HOUSEKEEPING NC II

Tourism (Hotel and Restaurant)

Daisy L. Calma
BTLEd 3-B

Home Economics
 HOW TO USE THIS COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING MATERIAL

Welcome!

The unit of competency, “Provide housekeeping services to guests”,

is one of the competencies of HOUSEKEEPING NC II, a course which
compromises the knowledge, skills and attitude required for a Tourism
(Hotel and Restaurant) trainees to possess.

This competency contains training and activities related to the

completion of this module that the trainees must be able to prepare and
provide housekeeping services to guests.

In this module, you are required to go through a series of learning

activities in order to complete each learning outcome. In each learning
outcome are Information Sheets, Self-Checks, and Task/ Job Sheets.
Follow and perform the activities on your own. If you have questions, do not
hesitate to ask for assistance from your facilitator.

Remember to:

◼ Read Information sheets and complete the Self-Checks. Suggested

references are included to supplement the materials provided in
this module.

◼ Perform the Task Sheets and Job Sheets until you are confident
that your outputs perform to the Performance Criteria Checklist
that follows the sheets.

◼ Submit outputs of the Task Sheets and Job Sheets to your

facilitator for evaluation and recording in the Accomplishment
Chart. Outputs shall serve as your portfolio during the
Institutional Competency Evaluation. When you feel confident that
you have had sufficient practice, ask your trainer to evaluate you.
The results of your assessment will be recorded in your Progress
Chart and Accomplishment Chart.

You must pass the Institutional Competency Evaluation for this

competency before moving to another competency. A Certificate of
Achievement will be awarded to you after passing the evaluation.
 HOUSEKEEPING NCII

LIST OF COMPETENCIES

No. Unit of Competencies Module Title Code

Provide Housekeeping Providing

1. Services to Guests Housekeeping TRS5123111
Services to Guests

Clean and prepare Cleaning and

2. rooms for incoming preparing rooms for TRS5123112
guests incoming guests

3. Provide valet/butler Providing valet/butler TRS5123113

service service

4. Laundry linen and Laundering linen and TRS5123114

guest clothes guest clothes

Clean public areas, Cleaning public

5. facilities and areas, facilities and TRS5123115
equipment equipment

6. Deal with/Handle Dealing with/Handle TRS5123122

intoxicated guests intoxicated guests
 MODULE CONTENT

QUALIFICATION TITLE : Housekeeping NCII

UNIT OF COMPETENCY : Provide housekeeping service to guest

MODULE TITLE : Providing housekeeping service to guest

MODULE DESCRIPTOR : This unit of competency deals with the skills

and knowledge required to provide a range
of general housekeeping services to guests.

NOMINAL DURATION : 70 hours

INTRODUCTION:

Housekeeping is an important area in any accommodation property.

Most people see housekeeping as simply „cleaning guest rooms‟ but from an
operational perspective there is a lot more to housekeeping than just that.
The role of housekeeping is to ensure the comfort and safety of guests whilst
they are staying at a hospitality organization. This is the guest’s 'home away
from home'. It is essential that that a guest is able to enjoy their room in the
same manner and with the same ease as they would enjoy in their own
house. The aim of housekeeping is to strive to enable guests to access items
as easily as in their own home.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this module, the trainee/ student must be able to;

1. Receive housekeeping requests

2. Provide/ Service housekeeping requests
3. Provide advice to guest
4. Liaise with other departments

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
1. Guest/staff housekeeping requests and service delivery are accepted
and recorded in accordance to enterprise policies and procedure.
2. Details of requests made are confirmed and noted in accordance with
enterprise procedures
3. Apologies are made when a request has arisen from a delayed delivery
of service
4. Request not related to housekeeping are referred to appropriate
department
 Learning Outcome Summary

LEARNING OUTCOME 1: Receive housekeeping requests

CONTENTS:

