KP Chandran: All areas of the hotel operation have their own unique requirements and demands but effectively running the linen room operation always gives a few headaches. The hotel is looking to change the style of uniform in all of our F&B service sections at the moment, and laundering, storing and controlling more than 1800 uniform items always keeps my linen room team on their toes.

 

"Housekeeping is something you either like or you don't. It is not for everyone."

Henderson: There is no particular area that is more demanding than the next. You need to be on top of every single area. In general, it's all about planning and having things organized. Having a great team of staff who take care of every single aspect of their job definitely helps.

Ibtihaj: The cleanliness of the guest rooms is the most demanding part of housekeeping. Careful planning of arrivals and departures ensures that guests get to their rooms promptly. As first impressions are so critical, if the guest is made to wait for their room and, once they check in, if everything is not perfect in the room, then this can lead to a catalogue of on-going complaints.

How do you manage to keep your hotel clean without disturbing guests?

Clift: We schedule jobs to be done during low occupancy periods.

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Toprak: Based on the work to be done each day, we distribute the load across each shift - morning, afternoon and night shift. It is also important that we try to disturb the guests as little as possible in the lobby areas.

KP Chandran: The heavy-duty deep cleaning of our public areas and restaurants takes place in the wee small hours of the night, when all our customers are sound asleep. For guest room cleaning, our team is trained to always respect DND [do not disturb] cards, and to keep unnecessary chatter or equipment noise to a minimum.

Henderson: The main cleaning of the hotel in the public areas and restaurants is done at night so it does not affect any guests. The regular housekeeping services take place in a morning and an afternoon shift. Staff familiarizes themselves with their guests, most of whom are repeat visitors, so they know the preferred cleaning times, or when the guests normally leave the room. By the third visit, staff who had cleaned the room will already know the guest's profile and preferences.

Ibtihaj: Professional planning, good organization and the best training are the key elements necessary to ensure that guests are not disturbed when we are maintaining the cleanliness of the hotel. Engaging with guests while carrying out housekeeping duties is the best way to ensure guest satisfaction, as not only does that distract them from any disturbance but it also allows us to find out guests' needs and expectations.

What are the biggest cleaning jobs and how do you manage them?

Clift: Building and window cleaning are huge tasks, so we manage this with quarterly schedules.

Toprak: Renovations while the hotel is in operation are very challenging. These periods have to be managed through very good planning.

KP Chandran: We have several periodic cleaning jobs that can be a bit of a logistical challenge - the crystal chandeliers in the ballroom for example - but as this is a twice-yearly task, we have it down to a pretty smooth routine by now. More difficult jobs are when we have unexpected group departures and need a large number of rooms cleaned and returned in a very short space of time. This is especially challenging when it happens in the evening or at night when we have reduced the number of staff on duty. This is when our "Yes I Can" teamwork really kicks in, with off duty staff coming back to the hotel to help out on many occasions.

Henderson: Park Hyatt has white exterior walls and 64 blue domes. These are very hard to gain access to, and cleaning them requires properly trained staff that abseil with a pressure washer. We schedule the building wash three times a year, and it takes one month to complete.

Ibtihaj: Dealing with heavy-duty equipment to maintain the marble floors in the hotel is one of our biggest jobs, as well as cleaning different types of carpet and cleaning the numerous glass windows from the outside.