1st Sem l Accommodation Operations l Solved Papers l 2013 – 14

Q.1. Outline the Organization Chart of housekeeping department in a five star hotel having 400 rooms. List the duties of guest room attendant.

duties of guest room attendant.

• Clean and tidy rooms as per the sanitary regulations assigned.
• Change guestroom and bathroom linen.
• Make guest room beds.
• Replenish guest supplies.
• Answer guests’ summons promptly.
• Be responsible for getting guest laundry processed.
• Undertake the evening and provide the turn-down service.
• Check and secure rooms.
• Hand over to the housekeeper any article found.
• Replenish the maids’ cart with guest supplies, cleaning agents, and linen.

OR
Draw a neat layout of housekeeping department and explain various functions of the department.

• To achieve maximum efficiency in ensuring the care and comfort of guests & in the smooth functioning of the department.
• To establish a welcoming atmosphere.
• To ensure courteousness, reliable service from all staff to the guest.
• To ensure a high standard of cleanliness and general upkeep in all areas for which the department is responsible.
• To provide linen in rooms, restaurants, banquet halls, conference halls, health clubs, etc, as well as to maintain an inventory for the same.
• To provide uniforms for all the staff & maintain inventory for the same.
• To Cater to the laundering requirements of hotel linen, staff uniforms, and guests.
• To provide & maintain the floral decorations and to maintain the landscaped areas of the hotel.
• To select the right contractors & ensure the quality of work is maintained.
• To co-ordinate renovation and refurnishing of the property in consultation with the management & with interior designers.
• To co-ordinate with the purchasing department for the procurement of guest supplies, cleaning agents, equipment, fabrics, carpets, & other items used in the hotel.
• To deal with lost & found articles.
• Carpet shampooing.
• Dealing with any guest queries, complaints & requests as they occur.
• To keep the general manager or administrator informed of all matters requiring attention.

Q.2. Discuss some design features that ease cleaning. What cleaning principles one should follow while cleaning a guest room?

Design Features That Simplify Cleaning

1. Texture: it refers to the surface quality – how something feels when we touch it. Smooth, straight & neat textures collect less dust as compared to rough texture, raised patterns & grooves.
2. Floor plan: The furniture to be bought according to the size of the room. Enough place should be available in between the furniture so that the cleaner may clean them easily.
3. Design: Furniture should be so designed that the cleaning under and behind them is easy. Furniture on castor wheels is easy to move. Bed frames should not have raised edges as it may graze the hands of bed maker. Drawers should slide easily and handles well placed.
4. Colour: medium-toned color should be used so that the dust is not visible. Dark colors show dust and dirt. Light colors show stains.
5. Carpets: dark-colored and shorter pile carpets are preferred since they are easy to clean.
6. Upholstery: should have a minimum of decorative items like buttons as it becomes difficult to clean around them. Upholstery should be easily detachable for easy cleaning. Upholstery may have stain-resistant chemicals applied on its surface. Bed covers are provided so that the bed does not get crumpled or dirty during the day time.
7. Surfaces: Tables should have easily maintained finishes. Laminates and stone top tables are easy to clean as compared to wood. Wooden tables may have glass pieces kept on them so that the wooden surface does not get scratched. Brass and silver surfaces become tarnished easily.
8. Lighting: The fixture should such that they can be easily opened for cleaning. The decorative light fixture should be lacquered instead of brass since brass tarnishes easily. The lampshades should be of the material which is easy to clean.
9. Bathroom: Nonslip, easily drained surface, tiled walls, moisture-proof lighting. Ceramic bathtubs are easy to maintain as compared to marble Bathtubs but are delicate and may crack on mishandling. Grouting should be done on the edges of the bathtub & tiles. Shower curtains made of plastic be used which are easy to clean.
10. Corridor: should have easy-clean material on its lower part of the wall called DADO.
11. No smoking rooms: should be maintained separately as the smell of cigarettes is not easy to remove.
12. Coved skirting – helps in maintaining a room clean since there are no edges that would trap dirt.

Below is the list of Housekeeping Basic Principles of Cleaning:

1. All soils should be removed without harming the surface being cleaned or the surrounding surfaces.
2. The surface should be restored to its original state after the cleaning processes.
3. The cleaning process should be efficient, using a minimum of equipment, cleaning agents, labor & time.
4. The simplest cleaning method should be tried first, along with using the mildest cleaning agent.
5. Always use the cleaning methods least harmful to the surface should be used.
6. The cleaning should proceed from high area to low wherever possible.
7. Always start with the cleaner surfaces & then go on to clean the more heavily soiled ones, so as to prevent the spread of soil from dirty to cleaner surfaces.
8. While wet cleaning an area or polishing the floor, the cleaner should walk backward while cleaning in front of him.
9. Use of the suction/vacuum cleaning should be preferred over sweeping wherever possible.
10. Sweeping should be done before dusting, and dusting before suction cleaning.
11. The noise levels while cleaning should be kept as low as possible.
12. Try to remove stains as soon as they occur using the correct methods.
13. The cleaner should take all safety precautions while cleaning.
14. The cleaning agents & equipment should be stacked neatly to one side after each use.
15. The cleaner should start cleaning from the farthest end of an area, working towards the exit.
16. After the cleaning process is over, all equipment should be washed or wiped as applicable, dried, & stored properly.
17. Cleaning agents should be replenished & stored properly.
18. All waste needs to be discarded & the working area should be always left neat & tidy.

OR
Write a note on frequency schedules for cleaning. Explain how cleaning is
organised in hotels.

Frequency of Cleaning

Cleaning tasks may be divided according to the frequency of their scheduling, which depends upon the level of soiling, the type of surface, the amount of traffic, the type of hotel and the cleaning standards. Employees should be given the procedures and frequencies for carrying out various tasks outlined in the book or manual. This information may also be displayed in the floor pantries

Daily Cleaning

These are routing operations carried out on a day-to-day basis by the staff of the housekeeping department. These include the regular servicing of guestrooms, cleaning of bathrooms and toilets, suction cleaning of floors and the floor coverings, and so on.

