What are the pros & cons of quick carts Vs standard housekeeping carts?
Over the last few years there has been a debate in the hospitality industry whether to use traditional housekeeping carts or quick carts.
Let’s look at the positive and negative aspects of each cart.
The Quick Cart
Quick carts keep the cleaning processes hidden from the guests. It has a lower weight allowance which allows for a more discreet operating process. This small solution is designed to make corridors tidy and inspections less stressful.
On the other hand, there can be a significant loss in productivity due to the small carrying capability. In addition, there is an increase in the work load for the room attendants. In some cases, cleanliness may be compromised as the room attendants rush to complete their job on time. Consequently many housekeepers overload their carts to increase their speed in completing their rounds. Overloading will reduce the longevity of the cart. When walking around some hotels, it’s not surprising to see the following:ck carts keep the cleaning processes hidden from the guests. It has a lower weight allowance which allows for a more discreet operating process. This small solution is designed to make corridors tidy and inspections less stressful.
Clean linen, dirty linen and garbage are carried by hand. This is not attractive for the guests to see nor is it ergonomically safe for the housekeeper.
The Standard Carts
Standard carts are larger and provide the possibility of carrying a
ll the materials needed for the working day. It also makes it possible to distinctly manage clean linen, dirty linen and garbage at the same time. Consequently the efficiency is higher and there is less likelihood over overloading the cart.
Unfortunately many steel carts are still very heavy and not adapted to the particular hotel’s needs. Moreover housekeepers need clear instructions and procedures on how to correctly load them before starting their shift. Without clear guidelines the result could be messy and overloaded carts.
A well organized and clean cart gives the guest a professional idea of the hotel as seen below:
In this link some good advice from OSHA on how to set up the cart : https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/2018-12/fy10_sh-20998-10_Housekeeper_Ergo_Handout-English.pdf
A third solution : Design your ideal cart
In order to keep your housekeeping staff operating efficiently, another solution is to design you own cart.
It can be compact enough to enter the room and at the same time big enough to store and organize all housekeeping equipment. This can be a win-win situation since the housekeeping staff have all the materials at hand to complete their tasks without having to overload their cart or go to seek additional supplies.
Here some examples :
Designing your own cart could also be based on using a traditional cart that is closed, resulting in a more attractive visual experience in the hallway.
Where can you find this tailor made approach ?
Needless to say, there is not a universal solution for all the hotels: every property is different and requires different solutions. With Mercura (www.mercurausa.com) you have the possibility to collaborate with one of the representatives to design the optimal cart to meet your needs. You can contact the headquarters at enquiries@mercura.com. They will redirect you to the closest representatives for a personal assistance.