Hotel housekeeping glossary
Plain-language definitions of the housekeeping terms hotels use every day, from stayover and turndown to opt-in housekeeping and room statuses such as vacant dirty and out of order.
Deep clean
A periodic, thorough clean beyond the daily standard, such as behind furniture, curtains and mattresses.
Departure clean (checkout clean)
The full clean after a guest leaves and before the room is sold again: new linen, a full bathroom clean, restocking and an inspection.
Do not disturb (DND)
The guest has asked not to be disturbed, so housekeeping does not enter the room.
Green choice
A programme that rewards guests for skipping a stayover clean, for example with points, a voucher or a tree planted.
Housekeeping on request
Another name for opt-in housekeeping: the room is serviced during the stay only when the guest asks.
Inspected
A supervisor has checked the cleaned room and released it for the next guest.
Light service (refresh service)
A shorter stayover visit, such as fresh towels, emptied bins and a quick tidy, without a full clean.
Occupied
A guest is staying in the room, so it is serviced as a stayover, not prepared for a new arrival.
Opt-in housekeeping
The room is not serviced during the stay by default; the guest asks if they want it.
Opt-out housekeeping
Daily service is the default; the guest declines it if they do not want it.
Out of order (OOO)
The room is taken out of sellable inventory, usually for repairs or renovation, and cannot be booked until it is put back in order.
Out of service (OOS)
The room is temporarily unavailable, for example for a minor fix, but stays in inventory and can be returned to sale quickly.
Service refused
Housekeeping offered to clean and the guest declined, so the room is logged and the team does not keep returning.
Stayover clean
Service during a multi-night stay while the guest keeps the room: bed made, bathroom refreshed, bins emptied and towels replaced if needed.
Turndown service
An evening visit to prepare the room for the night, common at luxury hotels.
Vacant clean
No guest is in the room and it has been cleaned, so it is ready to be sold or assigned to an arriving guest.
Vacant dirty
No guest is in the room, but it has not been cleaned since the last guest left, so it needs a departure clean.
For what these terms mean for guests and hotel teams in practice, read our guide to hotel housekeeping terms.