Periodic Cleaning

1.Weekly Cleaning

These, as the term implies, are routine tasks carried out on a weekly basis. Weekly cleaning schedules are made and these normally include some cleaning tasks that are time consuming or tasks that cannot be done on a daily basis. Example :

• Monday- Polishing Brassware
• Tuesday- High dusting
• Wednesday- Scrubbing of Bathroom Tiles
• Thursday- Vacuuming under heavy furniture
• Friday- Scrubbing of balconies/terrace
• Saturday- Changing paper underliner in drawers
• Sunday- Cleaning the window Ledges

2.Fortnightly Cleaning

A fifteen-day cleaning schedule.

3.Deep Cleaning

It refers to the intensive cleaning schedule in which periodic cleaning tasks are scheduled for monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annual frequency. This is done for areas and surfaces which cannot be cleaned on a daily basis. This kind of cleaning is conducted in close coordination with the maintenance department. Example, carpet shampooing, Rotating and cleaning mattresses, Ceilings, light fittings, fans, signage boards, laundering of soft furnishings.

4.Spring Cleaning

This is a term used for annual cleaning of guestrooms and public areas in off-season periods and low occupancy periods. This involves a complete overhaul of the rooms by undertaking few steps as: Removal of carpets from the room for shampooing, Polishing wooden furniture, shampooing upholstery (sofas), Painting on walls, Redecoration, Cleaning air conditioning vents and Airing the room.

Special Cleaning

These cleaning may be occasional; for example cleaning a room which is handed over from the project team to housekeeping, cleaning a room after the preventive maintenance of a room has been done, cleaning a room after it has undergone a major renovation, etc.

Apart from the above cleaning there can be:

Evening service (Or Turn- Down Service): this is the service given to a room in the evening to prepare the room for the night. This service should be done prior to the guest retiring for the night.
Second Service: this is a service given to the VIP guest staying in the hotel or on the guest’s request. This normally happens when a guest has/ had a party or meeting in his room & would like his room to be put in order as a consequence. This may be charged by the hotel.

methods of organizing cleaning

• Orthodox/ Traditional cleaning: In this method, the Guest Room attendant completes all the cleaning tasks in one room before proceeding to another room. On average, a GRA may be required to clean about 12-20 room in 8 hours duty.
• Block cleaning: In this method, GRA moves from one dirty room to another and completes the same task in every room before returning for starting the next task on the list. This involves blocking several rooms at a time and usually, more than 1 GRA are involved in cleaning at a time. Different GRA’s pick up different tasks. (Bed making, Toilet Cleaning, Room cleaning, replenishing supplies).
• Team cleaning: This is a combination of the two methods mentioned above. In this method two or more GRA’s work in the same room taking up different tasks so that room is cleaned quickly before moving on to the same room. A team of 3 GRA’s may be assigned 30-35 rooms in a day.
• Deep cleaning: It refers to the intensive cleaning schedule in which periodic cleaning tasks are scheduled for monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual frequency. This is done for areas and surfaces which cannot be cleaned on a daily basis. This kind of cleaning is conducted in close coordination with the maintenance department. Example, carpet shampooing, Rotating and cleaning mattresses, Ceilings, light fittings, fans, signage boards, laundering of soft furnishings.
• Spring cleaning: This is a term used for annual cleaning of guestrooms and public areas in off-season periods and low occupancy periods. This involves a complete overhaul of the rooms by undertaking a few steps as :

• Removal of carpets from the room for shampooing
• Polishing wooden furniture, shampooing upholstery (sofas)
• Painting on walls
• Cleaning air conditioning vents
• Airing the room
• Redecoration

Q.3. What are the attributes, in your opinion, are absolutely essential in housekeeping staff? Justify your answer.

Personnel attributes of housekeeping staff in the hospitality industry play an important role. It enhances the images of the property as well as the quality of personalization that only humans can give. These attributes are based on the following term.

1. Pleasant Personality
   A result of good grooming and presentation in front of the guest. The way the staff looks is the first impression on the guest and by this look, the guest judges the quality of service/ standards provided by the organization. All HK staff should be well-groomed.
   Clean Crisp Uniform
   If long hair -Tied neat hair
   Minimum jewelry
   Light makeup
   Aftershave/ Perfume – not too strong
   H/k Attendants may be given Hair caps.
   Clean Footwear- comfortable, low heels
   Mannerisms to avoid- scratching, digging into nose/ ear, chewing gum, etc in public
2. Physical Fitness
   “ A Strong Heart and Good Feet “to cope up with 24 X 7 operations and also a labor-intensive department
3. Personal hygiene
   It is important since it reflects the hygiene standards of the organization.
   Bathe daily- no body odor
   Nails Clipped and clean
   Mouth- Odour free
   Scalp – clean, dandruff free
   Infection- report immediately …..Cuts and wounds- covered
4. Eye for detail
   The critical power of observation distinguishes good service from average. This is important to make a flawless room.
5. Cooperation
   H/k involves a lot of teamwork.
6. Adaptability
   Technology is fast upgrading hence all H/k staff should be open to accept these changes and adapt accordingly
7. Honesty
   It is essential since it is the H/k staff who have access to the guest rooms even when the guest is not present in the room
8. Tact & Diplomacy
   To cope up with the different types of guests since H/k staff come in close contact with them. They should be able to handle problem guests also without being rude or hurting his/ her sentiments.
9. Right Attitude
   Includes
   Optimism
   Ready to learn from own mistakes
   Proactive and anticipate guest needs
   The display even temper, courtesy, and good humor.
10. Calm demeanor
    Helps in the time of emergencies when a person does not panic and handles the problem effectively.
11. Courteous
    To both guests and colleagues.
12. Punctuality
    Reporting for duty on time displays commitment to work.
13. Good Memory
    Especially in the case of repeat guests. It feels nice if someone remembers the guest likes, dislikes or wish, etc.

