Imagine an elegant swan smoothly gliding across a lake. But what the swan’s admirers don’t see is the swan’s legs paddling under the water, steadily working to keep the swan afloat. Now let’s imagine that a hotel is the swan we see and admire, while the hotel’s housekeeping staff is the swan’s legs; they are often unseen and working hard to keep this beautiful swan moving smoothly.
While trends may come and go, cleanliness is consistently one of the most significant factors in guest satisfaction. As COVID-19 spread in 2020, housekeeping became even more essential to customer safety and satisfaction, with some well-known hotels even branding their housekeeping protocols, such as Hilton’s CleanStay and Hyatt’s Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment. Your housekeeping staff is essential and under a lot of pressure; that’s why it’s important to support them in maintaining their high standards by providing them with the right tools to lighten their load and improve their well-being.
Here are five ways automated software streamlines hotel housekeeping operations.
Integrated with the front desk, an interactive housekeeping report improves interdepartmental communication by providing real-time information. Housekeepers are informed of scheduled arrivals, departures, and stay-overs so they can efficiently prioritize cleans, and front desk staff are kept updated on which rooms are clean and ready for new guests.
Staff can add notes and maintenance alarms to the housekeeping report for any unit to help keep track of issues that need resolving. Notes and alarms can be designated to specific employees and/or departments so that the right people see them.
Using the data from your housekeeping report can help you make smart decisions to improve your operation’s success.
>> Sort and filter the report: Information can be organized and filtered by room number, housekeeping status (clean, dirty, inspected), unit type, occupancy status, housekeeping zone, and departing, arriving, or stayover guests to help supervisors schedule staff effectively and help housekeepers manage their assignments efficiently.
>> Assign and edit housekeeping zones: Units can be grouped into zones for easier scheduling. Zones can be assigned to specific housekeepers, and units can be moved to different zones.
>> Track checklists: The ability to track completed checklists by date and time makes it easy to see which staff are the most productive. This allows them to be strategically scheduled on days with higher occupancy. This data also helps determine how much time housekeepers need to clean a room and where efficiency can be improved.
Interactive mobile reports allow cleaners to update room status in real time as they work so they don’t have to return to the housekeeping desk after each task they complete. As well, housekeeping zones can also be edited in real time, immediately communicating changes to housekeepers.
A mobile housekeeping report helps cleaners prioritize tasks and identify urgent cleans quicker by sorting or filtering the report to highlight rooms with departures or arrivals or all dirty rooms, for example, ensuring they get to the most critical jobs first.
WebRezPro’s housekeeping report provides staff with a complete, easy-to-read overview of room status in two formats: table format, which is ideal for communicating property-wide housekeeping requirements and status to housekeeping supervisors and front desk staff; and tile format, which is mobile optimized for cleaners accessing their schedule on the go.
Housekeeping checklists help to ensure high standards are maintained and consistent across all locations (in the case of chain hotels) and throughout the year.
Checklists can be created for room cleans and inspections and attached to specific unit types, allowing staff to develop different checklists for different room types. Individual checklists can include separate sections (e.g., “Bathroom,” “Bed,” “Mini Bar”) and tasks within each section (e.g., “change sheets,” “rotate pillows”) so that housekeepers never miss a spot. Additionally, task descriptions can be added to guide housekeepers through new or specific processes, ensuring consistency and quality.
In WebRezPro, when checklists are activated, they must be completed to update the room’s status to “clean” or “inspected,” ensuring that standards are met. The checklist log keeps track of completed checklists by date and time to improve efficiency and accountability.
Employees who feel supported and heard will be happier and stay longer. When implemented correctly, technology acts as a bonus staff member, relieving added pressure and workload from the people who keep your property (or metaphorical swan) afloat.
As mentioned, an interactive housekeeping report makes it easy to assign tasks to staff, keep on top of guest requests and maintenance alarms, and track task completion while providing live room status updates to the front desk. This efficient tool is especially beneficial to your staff when you’re at high occupancy and there’s a lot to do in a short amount of time.
Because of its vital role in maintaining guest safety and satisfaction, housekeeping continues to be the cornerstone of the hospitality industry. Therefore, it is equally essential to use automated tools that streamline communication, improve productivity, and boost the well-being of your housekeeping team. An integrated housekeeping report will enhance your housekeeping operations and, in turn, increase guest satisfaction.