Housekeeping management vũ an dân đại học mở hà nội

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF TOURISM -*** - LECTURE NOTES HOUSEKEEPING MANAGEMENT COURSE LENGTH: CREDITS LECTURERS: VU AN DAN VU THI KIM OANH FOR USE IN FACULTY OF TOURISM ONLY (TÀI LIỆU NỘI BỘ KHÔNG SAO CHÉP RA NGOÀI) HANOI - 2016 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Chapter Introduction Learning objectives: Know the responsibilities of Housekeeping department Understand the importance of Housekeeping department to the overall success of hotel Know the relationship between Housekeeping department and other departments I Responsibilities of housekeeping: To ensure the cleanliness, maintenance, and aesthetic appeal of the hotel property, the housekeeping department not only prepares clean guestrooms for arriving guests, but also cleans almost all other areas in the hotel These areas typically include: Corridors, Public areas (such as the lobby, and public restrooms ), Pool and patio areas, Management offices, Linen and sewing rooms, Back of the house area, Function rooms, Hotel operated shops, Exercise rooms However, the cleaning responsibilities of housekeeping in the F & B areas vary from property to property In most hotels, housekeeping has very limited responsibilities in relation to food production and storage areas These places are under the responsibilities of the kitchen staff In some properties, the dining room staff cleans service areas after breakfast and lunch periods; housekeeping night crew does the in-depth (or deep) cleaning With these responsibilities the department needs a large number of staff and the staff of housekeeping present everywhere in the hotel Hotels operate 24 hours a day which means that the timing of cleaning and maintenance is important to minimize the inconvenience to the guests The executive housekeeping department is also in charge of (or in conjunction with the General Manager) purchasing linens, room amenities, uniforms, and equipment which are expensive items This requires the ability to negotiate effectively with suppliers to ensure a fair price is obtained Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University II The importance of house keeping: Contribution to overall success of the hotel: Surveys asking guests what is most important when choosing a hotel are continually show that cleanliness falls into the top 10 every time Therefore, it is the objective of a hotel to assure a high standard of cleanliness, orderliness, sanitation, and service is maintained It is the responsibility of the Housekeeping Department to support this standard In addition, as the staff of housekeeping present everywhere in the hotel, the director of the department has regular liaison with other department heads in the hotel, they can see and hear what other may not Therefore, they can be the eyes and ears of the hotel as described in the manual for manager of Hospitality Management Corp., a Dallasbased firm that manages hotel for others as well as operates its own Registry Hotel and Latch Key Inn chains: “The Housekeeper is the eyes and ears of management Use her; her opinions and suggestions must be seriously considered Many times, the housekeeper hears things that will never reach to you Only through her, if she trusts you, can you obtain pertinent information Make her welcome – meet regularly” Contribution to hotel profit: It is an established fact that Food and Beverage operations are not as profitable as selling rooms The housekeeping department is not a revenue generating department but a support department for the front office which is a revenue generating department For a better understanding, we can imagine that the housekeeping is the one who manufactures products and front office is the one who sells these products Housekeeping is usually the largest or second largest employer in the hotel The department carries a lot of responsibility in terms of keeping operating costs in line for labour, amenities, etc This department also deals with a large dollar amount in costly inventories such as: linens, room amenities, uniforms, and equipment If the department is run well in a cost effective and cost saving manner then the hotel will get higher profit because one single dollar the department saves is one dollar the hotel gains The housekeeping department is also the one who plays an important role in maintaining the building and other furniture of the hotel How long these things would last mostly depends on the carefulness and knowledge of the Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University member of the department If these things can last longer and there is less repairing work, the hotel can save tremendous amount of money and again, the money would go to bottom line III Relationship between Housekeeping and other Departments: Housekeeping is a department that communicates and cooperates with every other department in the hotel Housekeeping is put in the rooms division of a hotel’s organization chart The following examples show which departments housekeeping interacts with throughout the hotel: Front Office: The housekeeping department and front office department work very closely with each other The two departments must have continuous and effective communication and cooperation to ensure room status accurate and up to date (e.g changing status of room from vacant dirty to vacant ready