HOTELIER AWARDS 2012: Top five housekeepers named

These finalists will compete for the Housekeeper of the Year 2012 title in the Hotelier Middle East Awards to be held on October 31 at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC.

Below you will find extracts and testimonials from the shortlisted nominations for each of the candidates...

Deepti Ahergupte, Renaissance Doha City Center Hotel

About Deepti
Deepti Ahergupte started her career with Intercontinental Hotels Group as hotel operational trainee in 2003. During this tenure Deepti was promoted to different positions such as trainee HK supervisor and then to a fully fledged Supervisory role. Deepti then moved to Hyatt Hotels as housekeeping team leader in 2005. Her excellence in the Hk dept paved a way for yet another promotion to asst. manager -housekeeping in 2007. She continued to support the daily operations in this role till the year 2009. Later in the year 2009, she got an opportunity to join back the IHG as Asst. executive Housekeeper. In the year 2010, Deepti got an opportunity to join the pre-opening team of Doha as Asst. Housekeeping Manager to overlook the HK operations of all the three brands namely-Renaissance Doha City Center, Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments with a total inventory of 584 rooms. In the year 2011, her passion towards the Housekeeping and having been able to open all the three hotels successfully, she was promoted to Housekeeping Manager's position in the month of October. During this tenure she has also won "The Supervisor of the Month" award. Once the hotel became operational and the results started showing up towards a positive trend in terms of Housekeeping services, service delivery standards, HK team's commitment towards work she was acknowledged for her outstanding services rendered by promoting her to the position of Asst. Director of services for all the three brands in the month of May, 2012.

Above and beyond…
Deepti strongly believes in developing associates internally. She promotes a lot of cross training within the hotel itself. This resulted in a lot of associates coming forward to do their cross training. Once the cross training is completed, as soon as there is a suitable vacancy in the other departments, she transferred her HK associates who were cross trained to that department to overcome the short staffing crisis in that dept. Currently there are around 6 HK associates who have been transferred to the other depts. like 02 associates to Security, 01 associate to Kitchen, 02 associates to Front Desk and 01 associate to Engineering dept.
As a part of pre-opening phase, Deepti realised that there are a lot of associates who are from non hoteliering dept across the hotel and hence it was imperative that they are aware about the Housekeeping dept as well as the services provided by the Housekeeping dept. She took charge of setting up an event in the Hotel Grand Ballroom in such a way that everything about Housekeeping dept. is under one roof. This led to the birth of an event called "Housekeeping Expo" which had several stalls set up by the housekeeping associates like bed making stall, chemical stall, equipment stall, amenities stall, flower arrangement stall, baby crib stall, bedding stall, bath linen stall, uniform stall, towel art stall etc. It was one day event wherein all the associates across the hotel were invited to visit the stalls. The stalls were manned by the Housekeeping associates who shared the details about their respective stall with the rest of the hotel team members. This event was the most successful event till today in the hotel. This was very well received by each and every team member of the hotel as well as the management.
Marriott International dignitaries were visiting our hotel to do a Hard Hat Conference to announce the launch of the three hotels in Doha. As mentioned , we were still in a pre-opening stage and most of the areas were unfinished. We were expecting a lot of media during this event and hence it was imperative that we prepare the areas well in advance for the conference. Deepti took charge of the entire event, formulated a plan of the walk through with the journalists. She then laid out a plan to work on all the defects for all the areas which were a part of walk through. She organized teams of people for each of the areas, set the expected standards and got the entire area ready an earlier day itself. The cosmetic changes, the impressions which were created by Deepti in terms of set ups, flowers etc made the attendees think as to why the hotel is not yet open in spite of being ready without knowing the fact that there is a lot which needs to be done behind the scenes.

Testimonials:
“Deepti is cited for her outstanding achievement in P&L results through the implementation of a very effective contingency plan which was centered on reducing costs. She was able to lower linen costs by 23%, optimum utilisation of manpower, concentrated on a more efficient schedule of her regular associates and reduced the outsourced labor cost."

"Deepti is not merely liked or respected by her team, but loved and revered. This is not only because she leads a fantastic housekeeping team but because she is also an involved member of the team. She shares in everything her team experiences."

"Deepti has introduced changes to working practices and procedures to ensure that her team members of room attendants are delivering what is required of them, by holding daily meetings and weekly cleaning projects. She continually monitors the achievement of targets and objectives."

