THE HOUSEKEEPERS ROUNDTABLE: Full house

Sep 13, 2011

Getting to know you: Hotelier's expert panel

Tatjana Ahmed
executive housekeeper
Grand Hyatt Dubai
Based in the UAE since October 1989, Ahmed has worked as housekeeping manager in several five-star properties in Dubai. In 2001, she joined the Hyatt Regency Dubai, overseeing the housekeeping operation during the renovation of the entire hotel during 2004 / 2005. Ahmed transferred to Grand Hyatt Dubai in July 2006. She is a founding member of the Grand Hyatt’s Green Team as well as the founding member and chairwoman of the UAE Professional Housekeeper Group, which was established in April 2003.

Dilki Cooray
director of housekeeping
Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek
Dilki Cooray joined Sheraton Hotel Abu Dhabi in September 1979 and worked until September 1987 as a laundry manager. She then joined the InterContinental Hotels Group as area laundry manager. In 1996 Cooray joined housekeeping as an assistant executive housekeeper. In less than six months, Cooray was promoted to the position of executive housekeeper and stayed with IHG until September 2006. Radisson took over the hotel in October 2006 and Cooray continued her role with them.

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Javier Ferre
executive housekeeper
Hilton Ras Al Khaimah
Javier Ferre has been in the hotel industry for five years. He began his career in Miami, working in F&B then moved to another hotel in Miami as assistant housekeeping manager where he was promoted to housekeeping manager. Ferre undertook a stint in the Seychelles where he took his first job as executive housekeeper with Hilton Seychelles. Ferre then stayed with Hilton and joined Hilton RAK for the opening of the first DoubleTree in the UAE as the cluster executive housekeeper.

Annette Damz
executive housekeeper
Grand Millennium Al Wahda
Originally from Ghana, Annette Damz has been working in the hotel industry for more than 20 years. She began her career with IHG in London and was eventually transferred to Dubai to work on the opening of InterContinental Dubai Festival City. She stayed at the hotel for two years before moving to the Crowne Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Road as executive housekeeper. Damz then moved to Grand Millennium Al Wahda, in Abu Dhabi, for pre-opening.

Susana Pereira
cluster executive housekeeper for Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel and Royal Amwaj Resort & Spa
Susana Pereira began her hospitality career in the United Kingdom in 2003, where she worked for brands such as Hilton, Savoy and Swissotel. In 1997, Pereira moved to the Middle East, where she worked on a number of different hotel openings in various locations, including the InterContinental Beirut, Metropolitan and Ritz Carlton Doha. Prior to undertaking her current role, Pereira worked as the complex director of housekeeping during the pre-opening and opening for The Westin and Le Méridien Mina Seyahi complex in Dubai.

Salary
The housekeeping department is likely to have a high turnover because of the low salary paid to housekeeping staff, the executive housekeepers revealed. The average starting salary for a housekeeper is AED 1000 per month (though accommodation is provided as standard). Housekeepers have a chance to increase this, through promotions or overtime, but many move on to jobs in the front office, or F&B where tips can help subsidise wages.

Housekeepers’ top concerns