Understanding the P&L statement is essential for housekeepers

Understanding the Profit & Loss Statement (P&L) is a vital skill for an Executive Housekeeper, according to Pamini Hemaprabha, executive housekeeper, rooms division specialist for IMEA Region, Master Trainer Worldwide, Emirates Palace at the fifth annual Executive Housekeeper Forum.

During the session it was determined that as regular review of the P&L is essential in an executive housekeeper’s day-to-day duties, it is important that housekeepers wanting to take the next step in their career are able to understand the P&L, what the statement shows and how to interpret the report to make important decisions that affect the efficiency of their departments.

“A housekeeper should always know per room costs on guest supplies and cleaning supplies,” Hemaprabha added.

The session emphasised why good housekeeping and good finance is very important to ensure smooth running of a hotel. For housekeeping, the financial statement is used to measure the financial performance of a departments and to monitor and improve its daily operations.

According to Hemaprabha, some of the best practices when prepping for P&L is to ensure that housekeepers get numbers from finance and breakdown their cost before attending meetings.