Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations

Transcription

1 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations MODULE 6.1: Housekeeping Essentials In this module, students will learn that housekeeping is everyone s role in a hotel, and students will practice communicating responses to basic housekeeping concerns from mock guests. Learning Outcomes Preparation & Materials After this module, students will be able to: Respond appropriately to guest requests, provide the best customer-oriented responses, and consider how to make hotel spaces more comfortable for the guest. N/A Total Time 65 mins. Module Time Lecture Activity: Group Dialogues & Discussion Activity: Partner Role-play Activity: Reading Reflection 10 mins. 20 mins. 20 mins. 10 mins. 5 mins. Student Handouts 6.1a, 6.1b, 6.1c, 6.1d Visual Aids Homework None For homework, complete Handout 6.1d by drawing a line to match up the nouns with the correct verb in the box. Then make a sentence for each noun and verb combination. 1

2 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations 6.1 HOUSEKEEPING ESSENTIALS Hello and welcome! I am your teacher. This class will review common housekeeping terms and communicating with the guest. Our lesson will require your active participation. Let s begin. ACTIVITY: LECTURE In hospitality, the term front of the house refers to the lobby and reception areas, and every shared space the guest sees and uses. The term back of the house refers to the areas that the guest does not see: the areas where hotel staff does the amazing preparation and work to surprise and delight guests. These terms are used very frequently. Ask: In what way is a hotel similar to a house? The hotel and house need to be comfortable to live and stay in. The hotel and house provide a safe place to be. The hotel and house provide a place to sleep and relax. The hotel and house are warm and welcoming for guests that come to visit. The hotel and house are kept clean and maintained. In your house perhaps you have one bedroom, a kitchen, a living area. Maybe you have two, three, four, or even five bedrooms. But in a hotel, even a small one, the rooms and spaces are much more extensive than a house. For example, a hotel has hallways and corridors, elevators, meeting rooms, a pool, patios, a business center, public bathrooms, a fitness room, a restaurant, a bar, and more. Ask: Do you have visitors come to your home every day of the year? Probably not. Maybe once or twice in a week. 2

3 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations But not likely every day. In a hotel a lot more people are coming to visit than in your home. With the number of rooms and spaces in a hotel, and the amount of guests that pass through every day, it takes every single person in the hotel to keep and maintain the hotel for the comfort of guests. In a hotel everyone helps maintain the property. Everyone, regardless of their role, shares the responsibility of keeping the hotel in order. Though housekeeping staff in a hotel may be assigned to clean guest bedrooms, perform laundry operations, care for carpets, or even tidy hall areas, it would be impossible for one housekeeping team to see and care for everything. If you are a housekeeping staff member, you should also remember that your job is not just cleaning rooms but also providing great customer service. Let s take a look at a dialogue involving a housekeeper and the guest on Handout 6.1a. ACTIVITY: GROUP DIALOGUES AND DISCUSSION I want you to work in groups of four, with two people practicing the dialogue and the other two observing. Then switch roles where the other two practice and the first two observe. Once all four students have practiced the dialogue and observed, I want you to write down your observations of the top three things Su-Lin did well during the scenario and anything that could be improved, then we will discuss them. Moderate Activity Discuss: This scenario raises the question: What should you do if a guest asks you for something while you re in the middle of a task? Stop what you are doing and give your full attention to the guest. Respond politely, at all times. If you are unable to provide an answer to the guest, let them know you will get someone who can help them. What would you do if you were in this situation? Wait for answers. What things did Su-Lin do right? Su-Lin kept her cool (did not lose her temper or raise her voice). 3

4 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations Su-Lin was responsive to each request with specific follow-up ( Let me call Engineering to ensure they get these things resolved. ) Su-Lin apologized ( I apologize for the problems with your room. ) Su-Lin asked for permission to follow up ( I ll bring you a new one right away and will come back a little bit later to clean your room, if that s okay. ) What could have been done differently to improve the scenario? Answers will vary. Su-Lin could have cleaned Guest 1 s room immediately. Su-Lin could have called the Front Desk to see if another room was available for Guest 1 and offered to help her move. This scenario is an extreme example of guests complaining and/or asking for something at every turn. Most guests do not have so many complaints all at once! But even if a guest complains about everything, a hotel staff member should always be prepared to deal with whatever situation may arise. A housekeeper might get a request that is really for the Front Desk. The Front Desk might deal with a complaint about the restaurant. This happens frequently and should always be handled with the best customer service, regardless of your role within the hotel. ACTIVITY: PARTNER ROLE-PLAY Using Handout 6.1b, find a partner to do a role-play and complete the Handout. One student will play the guest, and the other student will play the housekeeper. The student playing the guest will request many things. The student playing the housekeeper will need to respond to the guest each time with grace and professionalism! Moderate Activity What did you notice about the housekeeper s responses in your role-play? Answers will vary. 4

