1
Senior
High
Housekeeping Services School
NCII
Quarter 3
Self-Learning Module 3
Lesson 1: Provide Housekeeping
Services to Guests (HS)
LO1. Handle Housekeeping requests
Module Title: Skills of A Good
Housekeeper
Writer: Maria Elizabeth N. Villabroza
Reviewer: Sarah Minette M. Reyes
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EXPECTATIONS
At the end of this module, the learners should be able to:
A. Explain the implementing Hotel Code, Rules and Regulations;
B. Differentiate the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills of a good housekeeper;
C. Describe the standards of grooming and hygiene for housekeeping staff; and
D. Appreciate the importance of grooming standards and hygiene housekeeping
staff.
PRETEST
Directions: True or False. Write the word before the number if the sentence is
correct and False if the statement is incorrect.
_________1. “A hotel guestroom should have cold drinking water and glasses in each
bedroom.” This is an example of a hotel code.
_________2. Examples of interpersonal skills are self-esteem, open mindedness, and
being aware of your own thinking.
_________3. The role of housekeeping staff is to ensure that guests are safe and
comfortable in their ‘home away from home’.
_________4. “Buffet breakfast should be from 07:00 till 10:00 hours” is an example
of a rule found in Republic Act NO. 7160.
_________5. The Housekeeping department primarily communicates with the front
desk/reception team.
RECAP
From the past module, we learned about the different markets for housekeeping
services. If we wish to make money out of the skills we have in cleaning what are
the possible services that we can offer to the market?
LESSON
Figure 1
https://webstockreview.net/i
mages/housekeeping-clipart-
room-attendant.png
Skills of A Good Housekeeper
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Introduction
Housekeeping may be defined as ‘provision of a clean, comfortable, safe and
aesthetically appealing environment’. By another definition, ‘housekeeping is an
operational department in a hotel, which is responsible for cleanliness,
maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public areas, back areas and the
surroundings. The daily recurring tasks of cleaning may be performed by any
members of the household, or by other persons like butler or maids who are hired
for the purpose (setupmyhotel.com).
Role of Housekeeping
Housekeeping ensures the cleanliness, maintenance, and aesthetic appeal of all
rooms and public areas. The housekeeping staff performs not only turnarounds
(prepares and clean guestrooms) on a timely manner but also also cleans and
maintains everything in the property so that its high standard of cleanliness and
sanitation is constantly maintained. The department primarily communicates with
the front desk/reception team and vice versa with housekeeping for the updating of
room status; The department likewise coordinates closely with the maintenance or
engineering department for maintenance issues.
The role of housekeeping staff is to ensure that guests are safe and comfortable in
their ‘home away from home’ and enjoy their room in the same manner as they
would enjoy their own house.
Housekeeping departments operate within hotels, motels, clubs, resorts, chalets,
hostels, passenger ships and trains and serviced apartments.
In hotels, the housekeeping staff who cleans the guestroom is called Room
Attendant (RA) while housekeeping staff in a Luxury Ship is called Cabin
Attendant. Those who are assigned to clean public areas and hallways in the hotels
are called Public Area Attendants.
Professionalism of Housekeeping Staff, Integrity and Confidentiality of
Guest Information
As part of their cleaning duty, housekeeping staff who enter occupied rooms
must ensure that the integrity and confidentially of guests are upheld at all
times. In addition, staff are expected to conduct themselves in an honest
and professional manner. Therefore any hotel staff members who perform
any activities in a guest room must not:
Read confidential or personal information or examine items belonging to
guests
Use or consume guest items such as perfume or chocolates
Share guest information with others
Share information relating to guest activities to others.
Discretion is very important. Hotel staff must maintain the quality of
being discreet, especially with reference to the guest ‟s and their own
actions, speech, prudence or decorum.
A room attendant is an employee of the tourism or hospitality organization,
and employees are “the face of the business‟ in the eyes of the guest. Their
appearance must be in line with company policy and professional industry
standards. Strict hygiene and high grooming standards are expected to be
observed in keeping with the ambiance of the organization.
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Clothing - All clothes should be clean at the start of each day, replaced if
soiled to a unsuitable standard, Worn in the correct manner and shoes to be
suitable for the role.
Name Badge - A staff member must wear their name badge at all times,
normally worn on chest on the left.
Hair - short and neat cut hair for men, tight or pulled back hair for women,
and in natural hair colour. Men to have well trimmed facial hair or to be
clean shaven.
Nails - short and well trimmed with no bright nail polish and cleaned on a
regular basis.
Jewellery - one dress ring or wedding ring and suitable watches. No other
jewellery such as bracelets, earrings, nose rings or necklaces.
Make up - no excessive make up and no visible tattoos.
Odour - no excessive perfumes. Staff should use deodorant on a regular
basis. This is important in a labour intensive role like cleaning rooms.
