Housekeeping Manager

lottenypalacejobs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

lottenypalacejobs seeks a Housekeeping Manager to lead the unionized housekeeping team in a 191-room hotel. This role directs 30 staff across shifts, partners with Front Office and Engineering, and drives guest satisfaction and cleanliness scores while upholding safety and a respectful workplace.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years in progressive housekeeping leadership, union familiarity, and experience with Opera Cloud/HotSOS. Strong scheduling, coaching, and communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years progressive housekeeping leadership in luxury hotel.
• Experience managing 25+ staff and multiple shifts.
• Familiar with Opera Cloud, HotSOS, and PMS.
• Bilingual helpful; English/Spanish or others.
• Union environment experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead housekeeping operations for rooms, corridors, public areas.
• Plan schedules, bid rotations, and OT per CBA.
• Conduct huddles and manage equipment and PPE.
• Audit cleanliness standards and room inspections.
• Ensure CBA compliance for seniority, grievances, discipline.
• Coordinate with Front Office & Engineering on room status.
• Track KPIs: cleanliness scores, CPOR, QA readiness.

Skills

Leadership

Staff management

Scheduling

Communication

Conflict resolution

Bilingual

Education

Hospitality degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Opera Cloud

HotSOS

PMS

MS Office

Job description

Published Job Title

Housekeeping Manager

Job Description

• The Housekeeping Manager leads the unionized housekeeping operation to deliver consistently pristine rooms and public spaces at an upper-upscale standard. This role oversees daily staffing for 30 team members across a 191-room hotel, ensures compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), partners closely with Front Office/Engineering, and drives guest satisfaction, cleanliness scores, and productivity while maintaining a safe, respectful workplace.
• Responsibilities to include some and/or all the following:

Operational Leadership

• Plan and direct all housekeeping functions for guest rooms, corridors, public areas, back of house, and linen/uniform operations; set daily priorities aligned to occupancy, VIP movement, group blocks, and turnaround needs.
• Develop and publish daily and weekly schedules, bid and rotation assignments, and overtime (OT) approvals in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA); monitor staffing levels and adjust to business demand while controlling labor.
• Conduct opening, mid-shift, and closing huddles; ensure keys, radios, carts, chemicals, and personal protective equipment (PPE) are issued, tracked, and returned; reconcile floor logs and reports at end of shift.

Quality & Compliance

• Establish and audit brand cleanliness standards and room inspection protocols; perform spot checks on stayovers, checkouts, VIP rooms, and public areas; drive first-time-right results.
• Ensure adherence to Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions such as seniority, call-in and call-back, job classifications, grievance procedures, progressive discipline, and meal and rest periods.
• Maintain strict compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and hotel safety programs: chemical handling (Safety Data Sheets or SDS), bloodborne pathogens and Lost and Found (L&F), ergonomic practices, and incident reporting.
• Uphold key control, Lost and Found (L&F), and asset security, audit storage rooms, PARs, and equipment conditions.

Guest Experience & Coordination

• Partner with Front Office to align room status (vacant and clean, out of order, out of service, early arrivals, late checkouts, room moves); resolve discrepancies in Property Management System (PMS) and dispatch systems in real time.
• Respond to guest requests, service recovery, and cleanliness concerns with urgency and empathy; document cases and follow through to resolution.
• Coordinate with Engineering on preventive maintenance and corrective work orders; prioritize rooms to return to inventory quickly.

People Management & Culture

• Lead a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace, model the hotel’s service culture and values.
• Train, coach, and evaluate supervisors and hourly team members; provide skills training (room cleaning sequence, chemical use, time standards), cross training, and certification.
• Manage attendance, performance expectations, and corrective action consistent with the CBA; support union management relations and participate in grievance meetings when required.
• Recognize achievements and celebrate wins; solicit feedback and continuous improvement ideas from the team.

Inventory, Budget & Sustainability

• Forecast, order, and control linen, terry, amenities, guest supplies, uniforms, and cleaning chemicals; maintain pars and storage organization.
• Track labor, productivity (minutes per room), and cost per occupied room (CPOR); analyze variances and implement action plans.
• Champion sustainability initiatives—waste reduction, responsible chemical usage, water/energy conservation—and support brand/municipal programs.

Systems & Reporting

• Utilize PMS/Housekeeping systems (e.g., Opera Cloud, HotSOS) for dispatch, room status, inspections, and work orders; ensure data accuracy and timely updates.
• Produce daily reports: room status summary, out-of-order tracking, VIP readiness, staffing roster, inspection results, Lost and Found (L&F) log, injury and incident log, and supply consumption.
• Prepare weekly and monthly performance dashboards: cleanliness scores, guest survey results (Medallia), minutes per room, cost per occupied room (CPOR), inventory variances, and quality assurance (QA) readiness.
• File all daily reports in the file cabinet.
• Complete any other assigned tasks or projects by the Assistant General Manager.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Guest cleanliness score (brand metric or TravelClick)
• Minutes per room and labor cost versus budget
• Room readiness at check-in (vacant and clean on time, VIP rooms ready)
• Quality assurance (QA) audit compliance and safety incident rate
• Inventory accuracy (linen loss percentage, amenity variance)

Requirements

• 3–5 years progressive housekeeping leadership experience in an upper‑upscale or luxury hotel; union environment experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success managing 25+ staff and multiple shifts; adept at scheduling and labor control in a CBA framework.
• Working knowledge of PMS and housekeeping applications (Opera Cloud, HotSOS) and MS Office.
• Strong coaching, communication, and conflict‑resolution skills; able to build trust with union representatives and management alike.
• Ability to read and apply brand standards, safety regulations, and hotel policies, high attention to detail and urgency.
• Flexible schedule, able to work mornings, nights, holidays, and weekends when needed.
• Hospitality degree or equivalent experience, preferred
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or other) helpful.