Housekeeping Terminology

Mini bar – A fixture in modern guestrooms, this is a miniature refrigerator stocked with juices, liquor,
and snack for the convenience of guests.

Murphy bed – This refers to a bed that folds up into the walls and looks like a bookshelf or cupboard
when folded away, being named for a leading manufacturer of such beds. It may also be called a Sico
bed ( after another leading manufacturer of foldaway or wall beds )

Nightstand – A nightstand is a small stand or cabinet designed to stand beside a bed or elsewhere in a
bedroom, as a place to put anything likely to be required during the night; also called night table.

Operating Budgets – These forecast the expense and revenues for the routine operations of the hotel
during a certain period.

Operating expenses – Those cost that the hotel incurs in order to generate revenue in the normal course
of doing business.

Operating supplies – The items essential to day-to- day housekeeping operations, including guest
supplies and cleaning supplies.

OOO – Out of Order is the status of a guestroom that is not rentable because it is being repaired or
redecorated.

OPL – On premises laundry. An in house area in the hotel where linen and uniforms are washed, dry-
cleaned and pressed.

On change room – A room in need of housekeeping service before it can be registered to an arriving
guest.
Open section – A group of rooms that is not part of a room section for cleaning purposes.

Porch – A covered approach to the entrance of a building.

Pat stock / par number – A multiple of the standard quantity of a particular inventory item that must be
on hand to support daily, routine housekeeping operations.

Par level – The standard number of each inventoried item that must be in hand to support daily, routine
housekeeping operations.

Performance standards – The quality level that employees’ performance is required to meet.

Productivity standards – The quantity of work expected to be completed by each department employee.

Pre-Opening Budgets – These budget allocate resources for opening parties, advertising, initial
generation of goodwill, liaisons and PR. Pre-opening budgets also include the initial costs of employees’
salaries and wages, supplies, crockery, cutlery and other such items.

Pick up rooms – Rooms from the open section assigned to different GRAs to balance out the workload.

Queen size bed – A queen size bed has the dimensions 5 ft 6 in x 6 ft 6 in.

Room assignment sheets – The room assignment sheet indicates the rooms that the particular GRA has
to service, giving their status as indicates in the daily work report. The sheet also lists any pick up rooms
that the GRA has to service, apart from the rooms in his/her section.

Room status discrepancy – A situation in which the housekeeping department’s description of a room’s
status differs from the room status information with the front office.
Room status report – A report that allows the housekeeping department to identify the occupancy or
condition of the property’s rooms. It is generated daily through a two-way communication between
housekeeping and front office.

Refurbish – To give a new look to a room by re-docarating, renewing soft furnishings, and possibly
changing the carpet and touching up the furniture.

Room section – A group of 15-16 guestrooms reasonably contiguous to each other.

Runners – In this context, lengths of matting made of synthetic or natural fibres, placed at entrances to
prevent dirt and dust from entering the building. ( Another use of the term runner in housekeeping is for
a person who is charged with the duty of conveying orders from housekeeping department to the staff
on guest floor ).

Safety stock level – The number of purchase unit that must always be on hand in case of emergencies,
damages, delays in delivery and so on.

Service directory – This is a booklet in which the services offered to guests by the hotel are listed, along
with the intercom numbers to reach the relevant departments.

Skipper – A room status that indicates the guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to
settle his/her account.

Sleeper – A room status means that the guest has settle his/her account and left the hotel but the front
office staff have failed to update the room status.

Studio bed – this is dual purpose bed that is used as divan in the daytime and converts into a bed in the
night after the removal of bolsters and covers.
Swab cloth – A soft, absorbent cleaning cloth used for wet cleaning work, such as for wash basin, baths,
and so on.

Sani-bin – These are small metal or plastic containers with lids, kept in toilets for collection of soiled
sanitary towels.

Surveillance equipment – Equipment such as CCTVs ( Closet circuit televisions ) that help to closely
observe suspicious activities and persons.

Scanty baggage – A room status indicating a room assigned to guest with small, light and few pieces of
luggage that could be carried away without obviously indicating a departure, should a guest walk out
with them.

Soft water – Water in which the level of dissolved calcium and/or magnesium is below 60 ppm.

Soiled linen – Dirty and stained linen that required laundering.

Spotting – The specialized function of stain removal carried out by skilled personal called spotters, using
appropriate equipment and stain-removal agents.