after room attendant has cleaned) It is vital that housekeeping and front desk have the same status for each room in the hotel Only in this way can the hotel ensure that each guest is given a clean room and that all rooms are ready for returning guests as well Communication with the reservation department is essential The reservation department gives housekeeping forecasts of occupancy for the upcoming week or two weeks in order for housekeeping to schedule staff The front desk produces daily occupancy reports These reports are given to housekeeping in the morning so that staff can be assigned to rooms that require cleaning Usually, when the guests have requests relating to the responsibility of the housekeeping (e.g extra pillows, iron, etc.) they phone Font desk to place their requests Front desk, in turn, phones housekeeping to fulfill the requests Housekeeping phones the front desk when each request has been fulfilled in order to ensure quality guest service Housekeeping will inform the front desk about any unusual circumstances such as a guest who was supposed to check out but says he is staying another night This is essential in order for the front desk to resolve the issue and keep careful watch on rooms sold Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University At the end of the day, housekeeping gives the front desk a housekeeping status report with all the statuses of each room based on the work housekeeping has done The front desk then double-checks the statuses against their own ones to ensure 100% accuracy The following chart illustrates common room status terms used in hotels: GUESTROOM STATUS TERMS Occupied: Guest is currently registered in the guestroom Complimentary: A room that is occupied free of charge Stay-over: The guest is staying at least one more night in the hotel On- change: Guest has checked out, but the room has not been cleaned yet Do Not Disturb: Guest has requested not to be disturbed in their room Skipper: Guest who leaves the hotel without paying Sleeper: Guest has checked out, but due to poor communication room shows still occupied thus is not re-sold and the hotel loses potential room revenue Vacant: Room is vacant and cleaned and ready for the next guest Out of Order: Room has been made not available for sale due to a deficiency DNCO: Did not check out, guest paid bill without stopping at the front desk (express checkout is one form of this) Due out: Room is expected to become vacant the next day Check out: Guest had paid their bill and left the hotel Late check out: Guest has requested a check out that is later than the regular check out time Over stay: Guest wishes to stay an extra night longer than original stay Early departure: Guest leaves the hotel on a day that is earlier than the original reservation Engineering/Maintenance: Housekeeping staff report any faulty equipment, broken furniture, or any other repairs that is required in guestrooms to maintenance Since maintenance does not have the manpower to check all rooms, they depend greatly on the housekeeping staff to monitor the physical plant Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Many times housekeeping and maintenance work closely together to maintain the public areas as such as at the swimming pool, exercise area, etc Good communication also ensures the effectiveness, avoiding double work in cleaning and repairing guestrooms and other areas, setting up function rooms Security: Housekeeping is in many ways the eyes and ears for the security department With so many staff on almost every floor, housekeeping has the ability to spot potential security threats Once this threat is noted, it should be immediately communicated to security Also, housekeeping is responsible to ensure that guestroom doors are locked after they clean the room The windows should also be closed and locked, keys should be properly and strictly controlled This is a responsibility that housekeeping has to ensure the safety of each guest in the hotel Food & Beverage: Housekeeping is usually responsible for cleaning the food and beverage outlet areas after service is complete This cleaning involves the cleaning of the carpets, windows, etc., not the tables, as this is the food service job Housekeeping also gets involved with major clean up in the kitchen in terms of cleaning of floors (stripping and sealing), cleaning fans, etc Uniforms and linen for food and beverage is directly under the control of housekeeping The executive housekeeper must ensure that inventory levels are maintained When inventory is running low for uniforms or linen, the executive housekeeper notifies the F&B manager so that they can place a new order The budget for the inventory of these items in not expensed to housekeeping, but to F&B Human Resources: Housekeeping must communicate its need for staff to the human resource department The human resource department then looks at resumes on file and may also create an advertisement for employment The human resource department usually conducts the initial interview, and if a second interview is warranted the Executive Housekeeper accomplishes this task Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Human resources also find new ways to train staff effectively They are in charge of ensuring that orientations are conducted, and to be the liaison between the staff and the management of hotel The executive housekeeper keeps