"Deepti has also established an innovative housekeeping incentive, whereby team members receive recognition financially and performance-wise based on quality targets, and has the ability to “tackle 1001 small things and still keep an eye on the big picture operations of three properties”.

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R. Sivalingam, Towers Rotana Hotel

About R. Sivalingham
R Sivalingham (fondly known as Siva) joined Towers Rotana in 2008. He had previously worked as Head of Housekeeping and Laundry in IHG, Hilton and Shangri- La in the Middle East. The Housekeeping department was disorganized at that time as three Housekeepers had come and gone within a short span of 18 months. Siva was hired to bring in stability and development to the team. His assistant and Sr. supervisor resigned the day Siva joined on grounds that they did not want to prove their worth with a fourth boss who too may leave in a short span like his predecessors . He gelled the team together by being with them. Within the next couple of months The Housekeeping team won the Best act in the annual party and then the Interdepartmental volley ball tournament. The team was on the race to the Top in all aspects. Morale improved. Housekeeping team Employee satisfaction increased from 84 to 90% that year, which was followed by Guest satisfaction of Housekeeping cleaning score increase from rose from 84 to 88 From then onwards Siva lead the Housekeeping department to the Top over the years in every aspect. He has earned the respect of the whole hotel and has definitely brought in stability to Hk department in these four years

Above and beyond
Siva does computer training for HK team He is very passionate about the environment and trained his team well on recycling. His initiative of recycling has been recognized by the Emirates Environmental Group by inviting him to plant trees along with EEG successively for the past two years for his initiative of recycling. He also championed the Application for DTCM green Tourism Award in 2009 and 2011. Towers Rotana won 2nd Place under four star categories in 2009, it won a special merit award in 2011 Siva is regular Blood Donor and also organized Blood donation campaigns for the hotel. He initiated collection of used guest amenities from all Rotana hotels and distributed them to labour camps through a charity. Following is a email from charity worker From: Sofia Bhatti [mailto:sofiapbhatti@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, 15 September, 2011 12:40 To: Ramanathan Sivalingam Subject: Lotus Hotel Siva Hi.I cannot thank you enough! I have just received a call from Anushka from the Lotus Hotel chain and she told me that you had mentioned my project. She will get back to me with timings, amounts etc. So thank you again, not only are you kind enough to donate the Rotana things but you are alos encouraging other hotels to do the same. God Bless You Sofia

Testimonials:
I am providing Guest comments on Housekeeping as support. Though Mr. Siva's name is not mentioned the credit goes to him for leading the team.

Seok Kee Ms. 1312 5/6/2012 Please make any additional comments on your Guest Room Experience (optional): The housekeeping cleaner Laqeel - who serviced my room daily was excellent as he kept the rooms very clean and made sure that the room was always clean and comfortable.

John Evans Mr. 2303 6/24/2012 Name of employee that provided exceptional service: House keeping/Room cleaners for 2303

Towers Rotana - Dubai Eric Foster Mr. 0713 3/11/2012 Name of employee that provided exceptional service: Room Cleaner / Attendant for 713 - Excellent young man

Towers Rotana - Dubai Amira Qureshi Ms. 1102 6/25/2012 Comments Vickram and rayan at the front of the hotel were extremely helpful am. Polite. Staff are really friendly an so are the cleaners especially in floor 22 and 11. The breakfast staff could improve their service.

STowers Rotana - Dubai Harry Puckering Mr. 2205 7/14/2012 Name of employee that provided exceptional service: My room cleaner: wonderfully positive. I don't know his name.

Trip Advisor comment TORINO 74 - Italy Good Hotel Nice location- reviewed 21 May 2012 "........they clean the Room 2/3 times a day. So its pretty clean

Trip Advisor comment PCH525032 -Lechestershire A great friendly Hotel -reviewed June 22,2012 ......We stayed on the 16th floor and our room was kept immaculate throughout our stay.Housekeeping could not have been more helpful providing a "turndown and replenishment" service of an evening. as a great tea drinker i requested additional tea and milk and this was provided without any problem.

Comments from Collegues Raed Al Hussein – Director of Finance Towers Rotana I support Siva’s nomination for Best Housekeeper award as he is well experienced and runs the operation efficiently. As a financial man I admire his ability to answer my queries clearly with facts and figures. He has a very good attitude and organized in his work. He is multi skilled. He always supports his team and fights for their rights.

