LESSON 5: Housekeeping Terminologies

Topics: Housekeeping Terminologies and Abbreviation

TERMINOLOGIES AND ABBREVIATION FOR HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

ADJOINING ROOMS : Two or more rooms grouped side by side and sharing a common entrance door
CONNECTING DOORS : Two adjoining rooms accessible to one another by a connecting door between
them.
KING BED : A guest room bed at PH room that can accommodates two (2) persons and larger than
queen bed.
TWIN BED : A guest room bed at master room suites that can accommodate a maximum of two persons.
Indicates two (2) single beds.
QUEEN BED : A guest room bed at master room suites that can accommodate one (1) persons and
larger than single bed.
SINGLE : A guest room bed intended for only one person. Indicates a single (1) bed.
DOUBLE BED : A type of bed that bigger than a single but smaller than a queen bed.
EXTRA BED : A type of bed that can be easily transport to the guest room as guest .Intended for only
one person.
COT/ CRIB : A baby bed.
FORECAST : Daily, weekly, monthly forecast of number of room to be occupied or how many Guests we
are expecting to have at a given date. Forecasts come from reservations office.
BOOKED TO CAPACITY : Refers to a situation when the hotel has accepted the maximum number of
reservations.
MANIFEST : List of guest names in details.
NO-SHOW GUEST : A guest who does not arrive when accommodation is reserved.
BLOCKED : A room that is being held for a certain guest on a certain day.
COMP : Refers to a room that is complimentary
ROOM CHANGE : When a guest moves from one room to another room.
ROOM STATUS REPORT : Report completed to indicate the status of each room, whether vacant,
occupied or out of order.
UPDATING : To transmit the most accurate status of rooms to the Front Office and Housekeeping
terminals.
CHECK – OUT TIME : Time designated by the hotel for guest to vacate the rooms at the end of stay.
DUE OUT : The day when a room is expected to be vacated.
STAY OVER : An occupied room that will not check out at the end of stay.
FRONT OF THE HOUSE : Entire public area.
BACK OF THE HOUSE : All areas not accessible to guests.
SPOTTING : Word used to describe the removal of stains from a limited surface.
GENERAL CLEANING : Indicates through cleaning of guest room and bath, done on a periodic basis.
GUEST REQUEST : A service or item requested by guest.
OCCUPIED TONIGHT : Indicates the number of guest room occupied in the hotel.
HOUSE-USE : Guest room allocated and used by Management or company personnel.
KEY CONTROL : A security system requiring each staff to account for all keys during working hours.
LINEN ROOM : Central area of the Housekeeping Department from which all uniform supplies and linen
is issued.
ONE-FOR- ONE EXCHANGE : A system whereby a dirty uniform is exchanged for a clean set one-on
one basis.
SHELTER CABINET : Located on each floor and contains linen necessary to service the guest room
LOGBOOK : A record, being kept and maintained by each Floor Supervisor, in which all calls, requests,
and other important information are recorded.
 ROOM STATUS TERMINOLOGY
During the guest’s stay, the housekeeping status of the guestroom changes several times. The various
terms defined are typical of the room status terminology of the lodging industry. Not every room status will
occur for each guestroom during every stay.

COMPLIMENTARY (COMP) : The room is occupied, but the guest is assessed no charge for its use.
STAY OVER : The guest is not expected to check out today and will remain at least one more night.
ON-CHANGE (O.C.) : The guest has departed, but the room has not yet been cleaned and readied for re-
sale.
DO NOT DISTURB (DND) : The guest has requested not to be disturbed.
SKIPPER : The guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to settle his or her account.
SLEEPER : The guest has settled his or her account and left the hotel, but the front office staff has failed
to properly update the room’s status.
VACANT AND READY : The room has been cleaned and inspected and is ready for an arriving guest.
OUT-OF-ORDER : The room cannot be assigned to a guest. A room may be out-of-order for a variety of
reasons including the need for maintenance, refurbishing, and extensive cleaning.
DOUBLE LOCK (D.L.) : The guest room door is locked from inside and outside two times so that no one
can enter.
LOCKOUT (L.O.) : The room has been locked so that the guest cannot re-enter until a hotel official clears
him or her.
DNCO (Did Not Check Out): The guest made arrangements to settle his or her account (and thus is not
a skipper), but has left without informing the front office.
DUE OUT : The room is expected to become vacant after the following day’s checkout time.
DO NOT PAID : The guest is going to check out from the hotel today.
CHECKOUT : The guest has settled his or her account, returned the room keys, and left the hotel.
LATE CHECK-OUT : The guest has requested and is being allowed to check out later than the hotel’s
standard check-out time.
OCC (OCCUPIED) :A guest room in which a guest or the guest’s belongings are present.
VAC (VACANT) :A guest room that is ready to be sold to a new guest.
O.O.O. (OUT OF ORDER) :A guest room that is not saleable.
M./U ( MAKE-UP ROOM) :An occupied guest room which needs to be cleaned, including beds to be
made.
T.D.S. (TURNDOWN SERVICE) :An evening service performed by a Room boy.
D.N.D. (DO NOT DISTURB ) :Abbreviation indicating that the guest does not want his room to be entered
nor does he/she want to be disturbed.
D.L. (DOUBLE-LOCKED) :The door of the room is bolted from the inside. Before knocking on any room
door, Room Attendant must check if the door is double-locked.
R.S. (REFUSED SERVICE) : Indicates that the guest refuse service.
S.O. (SLEEP-OUT) : Refers to a guest room that is occupied but not slept in.
C/O (CHECK-OUT) : A guest room where guest has departed and room is for cleaning.
C.I.P. : Abbreviation for Commercially Important Person who has been designed by Management for
receiving special service. This person has commercial significance to our hotel business.
V.I.P. : Abbreviation for Very Important Person who has been designed by Management for receiving
special service.
 List of Standard Room Status Codes Used by The Housekeeping
OCC - Occupied
VC - Vacant & Clean
VD - Vacant & Dirty
OR - Occupied & Ready
OC - Occupied & Clean
OD - Occupied & Dirty
CO - Check Out
OOO - Out of Order
DND - Do Not Disturb
V/O or O/V - Status Unclear
LO - Lock Out Room
DO - Due out Room
DNCO - Did not Check Out
VCI - Vacant, Cleaned & Inspected
HL - Heavy Luggage
LL - Light Luggage
NL - No Luggage
DL - Double Lock
CL - Chain Lock
HU - House use
NCI - Newly checked In
NS - No Show
SO - Slept out
BLO - Blocked
V - Vacant Room
MUR - Make-Up Room
VR - Vacant & Ready

