Executive Housekeeper Volume 23 No. 2 by Adbourne Publishing

The Executive

HOUSEKEEPER

Vol 23

No 2

PP322210/00016

At Empire Hospitality we pride ourselves in providing Quality Housekeeping Solutions.

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Publishers LETTER

elcome to this edition of the Executive Housekeeper.

Many of you will know Donna Musarella in her role as the PEHN president, it’s great to have her writing for us. In her first article for us she talks about housekeeping productivity and asks a simple though maybe controversial question “Have we pushed it too far?” Talking productivity, in any industry every good manager wants to get the best out of their workers, Liz Lycette talks about the incentive programme they have set up at JW Marriott Hotel Macau to drive quality, improve morale and increase teamwork. Unfortunately, sexual misconduct is something many people in the hospitality industry have to put up with on a regular basis. I find the figures staggering in this day and age, in the article by Christa Ludlow from Weir Consulting we learn of some personal experiences and where to get further information regarding Sexual Harassment and AntiDiscrimination with the workplace. This issue includes different profiles on successful people and companies servicing many of our best hotels. Thank you to Libby Sharp for her story on Christian Espino

and Tom for his interview with Peter Weingartner from Swisstrade. Over 10 years ago we asked Col Nation his tips on carpet maintenance, in this updated article, you will see that the same rules still apply when looking to buy a good commercial quality vacuum cleaner. We would like to thank Murray Mcdonald, of Duplex Cleaning, who is very passionate about showing everyone the latest technologies available in cleaning. In this issue he talks about how automation and robots are making their way into the industry. There is much more inside this issue from a range of outstanding contributors. Thank you to everyone whom supplied articles and ideas for this issue of Executive Housekeeper. Please remember we are available in both hard and digital copy. If you would like to receive the Journal in an additional or different format please let us know by simply sending an email to admin@adbourne.com Regards Neil Muir

View The Executive Housekeeper online now! Scan here or visit www.adbourne.com/exec-housekeeper

ADBOURNE PUBLISHING 18/69 Acacia Road Ferntree Gully VIC 3156 PO Box 735, Belgrave, VIC 3160 www.adbourne.com Editorial Contributor Thomas Johnson

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Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisements appearing in The Executive Housekeeper comply absolutely with the Trade Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication.

Adbourne PUBLISHING

Adbourne Publishing reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. (The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication). All original matter produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Contents 7

PEHN news

SEQPHA news

11 Housekeeping productivity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Have we pushed it too far? 12 Investment in quarterly incentive programme 15 Call to action 16 Sexual harassment in the hotel industry 20 Carpet maintenance made easy 23 How hotels can protect their brand in the new-build market 29 Christian Espino Profile 30 Welcome to The Westin Perth 33 Reaching local leadership in Swiss-style 37 Managing housekeeping: The key areas 42 We're in this together why the future of supply chains is symbiotic 46 The environmental, social and financial benefits of sustainable cleaning 47 What hotel housekeepers and administrators need to know about WELL 50 Product news

The Executive

HOUSEKEEPER

Cover images show The Westin Perth

Vol 23

No 2

PP322210/00016

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PEHN NEWS Another busy quarter has gone by and now we have our annual membership renewal/ drive, with our new website making this process more streamlined. We have also been lucky enough to visit Crown Melbourne's three sites. Below, see our International Housekeepers Trivia Night update too.

HOTEL SITE VISIT

n June, the PEHN group were lucky enough to do a site visit at the three Crown Melbourne Hotels, a tour of the rooms and questions answered by the hotel representatives was informative and educational. At the end of the visit we caught up for some networking and a drink or two at one of the Crown bars. The visit was a huge success and the request that we do different hotels on a regular basis was discussed. A big thank-you to Crown for letting us kick our site visits off at their 3 Melbourne sites. If your hotel would be interested in allowing PEHN members to come for a site visit, please email the PEHN email pehn.aus@gmail.com and advise, so we can organise a day and time suitable for the hotel and the group.

MEMBERSHIPS

You will already have started receiving email notifications that memberships are due to be renewed. This is an automated message that generates from our new webpage. You can log into the webpage and renew directly through the site www.pehn.org. If you are already a member you would have received an email with instructions how to access you account. If you are not a member yet, and wish to be, please log in and join as a new member.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSEKEEPING WEEK

International Housekeeping week is just around the corner. Pehn is holding its ever popular Trivia night again to celebrate. The event is an annual event that is full of laughs and friendly comradery amongst the tables. It is a popular event that fills up quite quickly. Why not organise a table of your team to come and celebrate. Great prize give-aways â&#x20AC;&#x201C; mystery door prizes, winning round prizes. A night not to be missed.

TRIVIA NIGHT International Housekee ping Week Come join us for a night of laughs and fun at the PEHN Trivia Nig ht. Friday 13th September 6.30pm Members - $10.00 Non-Members $20.00 per person. Why not organized a tab le for your team Finger food supplied. Drinks at bar prices. Tables are limited so get in early . Great prizes to be won RSVP: pehn.aus@gmail. com By 6th September

Melbourne City Lawn Bo wls Club Flagstaff Gardens West Melbourne (opposite Victoria Marke t car park)

SEQPHA NEWS W

e have just had the most amazing few months with some wonderful breakfast meetings firstly at Mantra Legends and the Star Gold Coast. Since we introduced our two guest speakers at each breakfast, along with a supplier display each month, we have been getting back more positive comments and feedback. A big warm welcome also to all our new members. Heartwarming is the word I can describe our yearly charity race day at the Gold Coast Turf Club. It was truly one of our best functions, with 85 people in the room we raised $9,000 for GIVE ME FIVE FOR KIDS. In conjunction with 92.5FM, our local radio station who support this charity every year, all proceeds go to buy much needed equipment for Tweed and Gold Coast Children’s hospital. The generosity of our members, suppliers, and all the General Manager’s from various Hotels whom donated accommodation vouchers for our auctions, we were ever so grateful along with all the prizes for raffles and silent auctions. A big thank you to A.H. Beard who donated a bed and Polesy Commercial Textiles who donated a bed package for our big raffle. A total prize worth $3,000, again big thank you to all the members who sold raffle tickets for this prize, with the winner being Trish Fidew from All Trades Queensland. She was over the moon when we contacted her. It truly was a fun day, with a beautiful room, the sun was shining, with a delightful lunch and everyone opened their hearts and wallets to make it a truly amazing day. A big thank you to our wonderful Treasurer Melissa Bent from Weatherdon who organised the event. She did, as usual, a great job. On the 30th July Melissa and myself went to the local radio station to hand over the cheque and meet all the team. It was a beautiful morning and the whole team were so grateful for what our Association had raised for their charity, along with meeting our local radio announcers and seeing the workings of a radio station. Our next breakfast is in Brisbane at the Emporium Hotel and then at Sunfresh Linen for Housekeeping week. Very proud to be associated with all these people who have such big hearts and given so much to others in need. Libby Sharp – President SEQPHA libbysharpsmail@yahoo.com.au

International W

e recently spoke with Peter Harman of HY.GIENE Australia manufacturer of the market leading product SPA. GIENE (an effective cleaner sanitiser for jacuzzi spa baths and hydro spa baths) whom attended the Indonesian Housekeeping Association’s National Seminar and Exhibition in Bali in June this year. This was a hugely successful event with over 450 Housekeepers attending at the beautiful Prime Hotel Sanur.

