Guide to Hotel HousekeepingPalmer, Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth)
General
Guide to Hotel Housekeeping
Palmer, Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth)
Home economics; Hotels
Excepting the linen-room position, that of parlor maid is the most
desirable situation that the hotel housekeeper can offer a girl. The
wages are usually better than those of a chambermaid, and her work is
not near so laborious. At all times, the parlor-maid is neatly dressed,
suave, serene, and courteous. A quiet and unobtrusive manner is
absolutely essential. She needs to take many steps during the day, and
thus youth and a slender figure are the first qualities in one who
wishes to make a success of the position. She meets people of wealth and
refinement and the ultra fastidious, hence her position is a responsible
one and requires a dignified appearance and demeanor. She must have
self-respect and must claim the respect of others. None of the
moralities must be omitted nor must she forget the daily bath, clean
underwear, and clean hosiery every day. The morning is the time for the
parlor-maid to do the cleaning, and she should wear about her work a
washable dress of percale or dimity, with a white apron. In the
afternoon and evening, this should be exchanged for a black skirt,
white waist, and white apron.
_Where Work Is Diversified._
She is expected to render quite diversified services. Her duties vary
with the mode of life of those by whom she is employed. She will
scarcely be called on to do all the work that is herein enumerated; but
the success of any hotel employe is largely due to the number of things
he or she is able to do well. A parlor-maid may raise her occupation to
a level with that of millinery or dress-making. There is room at the top
of the ladder for the expert parlor-maid just the same as there is for
any other person in any other calling.
In the small hotels, the parlor-maid usually cares for the proprietor's
private apartments. In addition to these, a suite next to the parlor may
be given her to keep in order. She can easily look after these rooms
where she has only one parlor. The cleaning of the ladies' toilet-room
and reception-hall and the ladies' entrance-stairs usually falls to the
parlor-maid. She must look after the writing-rooms, do the high dusting,
clean the tiles, clean the mirrors, polish the brass trays, clean the
cuspidors, wash the lace curtains, and sweep and dust. In washing
windows and mirrors, she should use warm water to which a little ammonia
has been added. She should not use soap, as the grease in the soap makes
the polishing difficult. Wipe with a dry cotton cloth and polish with a
chamois skin.
_Keeping Parlor in Order._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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