Event Preview: Executive Housekeeper Forum

The Hotelier Middle East: Executive Housekeeper Forum is back for a second year, bringing together more than 150 housekeeping and laundry professionals to discuss the challenges and opportunities for innovation and leadership in the industry. Hotelier catches up with some of the panellists to discuss the hot topics to be covered

A panel of experts including Asif Khatri, executive housekeeper, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort & Residences, Tatjana Ahmed, executive housekeeper at Grand Hyatt, Dubai and Marjona Aslitdinoval, executive housekeeper at Rihab Rotana & Rimal Rotana, Dubai will come together at Grosvenor House, Dubai on April 30 to discuss the burning issues on every housekeeper’s lips.

The second year of the annual Hotelier Middle East: Executive Housekeeper Forum will provide a much-needed platform for housekeeping and laundry experts to meet, learn and share tips for improving their teams, and their leadership skills. The focus will be on key operational issues, meeting guest expectation and driving efficiency among teams.

This year, sponsors of the event include Canadian bedding supplier, Northern Feather and German bedding supplier, Mühldorfer, whose customer service manager, Eva-Maria Casagrande tells Hotelier that the company expects to meet the “right decision makers“ at the event.

She adds: “Dubai won Expo 2020, and Doha is hosting the World Cup. These are two important events in the region and so many hotel projects have been announced already. We are expecting an enormous boom in the hotel industry.”

Jennifer Ferris of Northern Feather agrees, commenting: “This forum gives us a wonderful opportunity to interact with the main players in the local market on a personal basis and a great opportunity for them to get to know us.”

Among the other companies sponsoring the event this year are platinum sponsor, Intercoil; associate sponsor A. Ronai as well as Sysco Guest Supply, MAF General Trading, Restonic and Dubai-based Gunter Facility Supplies.

New items on the agenda for 2014 are the latest housekeeping technologies, including apps like Optii Keeper, available on mobile devices and offering functions such as inventory management, labour scheduling and task management.

Ahmed says: “There’s a lot of new technology in housekeeping and I think we should embrace this. We started using a housekeeping app six months ago and it’s a fantastic system.”

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She explains that each of the housekeepers at Grand Hyatt Dubai have downloaded the app to their mobile phones and have a password and access to all the rooms that are assigned to them.

“It’s such a fantastic system and I think hotels need to invest in that rather than using piles of papers.” A further advantage she highlights is that housekeeping managers know where each housekeeper is and what tasks have been done, so “they can’t cheat!”

Rihab Rotana & Rimal Rotana are also using housekeeping apps, explains Aslitdinoval who comments: “Most hotels are not really willing to invest [in apps] but they are so much more efficient and now I don’t have to call anyone to check whether a suite is occupied – now I have it on my iPad.”

Linked to efficiency issues, staffing will be addressed at the forum, with current challenges in recruiting talent a key focus. The panellists outline that language barriers, visa issues and a lack of skills are the main problems that are being faced in the industry.

Aslitdinoval comments: “We can teach you how to clean, we can teach you how to make a bed, and we can provide English courses but it doesn’t always help”.

The length of time it takes to recruit for housekeeping positions is another issue according to the experts, with Khatri highlighting that the process takes roughly eight to 10 weeks.

Aslitdinoval on the other hand, points out that her key challenge is retaining staff once they are in their roles. “It’s amazing how people rush home,” she comments. “It is becoming a big problem for us now and the competition is increasing. There are other hotels opening and on this level even very small wages will make a real difference.”

Ahmed, however, says there are some “very loyal people”, explaining that they know the job is similar in other companies. “I think more or less the salary is streamlined in Dubai,” Ahmed says. “People also look at their comfort zones – the people they know, the accommodation they get, the meals provided and other benefits, such as free stays in hotels; it all adds up.”

Attracting Emirati staff is another hot topic highlighted by the panellists especially since, according to Ahmed: “The hotel has a quota and usually they are in HR and front office – it’s very difficult to lure somebody into housekeeping.” However, she tells us that she has an Emirati team leader who is “really highly motivated”, adding: “She does a great job but it took me two years to find someone”.

In order to retain Emirati staff, the panellists outline opportunities for growth as key: “As a physical job it’s quite difficult,” comments Aslitdinoval. “But even though they get tired, they come back, and they even want to go to the next level.”

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Other issues to be discussed in more depth at the forum are the lack of middle management positions causing a missing link in the industry and an absence of routes for progression in housekeeping.

Eliciting guest feedback to resolve issues before checkout in order to increase guest satisfaction is another subject to be broached at the event, and on a product note, comparison of housekeeping methods will be looked at such as trolleys vs baskets, dispensers vs bottles and hand dryers vs paper towels.

Another agenda item which runs across all hotel departments is sustainability and for housekeepers, how to encourage customers to accept green initiatives such as not washing sheets daily and using recycled amenities is vital. The latest sustainable technologies will be touched upon, such as laundry drying aids as well as corporate social responsibility initiatives.

For more information and to access the Hotelier Middle East: Executive Housekeeper Forum agenda as well as sponsorships opportunities, go to: www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/conferences/housekeepers/

Essential Information
Date: April 30

Venue: Grosvenor House, Dubai

Format: One-day event with keynote addresses, debates and discussions, workshops and networking opportunities

Attendance: By invitation only and free to head housekeepers and laundry managers. To request an invite, please contact Amanda.elisha@itp.com or call +971 4 444 3463
Speaker opportunities: Some speaking slots are still available. Please register your interest with Louby.Maktari@itp.com or call +971 4 444 3578

Sponsorship opportunities: To gain direct access to decision makers, there are a range of sponsorship packages available. Please contact Diarmuid O’Malley on dom@itp.com or +971 4 444 3568