Anushya Paramasivam, executive housekeeper at Radisson Blu Residence Dubai Marina pictured second from left. Anushya Paramasivam, executive housekeeper at Radisson Blu Residence Dubai Marina pictured second from left.

At the Hotelier Middle East Sustainability Summit which took place on May 20 at Ritz-Carlton JBR Dubai, Anushya Paramasivam, executive housekeeper at Radisson Blu Residence Dubai Marina, shared her expert advice on the best ways to implement sustainable practices in housekeeping departments.

Here are some of her key messages:

1. Come up with a policy and strategy. Choose the right things to invest in such as linen with a high thread count, making it more durable and high quality beds that don’t have to be replaced often. Make sure your policy includes waste reduction measures that don’t compromise the level of service, such as reducing guest amenities to ensure there is not a surplus, while making sure there are still enough.

2. Implement staff training and have a method for monitoring this. At Radisson Blu staff are monitored using a time and motion method and those that follow the procedure best (such as the order in which parts of the room are cleaned) are rewarded.

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3. Empower staff by creating a green council and encouraging individuals to champion certain practices. This also provides staff with an opportunity to be creative and lead on certain initiatives, which can promote a sense of loyalty to the business.

4. Educate customers on the benefits of sustainability practices and ask them for their support. While in the UK and other parts of Western Europe and the USA, it is accepted that sustainability is a top priority even in luxury operations, the Middle East is still behind on this. Middle East guests must understand that being sustainable doesn’t mean compromising on quality.

5. Incorporate incentives for customers to be sustainable into a loyalty scheme. For example, the Carlson Rezidor loyalty scheme rewards guests for forgoing one day of housekeeping services by providing points so that they can save money on their next trip.