OR
List the duties and responsibilities of the following staff:
(a) Floor supervisor

• Supervise the handing over of soiled linen to the laundry and the requisitioning of fresh ones from housekeeping.
• Ensure the supply of equipment and maintenance and cleaning supplies to floors and public areas.
• Issue floor keys to room attendants.
• Supervise spring cleaning.
• Report on maintenance work on her floor.
• Coordinate with room service for clearing.
• Maintain par stock for the respective floors/ floor pantry.
• Coordinate with the front office manager.
• Facilitate the provision of extra services to guests, such as baby sitters, hot-water bottles, and so on, on request.
• Immediately report any safety or security hazard to the security department or to the management.
• Check on scanty baggage.
• Prepare housekeeping status reports.
• Supervise cleaning on the allotted floors and areas- including guestrooms, corridors, staircases, and floor pantries of the allotted floors.
• Report on standards of individual staff performance.

(b) Desk supervisor

• Coordinate with the front office for information on departure rooms and handing over of clean rooms.
• Coordinate with other departments for smooth functioning and efficiency.
• Receive complaints on maintenance and housekeeping.
• Maintains registers kept at the control desk.
• Receive special requests from guests.
• Act as a pivotal person in receiving and disseminating information amongst housekeeping staff.
• Maintain the latest reports regarding room occupancy, VIPs, the status of rooms, and so on, so that work can be delegated to attendants and supervisors accordingly.
• Attend to all phone calls received at the control desk.
• Be responsible for guestroom keys given to room attendants and to store the keys and maintain a key register.

(c) Executive housekeeper

• Organize, supervise, and coordinate the work of housekeeping personnel on a day-to-day basis.
• Ensure excellence in housekeeping sanitation, safety, comfort, and aesthetics for hotel guests.
• Draw up duty rosters
• Supervise the discipline and conduct of her staff.
• Assure proper communication within the department by conducting a regular meeting with all personnel.
• Hire new employees, warn employees when policies are violated, and discharge employees when necessary.
• Counsel employees on various duties and on work-related issues.
• Motivate her staff and keep their morale high.
• Establish and maintain standard operating procedures (SOP) for cleaning and to initiate new procedures to increase the efficiency of labor and product use.
• Search constantly for and test new techniques and products.
• Maintain an inventory of the furniture, linen, and movable equipment in the rooms and related premises and to ensure they are regularly checked.
• Organize maintenance and repair of guestrooms.
• Deal with articles that a guest may have left behind in a room.
• Ensure the provision of proper uniforms for the hotel staff.
• Ensure observance of hygiene and safety precautions.
• Offer suggestions to the human resource department concerning selection recruitment, replacement, duty alterations, up-gradation, and so on.
• Evaluate employees in order to upgrade them when openings arise.
• Organize and supervise on-the-job and off-the-job training of staff.
• Liaise between the maintenance and housekeeping departments.
• Inspect and approve all supply requisitions for the housekeeping department, and to maintain par stock, inventory control, and cost-control procedures for all materials.
• Check the reports filed and the registers maintained.
• Maintain a time logbook for all employees within the department.
• Be responsible for the redecoration and refurbishing of rooms, lobbies, and so on.
• Provide a budget to the management, and undertake budget control and forecasting.

(d) House man

• Clean carpets
• Shift beds, chairs, and other heavy furniture.
• Cart linen to and from floors.
• Clean the swimming pools. garden paths and such outdoor surfaces
• Clear out the garbage.
• Polish all brassware.
• Help room attendants in their work in guestrooms.
• Clean all doors, windows, and ventilators.
• Corridor cleaning
• Cleaning the floor pantry
• Takedown and re-hang curtains as needed.
• Clean fire-fighting equipment.
• Keep the fire buckets filled with sand.
• Take on heavy cleaning of areas such as shafts and terraces.
• Wash walls draperies, chandeliers, and other hard-to-reach areas.

Q.4. Discuss what a guest room means to a guest. What is the role of housekeeping department in guests satisfaction and repeat business?

Importance of Housekeeping

• Hotel’s largest margin of profit comes from the sale of rooms because a room once made can be sold over and over again. Housekeeping helps in the sale of rooms (FO can sell the room only when the HK cleans & makes them ready for sale). A good hotel operation ensures optimal sales to get maximum profit.
• Room sale is also dependent on the quality of decor, room facilities, cleanliness, and safety of room which is ensured by the housekeeping department.
• It creates a “home away from home” experience
• Housekeeping department takes a well-organized approach and technical understanding to be able to cope with the large volume of work
• Maintains guest satisfaction by providing a clean, comfortable & safe environment
• Contributes towards the reputation of the hotel
• Helps in getting repeat business. Unless the room décor is appropriate, the air odour free plus cleanliness all over, the hotel may lose the guest as a potential repeat customer.
• Satisfied guests also spread the word of mouth about the property which helps in getting more business.
• Makes sure that the other departments work also goes on smoothly
• The tasks performed by a housekeeping department are critical to the smooth operation of any hotel and it is a 24 X 7 X 365 operation.

Role of Housekeeping

1. First Impression: Housekeeping helps us to give a good impression to any customer because when a customer first comes into a hotel, he/she will feel good to see the good system regarding decoration & make his/her visit again and again.
2. Home Away From Home: Housekeeping provides a home away from home because when any customer takes a room & sees that everything that a room requires is placed on its right place & all the facilities like home are there in the room so he/she will feel that he/she is not away from home.
3. Repeat Business: When a customer will be satisfied with the services provided by the hotel & also likes the decoration or view of the hotel, he/she will visit the same hotel again& again. Also, he/she will tell others to be the customer of that hotel so we can say that housekeeping plays the role of repeat business.

OR
In what way can Computer and Information Technology system be utilised in
Housekeeping operations in hotels?

