How do hotel housekeepers know if a room is in use?

When I worked in housekeeping (small hotels only) each housekeeper got a list of the rooms they were responsible for that day with codes for what was to be done (checking out/checked out/staying/sheet change/etc). The master list would be prepared by the front desk or manager (as they had the info) and either divided by them or the head housekeeper (depending on hotel size). The room should then be cleaned as expected for the code.

I travelled once with someone who had worked at hotels and resorts as summer jobs. He was excellent at finding power plugs in airports or hotel lobbies and his motto was "someone has to vacuum this place".

He told me that some of the things we don’t understand about hotel cleaning are in fact signs from one cleaner to another. For example folding the toilet paper into a little triangle. If you pop your head in the bathroom and see that, you know nobody has used the toilet paper since the room was cleaned. Putting the little cards or the remotes in very specific places that may seem awkward to you (hard to find, or not where anyone would want them, or in the way) is similarly an indication the bed or table hasn’t been used since it was cleaned.

So sure, there might be a sophisticated computer system that tells the staff which rooms are occupied and which are not, and tracks which were cleaned after the person checked out and which weren’t, but I think it’s far more likely the staff cleans every room, leaves a signal it was cleaned, and only leaves without cleaning if yesterday’s signal is still in place.

Historical Answer:

– before computers and electronic keys were common place

• and guests were strongly encouraged to leave the key when leaving the house
• period of personal experience: 1975-1980

Sometime before breakfast (6-7h) started, the House mistress (Hausdame) would prepare (or receive) a list of rooms that had been let out

• often on a form per floor

The maids (Zimmermädchen) would then receive a list of rooms for which they would be responsible for.

Rooms that haven’t been rented out would often be checked to ensure that the rooms are still in a orderly condition.

Rooms would then be done where the guest has left the house based on whether the key had been deposited at the reception.

Around 10h, they would start the rooms where the keys have not been deposited and ignoring rooms where it is know that the guests sleep late (experienced guests will inform the reception that since they work late, they get up late).

After knocking, a maid would enter the room if no reply is received looking for signs that the guest may still be there (noises from the bathroom etc.)

Goal is that everything is to be compleated by 12h.

Hotels of any significant size and complexity generally have a property management system, a computerized system that tracks the status of each room, guest booking, bill, etc…

One of the functions of this system is to prepare a housekeeping report (which could be accessed through tablets or simply printed out and distributed to housekeeping staff) detailing the status of each room: vacant or occupied, whether a guest is arriving, checking out, or staying through, whether the room has been cleaned or not, whether the customer has opted out of housekeeping service, inspection status, and so on.

The specific ways in which hotels will use this information will vary depending on the hotel and its operations, but it means housekeepers and supervisors know which rooms need to be cleaned for each day, what type of service to perform in each room (more steps are needed between guests than for stayovers), and how to prioritize the rooms.

Information about the status of rooms as cleaning happens is reported back into the system so the front desk knows whether a room is ready to be assigned to a newly arriving guest. This also ensures that no guest rooms are missed (e.g. a guest has the Do Not Disturb sign on in the morning when housekeeping visits; they’ll need to return later in the day to see whether the guest has taken down the sign). The system for this can be as simple as a clipboard with a list of rooms and a pen or more complex, such as two-way radios to report room status back to a supervisor, special codes entered on the guest room telephone to update the room’s status in the property management system, or with tablets or smartphones.

There’s been a recent shift toward less frequent housekeeping in many hotels in the US, and so the report would also be used to track that and ensure that housekeeping is provided on whatever the hotel’s desired schedule is or in response to guest requests.

I should add that some hotels have occupancy sensors (a slot for the guest to insert their key near the door and/or motion sensors) in guest rooms. This is primarily for energy conservation and may be required by building codes, but some hotels will use it to help direct housekeeping to rooms while the guest is out, rather than wasting time and causing disturbances knocking on doors of occupied rooms.