Writing an amenity standard operating procedure

Decide what the SOP covers

Write a separate SOP for each process: receiving amenities, storing them, issuing to floors, restocking rooms, handling dispensers, and discarding or donating leftovers. Smaller documents are easier to read, train and update than one long manual.

Give each SOP a number and a version date, and keep a short list of all SOPs with their owners. A simple index shows gaps, such as a process with no document, and avoids two versions of the same procedure circulating at once.

A simple structure that works

Use the same headings every time:

1. Purpose: one sentence.
2. Scope: who and where it applies.
3. Roles: who does what.
4. Steps: numbered, one action each.
5. Standard: what good looks like, with a photo.
6. Records: what must be written down.
7. Review: owner and date.

Do not copy a generic template word for word. Take its headings but fill them with your own rooms, your own trolley and your own record sheets. A procedure that mentions equipment the hotel does not own is quickly ignored.

Write steps people can follow

Use short sentences and active verbs. "Wipe the nozzle with the cloth" is better than "nozzle hygiene shall be maintained". Put one action in each step and number them. Use quantities, not adjectives: "place two soaps" rather than "adequate soaps". Where the standard depends on room type, use a small table or separate photos.

Include a short 'if something goes wrong' note for the most likely problems: a leaking dispenser, a missing delivery, a damaged pack. Say who to tell and what to do with the item. Staff are far more likely to act correctly when the answer is written down.

An example: restocking a stay-over room

1. Check the trolley is loaded to the shelf label.
2. Remove used or opened items and place in the waste bag.
3. Place two soaps and one dental kit in the positions in the photo.
4. Check the dispenser is at least a quarter full; top up if not and wipe the nozzle.
5. Place slippers if the room type includes them.
6. Record any fault on the floor sheet.

Adapt wording, quantities and room types to your hotel.

Add a line at the end saying who to call with a question. Staff who can reach someone quickly are more likely to ask than to guess, and the answers often show where the SOP needs improving.

Assign records and owners

Every SOP should say what record is kept, where, and by whom. Examples are the issue sheet, the weekly count and the dispenser checklist. Give each SOP an owner by job title, not by name, so the document survives staff changes. The owner reviews it at least yearly.

Match the SOP to your training. Use the same photographs, the same words and the same sequence in both places, so staff are not learning one version in the classroom and another on the floor.

Test it with the people who do the work

Before issuing, ask two housekeepers to follow the draft in a real room while you watch. Note where they hesitate or skip steps and fix the wording. Translate or illustrate where needed. Our guide to refill systems and the dispenser maintenance article can supply details for the dispenser sections.

Check that the SOP does not contradict others. A restocking SOP that says to replace every item and a waste SOP that says to avoid discards will leave staff confused, so review related documents together.

Keep it alive

Put the SOP where it is used, such as laminated in the store and on the supervisor's clipboard. Update it when a product, a layout or a policy changes. If you switch to a new format, request samples of it early so you can write and test the steps before launch; you can ask for samples. For items grouped in a single pack, see amenity kits as a way to simplify steps.

Finally, collect a signature or initials from each person trained on the SOP, with the date. It is not a threat; it is a record that the training took place and a reminder that the document belongs to everyone who uses it.

Questions on this topic

Keep reading

• Setting up the housekeeping trolley for amenities
• How much time restocking takes per room and how to cut it
• Amenity inventory control that doesn't need software
• Training housekeeping staff on amenity standards
• How to stock an Airbnb bathroom
• Hospital and clinic bathroom amenities: what to consider
• Gym locker room amenities: a practical checklist

Looking for supply? See Hotels & resorts, browse the product range or request samples.