• Knowledge on typical housekeeping service and procedures

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
1. Guest/staff housekeeping requests and service delivery are accepted
and recorded in accordance to enterprise policies and procedure.
2. Details of requests made are confirmed and noted in accordance with
enterprise procedures
3. Apologies are made when a request has arisen from a delayed delivery
of service
4. Request not related to housekeeping are referred to appropriate
department

CONDITIONS:

The trainees/students must be provided the following:

• Roll away beds

• additional pillows and blankets
• irons
• dryers
• additional room supplies
• follow-up cleaning
• repairs and maintenance
• lost property inquiries
• change of linen
• first aid kit
• baby sitter
• baby crib

METHODOLOGIES:
• Modular (self-faced learning)
• Electronic Learning
• Industry Immersion
• Demonstration
• Film Viewing

ASSESSMENT METHODS:
• Questioning
• Practical Demonstration/ Direct Observation
• Portfolio evidence
 Learning Experiences

Learning Outcome 1

RECEIVE HOUSEKEEEPING TO GUEST

Learning Activities Special Instructions

1. Read Information Sheet No. 1 Read and understand the Information

2. Answer self-check No. 1 Sheet No. 1 and check yourself by
3. Refer answers to Answer Key No.1 answering the Self-Check No. 1. You
must answer all questions correctly
before proceeding to the next activity.

4. Perform Job Sheet No.1 Job Sheet will help you to practice
your skills in cleaning and clearing
rooms.

Evaluate your own work using the

Perform Criteria Checklist No. 1.
When you are ready present your
work to your trainer for final
evaluation and recording.

After doing all activities of this LO,

you are ready to proceed to the next
LO on cleaning and clearing rooms.
 INFORMATION SHEET NO.1

Receive housekeeping requests

Learning Objectives:
After reading the Information Sheet, you must able to;

1. Learn to handle guest request and complain

2. Determine the different types of guest request and staff
request
3. Identify the proper approach in receiving guests request

Introduction

Housekeeping is an important area in any accommodation property.

Most people see housekeeping as simply „cleaning guest rooms‟ but from an
operational perspective there is a lot more to housekeeping than just that.

The role of housekeeping is to ensure the comfort and safety of guests whilst
they are staying at a hospitality organization.

This is the guest’s 'home away from home'. It is essential that that a guest is
able to enjoy their room in the same manner and with the same ease as they
would enjoy in their own house. The aim of housekeeping is to strive to
enable guests to access items as easily as in their own home.

It is therefore important that housekeeping staff maintain a professional

level of integrity, especially staff who clean rooms. Housekeeping staff must
have high levels of integrity, honesty and discretion as a guest needs to feel
that what takes place or what is left in their room must be safe and remain
confidential.

Understandably an accommodation room is considerably smaller in size

than the customer's normal residence and therefore items that they may
need might not be in immediate access.

A hotel cannot provide all the necessary items a customer may need inside
each and every room for a number of reasons:

• The room size is too small

• It would become cramped for space
• Not all customers need all items
• The capital outlay for a business would be considerable
• It reduces the chance of damage and theft.
Therefore it is vital that housekeeping is able to get a requested item to a
room in the shortest possible time.

Types of accommodation properties

The items included in a room or upon request differ depending on the type
of accommodation provided.

Housekeeping requests by guests can be made across a range of

accommodation properties for a wide variety of reasons.

A housekeeping department exists in any property that offers in-house

accommodation
Housekeeping departments operate within:
• Hotels, motels and clubs
• Resorts, chalets and hostels
• Passenger ships and trains
• Serviced apartments.

Types of guest requests

There may be many times during a shift when the room attendant will have
to handle guest requests and the reasons can vary.