Housekeepers from all over Indonesia, Singapore Vietnam and Malaysia participated. There were many trade exhibits with representation from Indonesia’s leading hospitality suppliers. Peter gave a presentation on SPAGIENE and gave their spa bath hygiene workshop, which was well received by housekeepers from Indonesia’s top hotels.

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In our next issue, we have a profile on Peter, who is very passionate on promoting spa and jacuzzi hygiene internationally within the hospitality industry. 

Housekeeping productivity

HAVE WE PUSHED IT TOO FAR? BY DONNA MUSARELLA, PEHN PRESIDENT

We are hearing a lot in the hotel space about rate parity as room rates are minimised to maximise occupancy. A similar situation is appearing with housekeeping in hotels with room productivity times being cut to achieve lower costs with an increased output. This in turn is beginning to have a negative impact on housekeeping operations.

ver the years, the outsourcing of housekeeping has allowed hotels to realise cost savings as this department is usually one of the largest with a significant labour cost. The increase in the number of outsourcing companies has created a significantly competitive market and hotels have reaped the benefits of the cost savings. Some hotels that have in-house housekeeping operations have also reduced room cleaning times over the years when faced with the alternative of outsourcing. Due to the size of an average housekeeping department and the significant impact that a reduction in labour can have on overall costs, room productivity increases have been used as a quick and easy solution to improve a hotel’s overall financial performance. As a result, the issue is not about outsourcing versus in-house housekeeping departments, as the situation is the same in both models. Rather, it is about how far can room productivity levels be decreased before it becomes a physical or psychological risk for a room attendant to clean a room in the time allocated to the standard required. Quite possibly, we may have already reached that point. The requirements and standards that room attendants need to achieve are no different than they were twenty years ago. I have worked in hospitality almost all my life, the largest portion of this being in the housekeeping field. When I first starting out in housekeeping, I was a room attendant at a large 5-star hotel in Melbourne in which I worked full time, 5 days a week, 8 hours a day and cleaned 9 rooms each shift. That same hotel is still in operation today, the housekeeping team members are all part time now and they complete 18-19 rooms in an 8-hour shift. The rooms themselves are identical, the layout is the same and the amenities are the same quantities. So, apart from a refurb with the fixtures and fittings, nothing has changed at that hotel. However,

the room attendants are now cleaning twice as many rooms as they were previously. Back in the day housekeeping was a popular career for people to undertake as there was steady work, career progression, and many new hotels coming onboard to allow housekeeping professionals to grow and further their careers. Today, there is an influx of new hotels hitting the market throughout Australia and the number of people wanting to work in this area of hospitality is dwindling. In fact, it is difficult to find line staff, supervisors and experienced housekeeping managers to fill the required vacancies. Operationally, this lack of experienced leadership and qualified staff has begun to have a negative impact on hotel operations, quality standards and service levels. This issue is at least partially due to the increased workloads, reduced hours of work and increasingly high expectations regarding room cleaning times. To change this trend, targeted and effective training programs must be implemented to educate and groom future leaders in the housekeeping profession and to remove the stigma of “it’s just a housekeeping job”. As I mentioned, housekeeping is usually one of the largest departments in any hotel and it would be advisable to invest in training to ensure the largest department is running as effectively and efficiently as possible. In turn, this will ensure that this non-revenue generating department is doing everything possible to contribute to the end financial result. The answer is not to keep reducing room cleaning times as the long-term effect of this “race to the bottom” will have long term negative impacts on hotel operations that will far outweigh the short-term financial gains. As hoteliers, we need to re-assess the demand and expectation on the housekeeping teams and provide them with the resources to work smarter and not harder. 

Investment

IN QUARTERLY INCENTIVE PROGRAMME BY LIZ LYCETTE

After a lot of hard work, discussion and tweaking our team have come up with a very effective tool to help drive quality, improve morale and increase teamwork.

he annual incentive programme is split into 4 quarters with the winning team sharing in a prize of AUD $1000. The programme is based on rewarding teams with points for excellent actions and results. In our hotel there are a total of 9 teams, however the split can be done according to the size of the hotel.

Improve Room Cleanliness

Positive Guest Survey Results

Improve Recycling Efforts

Monitor and Control Room Quality

Guest Floor/ Room Incentive Programme

The teams are rewarded with a certain amount of points according to the following: Recognise Outstanding Associates

Promote Better Teamwork

In this case, the teams comprise of: • 16 staff from 2 floors both attendants and housemen. These include regular relievers, contractors and supervisors being included. • The 2 supervisors are the joint leaders and are responsible for double checking that the points of their team have been counted correctly. • Each team is given 1000 points as the base fund at the beginning of each quarter.

Recycling program

• 2000 points are awarded to any team member's monthly quality checklist score whose average is above 95%, checklists are conducted by the head floor supervisor, the managers and the quality controller. • 1000 points to the top pantry checklist score, also checked by the managers and quality controller on a weekly/monthly basis • 1000 points awarded to the top guest room wastage recycling programme, e.g. plastic water bottles / soap / amenities bottles. Each set of items is weighed and calculated on a monthly basis. • 1000 points awarded to the top coffee capsule recycling, this is done using the total weight over the quarter

• 1000 points awarded to the houseman whose guest delivery response rate is over 95% average for the quarter. Items must be delivered within 15 minutes of the request. • 1000 points for every standing ovation nomination. This is an award nominated by the department head for those outstanding associates who have been specifically mentioned by the guest for exceeding their expectations.

Winning team of the quarter CASH PRIZE

AUD $1000 and boasting rights, certificate and recognition of the team by senior management. 