Stain – A spot or discoloration left on fabrics from contact with and absorption of foreign substances.

Sorting – The process of separating soiled linen into different categories: those requiring dry-cleaning
and those that should be laundered under different conditions, such as whites and colored. In other
words, sorting is governed construction and the amount and kind of soil.

Stock taking – The physical verification of inventory items by counting up stocks of all items at periodic
intervals. Stock taking is also termed “ conducting inventory “.
SWB – Salaries, Wages and Benefit.

Timeshares – vacation interval hotels. These involve individuals purchasing the ownership of
accommodations for a specific period of time, usually one or two weeks a year. These owner then can
occupy the unit during that time. Owner may also have the unit rented out by the management
company that operates the hotel.

Tent cards – Hotel publicity cards in the shape of tents placed in guestrooms.

Terrazzo – Flooring which consists of marble, granite and other decorative chips set in cement.

Turn down service – A special service provided by the housekeeping department in which a room
attendant enters the guestroom early in the evening to re stock supplies , tidy the room and turn down
the covers on the bed in preparation for the night.

Tooth glass – A glass placed on the vanity unit as a guest supply and used for gargling or to keep the
guest’s toothbrush, dentures, or other similar items in.

Water closet – Sanitary fitting consisting of the toilet bowl and the cistern.

Vanity area – A unit comprising a wash basin and mirror, surrounded by flat area where soap, dental
kits, saving kits, and tooth glasses are kept.

Vacant – The status of a room in which no guest has slept the previous night and which is not yet
occupied.

Wi-fi – Wireless fidelity. This is an amenity provided nowadays by world class hotels. Wi fi enables guests
to access a wide range of information, applications, and computing resources without connectivity
problem.
Zero base budgeting – Zero base budgeting refers to hiring employees while taking into account the
actual occupancy for a specified period of time.

https://hotelterminology.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/housekeeping-terminology-2/

How to Implement Outstanding Housekeeping Practices?

– Keeping the house in order

The housekeeping department is one of the toughest in the hotel industry. With the highest staff
attrition rates, hoteliers need to address staff retention and constantly motivate housekeepers. Leading
hotel managers suggest that executive housekeepers be hired on attitude than on talent!

– Keeping-up with Appearances

Gone are the days when the housekeeping department was lackluster. People need to feel good about
themselves before making others feel better. Same goes for the housekeeping department which is
looking dapper by the day. From well-groomed appearances to prim and proper presentation topped
with a bright smile, housekeeping staff is getting metamorphosed by the day. The Ritz Carlton motto,
drives home the point- “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.”

– Anticipating Customer Needs

Top hotel managements are training employees to assess and identify customers’ needs even before
they know it themselves. For example, if a couple is arriving with a toddler in tow, providing a high chair
in the hotel room for the child’s use is a polite gesture that would speak volumes.

– Being Part of the Memorable Experience

Neat and tidy is every housekeeper’s vision, but hotel management should make housekeepers an
integral part of a guest experience giving them room to reinvent their policies and ideas to provide for
guests in an emphatic manner. Such as, if you have hotel guests arriving at the hotel to commemorate
an occasion, giving them appropriate gifts or hotel sovereigns acknowledges their hidden desire for a
complete experience.

– Getting the Basics Right

The housekeeping department functions as an intermediary between the supplies and service
department. From replacing burnt-out light bulbs to providing any time assistance for guests. The
housekeeping department works by delving deeply on how to uplift the current standards of
housekeeping. The brisk and prompt service also implies taking care of guest’s utilities in their absence.
The housekeeping department thrives on trust, yearns on service and runs on motivation!

Housekeeping staff at times feel berated when they do not get due credit for enhancing the guest
experience. Keep your housekeepers’ chin-up by applauding their role in the success of the hotel.
Motivation drives the functioning of every business, housekeepers need to feel valued to bring more
their demanding roles.

Housekeeping is the predominant chink/pride in any hotel’s armor. Capitalize on a well-formulated

housekeeping system to help keep your hotel- fresh, pleasant, clean and inviting to have your guests
visit over and over again!

http://www.hotelogix.com/blog/2014/04/04/good-housekeeping-practices-to-make-your-hotel-
guests-visit-over-and-over-again/

Importance of Housekeeping Department

Housekeeping is the biggest physical area in many hotels. The main function of Housekeeping is to
ensure Cleanliness, Comfort, Convenience, Privacy, Health and Hygiene in a safe environment.

