Housekeeping Operations and Accommodation Management
This domain covers housekeeping and accommodation management: cleaning standards, linen and laundry, lost and found, safety and sustainability. The exam asks for sequence, hygiene reasons and correct guest-room etiquette.
Core standards
Housekeeping protects guest health, comfort and asset life. A checkout room is cleaned in a logical sequence to avoid re-soiling: inspect, strip linen, dust high to low, clean the bathroom, vacuum, restock and make a final inspection. Use colour-coded cloths; bathroom cloths never clean drinking glasses or bedroom surfaces.
Linen, lost property and safety
Linen is counted and segregated; stained or torn linen is removed. Lost and found items are logged, sealed and stored, not given informally. Wet floors need warning signs; cleaning chemicals are stored away from food and children.
Worked example
A guest checks out and leaves a phone charger. Reasoning: housekeeping logs the date, room, finder and description, seals the item and sends it to lost and found; front office contacts the guest. The charger is not thrown away or taken by staff. If the guest claims it, verify the description and ID before release.
Traps that cost marks
Cleaning the bathroom first and then the bedroom with the same cloth; ignoring a Do Not Disturb sign; skipping the lost-and-found log; and using guest towels for cleaning.
Key points
- Clean high to low and dry before wet where practical.
- Use colour-coded cloths and never cross-use bathroom cloths.
- Log and seal lost property.
- Respect Do Not Disturb signs.
- Segregate stained or torn linen.