Argentinian national Ezequiel Aldana, director of housekeeping at the Sheraton Grand Dubai, has spent nearly two decades in the hospitality industry working across the globe.
Could you tell us a bit about your career background?
In 1997, I started my career at the Park Tower Buenos Aires and since then I have had the opportunity to work with Starwood around the world in places such as Uruguay, Greece, Scotland and Dubai. Throughout my career I have gained experience within various operational departments including positions as a butler, office coordinator, bell boy and guest relations. I then found my passion within housekeeping and have been with it since.
What are your responsibilities at the hotel?
As the director of housekeeping, my responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the short- and long-term planning and day-to-day operations of the housekeeping department, including the laundry. In addition, I do all of the budgeting, forecasting and financial planning of the department. It is also my responsibility to manage the selection, training and development of employees with an eye towards maximum employee satisfaction, productivity and guest satisfaction. In addition I conduct regular inspections of the property in order to ensure adherence to cleanliness and maintenance standards. I am also the brand ambassador at the property, whereby I monitor and work with other departments in order to maintain brand standards.
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What are some of the challenges you face in housekeeping?
One of the main challenges that we face in the housekeeping department is communication. We pride ourselves in the abundance of nationalities of our associates. However, most of the staff in the department do not speak English fluently, since it’s not their first language. Therefore some guests’ requests can be misinterpreted or lost in translation. However, one of Sheraton’s top priorities is staff training and their growth. We work with the team so that they gain confidence and express themselves with their peers and our guests.
How do you manage to motivate your team members, given housekeeping is the pillar of strong operations?
At the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dubai we work on multiple actions simultaneously in order to motivate the team. This includes recognition, support, empathy and leading by example to ensure that the team feel part of the Sheraton family. As soon as these factors are in place, staff naturally take better care of our guests and our assets. We work hard to give our guests the experience of a home-away-from-home whilst they are staying with us and we use the same concept for our associates.
What are some of the recent trends you have noticed in housekeeping?
In the last few months we have noticed a large uptake in guest participation in environmentally friendly programmes. We have the ‘Make A Green Choice’ programme, which is a Starwood initiative in which our guests can choose to help reduce our environmental footprint. Guests can choose to participate by simply foregoing full housekeeping for up to three days in a row and for each night they can choose to receive Starpoints, a US $5.99 (AED 22) F&B voucher or a $5.99 (AED 22) UNICEF donation.
How do you take up the sustainability agenda with you guests, and how do you get the staff to effectively communicate with them?
The key element here is proper communication between the guests and ourselves. Our team is periodically trained on our ‘Make A Green Choice’ programme and we ensure that we give the opportunity to the guests to participate if they choose.
Top 5 guaranteed tips to ensure a five star room
Personalised service: Taking notes of small details like guest preferences.
Perfect cleanliness: In housekeeping there is no middle ground between clean or dirty. It needs to be spotless!
Functionality of the rooms: All rooms need to be in perfect working order from the TV to the A/C and even the hot water.
Quality products in the rooms: From linen, to towels and coffee sachets to the shampoo — all elements need to exceed the expectation of guests.
Training and engagement of the associates: Constantly over exceed the expectations of our guests and always provide them with memorable experiences.
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