Room for growth needed in housekeeping departments

Panellists at Hotelier Middle East’s Executive Housekeeper Forum discussed how best to support housekeeping staff in developing their careers when promotion isn’t an option.

In a panel discussion titled ‘Room for Growth – Careers in Housekeeping’ at the Hotelier Middle East Housekeeper Forum, panellists said nurturing skills, spotting potential and exploring routes for progression across departments and hotel groups are key to supporting staff growth.

Pamini Hemaprahba, executive housekeeper at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates highlighted that “everybody is very restless” in housekeeping departments and if they are not offered quick progression they move on quickly.

Hemaprahba suggested that hotels within companies can work together to support ambitious housekeeping staff. She commented: “At Kempinski we actually nuture people and allow them to grow. We look at sister hotels and see where they can move. We try to give them their first choice.”

She warned, however, that the key to success for housekeeping staff looking to move upward is being “mobile”. Hemaprahba said: “We also give them positions elsewhere and where they can go – the social life might not be great but that’s a decision they have to make. We try to educate our team on the real definition of challenging – if you want to grow up then you have to be mobile. If you are mobile then we have options for you.”

According to Sangeetha Bharat, housekeeping manager at Park Hyatt, Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, keeping staff interested when there is no step to move up into is about “giving them challenges and keeping them occupied”. Bharat said: “I give them challenges while they wait for an opportunity in the future; I just need to keep them informed about it.”

Bharat added that often housekeepers can use transferable skills to move into a more senior role in another department. She commented: “They might have challenges in [housekeeping] that they would also have working in F&B, but F&B might bring out the best in them.”

The Hotelier Middle East Housekeeper Forum took place on April 30 at Grosvenor House, Dubai and was attended by 165 housekeeping and laundry professionals who came together to discuss challenges and opportunities in the field and share best practice.