• 500 points for every positive feedback through guest satisfaction survey or emails, and for those which specifically mention the excellent room cleanliness or housekeeping service • 1000 points for every associates name mentioned by the guest in guest satisfaction survey or emails • 200 points for every thoughtful gesture which is selected to post on the noticeboard The team will be deducted certain amount of points according to following: • 1000 points for every guest complaint from duty manager log, emails or guest satisfaction survey Thoughtful gestures

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Call to Action

BY MARK THOMSON

Prominent broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough recently stated “Radical Action” was needed to tackle the climate emergency – “we cannot be radical enough” but he also called for pragmatism, finding reason for optimism among young people “who were already making themselves and their voices very, very clear”.

limate emergencies have already been officially called by cities including Cologne, the most recent amongst approximately 700 world cities including Sydney, London and Paris, taking a stand on Climate Change. An official declaration of “Climate Emergency” places a government “on a war time mobilisation” that places climate change at the centre of policy and planning decisions. Hotels may be in the centre of climate change disasters and be called to provide additional accommodation for unforeseen events or disasters, assuming they are operational themselves! Many hotels and accommodation providers in Townsville are still providing services for those affected by the February 2019 Townsville Floods. At the 2019 Earth Check Inner Circle meeting in Brisbane, the figure of 73% of travellers previously surveyed proposed they “wanted to give something back” when quizzed about reasons for travel. Today’s younger travellers seek authenticity and connection with people and place, with sustainability issues part of their daily thinking. “User experience” a current buzz word in the industry, is not only the domain of a high technology futuristic event but engenders the expectation that energy efficiency and responsible recycling practices, are already “business as usual” in provider activities and operations. So how do hotel housekeepers and hotel staff facilitate authentic user experiences whilst being positioned for climate change impacts? A starting point might be to consider the following • Ensure that rooms are freshened naturally, reducing the need to use harsh chemicals not leaving strong cleaning smells within a space • Adopting waste disposal and recycling practices, particularly focussing on plastics minimisation. Make material recycling "business as usual" and easy to implement. • Informing guests of local recycling practices and encouraging appropriate separation of waste items via multiply bin solutions. Younger people expect recycling opportunities.

• Practicing water saving and disclosing water efficiency strategies. If your facility is experiencing drought conditions, make this a positive guest experience by valuing the access to water. • Understanding all Hotel emergency procedures and implementing drills as appropriate. Demonstrate guest safety is a core principle of your operations. • Understanding how staff may be affected by travel and family issues during unforeseen events and having contingency plans for hotel service routines • Brief all staff on the concept of resilience and developing practical strategies to respond to unforeseen circumstances The Call to Action by governments, celebrities and even school children regarding climate emergency declarations is not likely to disappear. Climate change is an issue which the hotel industry can embrace and demonstrate leadership by practical and authentic actions. Housekeepers influence guests, including younger guests, by demonstrating their services are authentic, fit for purpose and place whilst addressing current issues and events. Be part of the solution, not the problem! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Thomson is an eco-Architect with qualifications from the GBCA and Earthcheck organisations. He has over 30 years’ experience in the Australian design development and construction industry. He has built and refurbished multiple hotel projects around Australia and was co-owner in a national hotel chain up until 2005. His current business is Eco Effective Solutions based in Brisbane www.ecoeffective.com.au mark@ecoeffective.com.au

REFERENCES

The Guardian 10-7-19

http://climateemergencydeclaration.org wwww.earthcheck.org.au

Sexual harassment IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

BY CHRISTA LUDLOW, PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT, WEIR CONSULTING

In 2017 the USA Time Magazine awarded its ‘Person of the Year’ to ‘The Silence Breakers’ –women who have come forward to break the silence about sexual harassment and sexual violence. You may have heard about the Hollywood actresses such as Ashley Judd, Selma Blair and Alyssa Milano, who went public about sexual assaults and harassment by producers and directors.

ut two ‘silence breakers’ highlighted by the magazine worked in the hotel industry – Juana Melara, a housekeeper, who along with her coworkers experienced guests exposing themselves or masturbating in front of them, and Crystal Washington, a hospitality coordinator at the luxury Plaza Hotel, who was harassed by a male co-worker. The harassment was captured on CCTV but management took no action. Now she and a group of other hotel workers are suing the Plaza for failing to act. A survey of more than 300 hospitality workers in Victoria conducted by the union United Voice found that 89 percent reported sexual harassment. Just 36% of those who were surveyed thought that management handled sexual harassment at work appropriately. In 2014, a research study involving 46 room maintenance staff working at five 5-star hotels on the Gold Coast found that 44 had experienced approaches by male guests, ranging from inappropriate jokes to explicit verbal propositions and touching. One interviewee described her experience: “When I went there he shut the door and I thought ‘Uh oh’ and I opened the door, and he said, ‘Oh, you don’t close the door when you are cleaning?’ and I said, ‘Yes, sir, the door must be open, it is hotel policy’ and he said, ‘Just close that door and you can have the money on the table’, and I said, ‘I’m sorry, sir, we are not allowed to close the door when we are working’. I said ‘I am very sorry’, and I went to the bathroom and started there because he was sitting on the bed, and then he undressed and went inside the bed and I grabbed my bucket and I ran.”

(17%) made a formal workplace complaint about sexual harassment they had experienced. Almost 1 in 5 of those who did report were labelled a troublemaker, victimised, ignored or resigned.

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

Sexual harassment is:

• unwelcome sexual advances or requests, or • sexual conduct in relation to a person where, in the circumstances, a reasonable person would have expected the person to be offended, humiliated or intimidated. Examples of sexual harassment include: • intrusive questions about sexual activity • offensive jokes with sexual content • staring or leering in a sexual manner • sexual or physical contact, such as slapping, kissing, or touching • repeated sexual or personal invitations after the person has refused similar invitations before • sexual assault (also a crime under the Crimes Act). Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination, and is unlawful. It contravenes the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. Each State and Territory has laws dealing with discrimination. Sexual harassment is unlawful: • Between employer and employee

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), 39% of workers in the accommodation and food industries who took part in their 2018 survey had experienced sexual harassment in the past five years.

• Between fellow employees

Many cases of sexual harassment go unreported – according to the AHRC, in 2018 fewer than 1 in 5 people

• In receiving or providing goods and services (such as accommodation, food and other services)

• Between workplace participants (including volunteers, self-employed persons and contract workers) at the same workplace

People who are subjected to sexual harassment can suffer from depression and other mental illnesses as a result. It demoralises employees and results in a loss of productivity, as well as preventing all employees from fully participating at work and gaining equal access to work opportunities. It can cause damage to a businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation and loss of customer confidence. In hospitality and retail industries, harassment by customers also needs to be taken seriously. There are often occasions where workers such as housekeepers may be alone in a room with a guest. Workers may be unsure how they are supposed to react or who they should tell if they are harassed by a guest or customer. The belief that the customer is always right may prevail. Also workers may be young, casual or not have good English skills which may discourage them from reporting harassment.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT FOR A BUSINESS?

Apart from the damage in terms of productivity, morale, fairness and wellbeing, sexual harassment can be expensive.