Personal hygiene - must be strictly observed with regular bathing before
work, teeth brushed, hands and face regularly washed and cleaned.
Personal belongings - no personal bags in work areas and staff not allowed
to carry mobile phones. In some establishments, paging devices are
provided.
Duties of the Housekeeping Attendants
The job title of the person directly responsible for the upkeep of the guest rooms is
usually called Guest room attendant (GRA) but term varies with each property or
company. Terminologies like Room Attendant (RA) are interchanged with GRA,
Chamber Maids and Housekeeper. The GRA/RA reports to the Floor Supervisor,
who in turn reports directly to the Executive Housekeeper who is the head of the
Housekeeping Department.
Duties of the Housekeeping Attendant are:
1. Cleans the rooms
2. Change guestroom and bathroom linen.
3. Make guest room beds.
4. Replenish guest supplies.
5. Answer guest requests promptly on
the floor.
6. Responsible for collecting guest
laundry.
7. Servicing of rooms in the evening
(turndown service) and also provide
second service.
8. Handover lost and found articles if
any found in the room
9. Replenish maids cart with supplies for
the next shift Figure 2 https://bit.ly/3no0iA2
10. Arrange and stock the pantry with linen and
supplies.
Skills of a Housekeeping Attendant
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The competencies of the Housekeeping Attendant/Room Attendant range from
interpersonal, intrapersonal skills and technical skills to be able to successfully
function in his job.
The technical skills refer to the skills required to operate machines and
equipment used in housekeeping, knowledge about materials, forms and
procedures, techniques in bedmaking, cleaning, sanitizing, laundry, pressing
linens, shoe polishing, darning clothes and many more housekeeping services.
Interpersonal skills for a housekeeper are those abilities that enable him to
relate and work well with others. Similarly, what are examples of good
interpersonal skills? Some examples of interpersonal skills include:
active listening, leadership
teamwork, motivation
responsibility flexibility
dependability patience
Intra-personal skills are internal skills, perceptions and attitudes that occur
within a person’s own mind. For housekeepers, these are the skills they will
need to work through situations they will encounter in the housekeeping jobs
and respond to using using awareness, thought, and intentional strategy in
order to gain positive outcomes or solve problems. Examples of these skills are
self-esteem, open mindedness, being aware of your own thinking, the ability to
learn, being able to understand and manage own emotions, self-confidence,
self-discipline, and self-motivation.
Hotel Codes, Rules and Regulations
A good housekeeper should be knowledgeable on the hotel codes, rules and
regulations that govern guest accommodation so that they can answer any query
correctly or accept guests requests properly.
In terms of law, conduct of guests and delivery of products and services of
accommodation establishments are regulated by government law, one of it is
Republic Act NO. 7160 which states the rules and regulations to govern the
accreditation of hotels, tourist inns, motels, apartels, resorts, pension houses and
other accommodation establishments. Of special interest to the work of
Property Location Table Rate Category Table
Codes Property Location Codes Rate Category
01 City R Standard
02 Airport C Corporate
03 Resort G Government
16 Beach M Military
19 Country S Senior Citizen
Transportation Table Amenity Table
Codes Transportation Codes Amenity
01 Walk 01 Air Condition
02 Courtesy Bus 03 Child Care
03 Limo 07 Internet
04 Public 08 Breakfast
05 Rail 09 Car Rent Desk
06 Bus 10 Casino
housekeeping staff is Section 3 of Chapter 2 which states the minimum
requirements for a De Luxe Hotel, among others, such as:
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cold drinking water and glasses in each bedroom.
Small refrigerator and well-stocked bar in each guest room
24-hour Room Service (including provisions for snacks and light refreshments)
Information materials and tariffs prominently displayed in each bedroom plus
notices for services offered by the hotel, including food and beverage outlets
and hours of operation, fire exit guidelines and house rules for guests
There shall be a good supply of linens, blankets, towels, etc., which shall be of
high quality and should be spotlessly clean
Laundry and dry cleaning services shall be available in the establishment.
In terms of codes issued by hotels for their own system or used on procedures, the
following are hotels codes used on specific areas such as:
Hotel amenities (e.g. health club)
Hotel property types (e.g. condo)
Rate category (e.g. military, government, corporate, etc.)
Property location in which a hotel may be situated (e.g. downtown)
Transportation types (e.g. limo)
Each organization will have its own policies and procedures. Room attendants
must be able to distinguish between a policy (rule or code of conduct) and
procedure (step by step instruction). Policies and procedures are very important
and must be adhered to. They help to ensure the health, safety, security and
privacy of the organization, its staff and guests, including their assets and
belongings.
Examples of housekeeping policies are:
Zero tolerance of theft.
Guest room doors must be open whilst cleaning is in progress
Protective clothes to be worn when cleaning
Guest information is confidential.
Examples of housekeeping procedures are:
Accessing a room
Making a bed
Cleaning a window
Cleaning a bathroom
Mopping a floor
Handling lost property.
