Competency Standards of Housekeepers in Metro Manila
CHAPTER 1
The Problem and its Background
Introduction
Hospitality is the cordial and generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers, either socially or commercially. From this definition we get the feeling of the open house and the host with open arms, of a place where people are cared for. Regardless of the reasons people go to a home away from home, the presumption is that they need to be cared for there. They need a clean and comfortable place to rest or sleep, food service, an area for socializing and meeting other people, access to stores and shops, and a secure surrounding. Americans have often been described as a people on the move, a mobile society. Even as our country expanded, we required bed and board. Travelers in the early 1700s found hospitality similar to that in their countries of origin, even though these new accommodations might have been in roadhouses, missions, or private homes and the housekeeping might have included no more than a bed of straw, changed weekly. Facilities in all parts of young America were commensurate with the demand of the traveling public, and early records indicate that a choice was usually available; travelers based the decision on where they expected to find good food, overnight protection, and clean facilities. Even though the inns were crude, they were gathering places where anyone could learn the news of the day, socialize, learn the business of the area, and rest. The business of inn keeping has become the hotel industry of today, but the main tenets remain: a clean, comfortable room, access to food and entertainment and facilities. Housekeeping departments play a vital role in today’s lodging industry. People involved in housekeeping operations service guest rooms, maintain and service public and special areas, and, in many instances, operate laundries and recreational and health facilities. The people of housekeeping are also a part of the overall team of hosts and hostesses who
The Problem and its Background
Introduction
Hospitality is the cordial and generous reception and entertainment of guests or strangers, either socially or commercially. From this definition we get the feeling of the open house and the host with open arms, of a place where people are cared for. Regardless of the reasons people go to a home away from home, the presumption is that they need to be cared for there. They need a clean and comfortable place to rest or sleep, food service, an area for socializing and meeting other people, access to stores and shops, and a secure surrounding. Americans have often been described as a people on the move, a mobile society. Even as our country expanded, we required bed and board. Travelers in the early 1700s found hospitality similar to that in their countries of origin, even though these new accommodations might have been in roadhouses, missions, or private homes and the housekeeping might have included no more than a bed of straw, changed weekly. Facilities in all parts of young America were commensurate with the demand of the traveling public, and early records indicate that a choice was usually available; travelers based the decision on where they expected to find good food, overnight protection, and clean facilities. Even though the inns were crude, they were gathering places where anyone could learn the news of the day, socialize, learn the business of the area, and rest. The business of inn keeping has become the hotel industry of today, but the main tenets remain: a clean, comfortable room, access to food and entertainment and facilities. Housekeeping departments play a vital role in today’s lodging industry. People involved in housekeeping operations service guest rooms, maintain and service public and special areas, and, in many instances, operate laundries and recreational and health facilities. The people of housekeeping are also a part of the overall team of hosts and hostesses who
Bibliography: Boyatzis (1982) Competencies as motive, trait, skill, aspect of ones self image or social role, or body of knowledge. Nordhaug and Gronhaug (1994) Defined to include work related knowledge, skills and abilities.