Identifying Housekeeping's Responsibilities

    Regardless of the size and structure of housekeeping department, it is typically the responsibility of the hotel's general manager to identify which areas of the property housekeeping will be responsible for cleaning.  Most housekeeping departments are responsible for cleaning the following areas :

- Guestrooms
- Corridors
- Public areas, such as the lobby and public restrooms
- Pool and patio areas
- Management offices
- Storage areas
- Linen and sewing rooms
- Laundry room
- Back-of-the-house areas, such as employee locker rooms.

     Housekeeping departments of hotels offering mid-range and world-class service are generally responsible for additional areas, such as :

- Meeting room
- Dinning rooms
- Banquet rooms
- Convention exhibit halls
- Hotel-operated shops
- Game rooms
- Exercise rooms.

     Housekeeping's cleaning responsibilities in the food and beverage areas vary from property to property.  In most hotels, housekeeping has very limited responsibilities in relation to food preparation, production, and storage areas.  The special cleaning and sanitation tasks required for maintaining these areas are usually carried out by kitchen staff under the supervision of the chief steward.  In some properties, the dinning room staff cleans service areas after breakfast and lunch periods ;housekeeping's night cleaning crew does the in-depth cleaning after dinner service or early in the morning before the dinning room opens for business.  The executive housekeeper and the dining room managers must work closely together to ensure that quality standards are maintained in the guest service and server station areas.

     The same cooperation is necessary between housekeeping and banquet or convention services.  The banquet or convention staff generally sets up function and meeting rooms and is responsible for some cleaning after the rooms are used.  The final in-depth cleaning is left to the housekeeping crew. This means that the final responsibility for the cleanliness and overall appearance of these areas falls squarely on the shoulders of the housekeeping staff.

     The general manager typically designates which areas housekeeping will be responsible for cleaning.  However, if areas responsibility cross department lines, the manager of those departments must get together and settle among them selves any disputes about cleaning responsibilities.  The agreement among the managers is then reported to the general manager for his/her approval.  A good housekeeping manager can effectively solve problems on his/her level with other managers, thereby relieving the general manager of day-to-day operational problems.

     It is good idea for the executive housekeeper to obtain a floor plan of the hotel and color in those areas for which housekeeping is responsible.  Different colors can be used to designates those areas for which other department managers are responsible.  To ensure that all areas of the property have been covered-and to avoid future misunderstandings about responsibilities-copies of this color-coded floor plan should be distributed to the general manager and to all department managers.  This way, everyone can see at a glance who is responsible for cleaning each area in the hotel.  The color-coded floor plan also presents a clear and impressive picture of the housekeeping department's role in cleaning and maintaining the hotel.

     Once housekeeping's areas of responsibility have been identified, planning focuses on analyzing the work required for cleaning and maintaining each area.