5 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations Was there a point in which your housekeeper expressed frustration with the requests? Answers will vary. There should not have been any point where the housekeeper expressed frustration. The housekeeper has a special opportunity to impress the guest with his or her grace and professionalism during each conversation. ACTIVITY: READING Guests may be very particular about when you clean their room. Housekeepers must pay attention to the guest s response when they knock on the door. Additionally, housekeepers must watch for the DO NOT DISTURB sign hung on the door. Housekeepers must also be very careful about personal items left within the room. There are standard expressions used in housekeeping to communicate with the guest. I would like a few volunteers to read the expressions on Handout 6.1c. Teacher Note: Work with students to say the phrases out loud, practicing pronunciation and intonation. Ask students to imagine the setting and scenario under which such expressions are used. Explain the practice of turndown service, if necessary. In the hospitality industry, turndown service refers to the practice of staff entering a guest's room and turning down the bed linen of the bed in the room, preparing the bed for use. Chocolate or other candy is typically left on top of a pillow in the bed that has been turned down. REFLECTION Conclude: Everyone in the hotel helps maintain the cleanliness and appearance of the property. Housekeeping will often bring you in contact with the guest. Housekeeping requires effective communication with the guest. Useful hospitality expressions ensure the guest has a comfortable experience in their guest room. Practicing common housekeeping expressions will help you become more comfortable with pronunciation. Sometimes despite what you say, guests will have one more thing to request or complain about! At all times, the housekeeper s duty is to remain polite, professional, gracious, and helpful in response. 5

6 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations Ask: May I have four volunteers share one thing they found interesting in today s lesson? Answers will vary. HOMEWORK For homework, complete Handout 6.1d by drawing a line to match up the nouns with the correct verb in the box. Then make a sentence for each noun and verb combination. 6

7 HANDOUT 6.1a: Housekeeping Dialogue Instructions: Work in groups of four to practice the dialogue and make observations. Su-Lin is on housekeeping rotation this week, and she s feeling inspired! She loves organization and cleanliness. Su-Lin wheels her cart into the hallway to begin cleaning rooms. A guest comes out of a room and is not happy. Su-Lin was not expecting to be dealing with an unhappy guest; she was expecting to clean rooms! Guest 1: Oh, hello! Good morning, ma am. (Grumbling) My room needs cleaning. Can you do it now? (Stops what she is doing to face the guest) Of course. I ll get to your room as soon as I m finished here. Guest 1: Guest 1: Guest 1: Guest 1: Why can t you do my room first? (Flustered) Well, let me check with my supervisor We really need some clean towels. I will make sure to get those to you, ma am. My air-conditioner is broken. I'll have someone look at it as soon as possible. And did I mention that the hot water is not working? I apologize for the problems with your room. Let me call Engineering to ensure they get these things resolved. Guest 1: Yes, I wish you would! (The guest returns to her room. Su-Lin radios the Engineering department about the guest s airconditioner and hot water. Then she calls her Supervisor and is notified that another housekeeper will take care of the guest s room cleaning shortly. She walks down the hall and returns with towels for the guest and informs the guest that another housekeeper is on her way. Then Su-Lin continues down the hallway.) 7

8 HANDOUT 6.1a: Housekeeping Dialogue Guest 2: Guest 3: (knocking) Hello! Housekeeping. GO AWAY! I m sorry. I will come back later! (goes to the next door and knocks) Good morning! This is housekeeping. Can you come back in a half an hour? Okay, no problem. (Su-Lin continues down the hall and knocks on another door.) Guest 4: Guest 4: Guest 4: Guest 4: Guest 4: Housekeeping! (opens the door) Oh, hi. I m glad you re here. Is this a good time to clean the room? Well, not really, but it s a good time to ask you if you can get us a new desk lamp. It doesn t seem to work. I m very sorry. Of course, ma am. I ll send someone up to replace it immediately. Is there anything else you need? Now that you mention it, could we order breakfast? Yes ma am, if you call room service they will take your order right away. Just dial extension 514. Great. Oh, one more thing: Is it possible to get another pillow? This one smells funny. Of course ma am, I m very sorry. I ll bring you a new one right away and will come back a little bit later to clean your room, if that s okay. That will be fine, thank you. (with a smile) Of course. 8

9 HANDOUT 6.1a: Housekeeping Dialogue Recount three things that Su-Lin did well during the scenario: Observations of things that could be improved on in this scenario. 9

10 HANDOUT 6.1b: Housekeeping Responses Instructions: Find a partner to do a role-play and complete this Handout. One student will play the guest, and the other student will play the housekeeper. The student playing the guest will request many things using the list below. The student playing the housekeeper will need to respond to the guest each time, with grace and professionalism! The Guest requests: 1. My room is too noisy. Can I change it? The Housekeeping staff responds with: 2. The air conditioner is too loud. Can you turn it off at night? The Housekeeping staff responds with: 3. I called to have my room cleaned two hours ago. Why isn t my room cleaned yet? The Housekeeping staff responds with: 4. Why wasn t my trashcan emptied? The Housekeeping staff responds with: 10

11 HANDOUT 6.1b: Housekeeping Responses 5. We still don t have enough towels and we ve run out of toilet paper. The Housekeeping staff responds with: 6. How long will it take you to clean my room? I m in a hurry and I need to get ready for an important meeting! The Housekeeping staff responds with: 11

