10.30am:
• Ensure that all room attendants do a physical check of rooms for status and number of occupants, and enter this in the housekeeper’s report which is delivered to the desk attendant.
• Check with the desk attendant whether there are any room discrepancies in the report.
• Check for job orders which are not attended to for more than one hour, and liaise with the engineering supervisor for followup.
• Check the mattress, pillow protectors and duvets for stains and tears before beds are made.
• Check the bathrooms for hot & cold water. Check wash basin stopper, flush, tumblers.
• Examine look and feel of towels and linen. Look for signs of misuse of linen by guests.
• Conduct random checks on expiry dates of mini-bar items.
• Ensure that curtain hooks are properly fixed and curtain bands are used to tie the curtains while mopping floors or cleaning windows.
• Conduct deep inspection of two rooms per day by using the brand standard checklist. Score should not be less than 95% of the total points. Any major defect should be informed to the engineering team and fixed within five days.
• Observe room attendants’ job performance. If someone is not following the SOP, observe for a couple of days to see if the mistake is being repeated.
• If training is required, arrange it at a convenient time, and follow up to see whether it is being practised. Do a minimum of two on-the-job training sessions for 10 -15 minutes daily.
1-2pm – Lunch break, followed by supervisor’s briefing.
2-3pm:
• Check with the desk attendant for any guest requests.
• Ensure garbage bins are emptied and cleaned.
• Make sure soiled linen is returned and fresh linen is collected from the linen room by room attendants.
• Update the par levels in service pantries.
• Ensure all cleaning equipment is cleaned and stored properly.
• Check the service pantries to make sure sufficient room amenities, linen and towels, cleaning agents and coloured cleaning dusters are available for the evening’s and next day’s service. Check to see that vacuum cleaners, polishers, steam cleaners and manual cleaning equipment are in good working condition.
3-4pm:
• Analyze the room cleaning and room inspection reports and day closure sheets
• Collect the task distributions sheets and ensure that team members have done all the work allocated to them.
• Update additional tasks required for the next day in the system.
• Hand over task distribution sheet and floor master key to the desk attendant for the next shift.
This exhaustive work plan is only a part of the overall work responsibilities of a housekeeping supervisor. Because at every step of the way, during every time of day, he has to find the time to keep checking on the completion status of previously assigned tasks, while simultaneously moving on to new tasks that also need to be followed up later. He is also the bridge between housekeeping and other hotel departments, and has to pursue their staff for timely responses to low room supply levels or engineering complaints. Most importantly, he has to manage and motivate a team of room attendants whose repetitive work may make them prone to errors. Since this is unacceptable in the customercentric hospitality industry, keeping staff alert, engaged and as close to perfectionist as possible is a challenge that housekeeping supervisors have to rise up to, every single day. They are the unsung heroes of the hospitality industry.
