Housekeeper terms
Cart- the literal cart a housekeeper puts their clean linens/terry in along with their cleaning supplies. Uses: “They thought it was funny to push my cart completely in front of my door, I had to climb over it to get out of the room.”
Linen- the bed sheets/pillow cases, etc. in a room. Uses: “I ran out of linens and had to run to the (housekeeping) closet for more sheet.s”
Terry: All the bath towels, handtowels, etc. in a room. Uses: “They used all the terry, and had like 5 extra towels too. WT?F”
Stayover- a room that is currently being rented by a guest at least through to the next day. Typically requires “turn down service” meaning the beds get made, the room is dusted/vacuumed if needed, coffee and amenities are filled, towels/terry is replaced, trash taken out, showers and toilets cleaned. Stayovers sre second in priority to blocked rooms, but usually need tobe finished by around 3 p.m. Uses: “I have 12 stayovers today, and 10 need their sheets changed. Kill me.”
At my hotel, we change the sheets on every bed in a room being rented every 3 days, regardless of if they look like they need changed. (And we change the sheets in a room after someone checks out regardless.) If you stain a pillow with makeup, get blood on the sheets, etc. we’ll change them sooner. Most hotels have a card you can leave on your sheets if you want them changed before the 3 day mark. Unless you’re actively fucking or bleeding on your bed, don’t be this person. It takes more time for us, and if you want us to change your sheets every day we’ll either a) bitch loudly about it, b) not change your sheets because would you even notice? or c) both.
Due out- a room that a guest is supposed to vacate by the end of check out time. Obviously, I can’t clean your room until you’re gone, and at my hotel “checkout time” ends at 11 a.m. every day. That means, get your ass out of the room by 11 a.m. or call the front desk to tell them you need more time, so they can tell me and I’m not knocking at your door at 11 to see if you’ve left. Uses: “Most of my rooms are still due out, I can’t even knock for two hours.”
Vacant- a room which, when I clock in, the guest has already checked out of. Considering my shift starts at 8:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. every day, I generally don’t have a lot of these. Uses: “Do you have any vacants on this floor? I have to pee and mine are still due out!”
Blocked- a room that is either vacant or due out, that someone has already rented for the next night. Check in usually is between 4-6 p.m., but online check ins can get their “e-card” sooner, meaning I have to clean this room asap. Usually the highest priority, and need to be done first. Uses: “Five of my rooms are blocked and only one is vacant- I hate everything.”
Strip- to get all linen, terry, and trash out of a room so the housekeeper that cleans it has an easier time. Usually something a housekeeper does when they finish their rooms early and wants to get their hours. These rooms are usually set to be cleaned the next day. At my hotel, we leave at least one towel and lay it in the shower so the housekeeper has something to stand on when they clean it. Uses: “I’m just gonna strip rooms until 5:00 so I can get my hours.”
06 (or some other number code)- to clean a room and have it ready fro a supervisor to inspect it. The supervisor will check the room to make sure everything has been filled/cleaned, and 03 it. Uses: “(Hotel Manager’s name) is watching the computer, so I can only 06. I hope I sprayed enough to get the smell out.”
03 (or some other number code)- punching a room in ready to be rented. Uses: “(Supervisor’s name) told me to 03 because I’m actually good at my job.”
Bid- Housekeeping is usually a union job, meaning every 3 months or so the schedule changes and you pick your days off based on seniority. Uses: “What’s your bid? I know what days I want, but you’re ahead of me so I want to gauge my hopefulness.”
Alligator- someone who (in a stayover) messes the sheets into a ball of shit but keeps the bottom corners tucked in. Uses: “Oh my god 423 was such an alligator the sheets are so wrinkled I just febreezed the sheet and spread it out.”
Bear- someone who (in a stayover) somehow manages to pull every corner of the sheets out and leave them in a pile in the middle of the bed. The worst kind of guest, because instead of straightening their bed you have to strip and remake it completely. uses: “The people in my suites are such bears, I might as well just change their sheets entirely.”
Ozone: a machine that neutralizes strong odors in a room. Usually only used in extreme cases because it’s not kept on the cart.
Maintenance: The maintenance guys and gals employed to fix the lamps, toilets, electrical appliances, etc. Vacuum stops working? Call maintenance. Curtains fall down? Call maintenance. A guest steals the LED light bulbs in the lamps? Call maintenance. Uses: “I called maintenance because the outlet by the bed wasn’t working, but they never showed.”
The Reservoir- the part of the coffee maker that houses the single-use instant coffee bags. Uses: “Did you check the reservoir for bags?”
DND: a stayover that has their Do Not Disturb sign up on the door. At my hotel, if the DND sign is up, I’m not even allowed to knock. Generally you have to check 3x before 3 p.m. to see if the DND is still up, and then write the room as No Service, DND. Uses: “Out of my 16 stayovers, 6 are DND. I’m not even going back to the 8th floor I checked 3 times already.” or “3 of my DNDs took them down, I have to run back now.”
Trays- room service trays brought up to guests’ rooms, that we have to remove. Uses: “Hey (name), can you come grab 3 trays on # floor?”
Kleptos: Guests that take every free amenity home in their bag. For example: soaps, coffees, teas, sweeteners. Uses: “Two of my rooms are total kleptos, I’ve refilled all their coffees and soaps every day but they’re always gone, and I can see them in their suitcase.” Generally, no housekeeper will disparage or judge a klepto. After all, we may or may not use the makeup remover or lotion provided when in desperate need.
Tips: A monetary amount left for the housekeeper when a guest check out, or on the pillow, bed, or with a note on the table. We love tips, but if you try to tip us in beer we're gonna be pissed. Most housekeepers aren’t allowed to accept alcohol as a tip, and there’s no way I can smuggle a 24 pack of bud light to my car. I will however find a way if you leave me some nice whiskey or vodka. Uses: “I got $15 in tips today, plus a bottle of vodka. What a good night.”