Because of the risk it poses to workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; wellbeing, if an employer does not eliminate or reduce the risk of sexual harassment in its workplace, it can be prosecuted for

breaching the work health and safety legislation. This can lead to heavy fines being imposed by a court. Also, an employer can be liable for sexual harassment perpetrated by its employees under the discrimination legislation and this can lead to large payments. In a case decided by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal in 2016, a woman employed by a company which managed hotels was awarded more than $313,000 for distress, psychiatric illness and loss of income. She had been employed as a guest service

agent at a resort. One of the directors of the company suggested to her that if she was comfortable doing so, she could reside free of charge in one of the units owned by the company at another hotel to assist her in moving to Brisbane to take up her job. The unit had two bedrooms and one bedroom was occupied by a caretaker at the hotel. The woman agreed to take up the offer. On her first night in the unit she was sexually assaulted by the caretaker. The Tribunal found that the company was liable for what the caretaker had done because:

The hotel and accommodation industry in NSW has approved anti-discrimination guidelines which explain the rights and responsibilities of hoteliers and their employees under anti-discrimination law, including in relation to sexual harassment. These are available on the NSW AntiDiscrimination Board website. Your employer must have a gender-neutral policy on appropriate workplace behaviour. This should include:

• It could not show that it had taken any reasonable steps to prevent it; such as having a sexual harassment or antidiscrimination policy or training

• A strong opening statement on the business’ attitude to sexual harassment, that it is committed to ensuring that the workplace is free from sexual harassment, that it will not be tolerated and that disciplinary action will be taken against any employee or agent who breaches the policy

• The unit was part of a workplace which it controlled

• The business’ strategy for eliminating sexual harassment

• The caretaker committed the assault in the course of his work, as he was required to be on call while in the unit.

• A clear definition of sexual harassment with examples

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Firstly, make yourself aware of the law which applies and your duties under that law – including anti-discrimination law and work health and safety law. You can find information at the websites of the Anti-Discrimination Board (NSW), the Australian Human Rights Commission and the work health and safety regulator in your State or SafeWork Australia.

• An explanation that sexual harassment is not behaviour which is consensual and welcome and based on mutual attraction, friendship and respect • A statement of where sexual harassment may happen – for example harassment by a supervisor or manager, co-worker, contractor, or customer, as well as any workrelated situations such as conferences, work functions or parties and communications such as emails • The action that will be taken if a worker or guest sexually harasses an employee • The responsibilities of management under the policy, for example modelling good behaviour and promoting the policy • The responsibilities of staff, for example complying with the policy and offering support and information to anyone who is being harassed • Information on how to report sexual harassment or other forms of discrimination and who to go to for help when it occurs. You should also provide staff with information and training, which can include: • Displaying anti-sexual harassment posters on notice boards in common work areas and distribute relevant brochures (from the AHRC, State and Territory antidiscrimination agencies and/or relevant unions) • Train all managers on their role in ensuring that the workplace is free from sexual harassment • Conduct regular awareness raising sessions for all staff on sexual harassment issues. Make sure that everyone is aware of the policy and attends relevant training. Discuss the developments with your staff and make your position clear. Changing attitudes and workplace culture takes time and effort. 

Christa Ludlow is a lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in employment law and administrative law, and a qualified workplace investigator, coach and mediator. She is a Principal Consultant with WEIR Consulting. WEIR provides workplace conflict resolution, investigation, coaching and training services to clients in the public and private sectors. Contact WEIR at contactus@weirconsult.com.au.

ADVERTORIAL

AHS Hospitality is Australia and New Zealand’s leading provider of outsourced housekeeping services to the accommodation industry. Established in 1993 they were the first business to outsource services of this kind to hotels. Since then they have grown to service 8,000,000 rooms annually. Their portfolio ranges from 3-star properties up to 5-star luxury hotels.

ith a management team that comprises people who may previously have been your colleagues, you can trust that they understand what’s important to you. This helps AHS to deliver results. Their team members are specifically trained in housekeeping operations. But they are more than housekeepers. When you partner with AHS, you get experienced industry professionals who work with you and your team to manage a seamless housekeeping department. AHS has offices and senior management throughout Australia and New Zealand so they are always nearby to provide human resources, operational, injury, safety and compliance support. The values of AHS are the foundation on which the company is built and they focus on running a business that is both ethical and lawful; compliance is something which they are very serious about and will not compromise. Being a company run by ex-hoteliers means their understanding and commitment to creating memorable guest experiences is second to none. By committing themselves to maintaining your brand standards and keeping the guest front of mind you can trust that they will work with you and your team as one. Your success is their success.

We have that understanding with AHS and this means we are aligned in what we do and how we do it. Once this alignment is achieved you can tackle the inevitable changes and challenges together in good faith. Brand standards and guest experience are paramount to the success of your hotels; how well has AHS managed these areas?

A: The results are there; we have passed every brand audit conducted on our operating hotels and our cleanliness scores as rated by our guests are well above average. What projects are on the horizon for Pro-invest Group?

A: As mentioned earlier, we have 6 projects currently under construction with 3 opening in the next 12 months. We also have a highly active development team looking for additional sites. Over the next few years our portfolio is set to exceed 20 hotels.  If you’re interested in learning more about leveraging the benefits of outsourcing in your property reach out to the team at info@ahshospitality.com.au or call them on 1800 026 036. You won’t regret it!

But don’t take our word for it. We spoke with Michael Bourne, Group Director of Operations at Pro-invest Group. Here’s what he had to say about outsourcing and his experience with AHS. Across Australia and New Zealand how many properties does Pro-invest have in it’s portfolio?

A: We have 4 operating hotels, 2 opening in the next 6 – 7 months, 1 opening in 11 months, 3 others under construction and 2 more new builds about to be announced. What benefits does the Pro-invest Group see in outsourcing?

A: The key benefit in outsourcing for us it that it enables us to focus our attention and expertise on what we feel are the core elements of running successful hotels. In saying this, I am not suggesting housekeeping is not a vital part of our success; quite the contrary – it is a vital element, however by successfully outsourcing to a professional, reliable and aligned partner – our skill set does not need to be orientated to managing the details of housekeeping on a minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day basis. AHS Hospitality has formed a strong relationship with Pro-invest Group through partnerships in your Holiday Inn Express properties. Why have you found them to be a suitable outsourced housekeeping partner?

A: Strong business relationships are built by sustaining mutually beneficial outcomes. Mutually beneficial outcomes are achieved through open and frank discussions regarding not just what needs to be achieved but the way in which it is achieved.

Carpet maintenance MADE EASY BY COL NATION

We all have our image of the typical cleaner in action. Flicking the dust from high level areas with feather dusters, letting it settle onto counters desks and benches and then dusting it off there to settle on onto the carpet. We then vacuum the carpet with our little pull along or jet pack vacuums that filter out the paper clips and bottle caps and blow the dust smaller dust particles back into the air where it settles on all the high spots again. And we do it all again tomorrow. Sound ridiculous?

s silly as this sounds, it is exactly the cleaning system that many cleaners use. Our cleaners are often just dirt movers not dirt removers.

THE SOIL CYCLE.

Up to 78% of the soil in a carpet is dry particle soil. This number comes from a study done by Dr Eric Brown of “Cleaning Research International” in the UK. The remainder of the soil is the sticky stuff that bonds the dry soils to the fibre. The numbers may vary significantly depending on the carpet, location, maintenance regime, and type of soiling in the carpet, but generally are comprised of the following components; Soil component

Percentage

Sand and silicates

30 - 40

Oxides and carbonates

6 - 24

Animal and cellulosic fibres

20 - 24

Resins and gums

6 - 10

Moisture

Free carbon

0-3

Carpet contains two main types of soil, “Free soil” and “Bound soil”. Free soil is the particles that can be removed with a vacuum cleaner. Bound soil is the stuff that is glued to the fibre by fats and oils and other sticky soils. Vacuuming will remove the “free” soil but will do very little for the bound soil. But how much free soil is removed is dependent on two things, the effectiveness of the vacuum cleaner and the diligence of the operator. From what I see in my travels, most vacuuming is done rather haphazardly using equipment that is inefficient or just plain ineffective in removing soil from the indoor environment.

