Four Points by Sheraton's Wilma Coelho; Millennium Airport exec. housekeeper Shobana Malikarjun and Ramada's Manish Morye attended the Hotelier Sleep Event in 2012, which sparked demand for a housekeeping event.
Housekeeping will come to the forefront at the first Hotelier Middle East Executive Housekeeping Forum, which will be held on May 13 at the Ritz Carlton DIFC.
The unsung heroes of hotels — executive housekeepers — will come together from across the UAE to share best practice at The Hotelier Middle East Executive Housekeeping Forum 2013, which will be held on May 13 at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai.
More than 80 department heads from housekeeping, rooms and laundry are expected to attend the forum, which will comprise inspirational panel debates and practical interactive workshops.
With housekeeping proving to be one of the largest expenses of any hotel operation, efficient processes and careful planning are critical to the success of the department. For an average hotel in the UAE, amenities alone can cost upward of AED 120,000 (US $32,670) per month, and staffing can quickly soar past this figure.
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Ahead of the event, the Hotelier team explored the challenges that face housekeeping teams on a daily basis and selected an advisory panel to help direct the development of the agenda.
Christine Saldanha, executive housekeeper at Crowne Plaza Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Mercy Fernandez, director of housekeeping at The Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre and Pamini Hemaprabha, executive housekeeper of Kempinski Mall of Emirates contributed their thoughts as part of the advisory panel.
Hemaprabha highlighted the importance of continuous improvement in this often underappreciated department. “Housekeeping is now reaching greater heights than ever before so it is important to drive innovation in our field, just as F&B, spa, rooms and every other department continue to look for improvements year-on-year”.
The format of the one-day event includes a series of expert-led panel discussions and workshops engineered to encourage interactivity and allow attendees to also take home tips, tricks and strategies from their peers. Topics that will be tackled at the forum include developing a high performance team, resource management and becoming an effective housekeeping leader.
Advisory panelist Fernandez was recently awarded an international “Marriott Excellence Award” and recognises the importance of leadership, saying the secret is in decision making.
“Quick thinking and decision making can be learned through daily experience that allows you to anticipate needs and prevent challenges before they arise”.
Housekeepers at the event will also get the opportunity to hear from suppliers whose products can improve efficiency, reduce costs and save labour. The forum is supported by workshop sponsor Diversey Gulf and exhibitors Renarte Hospitality Supplies and Restonic.
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