Housekeeping is where most of a hotel's labour cost goes and where most check-in delays start. The workflow is simple on paper and messy in practice because the front desk and the floors do not see the same information at the same time.
The statuses that matter
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dirty (departure) | Guest left, full clean needed |
| Stayover | Guest staying, service clean |
| Cleaning | An attendant is in the room |
| Clean | Cleaned, waiting for inspection (if you inspect) |
| Inspected / Ready | Can be given to an arriving guest |
| Out of order | Not sellable (maintenance) |
Six is enough. Hotels that use fifteen codes end up with attendants who only use three.
The order of the day
- Departures with an arrival today, early arrival first. These block check-in.
- Other departures. They free rooms for walk-ins and upgrades.
- Stayovers. Guests out of the room; do not knock at 8:00.
- Out of order and deep cleans. Only when the above are done.
Staffing math
A departure clean takes 30-40 minutes, a stayover 15-20. For a day with 40 departures and 55 stayovers:
| Minutes | |
|---|---|
| 40 departures x 35 min | 1,400 |
| 55 stayovers x 18 min | 990 |
| Total | 2,390 min = 39.8 hours |
| Attendants on 7.5-hour shifts | 5.3, so 6 attendants |
The number that matters is departures, not occupancy: a 90% occupied hotel with few departures needs fewer attendants than a 70% hotel on a changeover day.
Why the board should be on a phone
When the board is printed at 8:00, every change after that (an early check-out, a room swap, a late arrival cancelled) travels by walkie-talkie or not at all. When the attendant changes a room to "Clean" on a phone, reception sees it the same second and can check the guest in. That single change removes most "your room is not ready yet" moments.
FrontDesk gives the housekeeping role a mobile page with only today's rooms (arrivals, departures, stayovers) and one tap per status change; housekeeping users cannot see reservations, revenue or settings.
Simple hotel property management software for independent hotels, chains and groups.