human resources aware of any disciplinary issues, performance appraisals, etc as all of these documents would go into the employee’s personnel file Sales and Marketing: When sales and marketing is trying to sell the product (hotel), site inspection of the rooms, meeting rooms is accomplished Housekeeping plays a major role in determining the success or failure of the sales pitch If the hotel looks dirty in any of these areas, the sale will be lost If, on the other hand, the product looks clean and well presented, the hotel has a very good chance of success for gaining the new account Survey after survey shows that cleanliness of a hotel is still one of the main criteria for judging the level of quality and service by a guest Accounting: The executive housekeeper must have close communication with the controller to ensure that cash flow is adequate for the purchase of supplies The executive housekeeper usually presents a budget to the controller and general manager This budget lists the monetary cost for operating the department based on forecasted occupancy for the year The general manager and controller must approve any capital equipment purchased before the executive housekeeper can buy This is essential to ensure that adequate cash flow is available, and that accounting has the proper record of assets Other Departments: It is important for housekeeping to maintain communication with these other areas to ensure that a high level of cleanliness is maintained There is nothing worse than a guest having to go into a dirty change room or washroom It is a recipe for disaster in terms of how the guest will view the hotel This situation can be prevented through effective communication and strong planning by both the executive housekeeper and the other facility’s department head Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Tóm tắt chơng Bộ phận Housekeeping có trách nhiệm lau dọn bảo dỡng khu vực khách Việc bảo dỡng đợc hiểu kiểm tra khu vực, trang thiết bị khách sạn để phát hỏng hóc, trục trặc điều kiện dẫn tới việc để báo lại cho phận Bảo dỡng Tuy không trực tiếp mang lại doanh thu cho khách sạn nhng phận Housekeeping đóng góp lớn vào thành công khách sạn thông qua việc bảo đảm vẻ đẹp thẩm mỹ toàn khách sạn, yếu tố quan trọng khiến khách trở lại với khách sạn, thông qua việc quản lý tốt tiết kiệm chi phí nhằm tăng thêm lợi nhuận cho khách sạn Bộ phận Housekeeping phận hỗ trợ đắc lực cho hoạt động phận khác khách sạn nh quản lý cung cấp đồ dùng, vật dụng, đồng phục cho phận khác; giúp giảm khối lợng công việc phận khác nh Bảo dỡng, An ninh Với đặc điểm công việc nh nói trên, để đảm bảo hiệu nh thành công công việc phận Housekeeping nh toàn khách sạn, phận Housekeeping cần trì tốt mối quan hệ với phận khác trình hoạt động Các mối quan hệ kể đến nh Housekeeeping và: Lễ Tân (Front Office): thông qua việc truyền đạt thông tin dự báo số lợng khách phòng có khách (occupancy forecast); báo cáo tình hình sử dụng phòng (occupancy report), tình trạng phòng (room status), housekeeping status report; yêu cầu khách Bảo dỡng (Engineering/Maintenance): thông qua việc thông báo tình trạng khu vực, trang thiết bị khách sạn để phận Bảo dỡng có biện pháp xử lí thích hợp Bộ phận Bảo dỡng thông báo cho Housekeeping biết lịch sửa chữa khu vực khách sạn để Housekeeping bố trí lịch lau dọn An ninh (Bảo vệ): trình làm việc Housekeeping lu ý tới hoạt động điều kiện dẫn tới việc gây an ninh, an toàn khách sạn Key terms: Back of the house Room status Occupancy report Housekeeping status report Communication Inventory Amenities Stocks of goods, operating supplies & other items held for future use in a hospitality operation; All items in a store or building; List of all items things placed in guestrooms like: soap, shampoo, bath foam (sing) feature that makes a place pleasant, comfortable or easy to live in Stripping and sealing Deep cleaning Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Chapter Planning & organizing Housekeeping department Learning Objective: Know steps of planning the works for Housekeeping Department Understand steps in setting standards for the works Know the organization of the department Discuss the requirements for the staff in the department I Planning the work of the Housekeeping department: Like other managers in a hotel, the executive housekeeper uses available resources to attain objectives set by top management executive Resources which include people, money, time, work methods, materials, energy, and equipment are in limited supply, and most executive housekeepers will admit that they rarely have all the resources they would like As a result, without good planning, every day may present one crisis after another Therefore, an important part of the executive housekeeper’s job is planning how to use the limited resources available to attain the hotel’s objectives Since the housekeeping department is responsible for cleaning and maintaining so many different areas in the hotel, planning the work of the department can seem like an enormous task Without a systematic way of planning, the executive housekeeper can be deeply in the ocean of hundreds of important details that must be addressed in order to ensure that the work is not only done – but done correctly, efficiently, on time, and with the least cost to the department The followings are basic planning activities Initial planning questions Resulting documents What items