous means that it is porous with respect to some materials and not to others. The most common factor is size. By limiting the size of pore-holes in a membrane, you can let smaller things out and keep larger things in.
