Room attendants wish to make guests happy, and what makes guests happy? Clean rooms! Over 86% of hotel guests everywhere say that having clean rooms is the most important thing when they share reviews.
We are all aware of how reviews can shape your business. Many hotels spend tons of money to make guests happy, but what if we say you could make a big difference with just a few additions to your system such as housekeeping hotel software?
In this post, we will tell you how you can maximize your hotel efficiency with hotel housekeeping software.
So, let’s dig in…
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Premium for $99/month for the first 20 users (with free trial period)
Available on iOS, Android and Web
What is Hotel Housekeeping Operations?
Hotel housekeeping operations involve a set of tasks and responsibilities performed by the maintenance department in a hotel. These tasks include cleaning and preparing guest rooms, managing laundry services, restocking room supplies, and providing regular updates to the management team.
Essentially, it's all about keeping the hotel spaces clean, comfortable, and well-supplied to ensure a positive experience for guests during their stay.
Housekeeping Department Jobs in Hotels
In the housekeeping team, different jobs help the hotel run smoothly.
- Executive Housekeeper/Housekeeping Manager:
This person is like the leader. They set rules, manage the housekeeping team, and make sure everything is going well. The manager also keeps things clean, talks to other parts of the hotel, and plans good strategies.
- Floor Supervisor:
The floor supervisor works with room attendants to check that they have all the tools they need for cleaning. They also tell the housekeeping team what to do, check how things are going, and teach them how to do a great job.
- Room Attendants:
These are the important people who clean and get the guest rooms ready. They make sure everything is super clean, well-kept, and has all the things guests need.
- Laundry Attendants:
The laundry attendant does exactly what their name says – they take care of washing hotel linens, towels, guest clothes, and staff uniforms. They make sure everything is clean and fresh for guests and keep everything super neat.
Key Responsibilities of Housekeeping Staff
Keeping things super clean is really important in a hotel because when guests are happy with how things look and feel, they want to come back.
That's why we say the housekeeping department is like the backbone of a hotel. It's not just about cleaning – it helps other parts of the hotel too.
Here are some important jobs the housekeeping team does:
- Get the Room Ready for Guests:
Room attendants make sure everything is clean and nice before guests arrive. They want to make a good impression from the start.
- Do Regular Cleaning:
The housekeeping team cleans the whole hotel, not just the rooms. They dust, vacuum, mop, and make sure everything is germ-free in shared places like lobbies and restrooms.
- Keep Guest Stuff Ready:
Housekeeping staff makes sure there's always enough soap, towels, and sheets for guests. They check how much is left, refill things, and make sure guests have what they need.
- Handle Laundry:
The team also takes care of washing, drying, and folding hotel laundry. It means guests get fresh sheets and towels every day.
- Update the Boss or Manager:
Housekeeping talks to the managers a lot. They share updates on rooms, how much stuff is left, and if anything needs fixing. This helps the hotel make smart decisions and fix problems quickly.
Challenges of Hotel Housekeeping Staff
Housekeeping teams face multiple challenges that can affect how well they do their job. Let's talk about the challenges of the housekeeping team.
- Running Out of Time: Sometimes, the cleaners don't have a lot of time, especially when many guests are coming and going quickly. This can make it hard to clean rooms properly because they have to work fast.
- Not Enough Staff or Too Much Work: It's important to have the right number of people doing the cleaning and make sure everyone has a fair amount of work. If there aren't enough staff or if the work is not divided well, it can make people tired, less productive, and unhappy.
- The trouble with Talking to Each Other: In hotels where people speak different languages, it can be hard for the cleaning staff to understand each other. This can lead to mistakes, confusion, and problems in giving good service.
- Keeping Things Clean: It's not easy to make sure everything in the hotel stays super clean all the time. There are many rooms and areas to clean, and it's important to pay attention to the small details. This needs ongoing training and making sure everyone is doing a good job.
- Dealing with Guest Requests and Problems: The cleaning staff has to be quick in responding to what guests ask for and solve any problems guests might have. This means they need good communication skills and be good at solving issues.
- Doing Many Things at Once: Cleaning teams have to do a lot of things at the same time, like cleaning many rooms, answering guest requests, and using different tools. This requires being good at managing time and doing several things together.
If the cleaning teams recognize these challenges and find ways to deal with them, they can do a better job, be more productive, and make sure guests are happy with their stay.
Overview of Hotel Housekeeping Software
Hotel housekeeping software is like a super-smart helper for the people who clean and manage rooms. It uses technology to make everything easier and better in the housekeeping department. Here are the cool things it does:
- Task Management: It helps the boss (executive housekeeper) give jobs to the cleaning staff, see how they're doing in real-time, and make sure everything gets done on time.
- Inventory Control: The software keeps track of all the stuff needed for cleaning, like soap, towels, and cleaning supplies. It can even order more automatically, so there's always enough but not too much.
