Hotel housekeeping checklist
A printable housekeeping checklist your inspectors can actually score.
Departure, stayover, public-area and inspection lines written as verifiable actions, each with a time range. Print it for the linen room, then use the same minutes in the staffing calculator so your quality standard and your labor plan agree.
Departure room
A full reset of a checked-out room. Work top down and back to front so finished surfaces stay clean.
Entry and strip
3–5 min- Knock three times, announce housekeeping, wait 10 seconds
- Prop door, park cart against the frame, lights and drapes open
- Check for guest belongings and log lost and found
- Strip bed linen and terry into the soiled bag, never onto the floor
- Empty all bins and replace liners
Bathroom
7–10 min- Apply bowl and surface chemical, allow stated dwell time
- Clean mirror, vanity, sink, and fixtures top down
- Scrub tub or shower walls, door track, and drain
- Wipe toilet base, seat hinges, and behind the bowl
- Restock amenities, tissue, and two spare toilet rolls
- Fold terry to brand standard and hang on rails
- Mop or wipe floor exiting the room
Bedroom and living area
8–12 min- Make bed: fitted sheet, flat sheet, duvet, pillow count per standard
- Check mattress protector and pillow protectors for stains
- Dust high to low: vents, art frames, headboard, lamps, sills, skirting
- Disinfect high-touch points: switches, remote, handles, phone, thermostat
- Restock coffee, cups, glassware, notepad, pen, and collateral
- Reset furniture, drapes, and HVAC to arrival setting
Final inspection pass
2–3 min- Stand in the doorway and scan the room the way a guest enters
- Check for odor, hair in the bathroom, and dust on the TV screen
- Confirm TV welcome screen, safe open, and iron and board stowed
- Log maintenance defects in the PMS before leaving
- Mark the room clean and vacant in the PMS or mobile app
Stayover and no-service rooms
Occupied rooms take less time but carry more service rules. Track no-service rooms: they roll into tomorrow’s workload.
Stayover service
12–18 min- Do not move or handle guest belongings beyond straightening
- Refresh linen per brand standard or on guest request
- Clean and restock bathroom, replace used terry only
- Empty bins, dust visible surfaces, disinfect high-touch points
- Vacuum open floor areas and reset the entry
Refresh or no-service door
4–6 min- Honor Do Not Disturb and record the time attempted
- Deliver requested terry and amenities to the door only
- Report any no-service room passing 48 hours to the manager on duty
Public areas and houseman rounds
Public-area minutes are the line most boards forget, and the reason housemen end up covering rooms.
Public areas and houseman rounds
per round- Lobby glass, seating, and entry mats
- Guest corridors: vacuum, spot walls, clear trays, straighten signage
- Elevators: track, panel, mirror, and floor
- Public restrooms on a timed round with an initialed log
- Fitness room: wipe equipment, refill towels and sanitizer
- Pool deck and breakfast area resets between peaks
- Linen room, cart par restock, and trash and linen chute runs
How to time your own rooms in one week
- Pick three attendants and time five departures and five stayovers each, clock-in to room-marked-clean, including cart set-up and travel to the next door.
- Throw out the fastest and slowest room of each type, then take the median rather than the average so one difficult room does not set your standard.
- Time suites and deep cleans separately; they are the room types that break a flat average.
- Time one full public-area round and record it as total houseman minutes for the day.
- Enter those medians as your minutes per room type and save them as a brand standard.
The time ranges printed on this checklist are planning starting points for typical limited- and select-service rooms, not measured results from your property. Replace them with your own medians before you staff against them. Then set a quota with the rooms per housekeeper calculator and check the standard held with the productivity calculator.
Open the housekeeping staffing calculator