Theft of housekeeping supplies is detrimental to the department’s bottom line. Here are some suggestions to help housekeeping managers minimize housekeeping losses.
- Keep housekeeping closets and storage rooms locked. Some guests will seize an opportunity to raid supplies. Restrict access to storage areas to the housekeeping staff assigned to that floor.
- Avoid leaving stocked housekeeping carts in the hallway unattended. Restock carts at frequent intervals through the day, or consider investing in carts with locking covers, drawers, and panels.
- Only replace bed and bath linens in stayover rooms on a “one-for-one” basis. If a guest requests extra sheets or towels, these extra linens should be recorded in the daily linen/amenity disbursement log for special requests.
- Have room attendants count the number of bed and bath linens retrieved from checked out rooms. They should immediately report any discrepancies to their supervisor or the front desk for follow up.
- Conduct monthly linen and amenity inventories. Keep records of these inventories to analyze for spikes in use or replacement that are not warranted by a correlated occupancy. Maintain a “linen discard record” for sheets and towels removed from service.
Dr. William D. Frye is an associate professor of hotel management at Niagara University and coauthor of AH&LEI’s textbook Managing Housekeeping Operations.
