The guest room is where hotel guests spend the greatest amount of their time during their stay.
Creating a space where they can feel completely at ease and genuinely relax is the role of housekeeping.

Tanabe, Executive Housekeeper at BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel (hereafter “BELLUSTAR TOKYO”), describes the job as making sure the guest room remains in a state where “nothing feels out of place” as a matter of course. Here, we take a closer look at the thinking behind those words and the true essence of housekeeping.

Tanabe:“In addition to routine duties such as cleaning guest rooms and carrying out inspections, housekeeping covers a wide range of responsibilities, including facility maintenance to check for dirt and damage throughout the hotel, as well as responding to guest requests.
I also take on managerial responsibilities, such as training Associates (Note 1) , maintaining a good working environment, and carrying out final checks of guest rooms when preparing to welcome VIP guests.”

Note 1: At Tokyu Hotels & Resorts, employees are referred to as “Associates.”

Tanabe, who once worked in sales in the corporate world, entered the hotel industry after realizing that he enjoyed talking with people. After gaining experience at a variety of hotels, he has overseen the housekeeping department at BELLUSTAR TOKYO since its opening in 2023.

After joining the hotel industry, he worked in a range of roles within the rooms division, including front desk staff and duty manager. Among them, he says, housekeeping was the only role he had not yet experienced.

Tanabe:“While I was working at my previous hotel, a senior colleague advised me that housekeeping would give me knowledge I would continue to need throughout a long career in the hotel industry. That advice led me to pursue this path. I also learned that a new luxury hotel was opening in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and was drawn to that environment as well, which led me to decide to take on the housekeeping department at BELLUSTAR TOKYO.”

At this still-young hotel, Tanabe has played a central role in building the foundation of the housekeeping department. Asked what mindset Tanabe emphasizes to Associates on a daily basis, the answer is clear: stay close to guests and always think one step ahead.

Tanabe:“Although a hotel is a non-everyday space, I want our guest rooms to feel like places where guests can relax with the same peace of mind they would feel at home. To make that possible, I tell our Associates that, in addition to maintaining a high standard of cleanliness and order, they should take a genuine interest in each guest and constantly ask themselves what they can do for that person.

I also believe the most important thing is never to say no to a guest request. Even if we cannot fulfill everything, we should do all that we can. I believe that is what housekeeping at BELLUSTAR TOKYO should be.”

One of the defining attractions of the guest rooms at BELLUSTAR TOKYO is their luxurious atmosphere, where tranquility and a sense of openness exist in beautiful harmony. Even for Tanabe, who has seen many hotels over the years, they remain a place of daily discovery and inspiration.

Tanabe:“The contrast between the bustle of Shinjuku and the silence you feel the moment you step into the hotel is truly one of a kind. I find it especially compelling that a luxury hotel stands on the east side of Shinjuku, an area not associated only with positive images.
And the view of Tokyo that opens up through the large window the moment you enter the guest room is simply breathtaking. That is why I make a particular point of ensuring those windows are always kept spotless. It makes me very happy when I catch a glimpse of guests being moved by the view.”

The refined guest rooms, where traditional Japanese design coexists with a sense of luxury, are also one of the elements that captivate guests. But how are these rooms brought to perfection each day?

Tanabe:“Our work begins after a guest checks out, with a check that no items have been left behind. After checking the room for any damage, it is cleaned by a room attendant, and then goes through a final inspection by the person in charge before the room is considered ready. We carefully check every detail, including whether all necessary amenities are in place and whether the cleaning staff have inadvertently left any of their kit in the room.
When welcoming VIP guests, the Executive Housekeeper also joins the process to carry out an even more thorough inspection.”

Within a limited window of time, housekeeping must carry out a large number of tasks without compromising on any single aspect.
“As so many Associates are involved in preparing each guest room, I am truly grateful to them,” says Tanabe.

Tanabe:“I could never complete a perfect guest room on my own. The rooms at BELLUSTAR TOKYO are made possible by the efforts of many people, including our Associates and staff from partner companies. That is why I make a point of always expressing my gratitude in words.
Some of our overseas staff are not fully comfortable in Japanese, so there are times when I say ‘thank you’ in their native language, such as Chinese or Vietnamese. Through my work in housekeeping, I have learned that teamwork begins with gratitude.”

At the same time, Tanabe notes that working as a team also comes with its challenges.
Tanabe:“It is not easy for everyone to deliver the same level of quality. That is why we have established SOPs*2 as clear standards for our Associates, standardized work processes, and built a system that helps the entire team maintain and stabilize quality through ongoing feedback.

Beyond that, what is important is to carry out each step with care, one by one. Oversights can happen not only when we are busy, but also when there is more time to spare.
In any situation, the first priority is to carry out the prescribed procedures reliably. Then, on top of that, each person can add their own ingenuity. I make a conscious effort to keep this mindset myself as well, so that we can create guest rooms where guests feel absolutely no anxiety or sense of discomfort.”

Note 2: SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) — Standard operating procedures established to maintain consistent service quality. In a hotel setting, they serve as the basic framework for operations and provide the standards necessary to deliver flexible hospitality tailored to individual guest needs.

Tanabe says that great care has gone into every single amenity placed in the guest rooms. Above all, the bedding was selected over time with particular attention, so that it would become one of the defining attractions of BELLUSTAR TOKYO.

Tanabe:“For the mattresses, we chose ones from a brand honored with a Royal Warrant from the British Royal Family, and for the sheets, we use products from one of Italy’s finest luxury brands. They feel exceptionally good against the skin, and I am very fond of them myself. Together with Deputy General Manager Takahashi, I paid especially close attention to the selection of the bedding. With the guest always foremost in our minds, we chose items with the quality befitting a luxury hotel.”

Aiming to make BELLUSTAR TOKYO one of Japan’s leading luxury hotels, Tanabe says that careful attention has been paid to every last detail, down to each small amenity in the guest room. When asked how Tanabe hopes guests will experience that care and ingenuity, the response is unexpected: “I’m happy when there is no comment at all. No positive comment is the highest praise.”

Tanabe:“Of course, guests’ smiles and expressions of delight give us energy. But what matters even more to us is when nothing is said about the guest room. Because we want to provide rooms so naturally free of anxiety or discomfort that guests never notice anything wrong, our ideal is a state in which there is not even a need to say, ‘It was clean,’ or ‘It was comfortable.’ A perfect guest survey score with no comment is what makes me happiest, because I take it as a sign that the guest was so satisfied that there was nothing more to say. That is the standard we strive to achieve as one team every day.”

Housekeeping is every bit deserving of its reputation as a profession of behind-the-scenes experts. Precisely because of that, however, its presence can easily go unnoticed.

Tanabe:“Some people may see guests’ smiles and positive comments as motivation, but for us, the ideal is a perfect score with no comment. Whenever we receive that kind of evaluation, we share it with the team. I would be glad if it serves as even a small source of encouragement for our Associates.
We also make sure to share examples of good work with the entire team whenever we see them. What matters to me is helping people feel that their efforts are recognized, and raising the level of the whole team by sharing those actions with everyone.”

Tanabe goes on to say that, while housekeeping may be an unsung presence, it also plays a central role in the hotel.

Tanabe:“If we in housekeeping do not prepare the guest rooms, guests cannot check in. A hotel cannot function without its rooms, and that is why I take pride in the fact that we bear one of its most important responsibilities.
Each and every task we carry out affects the quality of the guest room and, ultimately, the hotel’s overall reputation. That sense of responsibility and pressure is precisely what makes housekeeping so rewarding.”