ESSAY: From Guesthouse Staff to Owner, Part 02

TL;DR

A day in the life of a guesthouse staff member: 25 hours of reality behind the dream job

02. A Day in the Life of a Guesthouse Staff Member: 25 Hours Up Close

Written by Chloe, Operations Lead at Sukso Power Plant (https://brunch.co.kr/@merrychloemas)

Chloe, Operations Lead at Sukso Power Plant

Hi, I'm Chloe, co-founder and operations lead at Sukso Power Plant, a company specializing in guesthouse operations management and training.

I started in hospitality as a guesthouse staff member, then broadened my perspective as general manager of a franchise guesthouse chain and later in sales and partner support at ONDA, a property management system. Now I'm back in the trenches, focused on running guesthouses — this time as an operator myself. I want to share the operational know-how I've built across different roles and property types with as many people as possible.

This second installment of "From Guesthouse Staff to Owner" is all about the role of guesthouse staff. When I ask people why they want to work at a guesthouse, eight or nine out of ten say, "I love meeting people and I'm great at hospitality." But the actual job is very different from what they expect. Sure, any job has a gap between expectation and reality — but in guesthouses, that gap is especially wide. The work changes dramatically depending on the time of day. If you're thinking about working at a guesthouse, read this first. It'll help you ground your expectations or at least brace yourself for what's coming.

Photo by karolina gac on Unsplash

A Day in the Life of Guesthouse Staff: 25 Hours Up Close

If I had to describe a guesthouse staff member's day in one phrase, I'd say it's like "a mom's day." Anyone in Korea will understand the reference. Like a mom, guesthouse staff are on duty day and night, taking care of the property and the guests with no real downtime. They prepare clean beds so guests can rest comfortably, serve breakfast to fuel the day's adventures, and give directions to attractions and restaurants so no one gets lost. Guesthouse staff take care of guests like a mother would. That's why a guesthouse day isn't 24 hours — it's 25. It's chaotic and never stops.

My first guesthouse was a "Korean guesthouse" (or "Korean homestay") for Korean travelers in Europe. Travelers staying at overseas properties tend to depend on staff more than domestic guests. Even if they've done their homework, locals know best. Overseas Korean guesthouses are especially popular because they offer familiar Korean food and the comfort of speaking Korean while navigating an unfamiliar place. If the property is in a country or city not yet well-known in Korea, the guesthouse's role becomes even more critical.

Because travelers had high expectations, the role of guesthouse staff became incredibly important. We weren't just providing a bed — we were travel guides. We gave guests shortcuts and insider info so they wouldn't fail at travel due to language barriers. In the evenings, when local businesses closed early, we ran social programs where travelers could connect with each other at the guesthouse.

And despite the massive time difference from Korea, we still had to respond to booking inquiries from people back home. It was truly round-the-clock work.

Dinner with guests at a European Korean guesthouse

How I Got Promoted from Staff to Manager

The place I worked was new to me too, but as a staff member, I had to step up and help travelers — which meant I needed to adapt quickly and gather information fast. I got a handover from the previous staff member, but absorbing that knowledge was entirely up to me. So at first, I wrote down tasks by time slot and worked through them on a schedule. But ad hoc tasks kept popping up, creating chaos. I realized I needed a guide to make sure nothing fell through the cracks.

Around that time, internal conversations about a "property operations manual" started happening at our guesthouse. I volunteered to create it. Even though I was just a staff member, I had a dream of opening my own guesthouse one day, and this was a chance to understand the full scope of operations in advance.

Making the manual gave me access to all the guesthouse locations. I got hands-on experience with different property types and accumulated real operational know-how. The location I worked at was the flagship — the first branch — where every new staff member trained before being assigned elsewhere. So after finishing the manual, I ended up training every new hire, eventually taking on a manager role overseeing multiple locations.

While building the manual, I naturally thought a lot about task allocation. Guesthouses are small, which limits how many people you can hire. That means each staff member has to wear multiple hats. You can't divide departments like a hotel, but you do need some minimum level of task clarity and structure.