in each area must be cleaned and maintained? Area Inventory List How often the items within this area are cleaned or maintained? Frequency Schedule What must be done in order to clean or maintain the major items in this area? Performance Standard How long should it take an employee to perform an assigned task according to the Performance standard? Productivity Standard What amounts of equipment and supplies will be needed in order for the staff to meet performance & productivity standard Inventory Levels Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Area Inventory List: Area inventory list is a detailed list of all the items in each area that need the housekeeping department’s attention This list is usually created before a new hotel opens or after hotel renovation This list should be created in such a systematic way that can facilitate the work of cleaning as well as inspecting The inventory list for a guestroom, for example, could list the items that the maid has to clean in the order from right to left and from top to bottom around the room The system should be used by both room attendants and room inspectors in daily course of their duties Frequency schedule: Frequency schedule indicates how often items on inventory list are to be cleaned and inspected The items can be classified into two major categories: The items that must be cleaned daily and the ones that can be cleaned weekly, biweekly or monthly and bimonthly Items that must be cleaned daily are incorporated into everyday work route of staff Those which not need cleaning daily are still need inspecting daily but they become part of a general (or deep) cleaning program and are scheduled as special cleaning project Since the items of special cleaning project are not in the daily work route of staff, these items should be posted by the housekeeping supervisors on a notice board as “daily specials” in the housekeeping office to remind the housekeeping staff For example, on a Monday, the daily special might be to change the shower curtain in all odd numbered floors Exhibit 2.1 Sample of Frequency schedule: Location Item Number Frequency Lobby Chandelier 1/month Fountain area Pole light 1/month Restaurant entrance Pole light 1/weel Lounge patio Wall light 1/week Exhibit 2.2 Sample of Special night cleaning project Frequency Items Weekly Wash tile wall in public restroom Shampoo Monthly Dining room Stairs Corridors Spot shampoo – front desk area Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University b Items Loaned to Guests: In smaller hotels where there is no all night switchboard, alarm clocks will be one of the most frequently requested items In any large city hotel there will be many guests, particularly business people who will request items such as hair dryers, iron and ironing boards, razors, first aid kits, etc Thus, many hotels are starting to place certain items such as hair dryers directly into the guestroom bathroom Other popular items that are requested are non- allergenic pillows and blankets, radios, ice packs, etc There needs to be a system in place for housekeeping to ensure that these items are tracked to each guestroom and recorded when they are returned Most can be easily fitted into suitcases; thus the use of large logos can help stop this type of guest theft The log book that is used to record these items loaned out should show the date the item was sent to the room and the date and time that the item was returned The most cumbersome items that are requested would be bed boards (for people with back problems), cots, and cribs These items require a sizable storage space and are a considerable investment for the hotel Some hotels have place hide-a-beds (couches that fold out into beds) into the guestrooms to eliminate the need to purchase cots and extra beds that must then be kept in storage Whatever the item, the housekeeping department needs to ensure that the items are tracked and returned in order to protect the hotel’s investment Date Room # Item requested Time Delivered Delivered by Time pick up Picked up by II Non recycled inventories: Items and stock levels: They are the items that are consumed or used up during route activities of the housekeeping department These items include: cleaning supplies, guestroom supplies (such as soap, shampoo ) Guestroom supplies can be divided into two groups The first one is guestroom giveaway These are items that a hotel may provide to a guest during their stay and guest can take them away: 105 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Soap, Shampoo, Shoe Shine Supplies, Shower Caps, Sewing Kits, Matches, Stationery, Pens, Note Pads, Newspapers, Postcards, Portions of Coffee with Coffee Makers, etc Some luxury establishments will also put candy or fresh flowers in rooms, along with bathrobes Bathroom amenities are the most popular giveaway items in a hotel Depending on the class of hotel, the number of amenities put in a guestroom will be determined In luxury establishments there can be up to 20 different bathroom amenities alone, whereas in an economy class hotel, or items may be given away The second group includes items that are supposed to stay in the room but sometimes are taken by guests as souvenirs; so many times room attendants must carry replacements These items are Hangers, Toilet Tissue, Shower Mats, Towels, Bed Linen, Glasses, Ice Bucket, Telephone Book, Ashtrays, etc Since