“Today, each room attendant can clean one more room per day on average – that makes a huge difference for us.”
Dmitrij Zakharchuk
Rooms Division Manager
The Mandala Hotel
Right in the heart of Berlin at Potsdamer Platz, The Mandala has been known for excellent service and guest experience for more than 20 years. But like many hotels, the housekeeping team struggled with common challenges: complicated communication, time-consuming planning, and little transparency about the status of each room.
With the introduction of hotelkit Housekeeping, everything changed. Today, digital tools support the daily work of the 27-person Rooms Division team. Processes are faster, clearer, and easier to coordinate. In our conversation with Rooms Division Manager Dmitrij Zakharchuk, he explains how strongly the team feels these improvements—and why the tool has already paid off.
Challenge
Efficient housekeeping processes through digital coordination
Even though The Mandala already worked at a 5-star standard, coordination was still difficult. The team relied on phones, long walking distances, and many follow-up questions. Instructions had to be delivered in person, and information was sometimes lost along the way. This caused delays and created uncertainty about which room was ready or needed attention.
Solution
Modern housekeeping made simple: Everything at a glance
With hotelkit Housekeeping, another key area of the hotel was fully digitized. Now all internal processes are available on one platform. Not only Front Office, Maintenance, and HR benefit—Housekeeping processes also moved to the next level.
Planning, prioritizing, and releasing rooms now happens digitally, directly on the team’s smartphones. Thanks to the two-way PMS interface, departures are sent from the PMS to hotelkit in real time. This means each room attendant immediately sees which rooms are ready and what needs to be done first. Guest preferences, VIP status, and special requests are all included automatically.
Staff can also upload photos and videos—for example to report a repair or clarify a question. This helps overcome language barriers and ensures smooth communication and planning.
“Information no longer gets lost. Once something is entered, someone takes care of it—without five extra steps.” – Dmitrij Zakharchuk
Digital Housekeeping Use Cases
1. More efficient daily planning
The daily room plan is now digital. Departures and priorities appear automatically. No more walking back and forth, no more checking in person. Each room attendant saves around one hour per day.
2. Transparency through digital checklists
Digital cleaning and inspection checklists show exactly who completed which task. Management can react quickly if quality standards aren’t met.
3. Report repairs directly in the app
Staff can take a photo in the room and send the repair ticket directly to the maintenance team. All open tasks are visible—nothing gets lost and repairs are completed faster.
4. Guest requests in real time
Guest wishes, like an extra pillow, are added in hotelkit and assigned directly to the correct room. The team sees the task instantly on their device.
5. Green Option
If guests skip room cleaning, this is recorded in hotelkit and considered automatically—helping support sustainability goals.
6. Performance monitoring
Supervisors rate performance on a scale from 1 to 5. These results flow into monthly reports and help with bonuses, training, and staffing decisions.
Results
One hour saved per employee
Every room attendant now completes one extra room per day. With faster communication, this adds up to about one hour saved per person—equivalent to a full shift saved each day across the team.
All processes are documented in hotelkit. Repairs are reported instantly via photo, guest requests appear automatically, and checklists give a real-time overview of room status. Everything is connected, transparent, and handled faster.
Guest quality remains at 5-star level—internally, the team simply works more efficiently.
ROI: fast payback
The 8 hours saved per day equal almost 3,000 hours per year. Based on average labor costs, this adds up to more than €49,000 in value annually.
Given the cost of hotelkit Housekeeping, this results in an ROI of over 750%—the investment pays off after only a few weeks.
Conclusion
Better communication, faster planning, and full transparency – these are the key benefits The Mandala gains with hotelkit Housekeeping. The team saves nearly 3,000 hours every year while reducing stress and improving workflows.
Or in Dmitrij’s words:
“One extra hour per day, for each room attendant—that makes a huge difference for us.”
