Hotel Housekeeping SOP Template

1.Purpose

To make sure every guest room is cleaned, restocked, inspected and released to the front desk to the same standard, safely and on time.

2.Scope

Applies to all guest rooms and suites, for both departure (checkout) and stayover cleans. Public areas, laundry and turndown service are covered by separate SOPs.

Definitions

Departure clean

A full clean of a room after the guest has checked out, including a complete linen change.

Stayover clean

A lighter daily service for an occupied room, following the guest's linen and towel preferences.

DND

Do Not Disturb. A sign or door light showing the guest does not want the room entered.

Room status

The code in the property management system (PMS) that shows whether a room is occupied, vacant dirty, vacant clean or inspected.

3.Responsibilities

Room Attendant

Cleans and restocks assigned rooms to standard and reports defects, lost property and safety issues.

Floor Supervisor

Assigns rooms, inspects cleaned rooms, releases them in the PMS and coaches attendants.

Front Desk Agent

Shares the room status report, flags early arrivals and VIPs, and receives released rooms.

Maintenance Technician

Fixes defects reported by housekeeping and confirms when a room is back in service.

RACI matrix

R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed

4.Materials and PPE

Materials, tools and systems

• →Housekeeping trolley with linen, towels and amenities
• →Color-coded microfiber cloths (bathroom and bedroom)
• →Approved cleaning and disinfecting chemicals with labels
• →Vacuum cleaner
• →Room status report or PMS mobile app
• →Room cleaning checklist
• →Lost property log and bags

Personal protective equipment

• →Disposable nitrile gloves
• →Non-slip closed shoes
• →Apron or uniform

5.Procedure

1. 5.1

   Collect room assignments and status

   Room Attendant

   At the start of the shift, collect your room list from the floor supervisor and check the room status report for departures, stayovers, early arrivals and VIP rooms.

   Checkpoint: Departure rooms with early arrivals are cleaned first.

2. 5.2

   Prepare and stock the trolley

   Room Attendant

   Stock the trolley with enough linen, towels, amenities and chemicals for your rooms. Check that every chemical bottle is labeled and that cloths are sorted by color.

   Warning: Never mix cleaning chemicals or use unlabeled bottles.

3. 5.3

   Knock, announce and enter

   Room Attendant

   Knock three times, say "Housekeeping", wait, then repeat once before entering. Leave the door open with the trolley across the doorway while you work.

   Checkpoint: Do not enter rooms showing DND. Note the time on your room list and tell the supervisor if DND is still on by the hotel's cut-off time.

4. 5.4

   Ventilate and remove rubbish

   Room Attendant

   Open curtains and windows where possible, switch on lights to check for faults, and remove rubbish, used cups and room service trays.

5. 5.5

   Strip beds and check for belongings

   Room Attendant

   Strip used linen and towels into the soiled linen bag. Shake out each item and check under pillows, beds and in drawers for guest belongings.

   Warning: Watch for needles or broken glass in linen. Report sharps to the supervisor instead of handling them.

6. 5.6

   Clean the bathroom

   Room Attendant

   Wearing gloves and using the bathroom cloth color, apply disinfectant and clean from top to bottom: mirror, sink, shower or bath, then toilet last. Mop the floor from the far corner toward the door.

   Checkpoint: No hair, water marks or soap residue on any surface.

7. 5.7

   Make the beds

   Room Attendant

   Make beds with fresh linen to the hotel standard: tight corners, pillows arranged, bedspread straight. For stayovers, follow the guest's linen reuse card.

8. 5.8

   Dust, restock and vacuum

   Room Attendant

   Dust surfaces from high to low, restock amenities, glasses and stationery for the room type, then vacuum the carpet starting from the far wall and working toward the door.

9. 5.9

   Log lost property

   Room Attendant

   Place any items left by a departed guest in a lost property bag. Record the room number, date, time, item description and your name in the lost property log, and hand the item to the floor supervisor within 30 minutes.

   Checkpoint: Valuables such as cash, jewelry, passports and electronics are handed over immediately, never left on the trolley.

10. 5.10

    Report defects

    Room Attendant

    Report anything broken, leaking or not working in the PMS or maintenance log with the room number and a short description. Mark the room out of order if it cannot be sold.

11. 5.11

    Final check and update room status

    Room Attendant

    Walk the room once from the door, check lights, air conditioning, TV and the room checklist, close windows and curtains, then set the room to "vacant clean" in the PMS.

12. 5.12

    Inspect and release the room

    Floor Supervisor

    Inspect the room against the checklist. If it passes, set it to "inspected" so the front desk can sell it. If it fails, send it back to the attendant with the specific items to fix.

    Checkpoint: VIP and early-arrival rooms are inspected within 15 minutes of being marked clean.

6.Quality checks

• →Supervisor inspects 100% of departure rooms and a sample of stayover rooms every shift.
• →Bathroom surfaces pass a white-glove touch test on mirrors, taps and toilet.
• →Amenities match the standard list for the room type.
• →Room status in the PMS matches the physical room condition during spot checks.

7.Records

• →Room cleaning checklist, signed by the attendant
• →Room inspection results in the PMS
• →Lost property log
• →Maintenance defect reports

8.KPIs

• →Average minutes per departure clean
• →First-time inspection pass rate
• →Rooms released before the standard check-in time
• →Guest cleanliness score from reviews and surveys

9.Common mistakes

• →Using the same cloth in the bathroom and the bedroom.
• →Marking a room clean in the PMS before the final walk-through.
• →Leaving found valuables on the trolley instead of handing them over.
• →Skipping under-bed and drawer checks on departure rooms.

10.Revision history