Housekeeping is just not cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly, materials. Good
Housekeeping is also a basic part of accident and fire prevention.
When gust walk in to a hotel they have a previously not visited thy from instantaneous impressions,
These impressions are enhanced or diminished as the gust moves from the registration desk to the
elevator and down the corridor towards a room that he is approaching with either mild anticipation or
trepidation. When the gust enters the room however all prior impressions are immediately supplanted
by a virtually total response to the room itself. “Rooms are the heart of the hotel” Unless there décor is
appropriate, air odor free, the room it self is spotlessly clean the hotel will loose guests as potential
repeat guests.

Effective Housekeeping is an ongoing operation. Regardless of the size and structure most of the
Housekeeping department in hotels will be responsible for cleaning the following are such as.

Gust rooms

Corridors

Public areas, such as the lobby and public toilets

Management Offices

Employee locker rooms

Linen and uniform room

In addition to all above areas Housekeeping departments of star class hotels will be responsible for
cleaning the following areas too.

Restaurants

Banquet area

Hotel operated shops

Health & sports center

http://goodhotelhousekeeping.blogspot.com/2010/02/importance-of-housekeeping-
department.html
Since Housekeeping is responsible for cleaning a large area within the hotel it is essential to establish
good communication. The Methods used for communication may differ from place to another, but
mostly used will be memos, telephone, paging systems, pre-printed forms, light and computers.

Current State of housekeeping technology

Technology is the cure to many ills of housekeeping that leads to loss in business.
The housekeeping software for hotels is a tool that helps the hotels to organize
the housekeeping to serve the customers in better way. Hotelogix’s cloud PMS is
saving hoteliers’ time and labour whilst efficiently executing your housekeeping
agenda positively. Subscribe to our zero-sign up plan, and effortlessly enjoy the
tool to perfect housekeeping!

Competition not just yields new plans and a set of new strategies to handle the
market fluctuations and competitors. But, it also conceives new ideas to lift the
business. Since we are living in a technology driven world, the best and foremost
reliable thing which we can look up to is apt and precise technology to boost
businesses. The hospitality industry is one of the most competitive markets these
days; we are seeing an exponential rise in travel and tourism activities which
directly influence the industry. Hence, it is advisable for the hospitality related
businesses to reorganize and work on the services to attract the customers and
take the benefit home.

However, the first question is- what technology a hotel would require to make
their service more efficient? We need forget that housekeeping in a hotel
business or any hospitality business is the nucleus and foremost important to
keep the guests and visitors dually satisfied and happy. It will be great to give
housekeeping higher impetus and influence through technology, to bring better
services on the table for customers. For this, housekeeping software for hotels is
an apt tool for hoteliers who want to stay ahead in the competition and earn
good revenue.
The housekeeping software for hotels is conceived and designed after considering
the needs and requirements of the hotels. There are also tailor-made customized
solutions in housekeeping software, to meet the demand of any specific nature in
certain hotels. Customization comes into the picture after looking at the size and
nature of hotel business because different sizes of like; mid-size, small-size and
big-size hotels have different requirements as they cater to a different number of
guests and visitors. Therefore, customization is an apt solution for hotels who
intend to organize housekeeping and its functioning.

It is the duty of the housekeeping to prepare the rooms for the guests and visitors
before they arrive. Once guests arrive they leave no room for the housekeeping to
do different activities like mopping, cleaning and other things. It is never a good
precedent to overlook housekeeping when handling a hotel business. Delay in
cleaning and preparation of rooms can leave the guests and visitors fuming which
is normally not good for business.

In any hospitality business the role of housekeeping is wide from cleaning of the
rooms to making of the whole premise hygienic to make visitors and guests feel
comfortable and at peace. Unarguably the housekeeping software for hotels
makes thing easier to handle. The software also provides the hotels with online
reservation and booking features which enables the hotels to increase the hotel
occupancy to many folds.

Since hotel housekeeping software is an automated tool, it reduces the number of

human labor that was earlier inputted to finish a job. Simultaneously, it drastically
cuts down the time taken to execute tasks.

https://hotelmanagementsoftware.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/is-there-a-
remedy-to-organize-housekeeping-in-hotels-for-better-service/
The researchers gathered data about best practices in housekeeping from the
different lodging industries especially in housekeeping department to help them
understand the competencies required for housekeeping professional