Room attendant

Room attendants are responsible for cleaning and servicing guest rooms in order to provide a pleasant and comfortable experience for guests. They ensure that all rooms are inviting and clean and they address all guest queries politely and knowledgeably.

The duties of a room attendant include, but are not limited to:

• Greeting guests and responding to queries.
• Changing bed linen and making beds.
• Replacing used towels and other bathroom amenities, such as shampoo and soap.
• Sweeping and mopping floors.
• Vacuuming carpets.
• Dusting and polishing furniture.
• Emptying trash containers and ashtrays.
• Restocking beverages and food items in the minibar.
• Cleaning public areas, such as corridors.
• Reporting any technical issues and maintenance needs.
• Updating status of guest rooms on assignment sheet.
• Returning and restocking cleaning cart at shift end.

The work environment of room attendants can vary for different employers, but these professionals usually work in hotels or motels. They can work standard, 40-hour workweeks, but some also enjoy flexible part-time schedules. Often, they work alone with little supervision.

Room attendants sometimes work in close contact with cleaning chemicals, requiring them to follow safety regulations and use protective gear like gloves. Physical movement is a significant part of the job, as they may move furniture and use cleaning equipment.

The following job titles also refer to room attendant:

rooms person
housekeeping worker
chamber maid
housekeeper
chambermaid

No formal educational credential is required to work as room attendant. However, a high school diploma is often preferred by many emloyers.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Room attendant is a Skill level 1 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to room attendant.

linen room attendant
doorman/doorwoman
hotel porter
locker room attendant
toilet attendant

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of room attendant. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of room attendant with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

amusement park cleaner
hotel butler
beauty salon attendant
bed and breakfast operator
hotel concierge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of room attendant.

• Health and safety regulations: Necessary health, safety, hygiene and environmental standards and legislation rules in the sector of particular activity.

These skills are necessary for the role of room attendant.

• Comply with food safety and hygiene: Respect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.
• Handle customer complaints: Administer complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.
• Ensure compliance with company regulations: Guarantee that employees’ activities follow company regulations, as implemented through client and corporate guidelines, directives, policies and programmes.
• Handle chemical cleaning agents: Ensure proper handling, storage and disposal of cleaning chemicals in accordance with regulations.
• Maintain linen operation: Keep daily operations of a linen stock, including its distribution, maintenance, rotation and storage.
• Maintain customer service: Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
• Clean rooms: Clean rooms by cleaning glasswork and windows, polishing furniture, vacuuming carpets, scrubing hard floors, and removing garbage.
• Attend to hygiene

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of room attendant. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Cleaning products: The ingredients used in the development of cleaning products, their properties and risks.
• Cleaning techniques: Various techniques and tools used to clean different types of surfaces to achieve a certain degree of cleanliness such as sweeping, vacuuming, degreasing and wet cleaning.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of room attendant. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Manage supplies: Monitor and control the flow of supplies that includes the purchase, storage and movement of the required quality of raw materials, and also work-in-progress inventory. Manage supply chain activities and synchronise supply with demand of production and customer.
• Order supplies: Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.
• Greet guests: Welcome guests in a friendly manner in a certain place.
• Clean furniture: Remove dirt, marks and other unwanted material from furniture.
• Service rooms: Offer room service and, where appropriate, service public areas, including cleaning surfaces, bathrooms, replacing linen and towels and restocking guest items.
• Maintain the cleanliness of the toilet facilities: Clean the toilets and wipe the sinks, mirrors and cubicle furniture according to the required standards, providing special attention to details.
• Collect items for laundry service: Collect the dirty pieces of clothing or other linen within the facility and send them to the laundry service.
• Clean building floors: Clean the floors and stairways of buildings by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping them, according to hygienic and organisational standards.
• Clean glass surfaces: Use cleaning products to clean any surface covered by glass.
• Make the beds: Clean sheets, turn mattresses, plump pillows and change cushions.

9112 – Cleaners and helpers in offices, hotels and other establishments

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References

1. ESCO
2. What is a Room Attendant? Roles and Responsibilities | Indeed.com Australia
3. Room Attendant Job Description – Betterteam
4. Featured image: Photo by cottonbro