Many cleaners will simply poke the wand around a few times within a room to remove the surface litter. This might be alright to improve the appearance of the room by making it a bit tidier, but this is not cleaning the carpet. If a carpet is not cleaned then soil builds up and the carpet looks tired and dull.

CARPET UGLIES OUT LONG BEFORE IT WEARS OUT.

Here are the simple rules of carpet maintenance that will improve the appearance and extend the life of carpet. Rule 1. Buy a decent commercial upright vacuum cleaner. It should have two motors. One motor drives the spinning brush bar which vibrates the carpet to shake the grit from the pile up into the airflow, and the vacuum motor to move the dirty air into the filter bag. It should have replaceable dust bags. It should be fitted with HEPA filtration. Rule 2. Learn to use it properly. Don’t try to push it about like a suction wand. Just stand upright, relax and walk forward. Keep the handle by your hip and just walk forward. People who say they don’t like upright vacuums are usually trying to push and pull them like a suction wand. Used properly an upright vacuum will cause less back soreness, be more efficient and remove much more soil than a suction only cleaner. It only takes one spot for a place to be no longer ‘spotless’ Rule 3. Learn how to correctly spot clean a carpet. It is usually those little grey spots on the carpet that can make a whole room look bad. Many of these grey spots are residues of spot cleaning chemicals. Use a WoolSafe

approved spotter for removing those little grey spots. But don’t spray it directly into the carpet. Spray a little onto a microfibre cloth, dab it onto the spot and then pad it off with a damp microfibre cloth.

According to the Australian Standard 3733/2018 a vacuum filter should filter 97.5% of dust to 0.5 micron.

Rule 4. When spot cleaning doesn’t work, call a professional.

Particles up to about 3 to 5 microns can remain suspended in the air for hours. This is important when it comes to our own safety. We don’t want to be breathing in this dirt into our lungs. So a really efficient vacuum filtration is essential to trap soil in the vacuum cleaner instead of just re-distributing the fine dust as most vacuum cleaners do.

You can find a list of WoolSafe Approved Service Providers by going to www.woolsafe.org, or you can download the WoolSafe app from your app store directly onto your phone so spot cleaning tips are right there in your phone, and if you need professional help you can simply click on the ‘cleaners’ tab and it will help you find a professional near you.

TECHNICAL STUFF.

When choosing a vacuum cleaner there are several things to take note of. Wattage. Does the bigger wattage mean more suck? Not necessarily. The wattage rating is just a measure of the power used by the vacuum cleaner. A 2000 watt vacuum cleaner could have 500 watts of noise and 500 watts of heat with only 1000 watts left for suction. It could have inefficient hoses or pick up head and then there is the filtration to worry about. A quality upright vacuum cleaner will have a relatively small wattage rating because there are less noise and heat losses and more efficient airflow passages and the agitator bar does more for soil removal than the actual airflow. Agitation. What does the agitator do? The air flow of an upright vacuum cleaner is merely there to transport the soil into the filter chamber. It is the spinning agitator that vibrates the carpet to shake the grit loose. The grit is then picked up by the brush, which sweeps the soil into the airflow chamber where it is then transported to the collection and filtration chamber. An agitator vacuum will always out perform a suctiononly cleaner. Filtration. Cloth filters, paper bag filters or bagless. Which is best? Filtration is probably one of the most important functions of a vacuum cleaner. Particle size distribution is important when it comes to filtration.

A human hair is about 20 microns in diameter.

Cloth bags are usually just not good enough for our health sake. Bagless technology might sound convenient but be careful when emptying them, because the dirt becomes airborne when we shake it about trying to get the last of the dirt out of the container. A replaceable filter bag is best for safe disposal of the dirt.

DOES SIZE MATTER?

Obviously the wider the vacuum face, the faster we can cover the floor, but it also becomes harder to push. You can buy upright vacuums in a variety of widths depending on the areas you are using them. A commercial ride-on vacuum is generally going to be too big to squish into a small area. Besides, these are generally not made for real carpet maintenance as such, but more for surface litter cleaning of large areas. A bucket or barrel vacuum cleaner will generally take a lot longer to achieve a decent result. Power heads. Will a power head attachment make my suction cleaner perform better? A suction cleaner relies on you to provide the agitation. Six passes with a suction cleaner will be about as efficient as just one pass with an upright vacuum. This is because the inbuilt agitator is doing most of the work. A turbine driven power head can be fitted to a suction cleaner to help improve the efficiency. But remember, the filtration will still need to be good. So don’t be cheap when it comes to buying a vacuum cleaner. Your carpets will love it and your staff and guests will certainly appreciate it too. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Colin Nation is a veteran of the carpet cleaning industry and is a carpet cleaning specialist trainer. Colin also owns a specialist cleaning service based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He is also the Manager of WoolSafe in Australia. The WoolSafe organisation certifies cleaning products and trains and certifies carpet cleaners throughout the world. Colin is also a member of the Standards Australia Committee TX9 that works on updating the Australian Standards for the carpet and textile cleaning.

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Visit our website www.swanbedding.com.au for more information or contact your nearest office for a quote.

HOW HOTELS CAN PROTECT THEIR BRAND IN THE

New-Build Market

BY BRENDON GRANGER

In recent years, It’s become more common for hotel developers to take care of the entire design and construction process. In addition to creating the physical building, they’re deciding on the decor, and choosing every item in the guestroom — from the chairs and crockery to the bed linens, kettle, and alarm clock.

he hotel gets handed a property that is “good to go”. When done well, this process works just fine. But often, hoteliers don’t get what they really want. Problems arise later down the line and guests don’t receive the intended experience. So how and why do things go wrong?

IMPRESSIONS COUNT

What does it say about your hotel brand when guests find a $10 kettle in their room? It’s not exactly a statement of quality. Even for a guest staying at a budget property, a room with the most basic amenities sends out a clear message: this is the kind of experience we think you deserve.

UNDERSTANDING THE HOTEL EXPERIENCE

Most design and construction (D&C) companies are not part of the hospitality industry.

Quite rightly, a guest may feel underwhelmed, certainly undervalued, and will probably never book again. Some may vent their disappointment on TripAdvisor and deal your reputation a heavy blow.

So when they make final decisions on small items, they’re not necessarily thinking about the impact on the hotel “experience”.

Given that this outcome is bad for all concerned, what specific steps can hoteliers take to raise the benchmark for the design and decor of a new-build property?

