Executive Housekeeper Forum 2018: Sponsor Q&A Transguard

The hospitality sector in the UAE is ever expanding with new brands and extended offerings for existing brands appearing all the time, according to Transguard director Manpower Services Alex MacDonald.

"The addition of the QE2 as an alternative option to traditional hotels is an example of how the market, especially in the UAE is looking to evolve and I am very interested to see how they perform," MacDonald added ahead of the Executive Housekeeper Forum 2018. 

According to him, the main challenges faced by housekeeping professionals in 2018 is fluctuations in the market.

"Although occupancy rates are improving, there are still fluctuations in demand that can make it difficult to maintain the right level of resource and ensure the customers’ expectations are not just meet but exceeded especially during these peak periods. In addition to this, being able to attract and retain the right talent across the industry is a major challenge. With new properties coming on line frequently and their recruitment strategies targeting experienced staff in the region, employee attrition is a challenge and training and development of replacements staff is costly," Macdonald said. 

Transguard’s Center of Excellence recently opened up in July 2017 and since has trained over 20,000 employees across multiple industries. In addition, the company also have housekeeping specific training with a purpose build studio apartment that develops and up skills its new and existing employees.

Transguard provides hotelier services within the region including housekeeping, security, kitchen stewards, cash services, F&B and concierge to name a few.

Macdonald added, "For 2018/2019 we are looking at how we can amalgamate our service lines to provide our customers with a one stop, high quality solution with the benefits of this being realised by the customer."