Every hotel tracks rooms with short status codes. Housekeeping updates them, the front desk reads them, and the PMS uses them to decide what can be sold. The exact codes vary a bit by property and system, but most hotels use some version of the list below.
Common room status codes
| Code | Meaning | What it tells the front desk |
|---|---|---|
| VC | Vacant clean | Nobody's in it and it's been cleaned. Usually sellable. |
| VCI | Vacant clean inspected | Cleaned and checked by a supervisor. Ready to assign. |
| VD | Vacant dirty | The guest left and the room hasn't been cleaned yet. |
| OC | Occupied clean | A guest is staying and the room has been serviced today. |
| OD | Occupied dirty | A guest is staying and the room still needs service. |
| DO | Due out | The guest is expected to check out today. |
| SO | Stayover | The guest is staying at least one more night. |
| DND | Do not disturb | The guest asked not to be serviced. Housekeeping skips it for now. |
| OOO | Out of order | Taken out of inventory for repairs. Can't be sold. |
| OOS | Out of service | A minor issue. Still in inventory, but held back from assignment until it's fixed. |
Out of order vs. out of service
These two get mixed up a lot. An out of order room is pulled from inventory, usually for something bigger like a leak or a broken AC unit, so it doesn't count toward rooms available. An out of service room stays in inventory. It has a smaller problem, like a burnt-out lamp, and the desk just avoids assigning it until maintenance is done.
Why live status matters
A room code is only useful if it's current. When updates come over the radio or on a paper sheet at the end of a shift, the front desk ends up guessing. Guests waiting on an early check-in sit in the lobby while a room that's already clean still shows as dirty.
When housekeepers update status from their phone the moment they finish, the desk sees it right away and can hand out keys sooner. Supervisors can see what's left on each floor without walking it.
How Room Warden handles it
In Room Warden, housekeepers tap a room to mark it cleaning, clean or inspected. The front desk board updates live, and out of order or out of service rooms link straight to a maintenance ticket so nobody forgets why a room is blocked.
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