For instance, if the design specification says “provide a kettle”, the D&C company might just buy a kettle from Kmart for $10, because it’s the cheapest and easiest option. Of course, these minor purchases say a lot about the hotel. Other unique considerations can easily be missed. For instance, a quality clock with single-day alarm is important in a hotel to ensure a guest isn’t woken by an alarm set by the previous occupant. Then there are decisions to make about appropriate lighting, in-room entertainment, desks, mirrors, and the list goes on. The solution is simple but requires effort: hoteliers need to take control and own the entire design process.

BECOME A GUEST ADVOCATE

Instead of seeing things from your perspective as a hotelier, walk through your hotel as a guest. Consider the key items that they’ll see, touch, and interact with — from the flat-screen TV, couch, and artwork, to the crockery, phone, and bed linens. How should those items look, feel, and function? Translate these thoughts into a working brief. In addition to the decor and amenities, try to describe the feeling you want to create. Are you striving for “old-world luxury”, “bold and modern”, “laid-back and comfortable”? Being a guest advocate means setting the standard for the mood and experience you want for your customers.

BE METICULOUS ABOUT WHO YOU HIRE

Really dig into the credentials of the D&C company you hire. Most obviously, ask them about any past hospitality projects they have worked on. Get a sense of whether they really understand how to create a great guest experience. If possible, inspect their past projects on an in-person visit. Otherwise, reach out to one of their former hospitality clients for an honest assessment on the end result.

MAKE YOUR BRIEF SPECIFIC

The devil is in the detail, so make sure your brief is extremely specific. Instead of just listing appliances (e.g. “alarm clock”), explain the functions you need each appliance to fulfil. For instance, “Guests should be able to stream content to the in-room TV from their phone or tablet. We want to create a seamless experience using a service, such as Roomcast.”

CREATE A GUEST PERSONA

You need to make it easy for the D&C company to understand and relate to your guest. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a customer persona. Bring your typical customer to life by mentioning their profession and hobbies. Describe why they travel, who

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they travel with, and what they love most about your hotel. Include their most important needs, expectations, and list their favourite in-room extras. Here’s an example: “Andy is a business traveller who’s willing to spend extra on the finer things in life. He wants a soft bed, blackout blinds to help enjoy a great night’s sleep, and an espresso machine for his morning coffee. He likes using the in-room TV to Skype with his kids and stream his favourite Netflix shows. A quality desk with a dimmer light is a priority so he can work comfortably at night.” With a clear persona to refer back to, your D&C company can make more informed decisions. For each purchase, they can question whether it aligns with the lifestyle, needs, and values of your target audience.

MOCK UP ROOM

Ensure the Mock Up Room is a working replica and have yourself and others fully evaluate from a guest experience perspective. Experience and evaluate the room as if you were a guest, often it is a good idea to have someone independent do this as they have no preconceived notions about what to expect and why certain decisions and choices were made. If those doing the evaluation and critiquing are close to the project, they may be “blinded by familiarity” so a review and feedback provided by a “fresh face” who understand hotel guests in all their glory can be invaluable and transform a good room to a spectacular room.

PROTECT YOUR HOTEL BRAND IN THE NEW BUILD MARKET

The steps described above really come down to education, clarity, and understanding your guests. Talk to the D&C company you’re working with. Outline exactly what you’re looking for with a detailed brief. And explain the overarching experience and brand persona you’re trying to create. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With a great passion for all things hotels, but in particular technology and a desire to help others his role as director at Technology4Hotels allows him to do both. Brendon has worked with hundreds of hotels to help them with their in-room technology. In the last few years he has helped them to increase guest satisfaction, strengthen guest loyalty and encourage repeat bookings as well as win awards such as the best business hotel, best city hotel, best upscale hotel and best luxury hotel in Australasia. Always going the extra mile, Brendon began his hospitality career over twenty five years ago working in 5 star hotels whilst completing his Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management. He has held various management positions within 5 star hotels, worked as a consultant in both hotel feasibility and technology and has an extensive background in hotel technology.

style comfort power The best equipped guestrooms. Add value to the guest experience, reflect your brand and complement your dĂŠcor.

A family-owned and operated business established in 1975, Weatherdon is the preferred supplier to more than 1,600 hotels in Australia and New Zealand. Our team of designers and manufacturers is able to specify standards to meet the unique demands of the hospitality sector. www.weatherdon.com.au Phone: 02 9906 2202 Email: sales@weatherdon.com.au

Christian Espino PROFILE From Turn Down Attendant to Les clefs d’Or. hen I met Christian in the foyer at the Star Casino on the Gold Coast, the first thing I noticed was his most delightful smile and personality.

comes across gracious, loyal and has a desire to achieve whilst devoting considerate time to guiding and encouraging others, he is self-directed, goal oriented, humanistic and encouraging.

I have been in Hospitality for over 35 years and have never met a person with so much passion for his role. During this interview he had me laughing and crying. He tells me the Concierge role is never boring and is in fact completely the opposite, as no two days are the same. Some of the outrageous requests he has dealt with, he just deals with a smile, he said that in his role he is a psychologist, marriage counsellor, babysitter and a Genie all rolled into one.

I asked Christian his interests and found he has a degree in fine arts, which he loves and is also into Martial Arts. Christian was volunteering teaching mentally disadvantaged citizens when he was working in Melbourne and would love the opportunity to do the same on the Gold Coast. He has also been a Volunteer for the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria.

Christian has been at the Star Casino for 14 months and is Head Concierge as well as his title of Les Clefs d’Or which means Golden Keys. He has been a member of this prestigious association for 17 years. Les Clefs d’Or was officially founded in France in 1952, as a non profit organisation based on two pillars, Service and Friendship. Before earning the right to wear the Golden Keys, those who aspire to become a member must have several years of experience as a Hotel Concierge, pass comprehensive testing and prove beyond doubt, their ability to deliver the highest quality of service. Christian was born in the Philippines and has been in Australia for 26 years, he had two jobs to support his family, was working in the day and doing Turn Down at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne at night. With Christian’s desire to achieve he eventually gained full time work at the Hyatt Melbourne in all areas of Housekeeping and Front Office. Here he stayed for 19 years including doing pre-opening at the Grand Hyatt in Macau. Christian’s desire to return to Asia lead him to commence at The Mira Hong Kong where he was duty manager and later progressed to Chief Concierge. He worked here for 5 years prior to returning to Australia and joining the Intercontinental at the Sanctuary Cove Resort as Chief Concierge for three years. This is when Christian began at the Star Casino Gold Coast. Christian has been Employee of the year twice in his career, once for Housekeeping and the other for Concierge, I understand why he won these awards as he

I asked him for a funny moment and he tells me about when a gentleman rang down and asked for a lady of the night but insisted she must be tall, slim, blonde hair and have an Adams Apple, Christian quickly informed the gentleman what page of the yellow pages to find what he was looking for. Christian has been associated with many high class celebrities and Diplomates and had some very difficult requests to fulfil and yes, he fulfilled them all, this is why he had me laughing and crying. Christian had my full attention, I loved his journey and I suggest that with all his amazing stories, Christian should sit down and write a book. I asked Christian who has motivated him the most in his career and he tells me that the gentleman was called Mark Staples. Mark was Front Office Manager at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne and it was he whom saw the potential and started Christian on his wonderful journey in Hospitality. I asked him where he would like to be in five years and his answer was, in a Cluster Role. This is something I can certainly see Christian doing with his positive persona. This was one interview I did not want to end but Christian had work to do. He finished off by saying a quote from Confucius: “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life” and that I am glad I did.  Christian was interviewed by Libby Sharp, President SEQPHA.