these items are used up during the operation of the department, they need purchasing frequently Setting par levels for consumable items requires knowledge about the usage of each product Minimum and maximum stock levels need to be set to ensure that the products will always be available for use but not waste the business’s money by having too much stock Tracking and controlling the use of cleaning materials and guestroom giveaways and supplies will give the housekeeper the knowledge to plan par levels well Other influencing factors that affect the setting of par levels include: • The time between ordering the product and receiving it • Contingency plans for emergencies will affect the par minimum decision • Shelf life of storage space available • Occupancy levels • Frequency of ordering After being set, the minimum and maximum inventory (quantities) should be posted on the shelf where each item is kept QUESTIONS: What is the possible procedure for ordering items? How long may it take? How long may it take for the ordered items to arrive? How often hotels order items? Basing on your answer, calculate the minimum and maximum inventory of soap for the following 200-room hotel with the given information: I Standard: soaps/room occupancy: a 100%; b 70%; c 45% 106 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Par levels are set for each storage area for example each room attendants cart: 12 small soap 12 shampoo shower caps notepads 12 pens facial tissue 12 matches sewing kits 12 laundry bags 12 toilet paper not disturb 12 maps large soap 12 bath foam 12 envelopes room folders magazines 12 pens room service menus postcards 12 letterheads fire instruction 12 fax letterheads 12 guest comment card Inventory control: Records are essential in order to control the use of supplies When supplies are issued from the main storeroom they must be recorded, location and signed for At the end of the month the Executive housekeeper can compare the forecast usage with the actual usage For example, given the 100 room-hotel with 60% occupancy (30 days in the month) Item Forecast usage per room 1 Shampoo Bathfoam Small soap Occupied room x 1800 x 1800 x 1800 Forecast usage all rooms = 1800 = 1800 = 1800 Actual usage 1400 1900 2400 Variance 100 600 The Executive housekeeper then reviews the variance and investigates why the variance occurred Regular inventory check and variance report will discourage staff from wastefullness or stealing It could also reveal the guests’ behavior or if the maids follow the procedure or not Checking inventory is also the responsibility of the staff Some guests for example steal hotel property such as towels, ashtrays, shore horn, cutlery Items with logo are taken as souvenirs Staff must report missing items immediately to the housekeeper and front desk Policies vary from hotel to hotel regarding whether or not the guest is charged for the missing item One way to reduce theft is to offer bathrobes, shoehorns or leather stationery holders for sale in the hotel gift shop Housekeeping staff have a responsibility to keep all storage area locked to prevent unauthorized entry INVENTORY CONTROL FORM Product Par RECEIVED COST Name Quantity Date Amount Total Per Unit Amount Date Tissue cases 15/1 5cases $50 $10 case 1/04 cases case 8/04 cases case 18/04 cases case 25/04 cases 107 USED On Self Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University EXERCISE: Calculate the linen cost for the Phantom hotel, a 200-room property with the room specification and standard for linen in room: Superior twin: 70 Deluxe queen: 80 Standards: Suite queen: 50 Sheet : per bed par stock: 4.5 turns Bath towels : per room par stock: 4.5 turns Hand Towels: per room par stock: 4.5 turns Washcloths : per room par stock: 4.5 turns Bath mats : per room par stock: 4.5 turns Bed pads : per bed par stock: 1par +10% Blankets : per bed par stock: 1par +10% Pillows : 1/ twin bed; 2/qeen bed par stock: 1par +10% Cat No Y66-66x Y66-90x Cat.No Z9d66 Z9d62 Z9d40 Z9d86 Color available: blue, bone - order in dozen, same size and color Ship Description Our low prices per dozen wt/doz Flat Sheet 10 Twin 66‖ x 108‖ 17 lbs $106.99 $99.99 $96.99 Queen 90‖ x 110‖ 22 lbs $134.99 $124.99 $122.99 Description Bath linens Bath towel, 20‖x40‖ Hand towel 15‖x25‖ Wash cloth, 12‖x12‖ Bath mat, 20‖x24‖ Actual wt/doz 5.5lbs 2.35lbs 0.6lbs 5.1lbs $26.99 $13.99 $4.49 $32.99 20 $92.99 $120.99 Our low prices per dozen 10 25 50 $23.99 $22.99 $21.99 $12.99 $12.49 $11.99 $3.99 $3.79 $3.59 $30.99 $29.49 $28.49 100 $21.49 $11.49 $3.49 $27.49 Order in full cartons of 10 each, same size and color, size in inch, ship Wt/carton Cart # Description Ship Wt V9d66 V9d62 V9d86 V9d40 N6666 N6690 Bed Pad Twin 39x76 Queen 60x80 Pillow Standard 20x26 Queen 20x30 Blanket Twin 66x90 Queen90x90 19 lbs 30 lbs _ $25.99 Our low prices, Each 12 24 48 96 $11.49 $23.99 $10.49 $21.99 $9.99 $20.99 $9.49 $19.99 17 lbs 20 lbs $7.99 $8.99 $7.49 $8.49 $6.99 $7.99 $6.49 $7.49 20 lbs 24 lbs $22.99 $80.99 $21.99 $78.99 $20.99 $76.99 $20.49 $76.49 108 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Key terms floor par—The quantity of each type of linen that is required to outfit all rooms serviced from a particular floor linen closet house setup—The total number of each type of linen that is needed to outfit all guestrooms one time This is also referred to as one par of linen inventory—Stocks of merchandise, operating