Hotel Housekeeping Planner
Housekeeping workload planner that converts departures, stayovers and cleaning times into hours needed versus staff hours, so you see a shortfall before the shift starts. Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser.
Today's Parameters
Room Status
Time Standards (Minutes)
Workload Analysis
Total Hours Needed
9.0
Based on cleaning times
Staff Hours
15.0
2 staff × 7.5h
Status
OK
Capacity available
Hrs Balance
+6.0
What is a housekeeping workload plan?
A housekeeping workload plan is a daily estimate of the cleaning hours a hotel needs, based on how many departure and stayover rooms must be serviced and how long each type takes. It compares those hours with the staff hours on the schedule and shows a surplus or shortfall. For a manager it answers the morning question of whether today's team can turn every room before check-in time.
Formula
Hours needed = (Departures × minutes per departure + Stayovers × minutes per stayover) ÷ 60; Balance = Staff × 7.5 h − Hours needed
Departures need a full clean and stayovers a lighter service, so each gets its own time standard. Each housekeeper is assumed to have 7.5 productive hours per shift; a negative balance is the number of hours you are short.
Worked example: 20 rooms to service with 2 housekeepers
- Departures: 12 rooms × 35 minutes = 420 minutes, or 7.0 hours.
- Stayovers: 8 rooms × 15 minutes = 120 minutes, or 2.0 hours.
- Hours needed: 7.0 + 2.0 = 9.0 hours.
- Staff hours available: 2 housekeepers × 7.5 hours = 15.0 hours.
- Balance: 15.0 − 9.0 = +6.0 hours of spare capacity.
The team can cover the rooms with time left for public areas or deep cleaning; if departures rose to 25 at 35 minutes each, departures alone would need 14.6 hours and the buffer would be gone.
How to read your housekeeping balance
- A small positive balance (under an hour or so) leaves little room for late check-outs, maintenance issues or a room that needs extra attention. Treat it as tight rather than safe.
- A negative balance tells you how many hours to add. Divide it by 7.5 to estimate extra full shifts, or schedule a part-timer for the exact shortfall.
- Departures drive most of the workload because they take longer. On heavy check-out days, ask the front desk to stagger late check-outs so departures do not all land at once.
- The calculation covers guest rooms only. Public areas, linen runs and training time come out of the same shifts, so subtract them from available hours or add them as extra minutes.
- Time standards are estimates. Track actual minutes by room type (suites take longer than standard rooms) and update the inputs monthly.
Frequently asked questions
How long should it take to clean a hotel room?
It depends on room size, layout, service standard and whether it is a departure or a stayover. Many properties set a longer standard for departures and a shorter one for stayovers; the best figure is your own timed average, measured over a few weeks.
How many rooms can one housekeeper clean in a shift?
Divide productive shift minutes by your average minutes per room. With 7.5 hours (450 minutes) and 35-minute departures, that is about 12 departures; at 15-minute stayovers it would be 30. Real shifts mix both, which is why this planner adds them up separately.
Why does the planner use 7.5 hours per housekeeper?
It assumes a standard shift minus breaks. If your shifts are shorter or include other duties, the real capacity is lower than shown, so read a small positive balance as a likely shortfall.
Can I skip stayover cleans when short-staffed?
Some hotels offer stayover service on request or every other day, and the planner shows how many stayovers would close a gap. Check your brand standards and tell guests clearly at check-in if service levels change.