Cleaning and sanitation
Hotel Lobby and Public Areas Inspection Checklist
- Who checks
- Manager on duty (MOD) or public areas supervisor
- When
- Daily in the morning before peak check-out and in the evening before peak arrivals; also before group arrivals and events
- Time
- ~30 min · 27 items
| Location | Date and time | Inspector | Signature |
Guests judge a hotel before they reach the front desk: by the entrance door, the doormat, the smell in the lobby and how the elevator looks. Public areas are cleaned by several departments, and problems appear exactly where responsibilities meet: room service trays in the corridor, a burned-out bulb on the 4th floor that nobody considers theirs, wilted flowers by the elevator.
The walkthrough follows the guest's path: street and entrance, lobby, lobby bar and seating areas, public restrooms, elevators, guest floor corridors (2–3 floors at random, different each time), stairwells. Anything that can be fixed on the spot is fixed as you go; everything else becomes a work order for the right department with a photo and a deadline.
Entrance
-
1
The area outside the entrance is clean: no cigarette butts, litter or puddles Inspect 5–10 meters in front of the entrance and the smoking area; bins no more than two-thirds full.☐ Yes☐ No
-
2
Entrance door glass is free of handprints at handle height Look at the glass at an angle to the light, from outside and inside.☐ Yes☐ No
-
3
The entrance mat lies flat, edges not curled or slipping Step on the edge: it does not move and has no ripples to trip over.☐ Yes☐ No
-
4
Signage, hotel name and star rating plaque, and entrance lighting work In the evening all letters and fixtures are lit; in the daytime no dirt or damage.☐ Yes☐ No
-
5
In rain or snow, an umbrella stand and a wet floor sign are at the entrance In dry weather mark "yes". The floor just inside the entrance is dry or being mopped.☐ Yes☐ No
Lobby and seating areas
-
6
No off odors in the lobby Walk in from the street and judge the first seconds: no kitchen, damp or sewer smell; scenting, if used, is not overpowering.☐ Yes☐ No
-
7
Lobby lighting follows the time-of-day setting and all lamps work Walk the lobby and check ceiling fixtures, floor lamps and accent lighting.☐ Yes☐ No
-
8
Background music plays at the standard volume In the sofa area you can talk comfortably without raising your voice.☐ Yes☐ No
-
9
Upholstered furniture is stain-free, cushions arranged, chairs in their set positions Inspect upholstery and seats up close; chairs not pushed into walkways.☐ Yes☐ No
-
10
Coffee tables are free of used dishes; newspapers and brochures are current Cups and glasses cleared, today's newspapers, brochures not crumpled.☐ Yes☐ No
-
11
Live plants are well kept; artificial ones are dust-free No dry or yellow leaves; no cigarette butts or litter in the soil.☐ Yes☐ No
-
12
Luggage carts are clean and parked in their designated spot Chrome parts spotless, wheels roll freely, carts do not block walkways.☐ Yes☐ No
-
13
The lobby floor is clean and dry; marble and tile areas are streak-free Check the floor by the front desk and elevators; a sign is out during wet mopping.☐ Yes☐ No
Public restrooms
-
14
The cleaning log on the door is filled in, last entry within the hour Compare the time of the last entry with the current time.☐ Yes☐ No
-
15
Soap, paper towels and toilet paper are stocked All dispensers full, spare rolls in the stalls.☐ Yes☐ No
-
16
Fixtures, mirrors and floors are clean with no puddles Look into every stall and check the floor by the sinks.☐ Yes☐ No
-
17
Hand dryer, flush and stall locks work Turn on the dryer, flush in 1–2 stalls, lock a stall door.☐ Yes☐ No
Elevators and stairs
-
18
The elevator car is clean: mirrors, handrails, button panel, floor Ride every passenger elevator; no greasy marks on the button panel, no debris in the door tracks.☐ Yes☐ No
-
19
Elevators stop level with the floor and doors do not slam Car sill level with the floor; doors open and close smoothly. Any deviation means an immediate work order to engineering.☐ Yes☐ No
-
20
Elevator day-of-the-week mats show the correct day, if used Check the mat against today's day.☐ Yes☐ No
-
21
Stairwells are free of litter and stored items Walk the stairs between 2–3 floors; steps and handrails are clean.☐ Yes☐ No
Guest floor corridors
-
22
No room service trays or dirty dishes in the corridors Walk the selected floors end to end. Trays found go straight to food and beverage with the time noted.☐ Yes☐ No
-
23
Housekeeping carts and linen bags are not left unattended in the corridor The cart is at the open room where the attendant is working, or in the floor pantry.☐ Yes☐ No
-
24
All corridor lights work Walk the corridor from the elevator to the end and count lights that are out.☐ Yes☐ No
-
25
Carpet is free of stains, ripples and loose seams A loose seam or lifted edge is a trip hazard; work order to engineering the same day.☐ Yes☐ No
-
26
Room number signs and wayfinding by the elevator are legible and intact The "Rooms 401–420 →" sign is in place; door number plates are not coming off.☐ Yes☐ No
-
27
Escape routes and stairwell doors are clear; Exit signs are lit No furniture, carts or bags in walkways or by the doors; doors not propped open or locked.☐ Yes☐ No
This template is a starting point. Check the limits and wording against your local regulations, your company standards and the equipment manufacturers' instructions.
jeCheck · https://jecheck.io/en/templates/hotel-public-areas
Common violations
- Room service trays in the corridors in the morning. A guest heading to breakfast sees leftovers outside the next door, and it ends up in a review.
- A wet floor at the entrance in bad weather with no sign and no mat. A guest falling in the lobby means an injury and a claim against the hotel.
- An elevator that stops with a step. It stays in service until someone trips with a suitcase.
- Housekeeping carts and linen bags parked by the stairwell exit. That blocks an escape route, and every inspection finds it.
- Always walking the same floors. Problems on the others build up for months because nobody goes there.
Frequently asked questions
Cleaning is usually handled by housekeeping (public area attendants), technical condition by engineering. The manager on duty walks the areas and assigns issues to departments so none fall through the cracks.
Lobby, entrance, restrooms and elevators every time. Corridors on 2–3 floors at random, rotating so that every floor is covered within a week.
Yes, every issue passed to another department. A photo with the location saves search time and makes it easy to verify the fix later.
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