supplies, and other items held for future use in a hospitality operation issuing—The process of distributing inventory items from the storeroom to autho- rized individuals by the use of formal requisitions lead-time quantity—The number of purchase units consumed between the time that a supply order is placed and the time that the order is actually received maximum quantity—The greatest number of purchase units that should be in stock at any given time minimum quantity—The fewest number of purchase units that should be in stock at any given time non-recycled inventories—Those items in stock that are consumed or used up during the course of routine housekeeping operations Non-recycled inventories include cleaning supplies, small equipment, guest supplies, and amenities par par number perpetual inventory system—An inventory system in which receipts and issues are recorded as they occur; this system provides readily available information on inventory levels and cost of sales receiving—Accepting delivery of merchandise that has been ordered or is ex- pected, and recording such transactions recycled inventories—Those items in stock that have relatively limited useful lives but are used over and over in housekeeping operations Recycled inventories include linens, uniforms, major machines and equipment, and guest loan items safety stock—The number of purchase units that must always be on hand for smooth operation in the event of emergencies, spoilage, unexpected delays in de- livery, or other situations 109 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Chapter Laundry operation Learning Objectives: • Consider factors to make choice between On premise & Contracted out laundry • Discuss the management of On premise laundry I On premise laundry versus Contracted out laundry: The decision as to whether to buy your own linens and set up a laundry operation in the hotel (on premise), or use an outside company to provide and cleaning linen (contract out) is a difficult choice Many factors must be considered when making this critical decision when you are an executive housekeeper This decision needs to be made prior to the construction of a hotel due to the space required A hotel cannot just decide to build this type of laundry facility once a hotel is built A decision for this type of issue is made after careful comparison of the two options The largest factor that is investigated focuses on the fairly substantial cost of equipment, labour, and supplies Other factors such as hidden costs: employee taxes and benefits, cleaning and maintaining laundry, uniforms, and printed forms There are also other such as utilities (electricity, water), insurance, accountant fees, leasing space (if required), etc Contracted out laundry: Some hotels operate contracted out laundries rather than on-premises laundry With the contract, they have the laundry service providers provide them with clean linen on a scheduled basis The linen can be the ones that the hotels send to the providers for laundry or the ones that the hotels rent from the laundry service providers Estimated linen usage must be totalled in order to determine either how much needs to be purchased or rented But, one must realise that renting the linen does not mean the quality will be less, in fact, most laundry services have linen that is of equal standard to most hotels, or they will purchase what the hotel specifies If the linen are of hotels’ possess we should consider the life of linen when sending out for service Outside laundries have wear factors for linen as follows: sheets 250-300 washings, towels around 150 washings Where as, the 110 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University wear history of linens washed on site usually is: sheet 400-800 washings, towels 300 washings We can see that linen life can be lowered by as much as 50% This difference will depend on where the hotel is located in terms of which country and which region in a country Another disadvantage that we should consider is that when there is the need on washing draperies, sheers, or other similar kinds of linen there would be waiting time from the moment we send them out and receive them back to put in the room During that time, we cannot sell the rooms When deciding on whether to wash the laundry inhouse or contract it out, the executive housekeeper is considered the expert The following factors are some of the criteria that should be evaluated when making this decision: Delivery service: number of days and the time of the day when the linen is delivered to the hotel Will they also provide laundry service for the hotel guests Who will the repair to torn linen and who is responsible for stained linen in terms of trying to extract the stain What laundry supplies will the contract service use, and how does the hotel ensure that the outside launders continues to use these supplies What folding style will the contractor use, does it fit the needs of the hotel How will the uniforms be delivered (hangars, folded) How to settle how linen was damaged (e.g torn due to mechanical or to abuse by hotel), is there insurance to cover this area How is the billing system to be set up (weekly, monthly) What type of emergency service can be set up if the need arises 10 How to create a control system that accurately counts linen both in and out of the hotel and laundry service 11 What sort of equipment