A turnover checklist is the list your cleaner follows between one guest's checkout and the next guest's check-in. A good one is short, in the order the work is done, and asks for a photo of the things guests complain about most. Here is one you can use today.
The checklist
- Change the bed linens and towels.
- Clean the bathroom. Take a photo.
- Sweep and mop the floors.
- Restock tissue, shampoo, soap and drinking water. Take a photo.
- Check that the aircon and WiFi are working.
- Photograph the room before you leave.
Add whatever is particular to your place: the rice cooker, the gas tank, the gate key, the outdoor shower. Keep it to what matters; a checklist of forty items gets skipped.
Why photos matter
Photos turn "I cleaned it" into something you can see from anywhere. They matter most for the things guests notice first and complain about in reviews: the bathroom, missing supplies, and the room as a whole.
They also protect your cleaner. When a guest says the room was dirty, a time-stamped photo from before check-in settles it fairly.
When the turnover happens
A turnover has to fit between checkout and check-in. If your checkout is at 11am and check-in at 2pm, that is three hours for everything above. On back-to-back peak-season days, plan for it: a second cleaner, or supplies left ready in the room.
Tell your cleaner about every checkout in advance, including bookings from every booking site. This is where most mix-ups start: a cleaner who only hears about Airbnb checkouts misses the Agoda one.
Stop texting your cleaner every checkout
In UpaKwarto, a cleaning task is created automatically for every upcoming checkout, from any booking site or direct booking, up to two weeks ahead. Your cleaner signs in with their own account, which shows their own tasks, not your bookings list, rates or earnings. Each task comes with the checklist above, which you can edit, and the photos are attached to the task as they finish.
You can see what is done and what is not, without a single message.
Plan for your busiest weeks
Holy Week, summer and Christmas bring back-to-back turnovers with no slack. Plan your peak-season pricing and rules early, and use minimum stays to cut down on one-night turnovers in the busiest weeks.