Who is a room attendant?
A room attendant is an artisan or a worker skilled in accommodation management or closely related field. In simple terms, accommodation management is concerned with cleaning, maintenance and upkeep of guest rooms and other public areas in hotels and other commercial &hospitality establishments. Room attendants perform routine duties in cleaning and servicing guest rooms and public areas within hotels and other commercial establishments.

Other related career option(s)

1. Accommodation attendant
2. Housekeeping attendant
3. Housing attendant
4. Matron
5. Waiter
6. Waitress

What is the work environment?
Room attendantswork mainly within guest rooms and other public areas maintaining hygiene of the highest levels at all time.

Some important skills to have
To work effectively, room attendants need to have some important skills and qualities such as;

1. Customer service skills in order to answer/handle guests’ questions/ requests in a friendly manner and take appropriate action.
2. Confidentiality, integrity and trustworthiness when handling guest’s belongings.
3. Basic maintenance skills in order to report any fitting(s) not working properly
4. Flexibility to work in shifts
5. Excellent organization skills in order to keep guest rooms neat and orderly.
6. Safety awareness while handling or using various cleaning chemicals
7. Physical strength as room attendants may spend more time on their feet.
8. Communication skills to communicate effectively with guests& colleagues
9. Interpersonal skills to relate well with workmates and guests
10. Among others

What are some career opportunities?
Room attendants can find work in various places such as; hotels, lodging, resorts spas, hospitals, learning institutions, other types of businesses and government departments among others.

Room attendants can also use their creativity and start their own profit making ventures (self-employment).

Becoming a room attendant: Artisan level

Admission requirements
To pursue a career as a room attendant right from secondary school, a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), mean grade D- (minus) and below is required.

Training & Study options
With a KCSE mean grade D- (minus) and below, you can proceed to a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college and enroll for an appropriate artisan course. Artisan courses are also offered within Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) within your region.

So what course(s) can you pursue in TVET colleges?

1. Artisan in catering and accommodation management
2. Or other similar/ related courses

Education Progression
After a successful completion of an artisan course, you can advance your education upward (in a relevant field) up to university level if that’s your goal. How is this possible?

1. Get an artisan certificate
2. Advance to craft certificate, (in a relevant field)
3. Advance to diploma certificate, (in a relevant field)
4. Advance to degree certificate, (in a relevant field)

How to Join TVET College.
There are two ways you can follow to join training institution(s) in pursuit of your career of choice. The majority way is applying through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps). This is a state owned agency that admits/ places government sponsored students to TVET colleges and universities. One of the advantages of applying through Kuccps is that, upon successful placement, you will pay subsidized fee as a government sponsored student.

To be placed through Kuccps you must have attained a certain pass mark required for various education levels such as degrees, diplomas, certificates and artisan courses. For an artisan course, you need a KCSE mean grade E. For more details on placement criteria, visit Kuccps website. The second approach is applying directly to training institution of your choice. Students who opt to apply this way do not get government fee subsidy and are therefore self-sponsored.

How to fund your post-secondary education.
If you are a needy student, upon application, you can get education loan from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), a state owned institution that gives education loans to students joining technical colleges and universities. You can also access education bursaries from your local Member of Parliament (MP) or the County Government among other sources.

Always remember this!
Information provided on this website is for career awareness only, and not for any other purpose.

We know career life will take a significant part of your life journey, and your career choice will greatly influence how that journey unfolds. Therefore, before you make any career choice, before you commit yourself to any career or study option, be sure of what you are doing. It is advisable to seek professional advice from career advisors to navigate this very important process.

Need more information? We can provide you with additional career and education related information to meet your individual needs.