is provided by the company in terms of pick up and delivery of the laundry (carts, laundry bags, vehicle for pick up, etc) 12 If the linen used in special for the hotel, how much will the company stock to ensure that no shortages occur 111 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University In establishing a contract, the first thing to is to find companies that are reliable and have reputation The executive housekeeper needs to set up an inventory system That is, when clean laundry is received, each bag or cart should be clearly marked with the items, date, time of delivery, and itemised count of the linen Claims of shortages made by guests for laundry are common and thus an inventory or control system must also be set up for this service as well On-premise Laundry (OPL): There are many advantages for hotels to have their own laundry facilities An example would be that it cuts down considerably on food and beverage linen This is because the linen can be taken to the laundry immediately after service and laundered If ironing is not required, the linen can be immediately reused This reduces the par level of the inventory and thus the cost of purchasing It also means a quicker change from soiled to clean linen since it only takes about an hour for a laundry to turn around food and beverage linen from dirty to clean Whereas with an outside laundry, the linen may not be sent out until the next day, and brought back a few days after that But, ultimately the decision needs to be based on cost That is, if the hotels set up an in-house laundry, is the cost less than using an outside service In studies it has been shown that under optimum conditions, most hotels will save around 8-10% when doing laundry at the hotel Listed below are several conditions that would be required in order to justify an OPL: The hotel operates an high occupancy consistently throughout the year The staff in the laundry department are efficient & maintain high productivity rates There are favourable energy costs for electricity and water The layout of the laundry operation is efficient, and there are no major mechanical breakdowns Initial investment cost is relatively low, and internal costs are controlled Control of linen inventory is strong with few losses The executive housekeeper must also determine if they wish to supervise the laundry operation or bring in a manager to accomplish this duty Part of the criteria for this decision would be based on the size of the hotel If the two areas are run separately, a strong communication line must exist between the executive housekeeper and the laundry manager How to set up a laundry operation depends on the space allocated for this process, the size of the hotel, and the amount of linen that is required to be cleaned everyday 112 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University II Managing On-Premise laundry: For on-premise laundry, we need to look at the areas of staffing, space for machines, investment cost, and set up the procedure For our course we just look at the area of procedure by looking at the laundry operation flow chart Collecting soiled linen: Good collecting procedures will benefit the entire laundry operation as well as the life of line and thus save cost As we see from the exhibit, normally the linens are collected from guestrooms and from the F&B outlets For each area there are some good procedures to follow and some bad ones to avoid a Collecting linen from guestrooms: Room attendants when cleaning guestrooms should remove linen from bed and bath areas and put them immediately into a dirty linen bag Linen should not be thrown on the floor where them can be walked on and therefore be soiled further and damaged It also helps prevent the room attendants from using towels, sheets for cleaning purposes b Collecting linen from F&B outlets: Buspersons gather soiled linen when tables are cleared At that time, the linen should be carefully shaken and immediately put in dirty linen bag Again, table linen should not be used to wipe out ashtrays or other tableware Abusive treatment of table linen is the number one cause of stains, which cannot be removed and leads to higher linen replacement costs Transporting soiled linen: Dirty linen can be transported by hands or by cart to the laundry room When carrying linen by hands, care should be taken not to allow the items to 113 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University drag on the floor, further soiling them or being the possible cause of accident for the carriers When using cart, remember to keep the cart clean and well maintained Avoid using damaged carts that could tear linen or transfer rust marks Sorting linen: Linen can be sorted by soiling, linen types, and by finishing process Since the degree of soiling and type of linen require different temperature, time, amount of cleaning agents,,,, carefully sorting can help save time, energy, and most of all keep the linen stay longer degree of Sorting, of course, can lead to partial loads of laundry Doing too many partial loads wastes energy, water However, if heavily soiled linens are not washed promptly, stains could set and ruin the item On the other hand, if we mix heavily soiled items with lightly soiled items and then wash them with the formula for the heavily soiled ones then the lightly soiled would be overprocessed Washing: After being sorted, the linen are