Need for item sent to the room

A guest may request services or products such as:

• Additional equipment in their room – because they have needs

during their stay that are not accommodated by the normal in-
room items

• Valet or laundry service – common among long stay guests

• Additional bedding – where the existing bedding is unsuitable,

uncomfortable or insufficient

• Extra tea, coffee, sugar and milk sachets – a common request where
the guests spend a lot of time in their room

• Extra crockery or cutlery – where the room features a kitchen or

kitchenette this is also a common request especially where guests
want to entertain in their rooms

• Vases – for flowers that have been delivered to them

• Replacement items such as hair dryers, toasters, irons and electric

jugs to replace items that are not working
 • Extra bathroom guest supplies – another common request for long-
term guests: guests with long hair often ask for extra shampoo and
conditioner

• Additional items in compendium – such as letterhead paper,

envelopes, postcards, pens, note paper

• Additional towels – to accommodate extra showers or baths taken by

the guests: where the property has a swimming pool this is a common
request

• Extra hangers for clothes, extra pillows, extra blankets

• A power conversion board – to adapt their electrical equipment

to the power supply of the venue: common where the property caters
to some international guest

• Ice and ice buckets.

Servicing of room

• Rectification cleaning - guests may request an improvement in the

servicing of room. They require housekeeping staff to provide remedial
service to the room when the original room service is deemed by the
guest to be sub-standard

• Clean-up after an in-room party or entertainment

• A special room service where they have spilled something

on the floor.

Repairs

• Repair or removal of broken equipment – such as controls for the TV,

DVD player air conditioner, broken bedside lights, free-standing lamps

• Instructions to enable them to work equipment – such as the TV, in-

room safe, lights (especially where room cards are needed to activate
the power to a room), heating and cooling controls.

Lost and Found

Guests may also contact housekeeping when making a Lost and Found
enquiry. They may have found an item in a room they have just been
roomed in or they may contact housekeeping after they have departed to
enquire about something they have lost.
Housekeeping is often the department that operates the Lost and Found
facility for a venue because most Lost and Found items come from guest
rooms.

Handling complaints

Ensuring guest comfort may relate not just to issues that can be handled
quickly by housekeeping (such as rectification cleaning, a replacement jug
for one that’s not working or extra tea and coffee supplies) but also handle
or direct guest requests relating to:

• Noisy people in the room next doors Poor views from the
balcony

• Noisy pigeons outside the room which stop guests getting

to sleep

• Noisy elevators near the room

• Lack of facilities in the room

• Quality of facilities that is below guest expectations

• Advertising that has created expectations that are not being met.

• In most cases housekeeping may not be able to rectify these

complaints personally, but they should ensure the appropriate person
is contacted in a timely manner.

Handling guest requests promptly

Given that housekeeping staff are usually very busy trying to achieve the
tasks set for them by the Executive Housekeeper on a daily basis (which are
essentially the servicing of departing and staying guest rooms), they must
still ensure they handle any requests from in-room guests in addition to
their allocated workload and do so in a polite and friendly manner, in
accordance with all relevant house policies and procedures.

If the room attendant cannot assist the guest immediately, they should at
least acknowledge the guest’s request and advise them when assistance will
become available.

There may also be times when a guest makes a request and the
room attendant cannot provide an immediate answer as to
whether or not the request can be fulfilled.

In such instances, the room attendant should seek out accurate

information to satisfy the guest’s requests, or pass on the request
to the appropriate department (or the Floor Housekeeper) for action and
follow up.

The guest should always be told of how their request is to be dealt with and
kept informed about the progress of the request.

The basis for providing excellent levels of customer service in housekeeping

In order to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of guests, housekeeping must

develop a good relationship with guests.

This can be achieved by:

• Good personal presentation – as determined by house

requirements that apply to
• uniforms and personal hygiene
• Greeting guests by name when known
• Providing excellent service at all times
• Not giving the guests the impression that serving their needs is a
chore/imposition
• Not rushing service delivery as and when it is required
Enquiring “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
• Finishing service delivery with appositive statement: “It’s been a
pleasure”
• Providing information to guests (about the property, the local
• area, tourist attractions, transport, local customs, currency etc) –and
not just providing service in terms of specific housekeeping duties
• Assisting guests in public areas (such as the corridors of their floors
or in lifts) or in-room when they see them struggling with their
luggage. The assistance may simply involve offering to call a porter to
assist
• Smiling
• Handling complaints in a professional manner
• Providing a safe and secure environment for the guests while they are
staying in the establishment
• Respecting the guest’s need for confidentiality and privacy
• Having excellent product knowledge about the appliances, items,
features in guest rooms.
• For room attendant to provide excellent service, they must know the
importance of making guests feel safe, secure and welcome while they
are away from home.

