Provide Additional Housekeeping
Introduction
Turn down service is usually provided by 4 and 5-star hotels. It is a service done between 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. to prepare the room for the guest to sleep comfortably.
It is done because during the day, the room might have become dirty and needs a bit of cleaning and tidying up or replenishment of some amenities.
Living in a hotel is different from living in a house. Usually a house has several rooms which means clutter can spread in those rooms. In the case of most accommodations, there is just a single room where all the clutter is concentrated.
Turn down service is usually provided late afternoon or early evening and is done at a time when the guest is not expected to be in the room, however, if the guest is around, ask if he would like any tidying service of the room or not.
Turn Down Steps
Preparation
First step is to prepare the items needed for the turn down service:
Linen – sheets, towels, pillows
Amenities – shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotions sanitary items, toilet paper, tissues
Giveaways – newspapers, chocolates, fruits, messages, flowers and breakfast menu.
Enter the room
There will be instances when the guest is in the room and may instruct you to:
Not provide any service
Just supply more replacement items and not enter the room
Provide turn down service as normal
Regardless of what the guest decides to do, you must do the service with minimal disruption to the guest as possible. Time is crucial in providing turn down service so plan your work before entering as going back and forth to your trolley disturbs the guest.
Complete Turn down service
Normally, turn - down service includes:
Closing of curtains
Turning on lights to a soothing level
Playing appropriate music through the radio or television
Preparing the bed by removing or folding back display quilts and blankets making access to bed easier
Placing items on the bed including fruit, messages, flowers or chocolates
Replace dirty towels
Clean basic and bathroom surfaces
Clean used crockery and cutlery
Clean bins
Conduct a general clean and tidy.
Close windows
Dim the light
Spray deodorizer
Take a last look to ensure you have not left behind anything
After completing turn down service:
Ask the guest for anything else they might need
Excuse yourself from the guest
Dealing with "Do Not Disturb" Rooms
Sometimes, rooms will have a “Do not Disturb” signs on their doors. You should never knock and enter the room whenever these signs are posted. What you should do is:
Record the time you saw the sign
Go back to the room after finishing all room assignments
If the DND sign is still posted on the door, slip an appropriate card under the door requesting the guest to call housekeeping if they require turn down service at a certain time.
If done right, the average time to finish a turn down service per room is around 10 minutes