The housekeeping department is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness, tidiness, and hygiene of the entire property, including guest rooms, public areas, and back-of-house spaces. It also plays a critical role in ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. Kasturi Deo, Head of Accommodation-Corporate, Tamara Leisure Experience Pvt. Ltd, writes about what ails the industry and the urgent steps to be taken
Until about 25 years ago, housekeeping was considered one of the most important departments in the hospitality industry. The Executive Housekeeper was regarded as one of the highest-ranking positions in a hotel, often as important as the General Manager. Many veteran Executive Housekeepers have witnessed this era of importance and prosperity.
Over time, however, the industry diluted the responsibilities and stature of housekeeping. Departments such as Front Office, Food & Beverage, Marketing, and Revenue Management emerged as revenue-generating departments, while housekeeping began to be viewed primarily as a cost center.
Gradually, the housekeeping department was sidelined and reduced to a role focused solely on cleaning. Many well-known General Managers, sales and revenue heads, Front Office Managers, and F&B Managers hold the perception that housekeeping is ‘just cleaning’. The only expectation often emphasized is an ‘eye for detail’.
Demanding Role
Cleaning and cleaning agents are only a small part of housekeeping. In broader terms, housekeeping involves knowledge of aesthetics and interiors, understanding different finishes, floorings, carpets, rugs, fabrics, linen, colour schemes, uniform design, and indoor plants. Most importantly, it involves managing a workforce that is often not highly qualified and typically comes from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Housekeeping is a blend of science, arts and people management. Strong people management, administration skills, product selection, ambiance understanding, décor sense, and attention to detail define a good housekeeper.
The effects of neglecting the housekeeping department are now evident. Students from catering colleges are no longer interested in pursuing careers in housekeeping, and most students aspire to become Executive Chefs or Sommeliers. Housekeeping interviews are considered the last option. Students are encouraged to attend culinary, revenue, or service interviews first. If unsuccessful, housekeeping becomes the default choice rather than a preferred one.
More Rewarding
And, let me tell you, the hospitality industry offers opportunities in retail, aviation, healthcare, and FMCG sectors, which are perceived as easier and more rewarding than hotel housekeeping.
Salaries and wages in housekeeping are consistently lower compared to other departments, despite heavy workloads and high responsibilities. Discussions often focus on reducing housekeeping manpower or questioning why cleaners should be paid more.
While recruiting housekeeping staff, minimum wages are typically offered, whereas kitchen staff are often hired at wages higher than the minimum.
Career growth is extremely limited. Executive Housekeeper or Director of Housekeeping is usually the highest attainable position. Very few housekeepers are promoted to GM or VP levels. Most senior leadership promotions favour Front Office, F&B, and Sales departments.
Step-Motherly Treatment
When management seeks to reduce staffing, housekeeping and laundry are the first departments targeted. This reflects a lack of understanding of the workload involved in maintaining property standards and guest satisfaction. The increasing dependency on outsourced cleaning services further weakens the department.
Housekeeping is one of the most physically demanding roles in hospitality. As a result, hotels face severe staffing shortages, with housekeeping consistently reported as the hardest department to staff. Long hours, high pressure, and low pay contribute to high attrition rates.
Constant turnover creates challenges in training new employees and maintaining consistent, high-quality cleaning standards across guest rooms and public areas.
Outsourcing services such as public area cleaning, laundry, and specialized floor and carpet care are increasing. However, vendors often fail to deliver quality work due to a lack of skilled labour. Excessive rate negotiations force vendors to deploy unskilled workers. Simply put, you get what you pay for.
Action Time
It is already late for the industry and catering institutes to recognize the seriousness of this issue. Immediate corrective action is required to rebuild a strong and respected housekeeping function. Otherwise, the industry risks relying solely on robots while still promising “personalized service” to their patrons—a contradiction that may undermine the essence of hospitality itself.