To build a successful hotel housekeeping checklist, begin with the end in mind: Satisfied smiles on the faces of guests who have exceptional stays at your property because your staff is outstanding, your amenities incomparable and the guest rooms gleaming.
Just the checklist won’t get you there, of course, but it’s a critically important step on the journey. A successful checklist will ensure rooms are made up the right way every time, and to your high standards. But you have to lay the groundwork first and conduct the follow-up afterward, to make sure it works its magic.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to build a hotel housekeeping checklist.
Your Checklist Should Be Part of Employee Onboarding, Not the Whole Thing
With a comprehensive checklist in hand, it can be tempting to hand the document over to new hires and leave them to their own devices. After all, you’ve screened your applicants well, and everything they need to know is right there, right?
Wrong.
The content is there, but what’s missing is the context for why they’re doing what they’re doing. New housekeeping hires need to understand what an important role they play in the overall guest experience, and that is best achieved with strong employee onboarding and orientation.
Orientation is your chance to set the tone with employees about your property’s culture and commitment to guest satisfaction and excellent customer service, as well as your environmental initiatives.
Take new employees on a tour of your facilities, not just to show them around, but so they understand the bigger picture. Point out all of your practices that save water, energy and resources. Staff are the ones who will carry out your eco-friendly efforts, so it’s essential that they’re well educated about them.
Keep in minda that a rushed or harried orientation sets the unconscious expectation that rushed and harried is not just OK, it’s the norm.
Paint a Picture – Literally – of What to Do
Once you’ve set a firm foundation with orientation, then you can hand over your checklist with the rest of your employee manual. Here’s where your attention to detail as an employer can continue to signal your high expectations of employees.
Because the checklist should be exhaustive. List the tasks, as well as the tools they require. Cleaning and polishing should be done with your special cloths and eco-friendly cleaning products, not with your precious guest towels, for instance.
Any defective or damaged items should be called in to maintenance, and the room taken out of rotation, until the issue is addressed. Those sheets covered with suntan lotion or oils should be set aside so they can be handled separately.
The checklist should also have illustrations of where furniture and appliances are located for each room type, as well as the best workflow for servicing the room. Having both a written and illustrated checklist will ensure that you reach people who learn best by reading and people who are visual learners. Plus, staff can check off different parts of the drawing as they complete certain tasks, adding to the accountability.
Spot Checks as Follow-up
The last step in building your checklist is to regularly check that it’s working. Supervisors should conduct daily spot checks to catch any errors or omissions, and those errors should be used as training opportunities for staff.
Your hotel housekeeping checklist is an important means to an end: happy guests. The document should be just one part of the overall preparation that employees receive to create exceptional guest experiences. Helping employees understand their role in the process, and following up to make sure they’re executing, will bring your checklist to life.
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