12 HANDOUT 6.1c: Housekeeping Expressions Instructions: Read the standard housekeeping expressions below. 1) Housekeeping. May I come in? 2) I m sorry to disturb you, but may I clean the room now? 3) Shall I come back later, sir? 4) What time would you like me to come back? 5) What time would be better / convenient for you? 6) If you decide you want your room cleaned later, please call the front desk. 7) May I come in and check the housekeeper s work? 8) May I vacuum the room now? 9) May I tidy up your desk? 10) May I move the things on your desk so that I can dust it? 11) Sorry to disturb you. I can come back later. 12) Excuse me. 13) Sorry, what was that? 14) Can you please repeat / explain that again? 15) I understand. 16) Right away sir/ma am. 17) Yes, I will do that. 18) I m very sorry. I ll send more towels up immediately. 19) What time would be convenient for you? 20) Would you like turn-down service? (In the hospitality industry, turn-down service refers to the practice of staff entering a guest's room and turning down the bed linen of the bed in the room, preparing the bed for use. Chocolate or other candy is typically left on top of a pillow in the bed that has been turned down.) 12

13 HANDOUT 6.1d: Homework Instructions: Read the standard housekeeping terminology below. Draw a line to match up the nouns with the correct verbs in the box. Then make a sentence for each noun and verb combination. See the following example. Example: The sink is not clean. Nouns bed carpet mini-bar towels wastebasket sheets table bathroom Verbs clean restock dust empty fold make change vacuum 13

14 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations MODULE 6.2: Housekeeping Words In this module, students will respond to mock guest complaints regarding guest rooms and students will practice pronunciation of common housekeeping jargon. Learning Outcomes Preparation & Materials After this module, students will be able to: offer helpful solutions or alternatives to the guest in response to a complaint within the housekeeping discipline. N/A Module Time Total Time 20 mins. Activity: Partner Practice Reflection 15 mins. 5 mins. Student Handouts 6.2a, 6.2b Visual Aids Homework None For homework, complete Handout 6.2b by making a video or video script for one of the following scenario topics. In the scenario, there should be at least one guest and one hotel staff member or housekeeper offering help or advice. Make sure the video or video script includes specific information of what is happening in the room. Examples of what is happening in the room are listed on the handout. 1

15 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations 6.2 HOUSEKEEPING WORDS Hello and welcome! I am your teacher. This class will practice communicating and offering alternatives to the guest. Our lesson will require your active participation. Let s begin. ACTIVITY: PARTNER PRACTICE Guests often communicate their concerns, issues, or problems with their room to housekeeping staff. The guest is watching to see how the hotel staff addresses such things. When guests communicate their discomfort with the guest room, it is important to communicate and respond appropriately to address the situation. Using your Handout 6.2a work together with a partner to determine the appropriate response to each communication from the guest. Moderate Activity Ask: What responses did you come up with? Answers will vary. REFLECTION Conclude: The housekeeping staff often has the opportunity to provide solutions or communicate with guests about problems. It is important to continue practicing how to respond to guests in any aspect of the hotel including housekeeping functions. Ask: May I have four volunteers share one thing they found interesting in today s lesson? Answers will vary. 2

16 Unit 6: Housekeeping Conversations HOMEWORK For homework, complete Handout 6.2b by making a video or video script for one of the following scenario topics. There should be at least one guest and one hotel staff member or housekeeper offering help or advice. Make sure the video or video script includes specific information about what is happening in the room. 3

17 HANDOUT 6.2a: Housekeeping Complaints Instructions: Respond to the following complaints or requests in a polite way then discuss your discoveries with your partner and choose one of the scenarios to role-play. Requests/ Complaints 1. We ran out of toilet paper. Is it possible to get more? Response/Action Example: I m very sorry, sir. I ll send more up immediately. 2. The room is smelly and there is someone s hair on my bed! 3. The toilet is clogged, and when I flushed it, it overflowed. 4. The furniture has not been dusted. 5. I checked my returned laundry and found a shirt was missing. 6. I was bitten by bedbugs last night. 7. The heating unit is not working. 8. The road outside is too noisy at night. Can I be moved to another room? 9. Could I have some toothpaste and toothbrush, please? 10. The sink is leaking in the bathroom. 4

18 HANDOUT 6.2b: Homework Instructions: Make a video or write a video script for one of the following scenario topics. In the scenario, there should be at least one guest and one hotel staff member or housekeeper offering help or advice. Make sure the video or video script includes specific information about what is happening in the room. Scenario Topics In room 530 you cleaned the toilets. You are tidying four rooms on the fifth floor. You need more cleaning solution to mop the floor. A guest spilled wine on a coverlet and now you are removing the stain. In room 532, two beds and a crib were used. No beds were used in room 534, but towels were used in the bathroom. In room 536, you made two beds. Room 538 looked clean and unused. You vacuumed the carpet in room 540. In 542, the rollaway bed needed to be changed. In 544, one bed was changed, and a guest left a swimsuit in the bathroom. You scrubbed the bathtub in room 546. You polished the taps on the bathroom sink. 5