How To Improve Hotel Housekeeping Service Standards

Research funded by Proctor & Gamble suggests that 78% of hotel guests say cleanliness is the most important factor they consider when choosing a hotel.

We’re not surprised by this at all.

Over 40 years of experience have shown us that the little details can make or break a guest’s experience. And if hotels are to conquer razor-thin margins, staffing shortages, and increased competition, they must get the fundamentals right—and it all starts by improving their hotel housekeeping standards. Here’s how to do it.

Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

You cannot maintain quality standards until you clearly define them. Develop comprehensive SOPs that cover cleaning protocols—everything from room cleaning protocols and waste management to communication and security measures. These SOPs should be:

• Detailed
• Easy to understand
• Updated to reflect current practices
• Widely shared, discussed, and reinforced
  

SOPs ensure consistency and efficiency, while also making it easier to train new staff and reinforcing best practices among experienced team members.

Implement Training Programs

Once you’ve standardized your hotel housekeeping best practices, the next step is to ensure staff members are trained to carry them out. Require everyone, from new hires to veteran staff, to participate. We also recommend testing staff and addressing performance gaps during employee evaluations.

Just as important is encouraging feedback and open communication about the effectiveness of both the SOPs and training programs. We’ll discuss this more below.

Encourage Open Communication

Employees are more likely to welcome changes when they feel they contributed to them. There are many ways to elicit feedback about SOPs and hotel cleanliness practices.

Start with anonymous digital surveys and open forums where employees are encouraged to share their ideas without fear of retaliation. This will improve your processes while fostering a sense of ownership among staff, improving morale, and increasing buy-in.

Conduct Spot Checks

Spot checks, which involve management randomly assessing employee work, can be another effective way to improve hotel housekeeping standards.

It is important to note that for spot checking to be successful, you must:

• Communicate to employees that the objective is not punitive but to improve
• Use objective criteria to evaluate
• Provide constructive feedback
• Reward employees for solid performance
• Use evaluation results not to punish employees but to refine your training programs

Regularly Set New Benchmarks

It’s easy to become complacent, which is one reason we suggest periodically raising the bar. Whether it is every month or quarter, we recommend setting a new benchmark.

Start by analyzing your current hotel housekeeping standards and performance metrics.

Also, guest feedback, evolving industry standards, and staff input should be considered. Lastly, ensure that your goals are realistic and measurable.

Safer, Cleaner, Better – Since 1983

Forty years of commercial cleaning experience have taught us something—not all cleaning companies are created equal. And not all cleaning companies continue to raise the bar or challenge themselves not only to meet but exceed industry standards. That’s the Hotel Cleaning Services mission. And it’s why America’s leading hotels, resorts, spas, and commercial kitchens have relied on us since 1983. Contact us today!