HOUSEKEEPING REPORT AMORA HOTEL JAMISON Table of content

Oceane Thomas-Gervais 4004947

HOUSEKEEPINGREPORT

AMORA HOTELJAMISON

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Table of content

1. Executive summary 3

2. Introduction 3

3. Findings 43.1 Roles and operations in the housekeeping department 43.1.1 Executive housekeeping manager 53.1.2 Room attendant 53.1.3 Floor supervisor 73.1.4 House attendant 83.1.5 Room coordinator 8

4. Analysis on the efficiency of the daily Housekeeping operations 94.1 Organisation of guest room cleaning 94.2 Public area cleaning 94.3 Uniform and linen issue 10

5. Technology/innovations that is used and that could be used10

5.1 Technology used 105.2 Innovation that could be used 11

6. Conclusion 11

7. Reference list 13

8. Appendices 14Appendix 1 – Housekeeping briefing 14Appendix 2 – Room attendant basket 14Appendix 3 – Room attendant trolley 15

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Appendix 4 – Room attendant assignment sheet 15Appendix 5 – Door sign 16Appendix 6 - Remove dirty linen from the bed 16

1.Executive summary

The student, Oceane, has been assigned to Amora Hotel Jamison

in order to analyse the roles and operation’s efficiency in

the housekeeping department and the technology used and

innovations that could be used. This report will discuss the

different positions in the housekeeping division of the hotel

such as the executive housekeeping manager, the room

attendant, the room supervisor, the house attendant and the

room coordinator. It will also analyse the organisation of

guest room cleaning, the public area cleaning and the uniform

and linen issue. All information collected will be compared to

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what has been learned in class. Methods of analysis comprise

notes and photos taken while observing the daily operations of

housekeeping, knowledge sharing by the different employees of

this sector and pertinent hospitality books and websites. All

photos can be found in the appendices. The outcomes of the

experience analysed show that the executive housekeeping

manager has a great impact on the motivation of the staff and

that the room attendant, the room supervisor, the house

attendant and the room coordinator plays an important role in

the housekeeping department and have to collaborate all

together to run the system. There could be some improvement as

regards the technology innovation since the hotel is not

really equipped with the latest machinery. Finally, the report

finds that the experience was not the same as expected, as the

student didn’t have the same idea on the housekeeping

department before and after her day at the hotel.

2. Introduction

Amora Hotel Jamison is a five star hotel with many facilities

and a great location in the middle of Sydney CBD. Weather it

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is for holiday leisure or business travel, it can suit a wide

variety of customer base by providing an exclusive ambience

with its spacious rooms, stylish and warm atmosphere. There

are 415 guest rooms, two restaurants and bar offering

exceptional wining and dining facilities, 7 meetings and

conference rooms and a dedicated relaxation zone incorporating

Amora Day Spa, a heated indoor swimming pool, steam room,

sauna, jacuzzi and gym (Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney, 2015). It

also comprises many functions rooms ideal for special events

and weddings or conferences and corporate meetings.

The purpose of this report is to discuss the different

positions and the operations in the housekeeping department of

Amora Hotel Jamison, to analyse the efficiency of the daily

housekeeping responsibilities and to compare it to what has

been seen in class. The following text will also reveal if the

expectations has been meet while being placed out in the

industry and will provide what technology/innovation that is

used and could be used in the hotel.

3. Findings

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3.1.Roles and operations in the housekeeping department

Although there are many prejudices on the housekeeping

department, it is still one of the most important and largest

departments of a hotel. It ensures the cleanliness and the

immaculateness of the guesthouse and it plays an important

role in the reputation of the hotel. As seen in class, this

sector has a relationship with all departments in a hotel:

management, front office, maintenance, security, food and

beverage, etc. Moreover, major part of the revenue comes from

rooms, which can be easily loss if a client is not satisfied

with the hygiene of the room. This is why there are many roles

in the housekeeping department, each as important as the other

to make it efficient.

