A hotel housekeeper is an employee of a hotel who is responsible for keeping rooms and other areas of the establishment clean. It is preferred that hotel housekeepers have a high school diploma or equivalent before applying for a job, though this is not typically a requirement. Most hotels are willing to train a new housekeeper.
A hotel housekeeper will typically be responsible for cleaning rooms in the hotel every day, with a particularly thorough cleaning after guests check out on their last day. On a day to day basis, cleaning rooms may involve making beds, swapping used towels for fresh ones, cleaning and disinfecting the bathroom and providing new toiletries as provided by the hotel, vacuuming the carpet, and taking the trash away. When a guest checks out, a hotel housekeeper will change the sheets on the bed and polish the furniture. In addition, the housekeeper will take any forgotten items to lost and found.
While a hotel housekeeper is cleaning, he or she takes account of the room and notices whether or not everything is working properly. If a light bulb is burned out, for instance, she may be responsible for replacing it, or for calling maintenance to fix a light fixture. Hotel housekeepers may be responsible for keeping the rest of the hotel looking nice as well, by vacuuming the carpeting found in stairs, hallways, conference rooms, and the lobby, among other areas. It might also be necessary to clean the furniture or the windows.
Some hotel housekeepers work in the laundry department of a hotel. Depending on the size of the hotel, they may only work in the laundry department, or they may work there in addition to their cleaning responsibilities. In this area, the hotel housekeeper will need to efficiently wash and dry sheets, towels, and other linens that need to be cleaned, and will restock linen carts.
To become a hotel housekeeper, simply fill out an application to apply for the job. Housekeeping is a physically demanding line of work, so it is a good idea to be in fairly good physical shape. In addition, it is necessary to be discreet, and able to respect the privacy of the guests in the hotel, but hotel housekeepers rarely interact with guests personally. Hotel housekeepers typically work full time, and may be required to wear a uniform as well. Housekeepers who excel in their work may be able to move up to a supervisory or managerial position in housekeeping.