So we were compelled to ask the guest - and they simply said that because they did not get the room type they wanted they had taken these things as compensation.
Ramzan: Not really, Abu Dhabi is a very safe and secure place to work - aside from having very messy rooms sometimes that require placing the room out of commission for several days for deep cleaning.
Khatri: We have but we are very discreet - sorry, but we cannot share any details!
Evangelista: We've had some guests who were really organised - so neat and tidy that their rooms only meant a little work for the room attendant. However we have also encountered some really messy guests.
One time, when a guest checked out, we came to clean the room and we found it a total mess with slashed sofas and the LCD TV broken. We just did our job of cleaning and fixing the room and the guest paid for all the damage.
It meant much work for the housekeeping team, but still it is our pleasure to do what we ought to do excellently.
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Chandran: We did have an incident some years back that I will always remember. Two of our guests had a ‘falling out' and their argument, unfortunately, got very physical.
We ended up with blood spots from one of their injuries leaving a bright red trail all across the lobby carpet (which of course happened to be beige) and continued right up into their bedroom. We had to have five or six of the team working as quickly as possible to spot the blood off before it set!
What one thing would you change to help your department run more smoothly?
Jayawardena: I would give my staff personality development training, so they would have a much better attitude towards work and the hotel.
Ramzan: I believe that every executive housekeeper is as good as the associates working under him or her.
A well-trained and motivated associate is the key to an efficient and well organized housekeeping department. Therefore, I shall continue to train, develop and motivate associates and build a culture where superior performance and skill growth are valued and rewarded.
Ventura: I'd focus on multi-tasking employees in all areas of the housekeeping department.
Evangelista: Al Diar Siji Hotel got its BS EN ISO 9001:2000 certification in 1995 and we have succeeded in renewing the certification every year after that. Our housekeeping department is already following and adhering to the this high quality certification, so there isn't really anything that needed to change at this time.
To help my department run more smoothly, I would just have to continue to improve on what we have now as far as the standard is concerned.
How has the job changed since you first started working in housekeeping?
Jayawardena: Guest expectations have increased immensely and even in terms of hotels, instead of the mass market large hotels, the new trend is toward boutique hotels with their independent theme. In terms of chemicals, staff nowadays are better trained in terms of correct usage and safety and most of the chemicals are bio-degradable.
In terms of PMS and hotel management systems, the current systems are fully integrated and user friendly, unlike a decade ago.
Overall, managing a housekeeping department is actually more of a knowledge-based job than a physical working environment.
Ramzan: Nowadays the guest expectations have become higher and higher as new and better-equipped hotels have opened.
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