Public & Guest Room Cleaning Notes

Public & Guest Room Cleaning

Responsibilities for Guest Room Cleaning

  • Room attendants: Responsible for cleaning guest rooms, making beds, replenishing amenities and mini-bar items.
    • Day (Morning) shift: Cleaning guest rooms.
    • Afternoon shift: Cleaning late check-out rooms, providing bed turndown service.
    • Night shift: Providing extra supplies and cleaning rooms upon a guest’s request.
  • Floor supervisors: Inspecting rooms after being cleaned, evaluating & giving feedback for room attendants’ performance.
  • Houseman: Assisting room and public area attendants for cleaning, moving heavy items (e.g., furniture), and performing tasks as assigned.

Guest Room Cleaning Sequence

The cleaning sequence consists of the following steps:

  1. Checking room
  2. Making bed
  3. Cleaning bathroom
  4. Replenishing guest amenities & mini bar
  5. Making up room (dusting & vacuuming)
  6. Final check before leaving the room

Detailed Cleaning Procedures

1. Preparation & Entry (Pre-Cleaning)

  • Knock & Announce
  • Enter and Assess
  • Ventilate
  • Assess the Damage
  • Safety Check
  • Room Status Confirmation

2. Initial Linen Removal & Trash Collection

  • Strip the Bed
  • Empty Trash

3. Bathroom Cleaning

  • Apply Cleaners
  • Clean Toilet
  • Clean Shower/Tub
  • Clean Sink & Countertops
  • Clean Mirror
  • Floor Cleaning
  • Restock Amenities, Inspect and Finish

4. Bedroom Cleaning

  • Dusting
  • Polishing Furniture (If Applicable)
  • Vacuuming
  • Making the Bed
  • Window & Glass Cleaning
  • Air Refresh

5. Replenishing & Restocking

  • Guest Room Amenities
  • Mini-Bar Restocking

6. Final Inspection & Finishing Touches

  1. Lighting Check
  2. Temperature Check
  3. Appliance Check
  4. Door Tag
  5. Secure the Room
  6. Final Glance

Consistency, attention to detail, and adherence to safety protocols are paramount for providing a clean, comfortable, and safe environment for hotel guests.

Additional Notes on Guest Room Cleaning

  • Before starting work, room attendants must receive a floor master key and room assignment sheet from the floor supervisor or assistant housekeeper.
  • Check-out rooms must be cleaned first to be ready for coming guests.
  • After the rooms are cleaned by a room attendant, they must be inspected by a floor supervisor and then released to guests.
  • The key to success is training and setting cleaning SOPs that room attendants must follow.

Guest Room Cleaning Checklist Items

  • Door lock works properly
  • Door opens easily & quietly
  • Light switches work properly
  • Windows open & close properly
  • Window glass clean
  • Window glass free of cracks
  • Drapes straight & working properly
  • Mattress firm & turned regularly
  • Bedspreads free of rips & stains
  • Controls for air conditioning/heat work properly
  • Air conditioning filters clean
  • Lamps work
  • Wall lights work
  • Lamp shades clean & straight
  • Beds correctly made
  • Bedspreads straight
  • Fluffed/Even pillows
  • Rate cards posted
  • Desk tops, Dresser Tops, Table Tops, Headboards, Chairs, Picture Frames
  • Mirrors, Rim of baseboard, All drawers, Closet shelves, Closet rods, Telephone
  • Upholstery clean & in good condition
  • Furniture scratched or stained
  • Walls clean & free of cobwebs
  • Walls scratched or nicked
  • Luggage racks in good condition
  • Pictures and mirrors straight
  • Furniture drawers slide easily
  • Telephone working
  • Clean ashtrays & matches
  • Mattress pads clean & free of stains
  • Light bulbs with proper wattage
  • Minimum of 6 hangers (3 suit, 3 dress)
  • Drapes partially closed
  • Lamps & shades, Light bulbs, Window cornice, Window frame, Corners, Window sills
  • Clean toilet seat (both sides), Underside of lavatory clean, Shower rod in good condition
  • Commode clean under rim
  • Commode flushes properly
  • Bathroom free of odors
  • Shower curtain clean
  • Pop up stopper clean
  • Water spots on tile
  • Tub grouting missing
  • Tub grouting clean
  • Supply of towels
  • Broken Tile
  • Toilet seat firm
  • Fixtures firm
  • Chrome sparkling

Room Status Codes

  • V = vacant
  • V / D = vacant-dirty
  • V/C = vacant-clean
  • V / R = vacant-ready
  • O = occupied
  • O / C = occupied-cleaned
  • O / R = occupied-ready
  • OOO = out of order
  • DND = do not disturb
  • Bed Unused, L or Sleep out
  • Bed Used, N

These room status codes are used in HKP (Housekeeping) & F/O (Front Office).

Types of Cleaning

  • Routine cleaning: Done on a daily basis (e.g., vacuuming carpet, dusting furniture, cleaning toilet).
  • Deep cleaning: Done on a periodic basis (e.g., shampooing carpet, wiping wall, washing curtains, turning mattress, cleaning chandelier).
  • Renovation: Requested by Executive Housekeeper, decided by hotel top management.

Public Area Cleaning

  • Guest's first impression involves what they see and experience in the property’s public areas.
  • Public area supervisor: Supervising the cleaning in the public spaces.
  • Cleaners/public area attendants: Cleaning public areas both front areas & back areas except guest rooms, kitchen, and F&B outlets.

Front of the House Areas

  • Entrances:
    • Cleaning frequency depends on the weather. Rainy days require more attention.
    • Cleaning of door surfaces is done very early in the morning or late at night.
  • Lobby:
    • This is a heavy traffic area, so needs continual attention.
    • Sweeping & mopping hard surfaces, or vacuuming carpet, dusting furniture, emptying trash at very early morning.
    • Keeping lobby area tidy and organized throughout the day.
  • Corridors:
    • Floor should be vacuumed at least once a day, while carpet shampooing is scheduled during low occupancy period.
  • Elevators:
    • Elevators require frequent cleaning due to their volume of use.
    • The best time for cleaning is late at night or very early in the morning.
  • Public restrooms:
    • Public restrooms should be cleaned at least twice a day: morning & evening. "Touch-up" cleaning should be done every 30 mins-1 hour depending on the traffic.
    • The equipment for cleaning public areas is basically the same as for cleaning guestrooms, but a warning sign is also needed.
  • Restaurants & dining areas:
    • Daily cleaning is the responsibility of F&B staff. Vacuuming or sweeping & mopping should be done at night or “after hours” to avoid disturbance.
    • HPK may assist with polishing furniture and deep cleaning.
  • Banquet & function rooms:
    • All function rooms should be cleaned once the function is over. During the meeting lunch break, a “touch-up” service may be required.
    • Carpet floor needs more attention for functions where food & drink is served (e.g., wedding reception, party etc.).

Back of the House Areas

  • Management & department offices:
    • The offices should be cleaned before or after office hours (6.00-8.00 am or 6 pm onwards).
    • Cleaning duties include:
      • Emptying wastebaskets
      • Sweeping or vacuuming the floor
      • Cleaning glass windows
      • Deep cleaning as scheduled
  • Employee areas:
    • These include changing rooms, lockers, restrooms, lounge, staff entrance & elevators.
    • Like guest areas, employee areas should be safe, clean and have a pleasant environment.