Cho Cho Niang _ Director of Front office Towers Rotana I have known Mr. Siva from our previous work place in Muscat. He is different to other Housekeepers in the aspect that he treats the Rooms and even the whole hotel as one entity. There is no domination of Housekeeping –my department. We have developed a good relationship between the departments. He responds to our needs quickly and effectively. He develops his team well and I have taken a couple of his team members into front office over the years. He supports us by updating preferences in Guest profile. Most of all in any situation he is calm and has a smile .

Sherwin Panaga – Housekeeping order taker. Towers Rotana I support Mr. Siva’s nomination as Best Housekeeper as he has promoted many of us over the four years. Very few bosses will take risk in promoting people from within. Last year 2011 we had our Assistant Housekeeper and three supervisors all promoted from within. Mr. Siva guided supported and backed us . With his maturity and creative ways he can handle any difficult situation. He also introduced White Glove quality awards and productive incentive awards to the Housekeeping team which was appreciated by the whole team. He has excellent computer skills and teaches us well. He cares for the team. Organizes team events, made a Housekeeping fund and supports us in our sports activities

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Prabhat Shukla, Holiday inn Kuwait Downtown

About Prabhat
Prabhat Shukla is founder and chairperson of Kuwait Housekeepers Group.
A Certified Hospitality Housekeeping Executive (CHHE) from American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) - Post Graduate Diploma in Accommodation Operations & Management from Institute of Hotel Management, catering technology & applied nutrition. Gwalior (INDIA) ü Bachelors of Commerce from Christ Church Collage Kanpur (INDIA) - IHG – Holiday inn Downtown Kuwait Executive Housekeeper 19 Jan 2008 – Present - Al- Bustan Centre & Residence Dubai Asst. Executive Housekeeper Feb 12 2006 – Jan 10 2008 - IHG – Intercontinental; the Lalit Mumbai Asst. Manager Housekeeping Feb 18 2004 – 31 Jan 2006 - Hyatt – Hyatt Regency New Delhi Housekeeping Executive July 01 2003 – January 30 - Jaypee – Palace Hotel Agra HK supervisor –April 01 2002 – June 15 2003 Promoted as Housekeeping Supervisor Tr. HK Supervisor – April 01 2001 – March 31 2002 Promoted as Tr. Housekeeping Supervisor Housekeeping Asst. –April 01 2000 – 31 March 2001 Promoted as Housekeeping Assistant Jr. Housekeeping Assistant - December 1998 – 31 march 2000 ü As a leader of Kuwait Housekeepers Group assist fellow colleagues in their learning & development process shared the “ External Development Programme for Housekeeping Course” conducted by Housekeeping management Consulting firm Lycette & Associates in Dubai, which was attended by one colleague Housekeeper from Kuwait .Assisted fellow colleagues in enrolling Certified Hospitality Housekeeper Executive Course through AHLA.( American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute) ü Course done were “working with difficult people & Revenue Management Essentials.

Above and beyond…
Founder & Chairperson of “Kuwait Housekeepers Group”(Founded on 20 Dec, 2010) Successfully organised quarterly HK meets in different properties. (Moven pick Al-Bidda; Safir hotel & residence fintas & Holiday inn downtown) - Successfully organised Second Housekeeping Olympics one of its kinds through his innovative ideas where more than 150 housekeepers from different leading hotels took part & awarded through his efforts to obtain 100% Sponsorship. - Organised Housekeeping Conclave for better understanding of Housekeeping procedures not only which make housekeepers work interesting but also make them confidant and help raise the bar of housekeeping standards, successfully managed to rope best speaker from industry & market. 80 colleagues from leading hotels were benefited from the same. - Organized FLASH MOB during IHG’s service week, where 26 colleagues from different sections of hotel participated & performed in hotel lobby. This was a great success & only hotel in Kuwait who had done something like this. - Co Championed Race around The World (part of IHG Sponsorship for London Olympics 2012) where actively organized events round the year, we are among First Holiday inn Hotel to won GOLD Medal in MEA. - Launched “ Help RIZVI” campaign in Hotel for room attendant who was suffering from savior Spondylitis & had to leave his job ,to assist him financially he managed to raise Sri Lankan rupees 100,000 ( in a weeks’ time). Ø Assisted by raising fund (he was among 13 individuals worldwide) for fellow Christoph Hoffmann Founder & Manager at hsk-knowledge.com to attend the PMA conference in Cambridge, 11 – 13 July 2012.( pay for the conference fee, accommodation and transport. the reason to help him was to assist in his learning process of fellow from same fraternity) - Assisted Human Resource Department in developing Staff Laundromat idea & its execution. This area is operated by Housekeeping team who work there after there working hrs. & able to get some extra incentives which is win –win situation for both parties. - Assist in Staff Accommodation cleaning schedules helping by getting them cleaned twice a week.