Handling guest complaints

Unfortunately, even with the best of intentions, things can sometimes go

wrong and result in a guest complaint. As identified before, some requests
are in fact complaints.
The following are guidelines to assist in dealing with a customer complaint:

• Remain pleasant at all times, but do not smile when the guest is
complaining Listen without interruption

• Know the correct procedure and the establishment

policy on dealing with customer complaints

• Ask the guest how they would like you to resolve

the problem

• Focus on the issue and don’t take the complaint

personal

• Apologies to the guest for any inconvenience

• Advise your supervisor and get their feedback as to

how they feel you handled the situation.

Use guest name where possible

When dealing with a guest’s request, the room attendant should

acknowledge the guest by addressing them by their name, if appropriate and
possible.

It is said that a person likes nothing better than to hear the sound of their
own name.

Using the guest’s name is an excellent way of personalizing the service and
showing that the individual guest is valued.

Make sure however that you follow any house policies that might apply to
the use of guest’s names.

These usually reflect generally applicable standards of courtesy, such as:

• Avoid using first names – only use last name

• Never use nicknames
• Get the pronunciation right – if you are not sure you can do this, use
„Sir‟ or „Madam‟
• If you don’t know the guest’s name or have forgotten it address the
guest by „Sir‟ or „Madam‟.
• How will I know the guest’s name to begin with?

Most requests from guests for items for their room come about from:

• A phone call to housekeeping from the guest

 • A face-to-face conversation with the guest as they are walking down
the corridor and see you cleaning rooms. In either
situation they usually begin the conversation by identifying
themselves or the room they are staying in – “Hi, I’m Greg
Jones from 377. I was wondering if you could …”

This provides the perfect opportunity to find out the guest’s

name but you have to be alert to the possibility it is going to
happen and be ready to listen for it and remember it.

If you forget the guest’s name it is easy enough to find out a

name from the internal rooming system using the room number
as the basis for the search: where there is more than one person in the room
(for example, a twin room may have 2 males or 2 females) and you are not
sure who is who, use „Sir‟ or „Madam Housekeeping not only services the
needs of the guest. As the department responsible for the cleanliness of a
property, it is often called upon to handle requests made by other
departments.

Therefore all departments will have requests of housekeeping. Similar to

dealing with requests from guests, these requests must be handled in a
professional and timely manner.

Accept housekeeping requests from staff

Introduction

Housekeeping not only services the needs of the guest. As the department
responsible for the cleanliness of a property, it is often called upon to handle
requests made by other departments.

Therefore all departments will have requests of housekeeping. Similar to

dealing with requests from guests, these requests must be handled in a
professional and timely manner.

Types of staff requests

The types of requests may be varied depending on each specific situation,

however there are some common staff requests including:

Cleaning

• Cleaning duties - of items such as furniture,

carpets, equipment, windows, floors and
bench surfaces
• Cleaning of in-house facilities – including public areas, change rooms
and offices
• Emergency cleaning – unexpected cleaning requests
 • Cleaning and servicing of staff changing rooms.

Staff Uniforms

• Order and supply of staff uniforms

• Providing laundry service – many properties operate their own on-

premise laundry whilst other venues will use the services of an
outside commercial laundry. Most staff uniforms will be cleaned
through the housekeeping department.

Provision of Supplies

• Cleaning products, rags & equipment

• Chemicals

• Clean linen for F&B departments

• Towels for gymnasiums.

Security

• Check rooms and floors for safety concerns

• Ensure guest room and emergency doors are shut

• Close storerooms

• Participate in emergency and evacuation procedures.

Other tasks

• Move room service trays from rooms or corridor to

appropriate store are
• Check mini bars for departing guests
• Check actual status of a room – whether a guest has
actually left the room or if it is occupied.