- Communication and Teamwork: Everyone in the cleaning team can talk to each other using the software. They can ask for help, report problems, and ensure everything runs smoothly.
- Performance Tracking and Analytics: The boss can see how well each person and the whole team is doing. It helps them figure out what's going well and what needs improvement by looking at numbers and data.
- Mobile Access: The software works on phones and tablets. So, the cleaning staff can check their tasks, update their progress, and talk to others, even when they're moving around the hotel.
- Integration with Other Systems: The software can connect with other systems the hotel uses, like the one that manages bookings or the one guests use to send messages. This makes everything work together seamlessly.
How to Select a Housekeeping Software Solution for Your Business?
The market for hotel housekeeping software is really big and getting even bigger. According to research, it's worth $2.8 billion and is expected to grow to $4.7 billion in less than 10 years.
With so many options out there, it might be hard to choose the best software for your cleaning team. Here's how to make it easier:
- Check Important Features: When you look at different software options, make sure they have the important things you need, like handling guest requests, keeping track of reservations, and messaging. Also, see if it works well with your current system and if it can grow with your hotel.
- See if it Works with What You Already Have: The new software must fit well with what you already use. For example, it should work smoothly with your property management system (PMS), so all the data can be shared easily. Check if the software company has ways to connect with your existing technology.
- Listen to What Others Say: Find out what other hotels like yours think about the software. Read reviews from people who are using it and see if they say good things about how easy it is to use if the support is helpful, and if they are happy with the software overall. This can give you a good idea of what to expect.
By looking at these things, you can find software that not only makes your cleaning team's job easier but also fits well with what your hotel already does.
Xenia. No.1 Hotel Housekeeping Software
As one of the best hotel housekeeping software, Xenia makes overall hotel work easier and helps to avoid mistakes, making everything more productive.
It's simple to use and quick to learn.
With Xenia, you can easily see who's ready to work and give them jobs, whether you're in the office or somewhere else in the hotel.
Your teams can use digital checklists in Xenia to know what to do anytime, anywhere.
As they complete tasks, the system keeps a record of everything, making it easy to see how well everyone is doing and talk to each other. They can even add pictures and notes to explain things better, and everyone can stay connected using instant messaging.
If there's a quick question, your team can easily reach you or others with just a few taps, instead of running around the busy hotel or using loud radios. Live updates about room status make sure rooms are ready for guests when they arrive.
This is just the beginning of how Xenia can help your hotel. You can check out more resources or try a free demo to see how it can make your housekeeping management even better.
We're here to make your work smoother so you can focus on giving guests a great experience every time. Have a look at some of the key features that we have to offer.
Key Features
- Checklists & SOPs: Develop checklists, SOPs, inspections, and data logs to enhance accountability, and training, and provide clarity on each task.
- Inspection Audits: Other than housekeeping activities, your hotel might need safety inspection audits. Create and conduct inspection audits through dedicated work orders that can be deployed to multiple hotel locations simultaneously
- Recurring Tasks: Set up recurring schedules for daily openings and closings, performance review meetings, inspections, cleanings, and more.
- Chats & Announcements: Centralize team communication with in-task chats, one-on-one chats, team messages, and company-wide announcements.
- Team Accountability: Eliminate shortcuts and disorganized responsibilities by standardizing operations with Xenia. Communicate with teams on any device, track time, collect photos, and ensure high-quality work.
- Team Performance Reporting: Utilize Xenia's analytics dashboards to review staff work reports. Filter by asset, location, category, or due date and export the report in PDF or Excel.
- Work Orders: Generate work orders with details such as team, asset, location, priority, category, and due date. Monitor live progress reports, engage in team chats, and review template submissions, images, and notes to enhance operations.
- Preventive Maintenance: Create a preventive maintenance calendar to uphold asset uptime. Attach images, templates, videos, and notes to each task, assigning them to a team or individual for completion.
- Equipment Work History: Access the work history for every asset and sub-asset in Xenia. Review performance data and implement corrective actions to improve overall operations.
Pricing
- Free Plan: Free forever includes tasks & work orders, template builder, public template library, internal chats, parent assets, and locations.
- Starter Plan: Starting at $99/month for the first 15 users, includes a work calendar view, work reports, template reports, sub-assets, and sub-locations.
- Premium Plan: Starting at $199/month for the first 15 users, includes reporting dashboards, time and cost tracking, template branding, public form submissions, automated templates, and more.
- Custom Plan: You get unlimited users, a dedicated account manager, onboarding and implementation, and integrations.
Feel free to Book a Demo Today.
Conclusion
Apps for cleaning rooms are super important for hotels. They help things run smoothly, make communication clear, and make guests happy.
For hotels looking for a great app for cleaning, Xenia is a top choice. It's easy to use, has great features for managing tasks, and is all about making things work better.