Testimonials:
“Prabhat is self-driven person that strives to develop himself & his team on regular basis, very organized that always achieves his goals, projects in given time frame, never hesitant to take extra responsibilities in assisting his team, colleagues DH’s & myself in whatever he has been asked for.” - Krikor Kukeyan ,General Manager Holiday inn Kuwait downtown

“Prabhat is all the way...hands down the BEST and most EFFICIENT housekeeper I had even seen. Not only is he efficient and people oriented but his main strength is his Flexibility and Adaptability. Prabhat can create miracles out of his sheer willpower and determination. He believes in “making things happen - in the face of adversity “. His team adores him.....his colleagues approach him for problem resolution...and his bosses applaud him for his hard work and drive. Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses and some don't turn up at all...you Prabhat always "Turn up your sleeves!! – Tesey Thomas Asst. H.R Manager Holiday inn Kuwait Downtown

“Prabhat is very Savvy and Passionate in his field. He never runs out of innovative ideas and he is always someone you can rely on as Leader for new projects. He is one of the Key Drivers of the well-known Holiday Inn Downtown Kuwait - Clarizza Nireda H.R Coordinator Holiday inn Kuwait Downtown

“Mühldorfer / Germany took part at Horeca Kuwait for presenting finest bedding. Here I met Prabhat first time. Prabhat’s networking and mentoring skills are admired. Though I met him second time (during Horeca Kuwait where he inspired me to attend their First Housekeeping Conclave plus made sure I am staying in his property (Savvy) & during Conclave when he convinced me to be one of the sponsor for their Housekeeping Olympics). Persons who speak about him with affection and respect, as he has given them guidance and help to develop in their careers. He is very active in the Kuwait Housekeeping Managers circle and of great influence not only in his company but in general; same applies for his guest rooms which are crisp clean & fresh.
Eva-Maria Casagrande Managing Director GmbH & Co.KG at Mühldorfer GmbH & Co.KG

Prabhat is extremely dedicated and loyal to Holiday In, IHG and his colleagues and guests. With great eye for detail.( stayed few times in his property during my business trips, where I found him incredibly service driven and will always go the extra mile to ensure his guests are looked after. as a guest I found him helpful and attentive and extremely well mannered. as a supplier he is open and honest and efficient with the sales and ordering process. His commitment to the industry is excellent. The Housekeepers Olympics Kuwait 2011-12 was a well prepared and executed event. The team building activities were fantastic and fun to watch. His rapport with colleagues and suppliers alike is wonderful. I believe Prabhat is an asset to any 4* or 5* Hotel Management Team and he would make an excellent Ambassador for Housekeepers around the world.
Fiona Hall General Manager at SAPP Trading LLC worked during association with Diversified Dubai as sales Executive

Prabhat is a consummate professional who takes great pride in his department and the organization. He is quality driven and an exceptional mentor to those he works with. He also has a strong sales and customer service presence and is closely involved with the clients to insure their needs are anticipated and exceeded. Dhruv Nanda General Manager Intercare Kuwait & Qatar

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About Christine
Christine holds a Diploma in Hotel Management from Mumbai India. Christine started her career in hospitality with the Taj Group of Hotels; the largest and most reputed hospitality group in India. For the next nine years Christine worked at the iconic property Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai where she moved up the ranks of the department swiftly. In 1987, Christine was transferred to St. James Hotel in London to set up the Housekeeping department in the newly established property. A year later, a promotion to Executive Housekeeper ensued and a relocation to Calcutta, where Christine headed up the Housekeeping department at one of Taj Group’s biggest expansion projects – the Taj Bengal. She continued working at Taj Bengal for the next eight years and won the Hotelier Award for the Best in Housekeeping Profession in 1994, from Hotel & Food Service (Business Magazine of the Hospitality Industry) Christine returned to Taj Mahal Mumbai as Executive Housekeeper in 1997 and continued working there until 2001. Christine achieved the certification of CHHE (Certified Hotel Housekeeping Executive) in 2002 and was also granted a certification as an examiner from the American Hotel and Lodging Institute. In 2001, Christine moved to Al Bustan Centre and Residence Dubai and continued working with them for nine years. In 2010, she moved to Crowne Plaza Dubai, IHG Group to undertake her current role as Executive Housekeeper.
Above and beyond…