After working as general manager and running several guesthouses myself, I experimented with different shift structures. I realized that guesthouse work changes significantly depending on the time of day. The most practical and efficient approach is to split shifts into morning and afternoon. To this day, all the properties we operate hire and train staff based on this time-based division.

So What Do Guesthouse Staff Actually Do?

Everything a guesthouse staff member does revolves around guests: preparing rooms, welcoming guests, and resetting for the next arrival. If you list out the workday chronologically, it looks like this:

Serve breakfast, handle check-outs, clean rooms and bathrooms, do laundry, restock amenities, prep for check-in, handle check-ins, respond to booking inquiries, prep breakfast for the next day, etc.

The most important thing is understanding the core morning tasks and core afternoon tasks.

Understanding Morning vs. Afternoon Duties

Morning work centers on cleaning and laundry. Afternoon work centers on guest service and reservation management. After guests check out, you need to clean rooms, wash linens, clear trash, restock amenities — all to prepare for the next guest. That's why most properties leave at least a 4-hour gap between check-out and check-in.

# Core Morning Task 1: Linen Laundry & Room Cleaning

Of course every property is different, but cleaning and laundry time scales with the size of the property. If you outsource linen laundering or have dedicated cleaning staff, the workload for guesthouse staff shrinks.

But linen laundering is a matter of cleanliness and trust, so it's best to do it in-house whenever possible (assuming you have the staff and facilities). I personally clean and launder everything at the properties I operate. Many properties struggle with how to divide cleaning and laundry work or how to allocate staff. But if you have a solid manual tailored to your property's layout and all staff understand it, most of these challenges resolve easily. Anyone working a morning shift should expect cleaning and laundry to be part of the job, and proper training beforehand ensures efficient use of time and labor.

The core of room cleaning is "bedding" — technically it means pillows, mattresses, and linens, but in practice it refers to all room and bed prep work. You strip the used linens, replace them with clean ones, and arrange everything neatly. This is where housekeeping staff spend the most time and attention.

Making beds in guest rooms (Source: Google free-to-use image search)

# Core Morning Task 2: Common Area Cleaning

Once room cleaning is done, common areas need attention. Properties that serve breakfast usually tidy up and clean after breakfast service ends. Shared kitchens, lounges, rooftops, terraces — any communal space guests use needs regular cleaning.

You can't scrub common areas as thoroughly every day as you do guest rooms, but they get dirty fast because of high traffic. At minimum, they should be guest-ready before check-in starts. If your property layout requires guests to pass through common areas to reach their rooms, those spaces should be just as clean as the rooms themselves.

# Core Morning Task 3: Check Amenities & Supplies, Prep for Check-In

Once all spaces are clean, check guest amenities and supplies. It's most efficient to note what's missing in each room while cleaning and bedding, then restock everything in the final stage. Every property has slightly different items for rooms, bathrooms, and common areas, but there are a few must-haves for any accommodation. In guest rooms: bedding, towels, air conditioning, hairdryer, tissues, etc. In bathrooms: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, trash bins, etc. — these are standard in Korean guesthouses.

Restock amenities and supplies in advance!

Once cleaning, bedding, laundry, and restocking are done, you're ready for check-in. That's where morning staff duties end. All cleaning must be finished before check-in begins, so most properties wrap up by 2–3 p.m. at the latest.

I've described the cleaning process in such detail because this is where almost every staff member experiences the biggest gap between expectation and reality. Some properties have dedicated housekeepers or cleaning staff, so task allocation varies. But one thing is certain: mornings at every guesthouse are dominated by cleaning.

Source: Google free-to-use image search

# Core Afternoon Task 1: Check-In

Most accommodations start check-in around 3–4 p.m. Check-in is the moment that defines a guest's first impression. So the staff member handling check-in is the face of the property. The basics: verify the guest's reservation details, confirm payment, note any special requests, and show them to their room.

