Housekeeping

Teaching Aim: The organization of the Housekeeping Department Services provided by the Housekeeping Department How to do the turn-down service How to deal with the guest’s problems

New Words & Expressions Housekeeping 客房服务 Room Center　　　房务中心　 turn-down service　做晚床　　　　　　　 housekeeper 客房部经理 room board 排房板 houseman 杂务工 DND　＝＝ (Do Not Disturb.) 　　　　　　　请勿打扰！ baby-sitting　　拖婴服务 check-out room 走房 PA cleaner　公共场所保洁员 plumber 　　水暖工

Name all the facilities in the guestroom Tea table 　茶几 Pillow　　　枕头 Chest drawers　五斗柜 Sofa　　　　沙发 Cups　　　　茶杯 TV set　　　 电视机 Curtain 窗帘 French window 落地窗 Floor lamp 落地灯 Mirror 镜子 Lamp 灯 Bedside table 床头柜

Questions What to say when the room attendant knocks at the guestroom door. When to do the turn-down service

Dialogue: the Turn-down Service (The room attendant (A) knocks at the door and comes in to do the turn-down service for the guest (G).) A: Housekeeping. May I come in? G: Yes, please. A: Good evening, sir. May I do the turn-down service for you now? G: What do you mean by turn-down service? A: For turn-down service , I’ll switch on certain lights, draw the curtains, make up your bed, empty the waste bin… G: I’ve just taken a bath. The bathroom is quite a mess now. The shampoo is spilt. The towels are dirty. The sink needs wiping. And the toilet roll has been finished. A: No problem, sir. I’ll tidy it up. G: One more thing, the minibar needs refilling. A: I’ll have someone refill it right away. G: Thank you very much.

Questions What to say when the room attendant knocks at the guestroom door. When to do the turn-down service Housekeeping. May I come in? In the evening.

Tell What A Room Attendant Should Do And Should Not Do While Making up the Guestroom Vacuuming the carpet ( ) Changing linens ( ) Collecting the guest’s laundries and sending them to the laundry department ( ) Replacing the toilet needs and toilet facilities ( ) Refilling the minibar ( ) Drawing the curtains close ( ) Answering phone calls and taking message if the guest is not in ( ) Looking after the guest’s child on request ( ) Providing such things on request as blanket, extra bed, etc ( ) Hanging the DND sign outside after finishing cleaning the room ( ) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Chamber Service (when something is wrong) ( Mrs. Grant (G) rings the Room Center for something urgent. The room attendant (A) comes to her room.) A: What can I do for you, madam? G: Just now I was about to take a shower, but no hot water came out. A: Oh, I’m sorry. May I have a look? G: Go ahead, please. A: Mrs. Grant, those shower controls are difficult to use. Did you pull the handle out and move it to the right? G: No, I didn’t. A: Now, could you please try it again? G: Oh, I can handle it now. Thank you.

Housekeeping Housekeeping is the heart of the hotel industry, though it does not generate sales directly, as do the Food & Beverage Dept. and the Sales Dept. The entire hotel depends on the smooth, efficient management of the Housekeeping Dept. If there is no Housekeeping Dept., a hotel can’t operate. The person in charge is the executive housekeeper. His or her duties and responsibilities call for exceptional leadership, organization, motivation, and commitment to maintaining high standards. The three major areas of responsibilities for him or her are as follows: Cleanliness and servicing of the guestroom and public areas Leadership of people, equipment, and supplies Records keeping The housekeeping Dept.’s responsibility does not end with cleaning. Housekeepers are responsible for guest satisfaction, whether making sure that special requests for items such as extra pillows or hair dryers are met, or scheduling public area cleaning so as to minimize disturbance to guests. And the smooth functioning of the room is one of the focuses of the department. This may include other guest services, such as early morning tea, guest laundry, baby-sitting and other personal services.

Questions 1. What does the entire hotel depend on? 2. What is the main duty of the executive housekeeper? 3. Why do we say that the housekeeping Dept.’s responsibility does not end with cleaning?

Summary 1. Some facilities in a guestroom 2. How to do the turn-down service 3. How to deal with the guest’s problems