Christine was a great support to the Assistant Chief Engineer and the Engineering team in the absence of the Chief Engineer for four months, from December 2011 to February March 2012. During this period, she was responsible for carrying out some major projects such as the repair and painting of the water tanks, changing the water pipe line valves and replacing the laundry heat exchange.
Christine organised and motivated the Engineering team by giving them additional responsibilities and creating a healthy spirit of competitiveness between them. Christine also commissioned a new laundry machine without disrupting the services of the hotel’s laundry operations.
In the absence of the Chief Engineer, Christine took over the unfinished project of renovating the hotel’s fitness centre, Crowne Fitness. Thanks to Christine’s knowledge, expertise and experience in renovations, the project was completed before the deadline.

Christine introduced a regime of stretching exercises, breathing techniques and meditation to reenergize and revitalise her team. These exercises take place before the start of every morning shift. The practice has helped the team members to feel more energetic and remain positive throughout the day. To motivate her team, Christine also shares a thought or quote with the team daily. Christine explains the meaning behind each thought or quote and challenges the team to apply this to their daily routines in any way possible.

Christine consistently promotes environmentally friendly initiatives. This has motivated her team to think ‘green’ and contribute individually to save costs. Each of her team members now keeps an eye on the wastage of water, switching off lights, recycling paper bags and collecting extra toilet rolls for use in the staff washrooms. Christine recycles and reuses all discarded linen by converting them into colour-coded dusters for the Housekeeping department to avoid pilferage and the wastage of materials.
Christine teaches the team members of the Engineering and Security departments’ computer skills and tricks of the trade to aid their preparation of presentations and project reports.
When Crowne Fitness and the Engineering team were short on staff, Christine allocated some of her team to help with their day-to-day practices. This was done through the efficient management of the Housekeeping schedule and adjusting the duty hours of her Housekeeping team.

According to the Employee Satisfaction Survey, the Total Housekeeping Result was 88% in 2011, an 11% increase to the previous year. This has most definitely contributed to the overall ES score of the hotel. There has also been an upward trend within each Housekeeping criteria. All in all, the statistics illustrate that the leadership style of Christine is impeccable, as is her team’s motivational levels."

Testimonials:

