Guest Room Cleaning and Preparation
The sequence matters more than the speed
Room attendants are judged on a repeatable sequence, because a missed step is invisible until a guest finds it. Learn the standard order: announce and enter, ventilate, strip and inspect the bed, make the bed, dust from high to low, clean glass and mirrors, restock, vacuum last, then do a final walk-through. Questions test whether you know why the order exists. Dusting high-to-low stops debris landing on already-cleaned surfaces; vacuuming last catches dust and lint from bed-making; restocking after cleaning avoids contaminating fresh supplies.
Bed-making and linen
Know the parts of a bed: mattress, mattress pad or protector, fitted sheet, flat sheet or duvet, pillows with protectors and cases. Traps include putting a stained or torn linen item back on the bed, and forgetting to check under the mattress pad. If linen is damaged, remove it from service and report it, never hide it.
Traps to expect
- Skipping the announcement: always knock, pause, and call out before entering, even if the room appears empty.
- Cleaning around personal belongings: do not move guest items more than necessary; never read, open, or rearrange documents, luggage, or medication.
- Forgetting the check-out standard: a departure room gets a full deep clean; a stayover room gets tidying, trash, and linen change per policy.
- Overlooking hidden zones: under the bed, behind the nightstand, inside the closet, the top of the TV, light switches, remote control, and door handles.
Rule of thumb
Work top to bottom, back to front, dry before wet, and clean to dirty - and finish every room with the same "guest's eye view" check from the doorway before you leave.
Worked example
You find a used glass on the nightstand and a hair on the pillowcase. Correct action: replace the pillowcase with clean linen, remove the glass and replace it with a sanitized wrapped one, and note the linen issue if the case was soiled rather than simply used. Do not wipe the glass with a room cloth and return it.