3.1.1 Executive housekeeping manager

The text book report that one of the most significant

responsibilities of the executive housekeeping manager is to

ensure that room attendants are cleaning the rooms in time and

at the highest possible level of quality in order to meet the

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guest’s expectations (Schneider,M., Tucker, G., & Scoviak, M,

1999, p. 5). At Amora Hotel Jamison, the day starts with a

briefing (see appendix 1) given by the executive housekeeping

manager to the room attendants, which is different from what

seen in class with Janet Read (2015, Housekeeping procedures

booklet), whereas it is the room supervisor who has this

responsibility as well as providing the attendant assignment

sheet. Firstly, the manager started by give out the attendant

sheet with all the rooms there is to do to each, and spoke

about the complaints they had on rooms and what can be

improved on this level. Secondly, he mentioned the specific

tasks and duties they have to do for the day. Then, he also

reminded how strong the chemicals were and warned the staff to

be careful if there were any allergies. Michael, the executive

housekeeping, started the day on the right foot by making

laugh all the employees and tried to stimulate them by making

funny jokes. As Craig Hunt (Schneider,M., Tucker, G., &

Scoviak, M, 1999, p. 5) stated, president of Holiday Inn

International, ‘’Housekeepers are heros. It is a constant

battle for the executive housekeeper who has to motivate staff

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who has to clean up after guests.’’ That day, Michael did it

in his own way.

3.1.2 Room attendant

As Janet Read (2015, Housekeeping procedures booklet)

mentioned, room attendants are responsible for cleaning the

guest rooms. At Amora Hotel Jamison, after Michael has

finished giving the briefing, the room attendants get ready to

start by making sure they have everything they need in their

basket (see appendix 2) such as room supplies, cloths,

detergents, door signs, etc. There is two room attendants

assigned on each level and one trolley at disposal for the

whole floor. On the trolley there is everything needed to

complete the room cleaning: linens, towels, room supplies such

as slippers, pen, tea, coffee, etc (see appendix 3). Room

attendants use their housekeeping tasks sheet (see appendix

4), which tell them which room is a check out cleaning and

which one is a stay over. Their attendant assignment sheet is

organised slightly different from the one provided in class by

Janet Read (2015, Housekeeping procedures booklet, p.23). The

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one from Amora Hotel Jamison is easier to read and understand

since there are fewer abbreviations.

On the other hand, the steps for cleaning the guest room were

exactly the same as the housekeeping booklet (2015,

Housekeeping procedures booklet, p.24) provided in class. The

room attendant always started by check out rooms and then,

they took care of stay over rooms. They placed the trolley

close to the room in the hallway so it can be accessible

easily. Firstly, in a check out room, they knocked on the door

to make sure there was no one and then, they placed the door

sign at the door (see appendix 5). Secondly, the room

attendant opened the lights and the television in the room to

see if it was working properly followed by the curtains to see

the dust better and let the natural light came in. Thirdly,

she took off the dirty linens from the bed (see appendix 6),

spread the chemicals in the bathroom, get clean linens from

the trolley and came back to make the bed. Then, she cleaned

the bathroom and cleaned the floor with dirty towels used by

the guest, which is not the right procedure as seen in class

with Janet Read (2015, Housekeeping procedures booklet): the

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room attendant should never use dirty towels to clean the

bathroom, as it is not hygienic. After, she started dusting

the surfaces, cupboard, desks and restocked the mini bar and

supplies if needed. When she finished vacuuming, she made sure

everything was flawless and she pressed the code on the phone

that tells the housekeeping department that the room is ready

to be checked by the floor supervisor. The difference between

a check out room and a stay over room is that in check out

room the cleaning is much more in depth and they have to be

really careful no to forget anything whereas in stay over room

it is the same process but it is more a general cleaning and

they are changing linens only if requested.

3.1.3 Floor supervisor

After spending a few hours with the room attendant, the day

followed with a few hours with the floor supervisor, Cecilia.

As Janet Read (2015, course notes) explained in class, the

main responsibility of the floor supervisor is to inspect each

room done by the room attendant to update its status, assign

daily duties and deal with guest requests. As reported by the

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book Managing Housekeeping operations, the purpose of a room

inspection is also to report any problems that may have been

overlooked during cleaning before the guest does (Kappa, M.,

Nitschke, A., & Schappert, P.,2008, p.389).