1. Rooms Management

• Arrival and departure as well as occupancy figures.
• Occupancy Forecast
• V.I.P. and other special arrivals.
• Guest history and other special requests (e.g Bed boards, vases, flower arrangement, disabled facilities, etc.
• Out of order record giving reasons(e.g. redecoration, maintenance problem, etc.)
• Room change (when a guest moved from one room to another) and also the room type change.
• Complimentary or staff room.
• Rooms sold for various purposes (special) and room arrangement thereof e.g. interview rooms.
• Inter-Connecting rooms sold for friends or in a family plan.
• Sleep-out (where the guest has slept out).
• Walk-out (confirmed reservation guests walk out to other hotels).
• Overstays (where the guest who was supposed to be leaving has decided to stay on).
• Occupancy status of the room and the number of persons in the room.
• V.I.Ps’ in the house.
• Clear rooms required on priority.
• Sick guests if any.
• This information will mostly be in a two-way flowing from the reception to the housekeeping and vice Versa.
• From the housekeeping side, the information may be fed into the computer from the keyboard.
• If the computer is linked to the telephone system, information on room status may be dialed indirectly by the floor supervisor.

2. Forecasting GRA Requirement

Computers may be used to forecast the total number of GRAs needed each day in the future, based on the current in-house occupancy and staffing and the expected arrivals/departures over the forthcoming period. These can forecast staffing requisites up to 365 days in advance, given the right inputs.

3. Housekeeping History & GRA Performance

It is possible to measure the performance of each GRA by tracking the estimated clean time’ and the ‘actual clean time’, as well as the variances. Since supervisors use the intercom in the room to mark the room as ‘ready for guests’, the computer can also store the time at which the supervisor finished the inspection.

4. Stock-Control

All types of housekeeping stocks may be controlled by a computer including:

• Linen Inventories
• Cleaning Agents
• Cleaning Equipment
• Uniforms
• Guest Supplies
• Soft Furnishing
• Bedding
• Spare carpets and curtain/upholstery fabric etc.
• By keeping efficient stock control, purchases and budgeting will be made easier and information on stock levels etc. will be readily available.

5. Housekeeping Records

• All the housekeeping records may be kept on the computer. For example,
• Room type with standard content design and color scheme;
• Housekeeping Items’ purchase details like
• Name of supplier
• Date of purchase
• Cost of Item,
• Problems if any,
• Method of cleaning, and
• Maintenance.

6. Work MethodsThese should be identified for use in training periods or where special cleaning operations are carried out.7. FilesComputer files take the place of traditional files reducing the need for filing cabinets.8. Word-ProcessingThe computer used as a word processor takes the place of a traditional typewriter, so all correspondence could be prepared in this way. A standard letter could also be kept in memory.9. Planning SystemA well-organized housekeeping department has a planning system in operations.The computer is ideal for keeping such records and preparing forecasts for example, on window cleaning, redecoration, etc.10. Energy SavingComputers can be used to control heat, light, power, and telephone usage.Other IT Applications in H/KSome companies also offer tray detection technology.When a guest puts a tray outside of the door, housekeeping is alerted from a triangle sensor on the tray that triggers another sensor in the doorway.This immediately alerts the staff to the waiting tray by way of a blinking light.The housekeeping staff can also be alerted when a room is available for cleaning by the guests.In this application, guests click a button, which sets off another sensor, to indicate they are gone and the room can be cleaned.

Use of Computers in housekeeping

Many hotels have invested heavily in information technology infrastructure and networking that deploy the latest technical advances in their operations. The new technologies which are gaining entry into the hospitality segment are Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), radio frequency identification, and the possibility of tracking inventory and guest data through the convergence of cellular and wireless technologies, GPS (Global Positioning System), VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), handheld communication devices and so on. Hotels either provide Wi-Fi as a value-added amenity to the guest or offer the service at a cost to their guest. Wi-Fi is provided in guest rooms as well as public areas, lobbies, meeting rooms, lounges, and so on.

In The House-Keeping Department

• WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) technology is enabling a wide range of hospitality applications in the housekeeping department. Housekeeping staff can now conduct room checks after a guest vacates the room through the handheld Wi-Fi enabled device to report the status of the room.
• They also communicate with security personnel instantly over e-mail in case of an emergency.
• Staff can also ensure from a remote spot that fire extinguishers are charged, emergency lights are functioning, and so on.
• Check and communicate inventory invention for guest room supplies and the stocking of minibars in order to ensure that provisions are replenished in an efficient manner.
• Computers are now being used in many housekeeping departments for room management, inventory control, and linen management.
• Computers can now be linked to the telephone system in each individual guest room. This technology greatly reduces the cost of individual wiring in each guest room. For e.g. an interface can be created between the telephone systems of the hotels’ computer network by the guest room attendant dialing a specific sequence of numbers on the phone from the specific guestroom. Once connected the computer immediately recognizes room no. to which it is being connected.
• Housekeeping operations modules are widely available such as forecasting attendant requirements, daily housekeeping scheduling, tracking housekeeping history, and monitoring room attendant’s performance.
• There is also a module to track the status from dirty room to ready room for inspection and a cleaned room that is ready for the guest.
• Many hotels also offer a detection technology when the guest puts the tray outside the door, housekeeping is alerted from a triangle sensor on the tray that triggers another sensor in the doorway. This immediately alerts the staff to the waiting tray with a blinking light.
• The housekeeping staff can also be alerted when the room is available for cleaning by the guest. In this application, the guest clicks a button, which sets off another sensor to indicate they are gone and the room can be cleaned.
• Occupancy report, discrepancy report, list, or under repair rooms can be sent to the front office through the WLANs system by which manual work can be avoided.
• The housekeeping module can also schedule the servicing of guest request, for e.g. if a guest calls the front desk and request for a crib or extra towels, the front desk can simply input this request into the computer and it then appears on the main housekeeping monitor screen. A guest request notification can also be sent to the room attendants automatically to the handheld wireless PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or cell phone by way of text message or e-mail.
• WLANs allow guest to share hi-speed internet connections, browse the web, access their corporate networks, remotely yet securely, access the business center from their rooms, organize video conference, play games online, and use multiplayer gamin options.

