Hotel housekeeping checklist by room status

Why the checklist should follow the room status

A single housekeeping checklist for every room either wastes time or misses things. A stayover does not need its mattress protector changed. A departure must not skip the drawers and the safe. A vacant clean room that has sat for three days needs a dust and a tap run, not a full service.

Room status is the information that tells an attendant what kind of job a room is. Building the checklists around it makes the work faster to assign, easier to train and easier to inspect.

The room statuses this guide uses

Names differ between hotels and PMS products. Map these to your own codes.

Departure clean (vacant dirty)

A departure is a full reset. The next guest should find no trace of the last one.

• Knock, announce, enter; prop door per your safety policy
• Open curtains and windows if possible; switch on all lights and note failed bulbs
• Check for lost and found: drawers, wardrobe, safe, under bed, bathroom hooks, behind the door; log and hand in
• Check minibar and report consumption to the front office
• Strip all linen and towels; check mattress protector, mattress and pillows for stains or damage
• Remove all rubbish and empty all bins
• Bathroom: clean and disinfect toilet, shower, bath, basin, taps and tiles; clean mirror and glass; check drains run freely; check grout and silicone for mould
• Replace all bathroom amenities to standard
• Make bed to brand standard with fresh linen
• Dust from high to low: shelves, frames, lamps, headboard, desk, wardrobe rail, window sill
• Clean high-touch points: door handles, switches, remote, phone, kettle, safe keypad, AC controller
• Wash cups and glasses per hygiene policy or replace with clean ones
• Restock tea and coffee, water, stationery, slippers and robe
• Test TV, lights, AC, safe, kettle and hairdryer
• Vacuum carpet including under the bed edge and behind the door; mop hard floors
• Set curtains, AC and lighting to arrival standard
• Report any defect as a maintenance request, with a photo
• Update status to vacant clean

Stayover service (occupied dirty)

A stayover is a tidy and replenish that respects the guest’s belongings. Do not move personal items more than needed, and never throw away anything that is not clearly rubbish.

• Check DND status before knocking; follow your DND policy
• Remove rubbish and empty bins
• Make the bed; change linen according to the hotel’s linen policy and any guest choice
• Replace used towels; leave towels the guest has hung up if that is your policy
• Clean the bathroom and replenish amenities
• Wash or replace used cups and glasses
• Restock tea, coffee and water
• Tidy surfaces without moving guest valuables, documents or electronics
• Vacuum open floor areas
• Report any guest request or defect noticed in the room
• Update status to occupied clean

Vacant clean and pre-arrival check

Rooms that sit clean for a day or more collect dust, stale air and sometimes a dripping tap. A short check before the guest arrives catches these.

• Run taps and flush the toilet, especially if the room has been empty for some days
• Quick dust of flat surfaces
• Check bathroom and bed are still to standard
• Check AC is set correctly and the room smells fresh
• Check minibar and amenities are complete
• For VIP or special requests: confirm amenities, pillow choice, cot or extra bed are in place

Inspection (vacant clean to inspected)

The inspector checks the result, not the effort. Use the same list every time so findings are comparable.

Record what failed and why. If the same item fails repeatedly for the same attendant, it is a coaching point. If it fails for everyone, it is a training, supplies or standard problem.

Out of order and out of service

OOO and OOS rooms are where housekeeping and engineering most often lose track of each other. A room can stay out of order for days after the fix because nobody told housekeeping it was ready.

• Record the reason, the date and who set the status
• Create a maintenance job with priority and an expected return date
• Engineering confirms the repair is complete, with a photo
• Housekeeping does a full departure clean, since repairs leave dust and debris
• Inspector checks the room as a departure
• Front office returns the room to inventory

Review the OOO list at the morning meeting every day. Each OOO room is a room you cannot sell.

Turndown

Turndown is a short evening service. Keep it simple and consistent.

• Check DND status and respect it
• Remove rubbish and used items
• Turn down the bed to standard; place bath mat and slippers
• Replace used towels if needed
• Close curtains, set bedside lights
• Place any turndown amenity per brand standard
• Note and report any guest requests

Do not disturb

DND rooms need a written policy that front office and housekeeping both follow. A common approach: respect DND, leave a service card, offer service at a later time, and escalate to a supervisor if DND is still on after a set period, as a guest welfare check. Agree the period with your management and security teams and follow local guidance.

Training new attendants on the checklists

Checklists are also the fastest training tool you have. A new room attendant who learns the departure list in order, with a supervisor beside them for the first few days, builds the habit of working top to bottom and dry to wet instead of jumping between tasks.

• Start new staff on departures with a buddy, then stayovers, then turndown.
• Inspect every room for a new attendant until their inspection results are consistently clean, then move to sampling.
• Review failed items with the attendant in the room, not in the office. Showing the dusty headboard teaches more than describing it.
• Keep the checklist the same length on paper, on a laminated card and in any app. If the versions differ, people follow the shortest one.

Revisit the checklists whenever room products change: a new coffee machine, a different amenity set or a new bed configuration all add or remove steps.

Running the checklists day to day

• Assign rooms by status at the start of the shift, departures first if arrivals are early.
• Let attendants update status from the floor rather than calling the desk.
• Turn every defect into a maintenance request with a photo, so it does not depend on someone remembering.
• Use the shift handover to pass on DND rooms, late checkouts and open maintenance issues.

Where TaskLoop fits

TaskLoop handles the task side of housekeeping alongside your PMS, which stays the system for reservations and billing. Supervisors assign tasks to attendants or departments with priority, deadline and instructions in the admin dashboard; attendants receive, accept and complete them in the staff mobile app with optional photo proof and timestamps; overdue tasks escalate to supervisors. See housekeeping and the staff app.

Summary

Match the checklist to the room status: full reset for departures, light touch for stayovers, quick check for vacant clean rooms, engineering sign-off before OOO rooms return to sale. Keep inspection consistent, record what fails, and make sure every defect becomes someone’s job.