WELCOME TO

The Westin Perth

SmartCare – the environmentally friendly, slim-line amenity dispenser system Discover Swisstrade’s attractive and cost efficient SmartCare System, the future of factory-sealed and tamper proof bathroom dispensers. Choose from a comprehensive range of high-quality brands to match your property style. •

100% recyclable dispensers

•

Significant cost and time saving

•

Elimination of waste and plastic

•

Ultimate hygiene

•

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•

Quality brands

Available as liquid soap, shower gel, shampoo, hair & body shampoo, conditioner and body lotion across a wide variety of brands.

Contact us for an obligation free consultation and free in-room trial. swisstrade.com.au | 02 9979 1500 | enquiries@swisstrade.com.au

REACHING LOCAL LEADERSHIP IN

Swiss-style THE INDUSTRY TRAILBLAZER RAISING THE BAR

hen one thinks of Switzerland, fine chocolate and tennis-great Roger Federer often come to mind. But the Alpine state is also known for its world leading hospitality. Characterised by quality, precision, reliability, dependability and honesty, Switzerland’s hard earned reputation as an industry leader stands out around the world. ‘The Swiss way’ is something Australian hospitality is embracing through brand representative Swisstrade. “We are globally connected, and locally focussed,” says Swisstrade Director Peter Weingartner – a Swiss national and longstanding hotelier in his own right. “We take great pride in bringing hotel brand standards from around the world to Australia and making these locally available.” Swisstrade is the leading guest room specialist and offers everything a traveller

interacts with. From the reliable safe to the stylish minibar, the high-quality kettle to the iron and hairdryer that defy expectations – Swisstrade understands how guest touchpoints influence the overall in-room experience. Not only that, Swisstrade also works with its suppliers and factories exclusively, offering truly unique products and brand experiences to its client base.

PIONEER OF QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

When Swisstrade began operating in 1997, the Australian market was a very different place. Restricted by its geographical isolation and relatively small hotel market, there was far less access to products of an international standard. This is where Swisstrade seized the opportunity to help, by offering affordable, high quality solutions, which were built to last. Today, in its 22nd year of operation, Swisstrade also leads the pack in environmentally sustainable amenity solutions. From the launch of the revolutionary Press & Wash Dispenser System in its early days, Swisstrade doubled down on its green philosophy when supplying the Sydney ‘Green Olympics’ in 2000.

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says: “What sets us apart at Swisstrade is, we have each stakeholders interest at heart – operational empathy for the housekeeper’s task at hand, the marketing and revenue goals of the management team and the returnon-investment objectives of the investor and owner. We understand what a hotel/motel owner is looking for and how we can help to exceed guest expectations.” Swisstrade enjoys customer relationships that span the entire accommodation sector, from affordable motel and boutique properties, to medium and largescale projects. With every different style of property, they work alongside operators to be the best in their category and to increase guest wellness in a highly competitive market.

As the global hotel industry takes a hard look at its waste reduction opportunities, the market is taking more note of Swisstrade’s leading products than ever before. Swisstrade’s longstanding emphasis on the environment sees it perfectly positioned, as travellers and hotels become more concerned with water and plastic consumption.

• Guest Bathroom Toiletries • Environmental Amenity Dispenser Systems • Equipment, Appliances and Accessories

At the forefront of most recent developments, is Swisstrade’s all-new Smart Care System, arguably the sleekest, most contemporary toiletries dispensing system used in hotel bathrooms today, with the primary objective of offering an eco-friendly alternative to single use amenities in miniature bottles and tubes.

• Housekeeping Trolleys and Laundry Carts

In an area where many amenities are still packaged in virgin plastic, Swisstrade uses recycled and recyclable material in its toiletries and dispensers. The factory-sealed Smart Care Dispenser System contains exceptional European-made fragrances and biodegradable formulations that are kind to Mother nature.

Why not try the Swisstrade advantage by contacting the team on 02 9979 1500, or by emailing info@swisstrade. com.au to learn how Swisstrade can be of value to you. 

Developed using strict sustainability criteria, these have earned the product Ecolabel and Nordic Swan certification. Today, Swisstrade offers a healthy balance of portion amenities and environmentally sustainable toiletry dispensers to meet the broad range of requirements by luxury hotels, country lodges and boutique lifestyle properties alike.

OPERATOR EMPATHY AND PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

Passion for the product is a major point of difference at Swisstrade and the combined knowledge and experience of the team is exceptional. Director Peter Weingartner

success, as the business remains at the forefront of 5 1 2. modern hospitality in the ANZ region. From pioneering its environmentally conscious products, to supporting the current influx in hotel construction and renovation, Swisstrade has its finger on the pulse – offering quality, contemporary products at affordable prices. The dedication to cost efficiency means the best value is passed on to clients. Swisstrade’s one-source product solution covers the broad spectrum of your guest room requirements:

“Eliminating single-use plastic and lowering packaging density are key to reducing the amount of waste sent to land-fill each year”, Mr Weingartner says. “Swisstrade’s toiletries dispensing systems for example, aim to eliminate up to 70 per cent of plastic while at the same time providing a more premium guest experience. sealedair.com

LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO VALUE AND QUALITY www.sealedair.com Swisstrade’s broad appeal naturally translates into solid

• Bedding, Linen and Towelling In short, Swisstrade can facilitate an entire fit-out of your guest rooms and offer their many years of expertise at the same time.

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Vacuum Cleaner Range Overview

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HOUSEKEEPERS AND THE PREVENTION OF BACK INJURY A recent worldwide study led by the University of Sydney has proven that lower back pain is the most commonly recorded of workplace injuries. Often both severe and costly, back injuries can arise from a number of ergonomic exposures including heavy lifting, forceful movement, awkward positions and poor workspace set up. In Australia alone, back pain costs around $4.8 billion each year for health care, with 25% of sufferers in the 18-55 age group taking 10 or more days off per year.

key concern of the Dorsal Boutique Hotel owner, John Koorey, was the number of housekeepers who sustained back injuries in the hotel industry. In response Mr. Koorey developed the Ezi-Maid Bed Lifting System to improve the ergonomics of one of the housekeepers’ main duties, bed making. The bed lifting system is designed to fit under the bed and to elevate the bed to a safe and comfortable height allowing the housekeeper to work in an upright stance, eliminating the need for bending and stretching. In addition to being raised, the bed is moved away from the wall, giving all round access without pushing or pulling the bed. Safe Work Australia awarded the Ezi-Maid Bed Lifting System a National Safe Work Award as an innovative solution to an

identified workplace health and safety issue and stated that the bed lifter is a “great demonstration of ‘engineering out’ of a problem with the potential to set new standards for the future of the hospitality industry”. The Ezi-Maid Bed Lifting System has now been installed around the world, across a variety of motels, hotels, luxury resorts and health care facilities. It has been over ten years since the first Ezi-Maid Bed Lifting System was installed at the Dorsal Boutique Hotel and the same bed lifters are still in operation today. Over that time, Mr. Koorey reports that the hotel’s housekeepers have not recorded any manual handling incidences or back injuries. He considers that all workers have the right to a healthy and safe working environment and any measures designed to achieve this should be a standard across their respective industries. 