Q.5. Which are the departments that housekeeping has to co-ordinate in a hotel and why?

With HR Personnel

Housekeeping coordinates with the personnel department for the following reason

• Acquisition: human resource planning, recruitment, selection, and induction/ socialization.
• Maintenance: compensation management e.g. pay/ salary, wages, overtime, medical treatment etc.
• Motivation: performance appraisal system, reward management system and training and development

With Stores

1. Coordination with stores ensures the availability of day-to –day necessities of housekeeping.
2. Larger hotels have a store attached to the housekeeping department that stocks linen, supplies and so on.
3. Smaller hotels may stock them in the general store, except for linen, which is sent to the housekeeping department on purchase.
4. Communication with stores is by way of a requisition form, which housekeeping sends to when it requires certain items. The requisition form is called as store requisition form.

With Accounts/Sales and Marketing

• There should be effective coordination between the sales and marketing department and housekeeping to supply promotional items in guest rooms and other areas of the hotel.
• The sales and marketing department informs the housekeeping of the occupancy forecast for the entire year, which is broken up month-wise. This enables housekeeping to budget for the necessary expenses
• An important contribution of the housekeeping staff to hotel sales is ensuring that repeat business is obtained by providing the level of cleanliness and service that meets or exceeds guest expectations.
• The sales and marketing team also have to depend on housekeeping for their uniforms.
• Two things are certain in the hotel business: no matter how many guests a salesperson brings in the door, if housekeeping does not execute its function with excellence the guests will not be coming back.
• Vice versa, no matter how well- kept the rooms, if the sales staff does not bring potential guests to the hotel, occupancy falls.

With Maintenance

• The housekeeping department depends on maintenance to keep things in order.
• While carrying out their scheduled work, housekeeping employees may find some deficiencies in the hotel facilities, such as faulty electrical plugs, dripping faucets, leaking pipes or malfunctioning air-conditioning units etc.
• A need for urgent repairs is reported to maintenance over the telephone and these requests are usually taken into action immediately.
• There are various heads under which maintenance work is done they are:
• Electrical work: air conditioning and heating; fused bulbs, lights and lamps that are not functioning; defective plugs and plug points; short circuits; and faulty geysers, refrigerators, and minibar fall under this category.
• Boiler work: this is necessary to maintain a supply of hot water to the guestroom.
• Mechanical work: this entails repair or replacement of any faulty equipment, such as vacuum cleaners, ice-cube machines, and so on.
• Plumbing work: this deals with faulty faucets (taps), showers, drainage systems, water closets, and so on.
• Carpentry work: broken of shaky furniture; mirrors and cupboards in less than peak condition, and fresh woodwork are all part of this.

With Front Office

• To ensure efficient rooming of guests, both housekeeping and front office must inform each other of changes in a room’s status. Knowing whether a room is occupied, vacant, on change, out of order (OOO), under repair, or similar for proper room management
• There should be coordination to clean front office public areas
• There must be coordination between housekeeping and front office department to share information on occupancy levels which helps to forecast occupancy for the year and makes it easier to draw up a budget, establish par stock levels and estimate required staff strength.
• There should be coordination know about the daily room report and housekeeping discrepancy report.
• It also helps to gear renovations and spring cleaning to low occupancy periods thereby preventing loss of revenue.
• The housekeeping and front office department also coordinate with each other for other important information which requires special attention like
• VIPs in the house: this information is essential so that the staff can take a little extra care and keener precautions in cleaning and supervising VIP rooms.
• Groups in the house: the group rooming list must be provided before the group’s arrival to the housekeeping as groups tend to move together in terms of arrival, departure, sightseeing tours, and meals. Their rooms need to be readied together in view of strict time parameters. Group rooming lists enable the HK department to organize their work and have the group’s room ready on time.
• Crews in the house: Sometimes the arrival of a crew and the departure of another crew from the same airline may overlap. In such circumstances, it is important for the allotted rooms to be cleaned within a short period of time. Thus for this, there should be effective coordination between front office and housekeeping.
• Flowers: sometimes the management extends its compliments to a guest with a special gesture of a flower arrangement in the room as recognition of the importance of a person. This requirement of flower arrangements for certain guests is conveyed to housekeeping by the front office on a daily basis.
• Apart from the above communications the front office needs to depend on housekeeping for the provision of clean uniforms to its staff.

With Security

• The coordination here is mainly concerned with the prevention of fire and thefts and the safekeeping of keys and lost property.
• Housekeeping personnel should also report anything of a suspicious nature or movement in a hotel immediately to the security staff.
• Housekeeping has to coordinate if they see any anti-social activities in the guest room such as gambling, smuggling, and so on.
• The security department is responsible for conducting training sessions on handling emergency situations for the staff. e.g they conduct fire drill to train staff to gear up in a fire emergency

with Food & Beverage Department

• The coordination of housekeeping with the restaurants and banquet halls is mainly concerned with the provision of linen and uniforms.
• On his/her part the restaurant manager should ensure that the time set for the exchange of linen must be maintained and linen should not be lost or misused.
• There should be coordination to maintain a mini bar in guest rooms.
• The housekeeping should be well informed about the forthcoming banquet function in advance so that housekeeping will arrange everything to organize that function.
• Housekeeping may also have to arrange for flower decorations for banquets.
• The coordination between the two departments becomes particularly necessary in the collection of trays from the guest corridors which are collected from the room, placement of fruit basket in special rooms.
• In many hotels housekeeping also looks after pest control in restaurants, kitchens, and stores attached to them.
• Special cleaning of these areas calls for coordination with the housekeeping department.
• Both the restaurant and kitchen staff requires clean uniforms on a daily basis, for which too they need to coordinate with housekeeping.

