Housekeeping Trends, Developments & Best Practices

Innovation in housekeeping improves efficiency

New technology and innovation in materials have emerged to significantly increase housekeeping efficiency and effectiveness with proven bottom line benefits.

Liz Lycette, now a leading international housekeeping consultant, says Housekeeping has not seen any fundamental changes for a number of decades. As housekeeping consultants we are working all over the globe and see a lot of stagnant housekeeping management. While technology has been introduced to literally all other departments in the hotel to enable more efficient processes with increasing sophistication, experienced housekeeping managers still rely on the same procedures and tools they have used when they started their careers.

An Interview with the Executive Housekeeper of the Sydney Harbour Marriott, Grace Esogon

Grace has been working closely for many months with The Salvation Army Employment Plus on a new employment and training scheme which creates great wins for both the Hotel and unemployed Australians, giving them hope for the future. I met with Grace to find out more about the scheme including all the pros and cons. By Liz Lycette

H1NI Influenza 09 (Human Swine Influenza): A Guide to Assist in the Quarantine of Your Guests

This guidance has been developed to advise managers of hotels or motels assisting in the quarantine of guests (contacts) of suspected or confirmed human cases of H1N1 influenza 09. It is primarily concerned with advising on safe cleaning procedures to minimise the small risk to staff and to minimise the risk of contamination of the environment by these contacts. By Communicable Diseases Network Australia.

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

A Greener Approach Starts with the Little Things

True or false: adopting a green campaign is a huge undertaking requiring a major commitment of resources? False. Greening up your facility mostly requires preplanning and some outside the box thinking, especially when it comes to the laundry room. By Randy F. Radtke.

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Practical Tips for Keeping Your Floors Looking Their Best Longer

Today, things around us change at a moments notice. The amount of soil changes as the number of people coming into your building increases; the surfaces change every time something gets painted or remodelled; and buildings that were built to serve as office buildings now have a small stove, refrigerator, and a microwave. Furthermore, it is a known fact that maintenance products and equipment change. By Lee LeMasters.

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Carpet Cleaning and Maintenance Explained

Surprisingly enough, carpet cleaning is now a very technical field. It not just a matter of pushing a pile of froth and bubbles around on carpet and hoping it will come clean. It requires a great deal of technical knowledge and skills in order to achieve a good result that will stay looking good for a long time. By Colin Nation, Woolsafe Australia.

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Fabrics and Fire Safety

Textiles have a visual effect and form a large part of an interiors design.Therefore it is important to know there are many fabrics that can accommodate various aspects of a concept. By Kate Durston, Specified Textiles

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Chute Cleaning

Are your guests complaining about recurring colds, allergic reactions, watery eyes and foul smells in landings and hallways? Chances are, it is time to have the air ducts of the hotel, trash chutes and compactor cleaned. By Hi-Tech Pressure Cleaning Services.

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Leather Cleaning

When Adam and Eve moved to the colder climates, they found that fig leaves just werent good enough as apparel to protect themselves from the cold. Most animals had nice furry coats and pretty soon leather had been discovered as an ideal material for making clothing, and even furnishings.

This article was first published in 'The Executive Housekeeper' magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Housekeeping Pest Control Issues From All Over The World

What are the major housekeeping challenges in Fiji, dubai and the states? Even though they are worlds apart, it just so happens they have similar issues – cats, birds and pests.

This article was first published in ‘The Executive Housekeeper’ magazine, the official publication of Australia's Executive Housekeeping associations. www.adbourne.com

Microfibre

Are you interested in saving 1 million liters of water a year? Are you keen to reduce the chemicals you are pumping into the environment and do you want to reduce work injuries of Room Attendants? Then the implementation of a full Microfibre cleaning system may be just want you need…

Housekeeping Staff Outsourcing

In today's competitive and cost conscious climate the option of outsourcing some or even all Housekeeping functions are potentially a very attractive business consideration. But how do you prepare for this huge task and work successfully on a daily basis while maintaining control of service quality, presentation standards, long-term property upkeep, and staff motivation? Leonie Looser, Executive Housekeeper of the Sydney Hilton (577 bedrooms and in-house laundry) shares her tips and advise on how to do it successfully…

100% Non-smoking Hotel

Turning a busy and large city hotel in an entirely smoke-free hotel requires courage, commitment and a very organised approach to preparation and implementation. The Westin Sydney did just that and Assumpta McDonald, Executive Housekeeper, shares her experience on the challenges and successes, steps required to do it successfully and how to follow through…

Housekeeping Management in India

Taj Hotels and Palaces Group hosts a corporate Housekeeping seminar for all their Housekeeping Managers. In a very different, fascinating and beautiful part of the world Liz realizes that Housekeeping challenges really are not all that different wherever in the world and many great best practices and tips were shared during the L&A workshops…

Hong Kong Hotel Association hosts Housekeeping Management workshop

The HKHA recognised the need for professional and specialised development of Housekeeping professionals to maintain the highest international standards in the competitive Asian hotel market and invited L&A to deliver their practical and interactive workshop providing new tips and tools on Housekeeping financial management, effective staff training and development, consistency of quality service and sharing of best practices…

At last! Industry relevant training for Senior Housekeeping staff

Senior Housekeeping staff training is often overlooked and sometimes assumed to happen through the mysterious and often extremely inefficient processes of 'experience'. L&A is addressing the need for an increase in performance of senior Housekeeping Department staff through their range of training courses, particularly with their 'External Development Program for Housekeeping Managers' by targeting three critical areas of operation: - profits, people and product…

Myths Busted

The Executive Housekeeper Magazine explores the function, role and recognition of the Housekeeping Department today and how it has changed over the years. Liz Lycette shares with passion her insights and experience of 25 years in Housekeeping and provides personal and professional tips…

Are your Housekeeping Department cuts actually costing you money?

Housekeeping Departments have one of the highest expenses and payroll budgets in all modern hotels operations. Attempts at savings by employing inexperienced or inadequately trained senior departmental staff invariably lead to inefficiencies in personnel management, resources control and a poorly prepared and presented property. The knowledge, experience and competence of the senior Housekeeping Managers are critical in ensuring the successful presentation of the hotel and ultimately the success of the owner's investment…

Insights into opening a 3,000 all-suite hotel - The Venetian Macao Resort and Hotel

The sheer scale of preparing for the opening the 3000 all-suites Venetian Resort and Hotel in Macao required a detailed and thorough training concept for all their Supervisors and Room Attendants. L&A's systematic training programme saw the initial 25 Supervisors and 200 Room Attendants recruits, mostly from Mainland China, turned into fully fledged 5* Hotel Professionals…

Me and My Mentor

Mentoring and developing young, aspiring hospitality students is very rewarding, especially when a bright and keen young person is smitten by the Housekeeping bug…

Executive Housekeeping Today

The Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School is pleased to announce its "Industry Stars" programme, inviting leading hospitality professional to lecture and speak to their students. L&A challenged some pre-conceived images and old-fashioned perceptions about Housekeeping and opening up the many possibilities of a career in Housekeeping Management today…