Room Attendant - Housekeeping

As a Room Attendant, your job title varies - you may see adverts for “room maids” and “chambermaids” - and the work you undertake depends on the style of the hotel. Whereas it may take an hour or longer to service a luxury suite with a sunken Jacuzzi, it will be much quicker to service a room with basic furnishings, and you will be expected to cover more within your shift.

High standards of cleanliness are extremely important to hotel guests, and a methodical approach is essential for you to achieve this. You will need to avoid spreading bacteria from dirty surfaces to clean ones, and complete all of your tasks within a reasonable time. When you have finished, the room must look exactly right and welcoming to the guest, with everything in place - toiletries replenished, the mini-bar restocked and so forth.

Your duties may also include cleaning public areas of the hotel, and this is usually done very early in the morning when no one is about. Special cleaning tasks also have to be done at regular intervals, such as shampooing furniture and carpets, or damp dusting high surfaces.

Guests will expect to see you looking well turned out, to greet them pleasantly and help them with any enquiries they may have. There will be procedures to follow for lost property, making beds and every other cleaning and servicing task, such as checking the room for faulty or damaged equipment and dealing with customer complaints. These tasks will vary according to whether or not the room has been vacated.

You may also be responsible for “self-checking”, which means you must check your own rooms (subject to spot checks by the floor or head housekeeper). In some hotels, the room attendants work in teams, so that one person strips the beds, another cleans the bathrooms and so on, and you will need to liaise with reception so they know when rooms are available to re-let.

Hygienic working practices are important to prevent risks to your own health, as are safe working methods when using cleaning materials, equipment, and when lifting or moving. Another key concern is security: for yourself, the guests, and their property (along with that of the hotel). You will have a key or key card to let you into all the guest rooms in your area, and will be expected to keep this with you at all times.

• Hotels