What Does an Executive Housekeeper Do?
By mid-morning the front desk wants to know which rooms are clean, and the executive housekeeper has the answer. Executive housekeepers set the cleaning standards and shift schedules for room attendants, custodians and laundry staff in hotels, resorts, hospitals and large campus buildings, then inspect rooms before guests arrive. On some university campuses the title is center housekeeper.
Also known as: Center Housekeeper, Assistant Center Housekeeper
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Building Services Supervisor, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor, Custodian Supervisor, Environmental Services Supervisor (EVS), Housekeeping Supervisor, Janitorial Supervisor, Laundry Supervisor, Maintenance Supervisor.
Executive Housekeeper Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of an executive housekeeper include:
- Set cleaning standards and checklists for guest rooms, public areas and back-of-house spaces.
- Schedule room attendants, custodians and laundry staff to match occupancy and event bookings.
- Inspect rooms, restrooms and meeting spaces and send items back for recleaning.
- Order linens, cleaning chemicals and guest amenities within the department budget.
- Train staff on chemical safety, bloodborne pathogen rules and correct equipment use.
- Coordinate with the front desk so clean rooms are released quickly for arriving guests.
- Report maintenance problems such as leaks, broken fixtures and pest sightings to engineering.
- Manage lost and found items and keep records of how each one was returned.
- Interview, hire and evaluate housekeeping staff and handle attendance and conduct issues.
- Plan deep cleaning and floor care projects around slow seasons and building closures.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as an executive housekeeper, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Scheduling and labor cost control
- Inspection standards for rooms and public areas
- Safe handling of cleaning chemicals under OSHA rules
- Hotel property management systems such as Oracle Opera
- Inventory control for linens and supplies
- Leading large teams across several shifts
- Fair, consistent handling of attendance and conduct issues
- An eye for detail on every walkthrough
Education and Training
The usual path runs from room attendant to housekeeping supervisor to assistant executive housekeeper. A high school diploma is the typical minimum, according to BLS, and courses in hospitality are a plus. Later moves include running housekeeping at a larger property or managing a hotel's rooms division.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $40,100 - $62,600 per year, with a median of $49,100.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers.
Employment of housekeeping and janitorial supervisors, the wider group that includes executive housekeepers, should grow about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS projections. Openings across that group should run to roughly 30,800 a year. Pay figures cover the whole supervisor group, so an executive housekeeper at a large hotel or hospital may earn toward the top of the range. Running a large team well is what sets candidates apart.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers.
Executive Housekeeper Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,520 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $40,100 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $49,100 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $62,600 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $76,430 |
Highest-Paying States for Executive Housekeepers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($63,550), Rhode Island ($63,520), California ($61,470), New York ($60,580), Massachusetts ($59,760). Pay is lowest in Oklahoma ($40,460), Louisiana ($38,640), Arkansas ($37,500).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $44,370 |
| Alaska | $56,690 |
| Arizona | $48,610 |
| Arkansas | $37,500 |
| California | $61,470 |
| Colorado | $55,100 |
| Connecticut | $57,200 |
| Delaware | $50,750 |
| District of Columbia | $47,950 |
| Florida | $45,770 |
| Georgia | $46,070 |
| Hawaii | $59,060 |
| Idaho | $48,390 |
| Illinois | $49,410 |
| Indiana | $50,570 |
| Iowa | $47,200 |
| Kansas | $49,780 |
| Kentucky | $45,860 |
| Louisiana | $38,640 |
| Maine | $55,810 |
| Maryland | $49,550 |
| Massachusetts | $59,760 |
| Michigan | $46,770 |
| Minnesota | $53,510 |
| Mississippi | $42,230 |
| Missouri | $45,660 |
| Montana | $48,240 |
| Nebraska | $48,870 |
| Nevada | $50,080 |
| New Hampshire | $55,200 |
| New Jersey | $55,170 |
| New Mexico | $44,840 |
| New York | $60,580 |
| North Carolina | $47,490 |
| North Dakota | $54,210 |
| Ohio | $46,110 |
| Oklahoma | $40,460 |
| Oregon | $56,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $46,920 |
| Rhode Island | $63,520 |
| South Carolina | $45,320 |
| South Dakota | $46,860 |
| Tennessee | $46,800 |
| Texas | $41,660 |
| Utah | $52,420 |
| Vermont | $59,340 |
| Virginia | $48,660 |
| Washington | $63,550 |
| West Virginia | $41,450 |
| Wisconsin | $49,070 |
| Wyoming | $47,840 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 97% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 78% use email every day
- 77% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 76% are on the phone every day
- 73% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 64% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
- 59% spend more than half the workday on their feet
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 43% |
| Some college | 19% |
| Associate's degree | 14% |
| Bachelor's degree | 12% |
Tools and Software Executive Housekeepers Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Management of Personnel Resources, Speaking, Monitoring, Coordination, Time Management, Active Listening.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for an Executive Housekeeper Job
- Job application letter sample
- How to write the skills section of a resume
- How to describe your work experience
- Job interview tips
- Interview thank-you note
The Job Explorer never charges candidates any money. If someone asks you to pay to apply for a executive housekeeper job or to get hired, treat it as a warning sign.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 37-1011.00 (First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.