Q.6. Write short notes on any two:
(a) Polishes

Polishes are used to give sheen on the surface from which the light is reflected evenly. They do this by smoothing out any unevenness on the surface of the article, as in the polishing of the metals. They also provide a protective layer as in the case of floor and furniture polishes. Their compositions may be depending on the surface to be polished.

• Metal Polish – These remove the tarnishes resulting from the attack on the metal by certain compounds in the air. They are fine abrasives which when rubbed on the surface of the metal provide friction to remove the tarnish and produce a shine. In many proprietary metal polishes such as Brasso, Silvo; the abrasive powder is mixed with a grease solvent and in some cases, an acid, to help in removal of the tarnish. Jeweler’s rouge is a fine abrasive which is used for polishing metals. Chemically it is known as Iron Oxide. It is used by the jewelers for giving a finishing touch to the gold jewelry. They should be stored with the caps well secured otherwise the solvent content will evaporate and the solution becomes too dry to use.

Points to remember:

1. Protect yourself and the surrounding with paper
2. Work in a well-ventilated area
3. Use only on appropriate metals
4. Clean the metal surface before applying polish
5. Apply polish with a rag
6. Buff to shine with a duster
7. After polishing, any article to be used with food should be cleaned with detergents
8. Constant use of tarnish remover (Silver Dip) on EPNS damages silver plating
9. Dispose off rags after use as they can increase the risk of fire

• Furniture and Floor Polishes – They are protective finishes that provide the surface of the furniture or floor with a thin layer of wax or resin. It can protect against the absorption of spillage and gives a smooth surface from which light may be reflected to give a sheen.

Requirements of a good polish are:

1. Give a hard, dry finish to ensure maximum protection
2. Gives an easily cleaned surface
3. Not mark easily
4. Reduce the cost of cleaning and maintenance
5. No unpleasant smell

Furniture polish should only be used occasionally. Unvarnished or unpainted furniture may require feeding with a polish frequently. Furniture polish is applied on a clean surface only and may be in the form of a paste, cream, liquid, or spray. They contain wax (to enrich porous surface), solvent (to remove grease), water (to remove water-soluble stains), and silicone (to lubricate the polish and provide resistance to water, heat, dust, and smears).

The various types of furniture polishes are:

1. Paste (High percentage wax) – suitable for the antique wooden surface. Care should be taken to remove all trace of polish from the carved surface. Pastes are applied with a rag and then buffed with a duster. A paste may be used on wood which is in poor condition as the high percentage of wax will feed it and help to create sheen. It may give a sticky finish if applied in excess.
2. Cream (High percentage solvent) – Cream polishes should be used on satin or gloss finishes only as they increase the sheen on a surface with continual use. There cleaning power is greater than the paste. Apply with a damp rag and buff with a duster immediately. They are light emulsions of the colored wax in the solvent.
3. Liquid (High Percentage solvent): may contain a dye, which is useful for covering up scratches on a varnished surface. Used on glossy surfaces they will help remove light grease marks. Applied with a dry rag & buffed while still wet to produce shine. Eg: French Polish Furniture
4. Sprays/ aerosol (High percentage silicone): these polishes clean and as well as polish. This saves time as pre dusting is unnecessary. Used on nonporous surfaces like glass, plastic, gloss painted wood, etc. spray polish is applied & rubbed with a duster or maybe sprayed directly.

Points to remember:

• Apply to clean surface.
• Use a little and apply with a duster. (too much polish will create a sticky surface which is likely to attract dust)
• Applied with a rag (expect spray polish)
• Replace the top of the polish container so that the polish should not dry.
• All furniture polishes are used undiluted
• Polishes containing a high percentage of solvent are flammable.

Floor polishes can be: Solvent-based or Water-based

Solvent-based or spirit-based:  this may be in the form of a liquid or paste and consists of a blend of waxes dispersed in a solvent. After it has been applied, the solvent evaporates, leaving a layer of wax which is buffed. Floor treated with solvent-based polish may dull quickly but will withstand frequent buffing up to restore shine. It is used on porous floor – wood, cork, magnesite, linoleum, etc. The polish can be removed by using solvent-based detergents and a nylon web pad under the machine which helps to loosen the wax. The loosened wax should be picked up with a mop or wet vacuum pickup.

Water-based floor polish: it is in form of creamy liquid and consists of a blend of waxes or resins suspended in water by means of the emulsifying agents (ammonia may be used to blend the wax & water). When applied to a floor surface, the water will evaporate leaving a hard firm. Some floor polish may contain anti-slip ingredients (colloidal silicon). This polish dries with a shine and may require only little buffing. It is also referred to as dry-bright polish. They are applied on semi-porous and plastic floor like rubber, vinyl, etc. The disadvantage of using this polish is that it has very little cleaning power.

Points to remember:

• Apply to a clean floor
• Apply to a dry floor
• Rinse the floor thoroughly after stripping off old polish using a mild acid
• Apply several thick coats of polish rather than one thick coat
• Allow each coat of polish to dry before applying the next
• Ventilate the area
• Use warning signs
• Buff up thoroughly
• Do not use water-based polish on the porous floor
• Do not use solvent-based polish on plastic or semi-porous floor
• Remove any build-up of polish with a suitable polish remover and an abrasive pad or disc
• Damp-mop floor after spray cleaning to remove any residue
• Clean all equipment after use and store correctly

(b) Hard floor finishes

Hard Floors

Stone

Long life and natural in appearance. All stones are heavy and must be put on a concrete subfloor. For e.g.

• Marble: Composition: Calcite & Calcium Carbonate. Available in a wide range of colors. More porous, soft & chemically sensitive than granite. Harmed by acid including soft drinks. Absorbs Oil. Should be sealed with penetrating sealers. Use neutral cleaners. Do not clean at high pressure.
• Granite: Composition: Quartz & Feldspar. Hardest in nature. Resistant to most chemicals except oil. Sealed with oil-repellent sealers. Do not use hydrofluoric acid. Can be cleaned at high pressure.
• Slate: Composition: Grains of Mica & Quartz & Chlorite, Hematite& other Minerals. Dense, but soft & easily scratched. Low porosity to oil & other liquids.Has an uneven surface. Sealed with oil repellant sealers. Never cleaned at high pressure.