As mentioned, when handling requests made by staff, they

must be handled in a timely manner. These requests are made to help
provide a better experience for guests and must be treated seriously. All staff
members are part of a team, each with a role to play. Housekeeping has
many requests for other departments and would also expect their requests
to be handled in an efficient manner.
Record housekeeping requests according to enterprise requirements

Introduction

Any contact that housekeeping has with a guest has the potential for a
request to be made by the guest.

The reality is that guests rarely speak with housekeeping staff unless they
have a need to do so, so be aware of this and be ready to respond
appropriately.

Confirm and note details of the request

Confirming what is needed

The key to this is repeating back to the guest what it is they have told you
they want, using your establishment knowledge to clarify any areas that are
not clear.

For example, if a guest phones and says they want more

towels, you need to determine what size towels they want. If
the guest tells you they have spilled something in their room
and want it cleaned up, you should ask the nature of the spill
(what was spilled, what it was spilled on, and how big the spill
is) so you can prepare for what is needed.

Sometimes the guest will ask questions about what is

available to suit their need, so you need to respond accurately and honestly
to these questions. It is important that honesty is used so that you avoid
creating false expectations in the mind of the guests.

Noting details of what is needed

The key to this is to not rely on your memory but rather to write down the
relevant details.

This advice applies whether the request comes in person or over the phone.
There should always be note paper and a pen near the phone in the
housekeeping department and a room attendant should always have a
notebook and pen as standard items when they are working.

When a guest makes a request simply write down:

• Guest name
• Room number
• Specifics of the request – type of item or service
required, number involved (where appropriate –
„6 wine glasses‟)
• Time for delivery to the room that was agreed to.
It is always wise to confirm the details to save time, effort and guest
frustration if the wrong item or service is delivered. There may often be
communication difficulties caused by different languages, lack of local
knowledge, tiredness and unfamiliarity with the property.

Advise on time for provision/delivery of identified service or items to

guest room

Introduction

After a request has been received, recorded and confirmed, you should
provide the guest with an estimated timeframe as to when the request will
be met.

Keys to agreeing on a timeline

The timeframe for meeting any guest request must be reasonable and
achievable.

It is best if the guest agrees that the time given by you is agreed
to by them, but sometimes they place unrealistic timelines that
simply can’t be met. Obtain agreement where possible and
where you can’t, do your best and be as quick as you can.

Remember you will probably have other tasks to do and other

guest needs to provide so the Golden Rule is „Under-promise
and over-deliver‟.

For example, if you tell the guest the item or service they have
requested will be there in 5 minutes and it actually takes 10
minutes they will be disappointed and annoyed. If you promise
the item in 10 minutes and have it there in 5 minutes, they will tend to be
impressed with your fast response.

Never allow yourself to be forced or intimidated into a timeline that you

know can’t be met. It is far better to politely explain this timeframe cannot
be met, explaining the reasons why, where applicable, and re-assuring the
guest you will act as quickly as possible.

Sometimes you don’t need agreement

In many cases where a guest makes a request for additional room servicing
requirements, they are happy to be informed “Certainly, Mr. Adams. That’s
half-a-dozen extra teas, coffees, sugars and milk for Room 583. I’ll be there
in 5 minutes with those for you. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

By supplying this timeframe, the room attendant is showing that the request
has been taken seriously, and is giving the guest an expectation about the
service to be provided. The 5 minute timeframe may also take into account
other things the room attendant has to do both to finish their allocated work
and meet the unexpected guest request.

However, should this timeframe change for any reason, the room attendant
must inform the guest of the progress being made with their request and
supply the guest with a new revised timeframe, and the reason for the
change in time.

By doing this, the guest will then be able to adjust their expectations: they
may not like the revised timeframe but at least they are aware of it (and can
plan accordingly) and know that something is being done to satisfy them.

This will help ensure greater customer satisfaction.

If you personally are unable to action a request for guest service that you
agreed to, make an attempt to see if someone else can assist. This may
mean asking another room attendant, a porter or a room service person.