brought to the washers Linen should be weighed before they are put into the washer to ensure that washers are not over-loaded Today’s modern washing machines come in large variety of shapes, sizes and degrees of automation This can overwhelm an inexperienced worker who used to going laundry on a wash-rinse-spin machine at home However, regardless of the types of machine, there are only 114 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University basic factors (requirements) to consider and steps of washing process to follow to ensure the efficiency of washing Fiber group Acrylic Cotton Polycotton Nylon Polyester Wool Cleaning method Launder Launder Launder Launder Launder dry clean Water temp Warm Hot Hot Hot Hot Warm Chlorine Bleach Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Dryer Temp Warm Hot Warm Warm Warm Warm Iron Temp Medium High Medium Low Low Medium with steam Special Storage None Store dry None None None Protect from moth; not store in plastic bags a basic cleaning requirements (factors): Time: refers to linen contact time with chemical solutions, rinse and flush steps and total wash formula Linens that are heavily soiled will take more time to wash and vice-verse Improperly regulating the time it takes to wash linens will result in a poor wash or unnecessary wear on fabric It can also waste energy and water Temperature: Chemical reactions in washing are accelerated by the temperature In order to get the linens clean, the temperature should be set at correct level Usually, the temperature for washing oily soils should be 180o F to 190o F (83o C to 88o C), for moderate to heavy soils, at least 160o F (72o C) Kitchen rags and linens should be washed at 140o F (60o C) Mechanical action: The dropping or pounding action of the linen within the machine The degree of mechanical action directly related to proper loading of the machine and the use of proper water levels Avoid overloading the washer as this reduces mechanical action Chemical action: the interaction of dirt and fabric with the various types and concentration of chemicals used in the machine Usually, time, temperature, and mechanical action are pre-set by supervisor in the laundry room or by salespeople More information and specification can also be found in the manuals that go with the machines b Wash cycle: Flush: Flushes dissolve and dilute water-soluble soils to reduce the soil load for the next suds step At this step the water is usually set at high level, temperature is medium and it would take 1.5 to minutes 115 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Break (optional): a high alkaline break product is added to loosen dirt The break cycle is usually at medium temperature and low level of water and lasts to 10 minutes Suds: this is the actual wash cycle to which detergent is added Items are agitated in hot water at low temperature in to minutes “Agitate” reefers to the scrubbing action of the machine Intermediate rinse: This rinse cycle removes soil and alkalinity to help bleach work more effectively This cycle rinses linens at the same temperature as the suds cycle and lasts to minutes Bleach: this step is to eliminate stain that the suds operation was unable to remove Usually chlorine bleach is added in hot water, low water level cycle This step happens in to minutes Rinse: Two or more rinses are used to rid the linen of dirt and detergent Usually, it happens in 1.5 to minutes at medium temperatures and high water level Intermediate extract (optional): this high-speed spin removes detergent and soil from linens, usually after the first rinse step It lasts after 1.5 to minutes Sour (softener): this step is for final conditioning or treatment of linen with fabric softener and sour (mild acid) The cycle runs at medium temperature and lowlevel water and happens in to minutes Extract: A high-speed spin removes most of the moisture from the linens The length of spin (from to 12 minutes) depends on fabric type, extractor capacity and speed Extraction: After the linen has been washed it goes through a high speed spin or extract process for removing most of the absorbed water Finishing, Drying, Ironing, Pressing: Folding: After the linen is dried, ironed or pressed, it is folded Automatic folding machines are used for flatwork such as sheets Folding staff are responsible for rejecting stained items 116 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University Storing: Some clean linen will be put directly back into use but some will be stored Storage areas should be organized well and kept clean Linens are usually transported to storage area via cart, which must be washed at least once daily 117 Housekeeping Management - For use in Faculty of Tourism only - Hanoi Open University 118 REFERENCES Georgina Tucket & Madelin Schneider, THE PROFESSIONAL HOUSEKEEPER, CBI Publishing Company, Inc Margaret M Kappa, CHHE; Aleta Nitschke, CHA; Patricia B Schappert, CHHE, MANAGING HOUSEKEEPING OPERATIONS, American Hotel & Motel Association Ramona Kaptyn and Vu An Dan, HOUSEKEEPING MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Tourism – Hanoi Open University Sue Bennett MHCIMA DMATP, World University Service of Canada, MANAGEMENT OF HOUSEKEEPING, Faculty of Tourism – Hanoi Open University Thomas L Bornhorst, World University Service of Canada, HOUSKEEPING MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Tourism – Hanoi Open University