Cementitious

Good for areas that take hard wear & tear as they are resistant to chipping and cracking, scratching, indentations, heat insects, and rot. Used in areas like the basement, garage, utility areas, etc. They are easy to clean but should be polished carefully as polishing can make them too slippery. The cement in these floorings is absorbent hence avoid the use of strong alkali.e.g. are

Granolithic Floor

Composed of cement & fine aggregate mortar (being granite clippings). Hard wearing. Suitable in high traffic areas. May absorb water.

Terrazzo

Composition: Marble, Quartz, Granite, Glass, in cementitious mixtures. Does not need protection from wear & tear but from absorption & stains. Water base impregnates are applied. Use only neutral Ph cleaners.

Wood Floorings

Advantages

• Long-lasting,
• Easy cleaning,
• Doesn’t retain dust
• Warm
• Goes with all interiors
• Simple clean up

Disadvantages/ care to be taken

• Easily scratched.
• Easily dented
• Cannot take excessive wear & water.
• Needs occasional polishing & sealing.

Ceramic Tiles

• Clayware is available in a great variety of qualities, colors & sizes.
• Not affected by water, grease, acid, or alkalis.
• May crack or break due to heavyweights.
• Maybe glazed or unglazed.

Terra Kotta

• Hard baked, brownish-red earthen wave often glazed & colored.
• Not installed in a high traffic area.
• May crumble & show wear easily.

Porcelain

• Unglazed
• Dense
• Imperious
• Fine-grained & smooth.
• Fire hardened – very hard
• Can be cleaned at high pressure.

Quarry

• The most common colors are dark red, brown & grey.
• Fire hardened – very hard
• Can be cleaned at high pressure.

Resin Flooring

• Consists of synthetic resins, usually an epoxy, polyester, or polyurethane with hardness by using hardness.
• Sometimes vinyl & marble chips are included.
• Unaffected by spillage of water, food, alcohol & chemicals.
• In spite of being shiny, they are non-skid.

Bitumastic

• Jointless flooring consists of asphalt rolled in a hot plastic state.
• Soft in texture.
• Impermeable to water.
• Softens with heat & dents easily.
• Harmed by spirits, oil & acids.
• Cost is low.

Magnesite

• Consists of wood flour & other fillers mixed with burnt magnesite.
• Hardwearing & great compressive strength.
• Thermally insulating, non-skid, frame retardant & spark proof.
• Extremely porous so no washing.
• Harmed by water, chemicals & abrasives.

Cleaning of Hard floorings

• Daily cleaning – Sweep and damp mop/ Vaccum cleaning
• Periodically – wash/ scrub with detergent suds. Rinse Dry and Polish.
• Sealed to make the floor non-slip and resistant to dirt.
• For tiles care to be taken to clean the grouting regularly with detergent and toothbrush.

(c) Maids services room

• Clean and tidy rooms as per the sanitary regulations assigned.
• Change guestroom and bathroom linen.
• Make guest room beds.
• Replenish guest supplies.
• Answer guests’ summons promptly.
• Be responsible for getting guest laundry processed.
• Undertake the evening and provide the turn-down service.
• Check and secure rooms.
• Hand over to the housekeeper any article found.
• Replenish the maids’ cart with guest supplies, cleaning agents, and linen.

Q.7. Define the following (any ten):

(a) Linen chute : A vertical shaft in a building down which dirty clothes and linens can be dropped, to land in a laundry area on a lower floor.

(b) Box sweeper : A box sweeper consists of a friction brush that revolves when the equipment is pushed manually over the carpet bottom to facilitate emptying after use. … In sweepers meant to clean hard floors as well as soft floor coverings, the brush can be lowered to the floor to sweep

(c) Disinfectants : a chemical liquid that destroys bacteria.

(d) Squeegee : a scraping implement with a rubber-edged blade set on a handle, typically used for cleaning windows.

(e) Murphy bed : A Murphy bed , also called a wall bed, pull down bed, or fold-down bed, is a bed that is hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall,

(f) Spring cleaning : This is a term used for annual cleaning of guestrooms and public areas in off season periods and low occupancy periods. This involves complete overhaul of the rooms by undertaking few steps as :Removal of carpets from the room for shampooing, Polishing wooden furniture, shampooing upholstery (sofas), Painting on walls, Redecoration ,Cleaning air conditioning vents and Airing the room

(g) Vanity unit : a unit consisting of a washbasin set into a flat top with cupboards beneath.

(h) Chamois leather : a type of soft pliable leather now made from sheepskin or lambskin.

(i) Janitors trolley : A trolley helps the cleaning job in two ways. One, it allows you to carry all the materials and tools necessary for the daily and routine cleaning all the time; and two, it facilitates the janitor to do multiple tasks simultaneously, as the necessary tools and materials are available at one place.

(j) Piggy vacuums : They clean by brushing and suction and are very easy to handle. They can be either carried in hand or strapped to the back of the housekeeping attendants. Additionally used for cleaning hard to reach areas like ceiling, curtain ends, etc. and they are also called as ‘Piggy Back’ vacuums

(k) Johnny mop : This bowl mop, commonly referred to as a Johnny Mop, has a fuzzy head that can be used to clean showers and toilets.

(l) Tarnish : lose or cause to lose lustre, especially as a result of exposure to air or moisture.

Q.8. Answer the following in 2/3 lines:
(a) What do you understand by Parquet floor finish?

Parquet (from the French “a small compartment”) is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect in flooring. Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges—but may contain curves. The most popular parquet flooring pattern is herringbone.

