Housekeeper: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a housekeeper?

The need for new staff can affect your existing team and bottom line. A great housekeeper hire can help your business:

• Provide all basic housekeeping services, including laundry, cleaning and dusting
• Regularly provide fresh bedding, towels and amenities to guests or residents
• Prepare rooms to hotel standards for incoming guests

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance housekeeper

There are several reasons a business might hire either a full-time housekeeper or a freelance one. Businesses in the hospitality industry, such as hotels, motels and resorts, may look into hiring freelance housekeepers if they have a sudden shortage of housekeeping staff. Another reason someone might hire a freelancer is if there’s a large, upcoming event that’s expected to require more help than their full-time employees can handle. 

Companies in the hospitality industry should hire enough full-time housekeepers to keep all their available rooms clean for new guests and linens laundered regularly. 

What are the types of housekeepers?

There are a few types of housekeepers that fill different roles in the industry. Some of these jobs include:

• Maid: A maid is a formal housekeeper. Maids are typically hired to care for large homes and, occasionally, the family inside. Besides cleaning the house, maids can be tasked with preparing food and cleaning up after meals. 
• Housekeeper: Unlike a maid, the only task of a housekeeper is to keep their client’s home clean and sanitary. Some responsibilities of housekeepers include scrubbing toilets, wiping down the walls in showers, dusting furniture and floors and cleaning windows. 
• Commercial housekeeper: Commercial housekeepers have very similar duties to housekeepers, except they’re hired to care for commercial properties such as hotels, cruise ships and office buildings. 
• Housekeeping manager: A housekeeping manager typically takes on a supervisory role. They oversee the housekeepers in the business and ensure all work is done in a timely manner. 

Where to find housekeepers

To find the right housekeeper for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Post help wanted flyers in your business and around the neighborhood. Hanging up notices in the area can let the community know there’s an open position and encourage people to begin the application process. 
• Ask other businesses in the area. It’s likely there are at least a few other hospitality companies in your area. Ask those businesses if they have any leads regarding housekeepers who are looking for work.
• Hire from within. Ask around your current staff. There may be some employees, such as dishwashers or bellhops, looking to make a move to a new department.
• Post your job online. Try posting your housekeeper job on Indeed to find and attract quality housekeeper candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Housekeeper

A great Housekeeper candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Ability to pass a background check
• Familiarity with cleaning supplies and practices
• Knowledgeable about the safe handling of chemicals
• Able to maintain client confidentiality
• Thorough and complete work ethic
• Has reliable transportation

Writing a housekeeper job description

A thoughtful description can help find qualified housekeeper candidates. A housekeeper job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your housekeeper job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on housekeeper jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Housekeeping
• Housekeeper
• Cleaning
• Hiring immediately
• Hotel
• Cleaner
• Hospital
• Custodian
• Janitor
• Janitorial

Interviewing housekeeper candidates

Strong candidates for housekeeper positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Their method of providing a quick and thorough turnaround when cleaning rooms
• Their level of professional dress while serving customers
• Their ability to provide reliable transportation and any necessary cleaning materials

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of housekeeper interview questions for examples (with sample answers).