Housekeeping Tips: How to Make Hotel Beds Faster

Updated June 13, 2024

Hotel staffing continues to be one of the most common issues facing hoteliers today. In a recent AHLA survey, 94% of respondents said their hotels are understaffed. One area that has been hit especially hard is housekeeping. Fewer housekeepers mean rooms may not be ready on time. And even when properties manage to hire, new housekeepers have limited experience. It takes time to learn proper procedures, so a new housekeeper will need more time to ready a room. Any opportunity to speed up the housekeeping process and make the life of a housekeeper easier is a welcome improvement. That’s why today’s housekeeping tips center around one of the most significant tasks for housekeepers – how to make hotel beds faster.

Download our infographic or read below for all our speedy bed making tips!

Tip #1: Opt for Flat Sheets

One important decision to make as a property is whether to use a fitted and a flat sheet on your beds, or to opt for 2 flat sheets instead. Fitted sheets are time consuming to fold and require a housekeeper to carefully visit all four corners of the bed to install. Instead, by opting for dual flat sheets, not only will your housekeepers make hotel beds faster but you will also minimize linen inventory types by eliminating fitted sheets completely.

Tip #2: Consider Triple Sheeting

While duvets provide a luxurious look, duvet covers take three to four times longer to change than utilizing a triple sheeting technique. Triple sheeting involves utilizing a comforter or blanket tucked in between the flat sheet underneath and a top sheet or decorative top cover. Not only does triple sheeting allow housekeepers to make hotel beds faster, but top covers are also easily laundered for a more sanitary and hygienic room. Consider making the switch to triple sheeting today!

Tip #3: Use a Zip-Top Mattress Protector

AllerEase^® Professional products offer hotel beds maximum protection from allergens and bed bugs. These products feature an antimicrobial barrier that not only blocks bacteria but actually inhibits the growth of microbes.

Aside from complete protection, the AllerEase® Professional Duraflex™ System Zippered Mattress Encasements are also easy to change, thanks to the 360° zip-off top. Instead of fighting to remove fitted mattress pads or protectors, your staff can simply unzip the soiled top cover and replace it with a clean zippered top. Never suffer the cost and labor of cleaning/replacing a soiled mattress again!

Tip #4: Maintain Par Levels

Nothing slows down a housekeeper more than having to wait for clean linens. Keep the proper stock of product by ensuring an appropriate par level. A par level (or Periodic Automatic Replacement) is a system that calculates the minimum inventory your properties should keep in stock to avoid shortages.

Aside from slowing down housekeepers, not having enough linen in stock can mean that your products will go straight from the dryer to the guest room. This leads to a shorter linen life because cotton products need time to rest and regain moisture lost in the drying process. Cotton holds 7-8% of its “dry” weight in water and without proper rest, cotton products can begin to lose strength and durability. In addition, cotton products used immediately after laundering can lead to guest complaints of “scratchy” sheets.

We recommend a minimum of 3-par for properties with on-site laundry. For properties which utilize off premise laundry, a 4-par minimum is recommended. This ensures there is enough product on hand to allow your housekeepers to make hotel beds faster while also maximizing the life of your linens.

Tip #5: Take Advantage of OneSTEP^™

OneSTEP^™ stands for “One Solution to Enhance Productivity” and our products do just that. While each solution offers a unique set of benefits to hoteliers, when combined they offer housekeepers and laundry professionals tools to shorten processing and room make-up time.

OneSTEP^™ features include:

• EZ ID^® sheeting – Never mistake a queen for a king again. EZ ID^® sheeting provides color-coding of the selvage yarns running down the side of the sheet, without having to compromise the luxurious appearance.
• Center-Lock Labels – Finding the middle of a sheet has never been easier! Simply place the label in the center of the bed and pull for a perfectly aligned sheet every time.
• Balanced Hems – Top or bottom? Thanks to balanced hems, it doesn’t matter anymore since the top and bottom hems are identical.
• Room Ready for You^® Laundered with Tide^® – Clean, fresh and bed-ready right out of the box. Your housekeepers can use sheeting straight from the box to the bed thanks to our patented room ready process.

Ready to help your housekeepers make hotel beds faster?

Our knowledgeable textile consultants are ready and waiting to discuss your linen and housekeeping challenges. Contact us today to learn more about how our products can help you reduce your per-use costs while also increasing your housekeeping efficiency.