Oceane was then assigned to spend a few hours with Cecilia.

They first went in the check out rooms to do her usual

inspection. She started by checking if the television and

lights were working, checking if the room has been cleaned

properly (dust, vacuum, spot) and did the dusting again. She

also made sure that nothing was missing such as room supplies,

towels, coffee, tea, etc. Every time she saw something wrong,

she was calling the room attendant who did the room and asked

her to do it again. For example, once, she noticed that the

floor was not well cleaned so she told the room attendant to

do the vacuum again. In another room, she remarked that there

was a towel with a spot on it so she just went in the storage

room to get a new one and replaced it herself. She was there

to ensure the impeccability of each room that has been done.

After she fixed everything and finished the room inspection,

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she dialled number 53 on the phone, which let directly the

reception know that the room is ready to be sold.

3.1.4 House attendant

Once the student had a good idea of what a floor supervisor

consisted of, it was time to explore the house attendant

position. Also called houseman, his main responsibility is to

clean public areas, clean carpets, take away trash and

recycling, wash walls and work as linen runners if room

attendant needed clean linen (Schneider,M., Tucker, G., &

Scoviak, M, 1999, p. 44). At Amora Hotel Jamison, Jordan, the

house attendant, was mostly bringing clean linen or specific

request to a room, to please the guest. The house attendant

was carrying a pager in order to be reached by the room

coordinator anytime, anywhere. For example, the room

coordinator biped Jordan to tell him that room 2213 needed an

extra bed so he brought it to the room with the help of his

colleague. These kinds of responsibilities are part of his

heavy lifting duties.

3.1.5 Room coordinator

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After seeing most of the main roles in the housekeeping

department, the student had the opportunity to spend time with

the room coordinator. This person is in charge of ensuring the

coordination between the front office and the housekeeping

department. At Amora Hotel Jamison, the coordinator was

dealing with guest requests and communicating it to the house

attendant so he could bring to the client’s room what needed.

While the student was with her, she got a call from a guest

requesting an extra blanket so she took care of it and

communicated it to the house attendant by calling on his

pager. The house attendant then brought it to the room in

demand.

4. Analysis on the efficiency of the daily Housekeeping

operations

4.1 Organisation of guest room cleaning

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The organisation of the guest room cleaning was well

organised. In the morning, when room attendants arrived, they

were going immediately in the room where the briefing was

given and they were ready to know what was waiting for them

today. The executive housekeeping manager was communicating to

the room attendants exactly what he was expecting of them.

After the briefing, all room attendants were set to start with

their baskets ready and their assignment sheet in hand. There

was only one room attendant assigned per room and apparently,

it was enough since they were working really fast and they

were finishing before the time expected, all of this, by their

selves. Room attendants had the appropriate chemicals for each

surfaces of the room and the knowledge for each of these

products. They knew their responsibilities, what they had to

do and who to call if a problem occurred.

4.2 Public area cleaning

The maintenance of public area is really important, as it is

the first thing guest noticed when entering a hotel. As the

book managing housekeeping operations reveals, ‘’a guest’s first

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impression often revolves around what he or she sees and

experiences in the property’s public areas’’ (Kappa, M.,

Nitschke, A., & Schappert, P.,2008, p.431). That is why, at

Amora Hotel Jamison, Jordan, the house attendant put all his

heart in his job. He was really active and he was trying to

keep himself busy all the time so as soon as he finished his

duties he was always looking for something else to do, which

was really efficient.

4.3 Uniform and linen issue

All room attendants had to wear a specific uniform: black

pants, black t-shirt and close black shoes that are

comfortable and thick enough to protect their feet. At Amor

Hotel Jamison, they were really aware of the safety for their

employees and they required the room attendants to wear mask

and gloves while cleaning the bathroom which most of the staff

didn’t respect. When Oceane was working with the room

attendant she was assigned with, the employee affirmed that

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she was not wearing any protection to clean the bathroom

because it was a waste of time to put gloves and take it off

every time. It is efficient for cleaning the room quickly but

it could be dangerous for the employee.