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS OF HOUSEKEEPING?

The main risk factors for repetitive motion injuries (RMIs) in housekeeping are:
 heavy physical workload and excessive bodily motions which are a high risk for back injuries
 forceful upper limb motions in awkward positions which are a high risk for neck or shoulder and arm
injuries

Space limitations require workers to use many uncomfortable postures. These are:
 standing or walking
 stooping
 squatting
 kneeling
 stretching
 reaching
 bending
 twisting
 crouching

A housekeeper changes body position every three seconds while cleaning a room. If we assume that the
average cleaning time for each room is twenty-five minutes, we can estimate that a housekeeper
assumes 8,000 different body postures every shift.
In addition, forceful movements while using awkward body positions include lifting mattresses, cleaning
tiles, and vacuuming every shift. Housekeeping is a physically demanding and very tiring job. It can be
classified as "moderately heavy" to "heavy" work because the energy required is approximately 4
kilocalories per minute (4 kcal/min.)
How can we reduce the risk factors for RMI?
Hotel housekeepers work in a unique place. Hotels are usually designed for the comfort of their guests
rather than their housekeeping staff. This fact makes it very difficult to improve working conditions for
housekeepers by means of better engineering. However, some improvements can be made by selecting
more appropriate equipment.
Lighter vacuum cleaners (preferably the self-propelling type), and lighter service carts with wheels
designed for carpeted floors would ease the workload for their operators providing this equipment is
always kept in good repair. When new vacuum cleaners are purchased, low noise emissions should be
one of the criteria.
Improving the body postures that pose a major risk for musculoskeletal disorders seems an unachievable
task. Again, this fact results from the peculiarity of hotels as a workplace. To attract guests and remain
competitive, hotel management pursues a policy that everything should be "so clean it sparkles". Floors,
walls, windows, mirrors, and bathroom fixtures might be adequately cleaned with some form of an
extension tool to reduce bending and over-stretching. However, the demand for spotless cleanliness and
hygiene, management often requires their cleaning staff to spend extra time and effort cleaning by
kneeling, leaning, squatting, crouching, slouching and stretching. These postures will in time contribute to
new musculoskeletal injuries and aggravate old ones.
New approaches, other than strictly ergonomic ones, need to be investigated. For example, action can be
taken from the administrative level. Options for improvement include:
 job rotation
 job enrichment and job enlargement
 team work
 education and training on work practices

How can job rotation reduce the risk for RMI?

Job rotation is one possible approach. It requires workers to move between different tasks, at fixed or
irregular periods. However, it must be a rotation where workers do something completely different.
Different tasks must use different muscle groups to allow muscles already stressed to recover.
How can job enlargement and enrichment reduce the risk for RMI?
Another approach is job enlargement. This increases the variety of tasks built into the job. It breaks the
monotony of the job and avoids overloading one part of the body. Job enrichment involves more
autonomy and control for the worker.
How can team work reduce the risk for RMI?
Team work can provide greater variety and more evenly distributed muscular work. The whole team is
involved in the planning of the work. Each team member carries out a set of operations to complete the
whole product, allowing the worker to alternate between tasks. This reduces the risk of RMI.
How can improved work practices reduce the risk for RMI?
A well-designed job, supported by a well-designed workplace and proper tools, allows the worker to avoid
unnecessary motion of the neck, shoulders and upper limbs. However, the actual performance of the
tasks depends on individuals.
Training should be provided for workers who are involved with housekeeping activities. It is important that
housekeeping staff be informed about hazards in the workplace, including the risk of injuries to the
musculoskeletal system. Therefore, identification of the hazards for such injury at any given hotel is
fundamental.
Individual work practices, including lifting habits, are shaped by proper training. Training should
encourage employers and workers to adopt methods that reduce fatigue. For example, it is advisable to
plan one's workload and do the heavier tasks at the beginning of the workshift, rather than at the end,
when fatigue is at its maximum. When a person is tired, the risk of injuring a muscle is higher.
Training should also explain the health hazards of improper lifting and give recommendations on what a
worker can do to improve lifting positions. Training should also emphasize the importance of rest periods
for the workers' health and explain how active rest can do more for keeping workers healthy than passive
rest. The effect of such training can reach far beyond occupational situations because the workers can
apply this knowledge also in their off-job activities.