Points System and Productivity Factor

What is a Points System in Housekeeping?

The points system (also called room credits) is a method for calculating cleaning workload. Unlike simple room counting, this system accounts for complexity, duration, and type of cleaning, enabling fair workload distribution among housekeepers.

Each task—whether interim cleaning, linen change, or suite preparation—is assigned a specific point value reflecting the estimated completion time. This approach prevents overloading and eliminates subjectivity in planning.

How Are Points Calculated?

Points may vary between hotels, but a common benchmark is:

1 point ≈ 10 minutes of active cleaning (excluding logistics, briefings, and breaks).

If a shift lasts 8 hours (480 minutes), after accounting for breaks, handovers, and travel time, approximately 300 minutes of actual work time remain. This yields a daily standard of 25–30 points.

Task Scoring Examples:

• Interim cleaning (on request, no linen change) — 2 points (~20 min)
• Stay-over cleaning (for occupied rooms) — 3–4 points (30–40 min)
• Check-out cleaning (complete linen change, disinfection) — 5–6 points (50–60 min)
• Complex rooms (suites, apartments) — 8–10 points (80–100 min)

If a room's scope and complexity equals two standard rooms, it can count as 2 room credits. This is especially important for suites, rooms with kitchens, terraces, or special requirements (e.g., VIP guests or allergy-sensitive guests).

Standards and Flexibility

A point standard doesn't mean a fixed number of rooms. A housekeeper might receive:

• 6–8 simple check-out rooms
• 3–4 suites or combined tasks
• Additional duties: minibar restocking, reports, photo documentation

It's important that the system is transparent and agreed upon—staff should understand how their work plan is created and why tasks are distributed differently.

Flexibility During Low Occupancy

Even if a section has 18 assigned rooms, a housekeeper might only clean 10–12 during low occupancy. Their tasks are then supplemented with:

• Deep cleaning (bathroom cabinets, under beds, etc.)
• VIP arrival preparation
• Supply inventory checks

This way, budgeted time is fully utilized, even with fewer rooms to clean.

Benefits of the Points System

• Objectivity: All tasks are measured on a single scale—regardless of subjective feelings or personal preferences of the supervisor.
• Flexibility: Schedules can adapt to hotel occupancy, guest profiles (tourists, business travelers, families), and room characteristics (suites, apartments).
• Transparency: It's easy to explain why one employee has 5 rooms and another has 8—the point difference shows the actual workload.
• Increased motivation: Clear and fair criteria help reduce team conflicts and increase trust in management.
• Simplified onboarding: New employees can be assigned tasks with fewer points without sacrificing quality.
• Quality support: Deviations can be tracked—if cleaning takes too few or too many points, it's a reason for analysis.
• Foundation for automation: Digital systems like CELLYPSO Housekeeping automatically calculate points and create tasks, reducing administrative burden.

The points system isn't just a convenience for supervisors—it's the key to manageability and predictability in housekeeping. It makes chaos manageable and conflicts rare.

What is the Productivity Factor and Why Does It Matter?

The Productivity Factor (PF) is a metric showing how much time on average is spent cleaning one room. This parameter enables precise monitoring of housekeeper efficiency and the entire housekeeping department's performance.

PF Calculation Formula

PF = Total Working Time (in hours) / Number of Cleaned Rooms

Example: If a housekeeper worked 8 hours and cleaned 13 rooms:

PF = 8 / 13 = 0.615—this means each room takes 0.615 hours, or approximately 37 minutes.

What is PF Used For?

• Objectively measures cleaning speed
• Enables monitoring of standard compliance
• Helps identify deviations—rushing or overload
• Provides arguments for staffing and budget adjustments

If PF drops sharply (e.g., to 0.57—34 minutes per room), it may indicate the employee is rushing and quality is suffering. If PF rises (e.g., 0.7—42 minutes per room), check for overload, technical difficulties, or suboptimal logistics.

Important: PF is independent of hotel type, room category, or guest. It reflects the time spent on service, not room complexity. For rooms with increased complexity (e.g., suites), the points system is used—where one room counts as 2 or more in PF calculations.

Factors Affecting the Productivity Factor (PF)

PF cannot be set manually—it's calculated based on actual time and the number of serviced rooms. However, various factors can influence whether it rises or falls.

What Can Increase PF (more time per room):

• Complex floor plans, long distances between sections
• Large rooms or suites requiring more time
• Guests staying in rooms until late morning (disrupting cleaning)
• High proportion of VIP guests, DND requests, or special requirements
• Inventory shortages, staff overload

What Can Lower PF (less time per room):

• Guests leaving rooms early—fewer disruptions
• Standard rooms without extra details
• Compact floor plans and efficient logistics
• Process automation and experienced team

Thus, PF isn't a "hotel standard" but rather a result of analysis. Monitor its changes to understand where time is lost and where efficiency can be improved.

Automation and the CELLYPSO System

The CELLYPSO Housekeeping system enables:

• Assigning points to tasks and rooms
• Automatic schedule generation
• Real-time PF calculation
• Progress and staff utilization analysis
• Shift and daily reports

Conclusion

The points system and productivity factor (PF) aren't abstract metrics—they're practical tools that make housekeeping manageable, predictable, and fair.

With these tools, you can:

• Distribute tasks sensibly among housekeepers
• Quickly identify overload or underutilization
• Plan budgets and staffing with solid reasoning
• Maintain consistent quality at any occupancy level

Combined with digital tools like CELLYPSO Housekeeping, this system becomes not just theory but daily practice—transparent, precise, and user-friendly.

Start with numbers—and housekeeping transforms from "manual control" into a strong, reliable part of your service.