(b) What is the procedure for storage of the floor scrubbing machine?

• Never leave brushes and pads on the machine when it is not in use and also after cleaning
• Detach brushes after cleaning
• Remove fluff from the machine after washing
• Wash rinse and dry the pads/ brushes after use
• Empty , wash and dry the tanks after use
• Wipe the wheels and casing after use
• Oil the wheels periodically
• Check flex for any fraying before use
• Store brushes and pads in a well-ventilated area, preferably on racks /hanging on hooks, never flat on the ground
• Tops of the tanks may be loosely fitted during storage

(c) Why maid’s trolley should be parked in front of the guest room that is being cleaned?

 maid’s trolley should be parked in front of the guest room that is being cleaned because the GRA must always have a clear view of the trolley to avoid any pilferage (minor theft of items in the trolley).

(d) Why brushes should be stored with their bristles positioned upward?

When storing face the bristles upward. If they are kept facing down the weight causes the bristles to flatten and spread, spoiling the brush

(e) How will you ensure utmost hygiene and work safety in cleaning
operation?

Staff must be trained to:

• Read container labels, noting any hazards, as it is essential that they understand the mixing of certain chemicals is a potentially dangerous practice
• Use chemicals for their intended purpose only, following safe application procedures
• Use PPE when handling chemicals, e.g. gloves, masks, goggles and overalls
• Store chemicals in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations.

Q.9. Differentiate between (any five):
(a) Block cleaning and orthodox cleaning

• Orthodox/ Traditional cleaning: In this method, the Guest Room attendant completes all the cleaning tasks in one room before proceeding to another room. On average, a GRA may be required to clean about 12-20 room in 8 hours duty.
• Block cleaning: In this method, GRA moves from one dirty room to another and completes the same task in every room before returning for starting the next task on the list. This involves blocking several rooms at a time and usually, more than 1 GRA are involved in cleaning at a time. Different GRA’s pick up different tasks. (Bed making, Toilet Cleaning, Room cleaning, replenishing supplies).

(b) Scrim and swab

Swab : These are all-purpose cloths made of soft, absorbent material. They are used for wet cleaning and damp dusting of all surfaces above floor level. They can be also used for cleaning sanitary fittings such as bathtubs and wash basins.

Scrim : This is a loosely woven linen material resembling fine sackcloth. Scrim, because of its high absorbency and lint-free nature, is often used instead of chamois leather for cleaning windows and mirrors.

(c) Pile lifter and dustette

1. DUSTETTE – these are small size hand vacuum cleaners
2. PILE LIFTERS: it is a vacuum cleaner with two motors to make it extremely strong ion action, because of the strong   suction from the two motors such a machine grooms the piles i.e. it makes them to stand up better. We do not use this equipment everyday but once a week in public areas and every month in the rooms.

(d) Florist and horticulturist

Horticulturist

She/he leads a team of gardeners in maintaining the landscape, gardens of the hotel as well as in supplying flowers from the gardens for flower arrangements in the hotel. Flowers are used largely by the house-keeping department to aesthetically enhance various areas of the hotel. Flower arrangements may be used in banquet functions, guest rooms, restaurants, lobby areas, offices, and so on.
Reports to: – The Asst. House-Keeper.
Duties & responsibilities

• Supervise the maintenance of gardens & landscape areas.
• Ensure a smooth supply of flowers/ foliage to the housekeeping department.
• Assist the executive house-keepers with flower arrangements in the absence of a florist.

Florist

Reports to: – The Horticulturist or to the Assistant Housekeeper.
Duties and responsibilities

• Collect fresh flowers from the gardeners every day.
• In case flowers are not available from the hotel gardens, to purchase flowers from dealers.
• Make up various types of flower arrangements for different hotel areas-lobbies, front office, restaurants, banquet halls, convention rooms, VIP rooms, and guestrooms.
• Provide garlands, wreaths, and bouquets to the hotel for guests, as and when required.
• Treat cut flowers so that they last longer.
• Maintain flower arrangements-by changing water, pruning, and so on.

(e) Vacant room and vacated room

A vacated room is one from which the guest has left, settling his /her account, returning the room keys and departing the hotel. This guestroom would have been occupied in the night or before that.

The cleaning of a vacated room must be a little more thorough than cleaning an occupied room. There are also no guest belongings scattered around the room to be tidied in a vacated room.

All the cleaning tasks for an occupied room apply to the cleaning of a vacated room too.

Additional tasks may be;
• Check for any items left behind by the guest who have departed .finding such articles follow the procedure for dealing with lost and found articles.
• Remove any cobwebs or dust from the ceilings.
• Wipe out drawers and closets from inside.

(f) Kentucky mop and do-all mop

Kentucky mops

These mops consist of cotton strands fixed to a length of cotton fabric which is in turn inserted into a flat metal stock. They are available in weights ranging from 330g to 670g. 

The strands may be stitched together or un stitched. The stitched ones are less likely to tangle, can be laundered more easily and  are likely to last longer than un stitched mops.

Do-all mop

These mops consist of strands of a twisted cotton fixed to a circular metal plate which in turn is fixed to a stock.

Q.10. Fill in the blanks:

(a) The chemical name of washing soda is sodium carbonate.
(b) Brass is a golden brown alloy of copper and zinc.
(c) Surfactants is a surface-active compounds that impart a good wetting power and suspending power to detergents.
(d) A pink oxide of iron used as a fine abrasive for polishing silver is called jeweller’s rouge.
(e) Aerosols particles dispersed in gas packed under pressure with a device for releasing it as a fine spray.
(f) Whirlpool baths are known as jetted bathtubs,
(g) A reaction of fats and oils with an alkali to obtain soap is called saponification.
(h) chandeliers are decorative and delicate lamps used mainly in lobbies, banquet halls and suites.
(i) stoneware is very hard and heavy because of its higher flint content compared to other earthen ware and fired at higher temperature.
(j) efficiency rooms have kitchen facilities.