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Even if your hotel is in an excellent location, the breakfast is delicious and the wellness area has plenty to offer, a poorly cleaned hotel room may cause your guests to forget all the positive aspects of their stay and become dissatisfied instead. One thing is clear: that first impression counts – and begins as soon as your guest sets foot in the lobby. Cleanliness and hygiene are therefore particularly important in the hotel industry – from check-in to check-out.
In theory, hotel cleaning can be done internally by your own housekeeping staff. The advantage: as a hotel, you have more control over the work done and can ensure quality control through housekeeping management and internal room audits. Alternatively, you can outsource the cleaning to an external service provider in order to reduce personnel costs.
In any case, hotel cleaning plans and checklists are crucial – for both management and staff. We'll show you what these should include and make it easy to create your own hotel checklists with our downloadable templates.
Which areas of the hotel should be cleaned?
All areas accessible to guests and belonging to the hotel must be cleaned. These include:
Guest rooms
Restaurant and kitchen as well as dining areas
Conference rooms, lounge areas, e.g. the lobby or hotel bar
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Wellness areas
Outdoor areas
Well-maintained hotel rooms are a must
Whether it's for a vacation or business trip: hotel rooms are the place where your guests can unwind after a day's worth of activities or simply retreat. Guests therefore expect a quiet, tidy and clean room – and of course you should never let them down with regards to this expectation.
For cleaning staff, this means making beds, changing towels, checking that consumables - such as the shampoo in the shower - are full and, if empty, refilling them. In order for your staff to clean all hotel rooms, all of this often has to be done in a short period of time.
Checklists not only help you keep track of your progress, but also help you stick to the cleaning deadlines – without compromising on quality.
By the way, clean rooms also prevent negative hotel reviews. An investment in cleaning is therefore also an investment in your positive reputation.
When are hotel rooms cleaned?
Hotel rooms are typically cleaned after check-out and daily during a guest's stay.
After check-out
Once a guest has checked out, the room must be prepared for the next guest. As opposed to daily housekeeping, final cleaning requires more time. That means the beds need to be freshly made, the towels and bathrobes need to be replaced and any toiletries need to be replenished. To ensure that the room is hygienic in addition to clean, thorough disinfection is carried out during check-out cleaning.
During the hotel stay
With "stayovers", i.e. when a guest continues their stay, rooms are usually cleaned daily. The good thing: daily housekeeping takes on average 40 percent less time than the final cleaning at check-out. Instead of changing the sheets, beds just need to be made. Even toiletries often only need to be checked instead of replaced.
Your staff will only clean rooms during a guest's stay when they are not present.
A cleaning plan creates order
To ensure that your staff can clean all rooms according to plan, housekeeping management usually provides in-house employees with a checklist showing the order and urgency of the rooms. If cleaning is outsourced to an external service provider, their staff will also receive a cleaning plan.
This cleaning schedule allocates responsibilities and also records cleaning times and the appropriate cleaning products.
A personal checklist pays off
Increased efficiency , as each cleaning specialist adheres to the set procedure
Reduced risk of areas being overlooked or missed – similar to a detailed cleaning concept
Consistent quality, because everyone adheres to the same standard
Your staff needs the right cleaning materials
To ensure your staff can work efficiently, the appropriate materials – i.e. cleaning equipment and agents – should be on-hand at all times.
It is often worth introducing a color-coded system that shows your team which cleaning products are suitable for which area.
Checklist for daily hotel room cleaning
Before cleaning the room
Check whether the cleaning cart is complete (according to standards)
Check vacuum cleaner
Autonomous robot vacuum cleaners clean the floor thoroughly and efficiently - especially useful during peak times as they work independently, giving your cleaning staff more time for other tasks.
Before entering the room, knock, wait and only open the door if no guest is present
Check door locking system
During cleaning
Open windows and curtains, remove any odors
Move doormats aside
Empty trash can and wastepaper basket
Make beds
Provide new towels
Take used towels with you
Clean all surfaces, including furniture and lamps
Disinfect high-use surfaces and areas
Wipe dust, even in hard-to-reach and hidden places
Vacuum and mop the floor
Clean bathrooms, including toilets, sinks, shower
If applicable: clean balcony and terrace area
Checklist for cleaning hotel bathrooms
Empty hygiene waste bins
Clean the toilet with a separate cloth and all-purpose cleaner. Empty excess water in the toilet brush holder.
Clean the sink, shower and/or bathtub including fixtures
Clean mirrors
Removing stains
Mop the floor
Clean and refill guest supplies
Change towels
Refill toilet paper
Checklist for regular cleaning
At longer but regular intervals, your cleaning staff should also clean the windows to give your guests a streak-free view.
If there's carpet, it also needs periodic deep cleaning. That way you can remove coarse dirt and ensure that the carpet remains hygienic even when walking barefoot.
After room cleaning
If rooms are clean and tidy, the cleaning is almost done. To ensure that everything runs just as smoothly the next day, your team should make some preparations. This includes:
Fill out cleaning log
Empty vacuum cleaner
Take dirty items to the laundry room
Dispose of garbage
Fill up cleaning carts, clean cleaning materials (cleaning rags, etc.)
Inform housekeeping management about completion of cleaning
Download our template for your hotel cleaning plan
Our template makes it easy to create your own checklist and hotel guide.
Quality assurance of hotel room cleaning
Housekeeping management is responsible for ensuring the quality of cleaning – ideally through room inspections. Such inspections involve first and foremost checking the condition of the guest rooms: has everything been done according to the checklist?
In addition, management should also pay attention to the following points:
Do cleaning specialists wear appropriate work clothes and protective equipment?
Is all work equipment in working condition?
Are the cleaning products used correctly?
These inspections should not take much time to keep the entire cleaning process efficient. The good thing: cleaning plans and checklists are an asset here too.
That's why room inspections are so important
With room inspections you ensure that rooms meet the hotel's standards. This ensures good service and prevents your guests from becoming dissatisfied due to a poor cleaning job.
Support your team and keep them up-to-date
Those who are well trained and receive ongoing training usually do good work. Therefore, regularly update your internal cleaning staff – for the satisfaction of your staff and even more satisfied guests.
Conclusion: careful cleaning equals better ratings
Carefully planned and executed hotel room cleaning ensures that your guests feel comfortable, are more likely to leave a good review, perhaps recommend your hotel to others or come back themselves.
Cleaning plans and checklists make both planning and execution easier. They prevent out-of-order rooms, ensure that everyone adheres to standards and make the entire process more efficient.