Colleague # 1 Sunil Wickramage Asst. Chief Engineer To Whom It May Concern: When I think of Christine, the word ‘up-lifter’ comes to mind. She’s smart, flexible, funny and generous, and is an excellent communicator both verbally and non-verbally. Christine is articulate, clear and intelligent. Her ability to observe and provide solutions motivates others. I personally have learned and benefitted from Christine's generosity, resources and mentoring. When Christine has something to say about coaching, especially where leadership skills are involved, I always stop to listen intently. Christine's mentoring through the coaching certification process was invaluable. She often provided great just-in-time teaching and coaching of methodology. As a coach, she sees clearly and quickly any issues and is skilful in offering solutions and new ways of responding to issues at hand. Christine is a great person to work alongside. As a trusted member of the management team, she offers impeccable support. Christine has an unusual ability to quickly and gently steer people toward the right paths of action. Christine and I have worked together to deliver several projects. What always amazes me is her thoroughness in preparation, her depth in understanding projects and her curiosity to learn more. In every project I have worked with her the project has been successful and the project team always walks away with powerful, new insights. I trust Christine and, like many others, consider myself fortunate to work with her atCrowne Plaza Dubai. Sunil Wickramage Asst. Chief Engineer
Colleague # 2 2 .Georges Farhat Hotel Manager To Whom It May Concern: As her immediate superior, I have worked very closely with Christine over the last 30 months. During this time I have had the opportunity to experience first-hand her leadership and team building skills and her ability to deliver under pressure. Christine is by far one of the most competent Managers I have worked alongside during my experience in the hospitality industry. Christine handles her duties and responsibilities with the utmost dedication and commitment and has successfully created an organised Housekeeping team. Christine has excellent relationships within the hotel and is highly respected by all. The high morale and level of cooperation within the team would not be possible without Christine’s earnest efforts in supporting them with her constant guidance, training and coaching. Christine’s knowledge and skills in her field have significantly contributed to the smooth operation of our Housekeeping department. Her efforts in keeping the department’s operational expenses at a minimum while paying attention to detail and guests requirements is highly commendable. Christine takes a keen interest in the preparation and organisation of budget, manning requirements and capital expenditures that concerns the Housekeeping department. Her professional views in all our operational and departmental meetings and her recommendations are always constructive. Christine is involved in many of the hotel’s major projects due to her extensive expertise and familiarity with hotel operations. Her professional input in the refurbishment, expansion, or renovation projects are very much appreciated. I am delighted to have Christine on our team and I am very impressed with the progress and standard of service the Housekeeping department delivers under her stewardship. She is without doubt a great asset to the organisation and a valued member of the management team. Georges Farhat Hotel Manager 3.
Guest Letter #1 27 May 2012 To Whom It May Concern: I travel a lot and the service I receive at Crowne Plaza Dubai is always the most consistent and pleasant. The rooms are exceedingly comfortable and extremely clean. The bed and linens were wonderful. I loved how the towels smelled like fresh laundry and not of chemicals as so many hotels’ linen does. The bed was so comfortable it literally felt like my bed at home. The housekeeping staff are unfailingly polite and cheerful. They are great ambassadors of your establishment. I was so impressed with the operation and comfort of your hotel. I have rarely had such great service during my many visits to the Middle East. My overall stay was wonderful. Michelle Sbuttoni Coffee Shop Owner, UK
Guest Letter #2 13 June 2012 To Whom It May Concern: I have very rarely experienced such exceptional service. Any issues we highlighted were addressed immediately. Every detail seems to have been addressed and the staff really do make all the difference. The team goes that extra mile to get everything done. The personal touch doesn’t match with any other hotel in Dubai. The rooms are of superior comfort and cleaned frequently thanks to the outstanding Housekeeping staff. Overall, I can say without a doubt your Housekeeping staff is fantastic; friendly, courteous, attentive and professional making every guest’s stay an absolute pleasure. David Parry Royal Air Force
Colleague # 3 16th August 2012 Malcolm Mitchell Director of Security & Safety Crowne Plaza Dubai To Whom It May Concern I have been here at the Crowne Plaza Dubai since January 2011, after transferring from IHG in the UK after eleven years. When I arrived at the Crowne Plaza Dubai Christine Saldanha Executive Housekeeper made me feel very welcome and at home, she went out of her way to ensure that I settled into the new management team and hotel really well, and went out the way of her very busy schedule to ensure that this was the case. Now having worked with Christine for some time I find her very helpful, caring and knowledgeable, and we have worked very closely on a number of projects. Christine is hard working but still ensures she spends time with her own colleagues, training, coaching and sharing her knowledge with them, as well as celebrating their birthdays or any other special occasion. Our Heartbeat and guest letters can support the wonderful job that she does. Malcolm Mitchell Director of Security & Safety
Guest # 3 TO WHOM IT MIGHT CONCERN My name is Federico Dal Prà, and I am the export manager of IPC Euromop Italy. I am dealing export activities in the cleaning business worldwide and my second home is always an hotel room. As a frequent traveler is quite difficult to “feel home” when you have to sleep or to eat abroad. I had the great pleasure to stay at the Crowne Plaza in SheikhZayed Road in Dubai. Excellent service, warm welcome and my time out of home was passing quite fast. During my staying I had the chance to meet Mrs Saldanha to whom I requested few things for my room. In few minutes my room was more comfortable, I was happy and positive impressed by the professional approach she had with me. As the result of this experience, right now I am frequent guest of Crowne Plaza in Dubai. 

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Mercy Fernandez, The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC

