The expected increase in demand for hotel rooms in 2025 is a good news/bad news story for many hoteliers. Everyone’s happy with higher occupancy, but finding the staff to serve the rising influx of guests is a challenge. More than ever, it is essential to understand the mindset of housekeepers to provide the best workplace and build a great team.
Housekeepers prefer daily room cleanings
Housekeeping professionals say daily room cleanings make their job easier, not harder. And guests value cleanliness—it’s that simple. The American Hotel & Lodging Association found that implementing enhanced cleaning regimens is the most important step hotels can take to make their guests more comfortable. Cleanliness tied with location as the second-most important factor influencing a customer’s choice of where to stay, following price.
Housekeepers take pride in their work
The best housekeeping staff are efficient and detail oriented. They take direction well but can work independently to get rooms turned. They need to be able to communicate well with their manager. Beneath those skills lies another more important characteristic: pride in the property and a job well done.
Housekeepers appreciate technology
Technology streamlines scheduling and reduces lost time going between floors. Tech devices also make a room attendant’s job safer. In Chicago, 58 percent of hotel workers reported they have been sexually harassed by guests in the workplace, leading to the passage of the city’s “Hands Off, Pants On” ordinance that requires hotels to provide panic buttons to their room attendants (unitehere1.org/hopo/). Hotel managers who address this real concern of housekeeping staff can build loyalty among them.
Housekeepers want appreciation and recognition
If staff wages cannot be increased, being creative with incentives can help. The Prince George Hotel Halifax, for example, hides small tokens in hard-to-clean areas. The room attendant who finds the largest number at the end of the month or year wins a valuable prize. Other hoteliers simply share positive guest reviews about staff members on the in-house information screens. Providing personal kudos to a room attendant in the daily huddle can also help team members feel noticed and appreciated.
Housekeepers want flexibility
For many employees, especially those juggling family demands along with their jobs, schedule flexibility is even more important than how much they’re paid. Operators who embrace schedule flexibility see their employees as individuals with lives outside of work, and that respect is paid back in loyalty.
Many hoteliers are turning to temporary staffing to address the fluctuating need for housekeeping staff. If your team is considering this option, here are two recommendations: Look for a company that understands what hotels need and will listen to your specific requirements. Even more importantly, look for a company that classifies their workers as W2 employees, not 1099 independent contractors.