Linen is the most important inventory item under the

housekeeper’s responsibility. This is the reason why at Amora

Hotel Jamison, the executive housekeeping manager take care of

the linen supplies and he makes sure that there is enough

linen for the day on each floor in the storage room to avoid

any shortages. Then, it prevent the room attendants no to run

out of linen in the middle of the day and work more

efficiently. The hotel uses an outside commercial laundry

service which has many advantages and disadvantages. One of

the negative sides is that some commercial laundries will not

collect and deliver on weekends (Kappa, M., Nitschke, A., &

Schappert, P.,2008, p.173) so it might not be as efficient on

this level as a own in-house laundry operation.

5. Technology/innovation that is used and that could be used

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5.1 Technology used

At Amor Hotel Jamison they are using a room status technology.

In room’s status report, it is one of the most common

applications of technology in the housekeeping department.

When the room attendant finished to clean a room she/he just

had to dial a code from the phone provided in the room and it

connected directly to the property’s central computer system.

It then indicated the floor supervisor that the room is ready

for the inspection. After the floor supervisor has done the

room inspection, he dial another number that indicated that

the room is ready to be sold.

5.2 Innovation that could be used

The implementation of new technology could improve on many

levels the housekeeping practices. At Amor Hotel Jamison, they

put the dirty linen in a big bag that they had to bring to

another level and it is very heavy and non-practical to carry.

The implementation of a linen chute system in metal would be

really suitable for the hotel since it would be easy and low

cost method of monitoring and disposing of linen. It is simple

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to use and it doesn’t force the house attendant to bring the

linen in the lift with him every time.

6. Conclusion

To conclude, the day spent at Amora Hotel Jamison brought a

positive experience to the student. It allowed her to really

understand better the different roles in the housekeeping

department and how important the team is as a whole. Before

coming to Amora Hotel Jamison, Oceane was expecting something

much more easy and monotonous but in fact, it is a really

active department, especially for the room attendant that have

to clean room after room. The day as a room attendant starts

at 8am and finished around 4pm. The room attendants are not

two to clean a room but by themselves. Not only they start

early but also they work hard and alone the whole day, being

in contact with chemicals. They always have to give their best

to leave the room flawless. Working in the housekeeping

department is much more harder than imagined, no one can

really understand unless they have been in their position.

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7. Reference List

Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney Official Website (2015). Retrieved

July 4th, 2015 from

http://www.sydney.amorahotels.com/

Kappa, M., Nitschke, A., & Schappert, P. (2008). Managing

housekeeping operations. (3rd ed.). Lansing, MI: American Hotel &

Lodging Educational Institute.

Read, J. (2015). HOS120 Rooms division operations, Housekeeping

Procedures. Retrieved July 1er, 2015, from HOS120 Housekeeping

course notes Trimester 2 2015

Schneider,M., Tucker, G., & Scoviak, M. (1999). The Professional

Housekeeper. (4th ed.) New York: Jonh Wiley & Sons.

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http://www.sydney.amorahotels.com/


Singh, Manpreet (2015). Learnhub. ‘’Importance of Housekeeping’’.

Retrieved July 9, 2015 from http://hotel-

industry.learnhub.com/lesson/7885-importance-of-housekeeping

Unitech Official Website (2015). Garbage and linen chutes.

Retrieved July 5th, 2015 from

http://www.unitech-ikk.com/catalogues/chutes.pdf

8. Appendices

Appendix 1 – Housekeeping briefing

(Source: writer’s own photograph, 2015)

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http://www.unitech-ikk.com/catalogues/chutes.pdf

http://hotel-industry.learnhub.com/lesson/7885-importance-of-housekeeping

http://hotel-industry.learnhub.com/lesson/7885-importance-of-housekeeping


Appendix 2 – Room attendant basket

Appendix 3 – Room attendant trolley


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Appendix 4 – Room attendant assignment sheet


Appendix 5 – Door sign


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Appendix 6 – Remove dirty linen from the bed


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HOUSEKEEPING REPORT AMORA HOTEL JAMISON Table of content

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