Time delays

Despite your best efforts there will probably be times when a breakdown
arises in relation to services provided by the housekeeping department.

In all instances the guest should receive an apology for this lapse in service
and appropriate remedial action should be taken immediately, where
appropriate, to try to retrieve the situation to the best extent possible.

Examples of breakdown in providing housekeeping services to rooms

This breakdown in service provision may result from:

• Sub-standard servicing of the guest room when the room was

prepared – someone may have missed cleaning an item, an area or
item may not have been properly cleaned, guest supplies may not
have been re-stocked

• A previous promise to deliver a service may not have

been fulfilled – a guest who was promised a
replacement hair dryer may not have been supplied
with one. The task could have been forgotten or a
message for another staff member may have been
misplaced

• A room displaying a „Do Not Disturb‟ sign and the room

attendant responsible for that room not notifying the
Floor Housekeeper that, at the end of the shift the sign
was still in place and the room had not been serviced
 • A promise to deliver something to a room by a certain time may not be
able to be met – perhaps the item required is out-of-stock or there are
insufficient staff to meet the promised timeline

• An item that was promised to a guest turns out to be unavailable and

can’t be supplied as promised.

In essence, anything that:

• Fails to deliver the service that either we promised
• Fails to deliver the service the guest expected
• Fails to meet house service delivery standards can be said
to be a breakdown in service delivery and should be
apologized for.

Keys to making apologies

Where there has been a delay you must apologies for this. You must be
sincere in your apology but also brief. You must make sure you apologies
not only for the lack of service or item that wasn’t delivered but you must
include an apology for any inconvenience that has been caused.

The apology should never:

• Blame anyone else

• Discredit the establishment

• Commit the establishment to making some form of recompense or

compensation.
 SELF-CHECK NO. 1

I. True or False. Identify the following statement whether they are true
or false. Write the answer on your answer sheet.

1. Housekeeping is an important area in any accommodation

property.
2. Housekeeping is simply 'cleaning guest room'.
3. Housekeeping staff should maintain a professional level of
integrity, especially staff that cleans the rooms.
4. The aim of housekeeping is to strive to enable guest to access
items as easily as in their own home.
5. Guest may also contact housekeeping when making a Lost and
Found enquiry.
6. Interrupt the guest when complaining.
7. Address the guest by their nicknames.
8. Attendant must know the correct procedure and the
establishment policy on dealing with customer complains.
9. Remain pleasant at all times, and smile when the guest is
complaining.
10. The room attendant should seek out accurate information to
satisfy the guest request.
11. When there is a delay service, you must always apologize for this.

II. Enumeration

(5) TYPES OF GUEST REQEST

(4) TYPES OF STAFF REQUEST
 SELF-CHECK ANSWER KEY NO. 1

I. TRUE or FALSE

1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. True
9. False
10. True
11. True

II. ENUMERATION

(5) Types of Guest Request

• Need for item sent to the room

• Servicing room
• Repairs
• Lost and Found
• Handling Complains

(4) Types of Staff Request

• Cleaning
• Staff Uniforms
• Provision of Supplies
• Security
 JOB SHEET NO.1

Title: Welcoming a Guest

Performance Objective: Given the proper approach in receiving request a guest,

you should be able to perform the rules in welcoming a guest.

Supplies /Materials:

Tools/Equipment:

1. Smile when you greet the guest

2. Listen to what the guest saying

3. Make eye contact, but do not stare

4. Make sure you look interested

5. Address the guest by their name

6. Don't interrupt the guest

7. Keep a reasonable distance from the guest, not too

close and not too far.

8. Always thank the guest when appropriate

 Performance Criteria Checklist NO.1

CRITERIA

Did you… Yes No

1. Smile when you greet the guest?

✓
2. Listen to what the guest saying? ✓
3. Make eye contact, but do not stare?
✓
4. Make sure you look interested?
✓
5. Address the guest by their name?
✓
6. Don't interrupt the guest?
✓
7. Keep a reasonable distance from the guest, not
too close and not too far? ✓
8. Always thank the guest when appropriate?
✓