Housekeeping will normally have more policies and procedures than most
departments in a hospitality business because of: the nature of the work, the need
for detailed consistency in performance of all tasks and safety and security
priorities.
A good housekeeper must be knowledgeable about House Rules and Regulations so
he can properly guide the guests during their stay. Examples of these rules relate
to:
Check-in/Check Out-time
Things allowed and Not Allowed in the room (reportables)
Pet Policy
Child Policy
Lost and Found Policy
DND signs when posted on doors
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Buffet breakfast from 07:00 till 10:00 hours
In-room breakfast: from 06:00 till 11:00 hours
Breakfast and Room
Service Room Service: 0-24 hours
Meals and beverages served in rooms will be changed according to the Room
service price list provided in rooms.
Roll-away beds can be placed in selected room categories including Executive
Roll-away Bed Rooms, City Suite, Junior Suites and Admiral Suite at additional Php 1,000
per room per night
Room cleaning shall be performed from 08:00-15:00 hours. If the Guest
Housekeeping Services requires a specific time for room cleaning, please make arrangements at the
Front office
A maximum of two children under the age of 12 years old are allowed to
Child Policy
share the room without additional charges using bedding (in selected rooms)
Figure 4. Sample Hotel House Rule
A good housekeeper must also be aware of the rules set by the hotel for the proper
conduct of his duties and responsibilities as he goes about his work on the guest
floors. Some of these are:
1. The staff should be friendly and polite to guests, greeting them according to the
time of the day.
2. A housekeeping staff should not knock on the door when the DND card is
displayed on the door knob.
3. Housekeeping staff should follow the standard procedure for entering
guestroom.
4. Housekeeping staff should introduce themselves and ask guests if they would
like their room serviced.
5. Housekeeping staff should keep the guestroom door wide open when cleaning
it.
ACTIVITIES
Directions. Self Assessment: make a list of the cleaning duties that you have
performed at home. Write this activity in your notebook. You should have at least
10 items on your list. Match the duties that you have already done against the
duties of a Room Attendant. Count the number of items that are the same as that
of a Room Attendant. Are the numbers higher than 5 or lower than 5? If the figures
are higher than 5, can you say that you can already do the job of a Room
Attendant? Why or why not? If it is lower than 5, what would you need to be able to
perform the duties of a Room Attendant?
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WRAP-UP
Why is it important for a Room Attendant to know the basic laws on
accommodation and the hotel codes, rules an regulations?
VALUING
If you were to rank the three skills of a Room Attendant - intrapersonal,
interpersonal and technical skills from the most to the least important, what will
these be? What are your reasons for the ranking
POSTTEST
Directions: True or False. Write the word before the number if the sentence is
correct and False if the statement is incorrect.
_________1. “A hotel guestroom should have cold drinking water and glasses in each
bedroom.” This is an example of a hotel code.
_________2. Examples of intrapersonal skills are self-esteem, open mindedness, and
being aware of your own thinking.
_________3. The role of housekeeping staff is to ensure that guests are safe and
comfortable in their ‘home away from home’.
_________4. “Buffet breakfast should be from 07:00 till 10:00 hours” is an example
of a rule found in the hotel rules and regulations.
_________5. The Housekeeping department primarily communicates with the
Maintenance Department.
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KEY TO CORRECTION
Pre-test : 1. False, 2. False, 3. True 4. False 5. True
Post-test : 1. False 2. True 3. True 4. True 5. False
References
Internet Sources:
https://www2.slideshare.net/mimieazhar/hotel-guestrooms
http://accreditationonline.tourism.gov.ph/Downloadables/Standards/
AccommodationEstablishments.pdf. Retrieved Nov. 12, 2020.
http://testws.galileo.com/gwssample/help/gwshelp/mergedprojects/xmlselectmainhelp/
codes/hotel_codes.htm Retrieved Nov 12, 2020.
https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/hk/789-housekeeping.html Retrieved Nov.
12, 2020.
https://careertrend.com/about-5644998-housekeeping-attendant-standard-operating-
procedures.html Retrieved Nov. 12, 2020.
https://askinglot.com/what-are-the-interpersonal-skills-of-a-good-housekeeper Retrieved
Nov. 12, 2020.
http://www.rostrata.wa.edu.au/intrapersonal-skills.html. Retrieved Nov 12, 2020.
Photo Credits:
Figure 1: https://webstockreview.net/images/housekeeping-clipart-room-attendant.png
Figure 2 https://bit.ly/3no0iA2. Retrieved Nov. 12, 2020.
Figure 3 :
http://testws.galileo.com/gwssample/help/gwshelp/mergedprojects/xmlselectmainhelp/
codes/hotel_codes.htm. Retrieved Nov. 12, 2020
Figure 4: https://www.admiralhotel.hr/system/221/hotel-rules-and-management-
policies.html Retrieved Nov. 12, 2020