Check-in usually takes 5–10 minutes, but in that short window, staff must guide guests swiftly and accurately — and handle any question from Korean or foreign guests without flinching. So afternoon staff are typically expected to have solid foreign language skills and an outgoing personality. The afternoon shift involves less physical labor than the morning, but demands quick thinking and strong knowledge — it's mentally taxing. There's also a lot of computer work: creating documents, checking reservation systems, etc. — so basic tech literacy and interest are helpful.

# Core Afternoon Task 2: In-Person Guest Service

Throughout the afternoon shift, staff must respond to guest requests as they come. These range from simple things like bringing extra toilet paper to helping with travel or restaurant recommendations, booking trains or flights, purchasing concert or attraction tickets, or even directing a sick guest to a hospital… The variety is endless. At minimum, you need to know your property inside and out, plus the surrounding area and local amenities.

Most of what guesthouse applicants expect from the job happens in the afternoon, but this work is also exhausting. The hardest part? Dealing with unreasonable guests. Guesthouses are both hospitality and service businesses, so you should absolutely try to make guests comfortable. But some requests are truly unreasonable — like asking for free extra guests or demanding breakfast at random times. In those situations, you need communication skills, patience, and effort to resolve things smoothly.

# Core Afternoon Task 3: Online Inquiries & Reservation Management

In the afternoon, you also have to respond quickly and accurately to booking inquiries coming in by phone or online. Reservations directly affect revenue, so they're critical. If you're managing the front desk, you need to know how many rooms are available, the price of each room type, and be able to answer basic booking questions. Guests already staying may also request changes to their reservations, so understanding the full reservation management flow is essential.

At some properties, afternoon staff also manage the property's social media — blog, Instagram, etc. Since they interact directly with guests and experience what happens at the property firsthand, they can deliver information with authenticity.

Finally, before clocking out, you need to identify any guests who haven't checked in yet and ensure their arrival goes smoothly. Small guesthouses rarely have the staffing to run a 24-hour front desk, so you set check-in hours and make sure everything outside those hours is handled proactively.

The Reality of Guesthouse Staff Life

When people think "guesthouse staff," they imagine chatting with foreigners, sharing travel stories with guests — all the fun, exciting stuff. But behind the happy surface of a running guesthouse lies a lot of hard labor.

Guesthouse operators all say the same thing: "There's way more to worry about than you'd think." Sure, there are great moments with guests. But mornings are a daily battle with cleaning and laundry. Afternoons are nonstop — fielding phone calls, emails, and walk-in inquiries, thinking and responding without a break. I've met a few people whose personalities align perfectly with this work and they love it — but they're rare.

What to Know Before Applying for a Guesthouse Staff Job

Whether you want to be staff or an owner, ask yourself: Do you have the heart of a mother, ready to care for the property and guests with real devotion? Understand exactly what guesthouse staff work and guesthouse operations entail, and think deeply before committing.

Also, most guesthouse staff work part-time. Unlike other part-time jobs — cafes, convenience stores, PC rooms, restaurants — where tasks are repetitive, guesthouses have clearly distinct work depending on the time of day: morning, midday, afternoon, evening. That's why job postings specify "morning shift," "afternoon shift," or "full-day shift." Before applying, make sure you understand what each shift involves.

Working at a guesthouse is much harder than people expect — and yet, so many people still dream of doing it. Why?

In the next installment, I'll talk about "Guestaffs" — the people who romanticize guesthouse life.

[Series Index]

(The People of Guesthouses)
01. Prologue + I Am a Guesthouse Staff Member
02. A Day in the Life of Guesthouse Staff: 25 Hours Up Close
03. Why Do Guesthouses Have "Guestaffs"?
04. The One Thing Guesthouses Need Most: People.

(Guesthouse Operations)
05. What Guesthouse Owners Worry About
06. There Are Good Guesthouses and Bad Guesthouses
07. Well-Run Properties Have 'That Thing'
08. The Guesthouse Standard

(Guesthouse Startups)
09. Is a Guesthouse Hospitality, Service, or Real Estate?
10. The DNA of a Guesthouse Operator
11. Do Some People Just Have It? Do Some Properties Just Work?
12. And Yet, I Still Love Guesthouses.