All roles/Interior/Housekeeping Steward / Stewardess
Interior
Housekeeping Steward / Stewardess
You keep the guest cabins, bathrooms and wardrobes on a large yacht immaculate, so every room looks untouched each time a guest walks back in. On bigger interiors, housekeeping is how guests judge the whole boat.
- Department
- Interior
- Reports to
- Head of Housekeeping
- Yacht size
- 50m to 150m+
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €3,000 per month
What the job is
On a yacht of 50m and above, the interior splits into service, housekeeping and laundry. You sit in the housekeeping team. Your work is the guest cabins, the bathrooms, the saloons when guests are elsewhere, and the owner's suite if you are trusted with it. You clean, restock, unpack and pack guest luggage, and do the morning cabin refresh, the afternoon tidy and the evening turndown.
The standard is higher than any hotel. Marble, onyx and lacquered joinery mark easily and cost a fortune to repair, so you learn which products go on which surface and which never touch it. Towels are folded the same way every time. Wardrobes are arranged by colour. Guest preferences, from pillow type to the side of the bed they sleep on, are logged and followed without being asked twice.
You will also help in the laundry, cover service shifts when the team is stretched, and polish silver and glassware between charters. Guest hours set your day, so you work around breakfast, lunch ashore and evening drinks, finding the gaps when cabins are empty. It suits someone tidy, quiet and observant who takes pride in detail that most people would never notice.
What makes a good one
- Eye for fine detail
- Care of luxury surfaces and fabrics
- Bed making and towel folding to standard
- Discretion in guest areas
- Steady pace over long days
A day in the life
- 06:45Start in the crew mess, then check the guest log with the Head of Housekeeping for early risers, beach plans and any special requests.
- 07:30Refresh the main deck saloon and day heads before guests come down for breakfast. Plump cushions, wipe glass and empty bins.
- 09:00Guests go to breakfast on the aft deck, so you begin the full cabin service. Strip or make beds, clean bathrooms, replace amenities and reset wardrobes.
- 11:30Guests head to the beach club by tender. You clean the owner's suite with a colleague, working carefully around marble, leather and lacquer.
- 13:00Quick lunch, then two hours in the laundry ironing guest clothes, pressing linen and hand washing delicate items.
- 15:30Afternoon tidy of the cabins and sun deck heads as guests return to change. Collect wet towels and swimwear for the laundry.
- 17:00Break for an hour and a half before the evening programme.
- 19:30Guests go up for dinner. You do turndown in every cabin: close blinds, set lighting, lay slippers and robes, leave water and the next day's itinerary.
- 21:30Final check of public areas and heads, restock the linen cupboards for the morning, then hand over to the night stew.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a housekeeping steward on a 50m to 80m yacht, paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Charter tips are shared across the crew and can add a month's pay or more over a busy season.
- France and Monaco
- €3,000 – 3,800
- Spain
- €3,000 – 3,800
- Italy
- €3,000 – 3,800
- United Kingdom
- £2,600 – 3,300
- USA (Florida)
- US$3,300 – 4,200
- Caribbean
- US$3,300 – 4,200
- UAE
- US$3,300 – 4,200
- Australia
- A$5,000 – 6,400
- New Zealand
- NZ$5,500 – 7,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
Recommended
- PYA GUEST interior courses
- Food Safety Level 2
- WSET Level 1 Award in Wines
- Medical First Aid
- Hotel or private housekeeping experience
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
- Junior Steward / Junior Stewardess
- Housekeeping Steward / Stewardess
- Head of Housekeeping
- Chief Steward / Chief Stewardess
- Interior Manager
Housekeeping Steward / Stewardess jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get a housekeeping job?
Not always. Larger yachts often take crew from five star hotels or private households, as long as you hold your STCW and ENG1 and can show a high standard of work.
Will I only do housekeeping?
Mostly, but on most yachts you will also help in the laundry and step into service when guests are busy. Being willing to cover is a big part of moving up.
How do I become Head of Housekeeping?
Usually after two or three seasons on large yachts, showing you can run cabins, train juniors and manage stock. A PYA GUEST housekeeping course helps your case.