Housekeeping Staffing Challenges in 2025 — And How to Solve Them
Few hotel roles impact the guest experience more directly than housekeeping. Clean rooms, prompt service, and attention to detail are the foundation of strong reviews and brand loyalty. But in 2025, staffing housekeeping teams has never been more difficult.
Whether you manage a luxury resort or a midscale chain, chances are you’re facing at least one of these challenges:
🚨 The Biggest Housekeeping Staffing Challenges in 2025
1. A Shrinking Labor Pool
Hospitality continues to struggle with post-pandemic labor shortages — especially in housekeeping, where the work is physically demanding and wages are often low. Competing industries (like retail and warehouse) offer similar pay with less physical strain.
2. High Turnover
Housekeeping has one of the highest turnover rates in the hotel industry — often over 60%. The constant hiring and training cycle drains time and money.
3. Increased Workload Per Room
Post-COVID guest expectations are higher than ever. Deep cleans, additional sanitizing steps, and stricter brand standards mean each room takes longer to clean — even with fewer hands on deck.
4. Last-Minute Call-Outs
Whether it’s illness, childcare conflicts, or burnout, unexpected absenteeism leaves managers scrambling to cover rooms.
5. Limited Access to Reliable Applicants
Job boards and walk-ins aren’t cutting it. Many GMs report interviewing dozens of applicants who never show up — or quit within days.
💡 How to Solve These Challenges
Here’s how top-performing hotels are adapting — and staying fully staffed even during crunch times:
✅ 1. Partner with a Hospitality Staffing Agency
A reputable agency that specializes in hospitality (like Standout Staffing) can provide trained, vetted housekeepers who are ready to work — often within 24–48 hours. You gain flexibility, fill call-outs fast, and avoid the high costs of turnover and benefits.
Bonus: Agencies handle onboarding, employment eligibility verification, and insurance — taking pressure off your HR team.
✅ 2. Use a Core + Flex Staffing Model
Keep a lean core team of permanent staff, and layer in temporary or seasonal housekeepers when needed. This hybrid approach helps you:
Staff up quickly for high season or large group bookings
Reduce burnout for full-time staff
Lower overall labor costs
✅ 3. Invest in Quick Onboarding Systems
Even when using temporary staff, having a streamlined orientation process ensures quality and consistency. This allows even new team members to meet your brand standards from day one. Consider:
A 30-minute property walkthrough
Room cleaning checklist with photos
One-day shadow shifts with a supervisor
✅ 4. Offer Incentives for Reliability
Small perks go a long way. Consider:
Attendance bonuses
Shift completion rewards
“Pick your schedule” flexibility
✅ 5. Build a Bench
If you’re constantly hiring after you’re short-staffed, you’re already behind. Build a bench of pre-vetted candidates or maintain a partnership with a staffing agency that can supply staff on demand — even with just a few hours’ notice.
🔚 Final Thought: Your Housekeeping Team
Is Your Brand
When a guest walks into a spotless, fresh-smelling room, they don’t ask who cleaned it — but they remember the experience. That’s why solving housekeeping staffing challenges is about more than filling roles. It’s about protecting your hotel’s reputation and delivering consistency, every day.
📞 Need Help Solving Your Housekeeping Staffing Shortage?
Standout Staffing provides trained, dependable housekeeping professionals to hotels across the U.S. — fast.
👉 Contact us today to learn how we can keep your hotel fully staffed and stress-free.