About Mercy
Mercedita Fernandez (or Mercy) started her career as a Room Attendant in 1976 in the Manila Hotel, Philippines, where she began learning the importance of first-class service through various positions, including Telephone Coordinator, and further supervisory positions in the public areas, including the floors and linen room. Her first overseas appointment was in 1988 as Senior Housekeeping Supervisor in China at The Palace Hotel, where she was part of the pre-opening team. She then joined The Portman Shangri-La in Shanghai in the capacity of Assistant Executive Housekeeper in 1990, again playing a crucial role as part of the pre-opening team Mercy subsequently moved on to open two hotels in Vietnam, as Executive Housekeeper of The Equatorial in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and The Hanoi Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi. In these properties she proved her true flair for nurturing talent, by meticulously training her assistants, who subsequently went on to take over her position as leaders of the departments. Mercy has been integral to the renovation of three hotels, providing the scrupulous eye-for-detail required from an award-winning Housekeeper. The first was as she started her career with The Ritz-Carlton as Director of Housekeeping at The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Hotel in 1998 (a takeover from the Shangri-La), and a second at the Kempinski Hotel in Beijing in 2002, where she also helped cater to over 1,000 invitees for the hotel’s ten year anniversary. The third was as she returned to The Ritz-Carlton family in 2003, to embark on her first position in the Middle East, with The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain. Mercy oversaw the housekeeping for a complete renovation, including the opening of 23 new Villas, and the hotel later hosted the GCC summit, which saw Mercy overseeing the cleanliness of the rooms occupied by some the region’s most prolific VIPs. She joined The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC in 2010 as part of the pre-opening team, as Director of Housekeeping, and two years on, is an integral and well-respected member of the leadership team. During her time with the company, she has also shared her significant expertise with many Ritz-Carlton properties as part of the opening ‘Task Force’, including assignments in Qatar, Moscow, China and Egypt.

Above and beyond…
Mercy is the first to volunteer for ‘lateral’ service’ in the hotel, where ladies and gentlemen are required to help other departments if additional resource is required. The Ritz-Carlton has held two particularly large ladies weddings over the last year, requiring additional support from the hotel’s female staff. In May 2012, Mercy worked until 2am, despite her own shift starting early the same morning, replenishing a buffet set-up to ensure the wedding operations were seamless. In June 2012, a guest rented every F&B outlet in the hotel for a private event, and Mercy volunteered to become a surrogate member of the F&B team, helping with several aspects of the F&B operations. Mercy goes beyond the call of duty on a regular basis. Just last month the PR team were conducting a hotel photo-shoot and asked Mercy to find two blue cushions in the hotel for use in the shoot. Within 20 minutes, she had personally scouted the hotel with members of the Housekeeping team, and returned with over 15 cushions in different shades of blue and green, and in different shapes and sizes. She is dedicated to developing teamwork and working relationships, and is extraordinarily kind and caring by nature, considered fondly as a Mother figure by many of her team, who actually call her ‘Mum’, at the same time as establishing herself as a respected leader. She has organized several team picnics, even making all the food herself on one occasion for her team of over 40 ladies and gentlemen. The hotel’s recent employee survey is testament to Mercy’s credibility as a leader and her popularity as a member of the team, as she received one of the highest scores in the hotel in terms of her team’s job satisfaction.

Testimonials:
Katrin Herz - Hotel Manager Mercy Fernandez is one of the most experienced Housekeepers within The Ritz-Carlton company. She has been with us for XXX years and has been part of our many successful openings, closures and renovations. Not only an expert within the Middle East market with her experience in Dubai, Bahrain and Cairo, she also possesses substantial knowledge of the Asian market, having worked in Shanghai and Beijing. Mercy is always the “Mother” of her large Housekeeping teams and has helped many individuals both professionally and personally. She personally connects with all of her team members and has the gift to motivate on a daily basis. Her philosophy is to promote from within and she has developed and trained several Ladies and Gentlemen, many of them Director of Housekeeping today, thanks to her training and dedication. I fully support Mercy’s nomination for best Housekeeper and could not think of a stronger Housekeeper I have ever worked with during my 14 years with The Ritz-Carlton.

Lothar Quarz, General Manager Mercy is one of the most outstanding professionals that I have had the pleasure to work with in my time in hospitality. She has vast experience and knowledge within her field, which when combined with great business sense, focus, organizational skills and above all, passion, make Mercy a truly exceptional Director of Housekeeping. Her professional ability is only underlined further by her infectious personality, her ability to inspire and motivate, and her infinite, genuine commitment to leading her team and helping others. A true role model, Mercy is an inspiration for everyone at The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, and throughout the company.

Mosaad Mustafa, Assistant Housekeeping Manager I met Mercy at the RC Sharm ElSheikh, were she was send for taskforce and I immedialty noticed how professional she is. She helped me and the team a lot to get our department organized and to get the hotel to the needed levels of cleanliness. I was then given the opportunity to join her in Dubai, my first experience outside Egypt. I did not think twice to work with a professional like her. Every day I learn something from her. Her leadership style is amazing and it is truly an honour to work with her and learn from her.