Making beds has never been Ezi-er!

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ADVERTORIAL

Managing housekeeping:

THE KEY AREAS

BY MURRAY MCDONALD, DIRECTOR OF DUPLEX CLEANING MACHINES PTY LTD

Close to 12.8 million international tourists are estimated to visit Australia within three years according to study. Then as much as the rising number of tourism, accommodations are accumulating up to 33,000 rooms expected to be added within the same time span. How can hotels get ahead of the game in managing the most vital part of the business – that is housekeeping.

otels and accommodations can be quite a challenging field to fight against germs and bacteria. The ‘hygiene crisis’ in one of Melbourne’s five-star hotels back in 2010 perhaps reminded us of how the lack of hygiene can backfire accommodation facilities. Take into account the lack of time given to clean each room during busy times that became one of the main roots of the problem.

THE WORST PAIN POINTS

Due to time restrictions, housekeepers typically focus on the common areas like bed, bathrooms, tabletops, and shelves. But other essential points like carpets, telephones, remote controls, cleaning items, or switchboards are also critical and apparently considered to have higher levels of bacteria – along with the rest of the 81% of hotel room surfaces that often left out of the cleaning checklist. Housekeeping, when done manually, is always subject to time and human error as well as a waste of resources. If transforming housekeeping system is already in your bucket list, now to start it off, the key is to focus on the two most critical areas: managing time, and managing waste.

THE TIME MANAGEMENT TRANSFORMATION

Time management is always crucial, and I have mentioned in the previous article that automation could definitely be solution to this matter. To validate the real value of automation technology, we conducted a first of its kind trial with one of Melbourne’s renowned accommodation facilities. What we came to realise was not only automation enable hotels to trim down their

operating costs, but also to have a better, well-organised system. Executives housekeepers have been trialling and deploying a fleet of collaboration cleaning robots over many months during an extensive hotel innovation trial. Everyday the robots save variable hours by cleaning in quite times night shift and saving labour resources. Overnight each of the floor cleaning robots run and clean the large complex areas, cleaning under tables and chairs that was once part of the OHS issue, replacing human running across conference rooms and corridors. This has allowed cleaners to focus more on complex multi surfaces cleaning environment in the bathroom area. One of the most remarkable feedback we had from the trial was when the robot was being called “housekeepers’ little helpers” for saving them time and complains. Hence the trial brought us to a positive conclusion: the more we automate, the more possibilities we can improve in our housekeeping system. Automation is no longer a stranger. With the presence of integrated system, outsourcing robots can be ideal solution to ensure a secure, long term automation system. This new generation of cleaning automation device is armed with remote monitoring and connected technology that makes outsourcing possible. Not only that, the management can also monitor cleaning progress in real time or view robots’ routes log from any devices. This takes cleaning task management to a new level – never before could you validate cleaning, what's been done and/or missed. Maps of rooms and buildings can

be updated in real-time, displaying detailed day-to-day planning of cleaning activities, ensuring the job is done and performance is measurable.

THE RUBBISH REMOVAL

It is crucial to focus on managing our waste. Living amidst the earthy crisis – switching our mindset to be environmentally friendly is really a compulsory way to go. Consider this a critical mission, not only towards cleaner and greener environment and providing guests with different experiences, but also another way to trim your expenditures. Imagine how many billion gallons of water a year to spend in one accommodation with, at the very least, 100 hotel rooms. Shifting focus to environmentally friendly will cut the gallons down to 100 a year. Possible? We can’t go green without encouraging guests with our effort. Let them reuse their towels, sheets, and bedding so housekeeping can cut back on how many times they need to use the washing machines and electric dryers everyday. That already saves you water and energy. Going green also means conserving water and energy. Selecting equipment with high water efficiency and energy ratings is necessary. This does not only apply

to appliances like dishwasher and washing machine. Some cleaning equipment that are available in the market already enable us to save water while doing efficient cleaning procedures across premises – thanks to technology. Using steam powered equipment for example, cleaning bathrooms, common areas, difficult surfaces, and other large rooms made possible with only 1mL of water instead of 4 gallons of water in the usual bucket. As opposed to the older mop-and-bucket method, steam powered machineries have the small tank attached to it that allows you to refill only just enough water to do the chores. Just like how it works in the locomotive cab, steam powered machine has a boiler with thin metal tubes to carry the heat and produce steam under high pressure. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Murray McDonald has over 20 years’ experience in equipment for cleaning processes within hospitality and accommodation sectors. He is also a Director of Duplex Cleaning Machines Australia, an exclusive distributor of Italian Brand Duplex and Tecnovap cleaning machines in the Asia Pacific region. The company has solved major cleaning issues and improved cleaning standards in many accommodation facilities. For more information, visit www.duplexcleaning.com.au.

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ADVERTORIAL

ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and its local event partner Interpoint Events are returning to Melbourne for the third annual ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo. The cleaning industry will take centre stage over this two-day event from the 23rd-24th October 2019 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. ISSA Oceania Manager Lauren Micallef said “2018 was the best show year to date. Our members have asked us to keep the momentum going and our exhibitors and program are set to deliver”. This year’s event sponsors include Karcher Australia, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Tennant Australia, Oates and PacVac.

he ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo will feature two highly regarded keynote speakers. Paralympian and OCS Services Ambassador Dylan Alcott will present on Wednesday 23rd October. Alcott is a dual sport athlete, gold medallist and tennis champion. Alcott will share his insight and experiences from a life lived overcoming obstacles, smashing glass ceilings and living his very best life. Former Australian cricketer Simon O’Donnell will present on Thursday, 24th October, where he will discuss the ingredients for success and the makeups of a winning team.

complimentary consults to answer your top management questions. In addition, ISSA will be running Work Health Safety Workshop. The three-hour session will be run by Lorraine Rogic, managing director of Logic Business Resources. This is an opportunity for business owners, managers and staff to gain a thorough understanding of the responsibilities, processes and systems involved with compliance and how it can be achieved by conducting safety Inspections, activating your communication and consultation mechanisms and training your workforce on using SWMS and risk assessments.

The event continues to gain both local and international interest with over 70 exhibitors, that will be showcasing their latest products, services and innovations. In addition, the ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo will be running an extensive education program. 28 speaker sessions, including panel discussions between industry stakeholders will take place simultaneously across two speaker theatres over the two-day event. Both local and international thought leaders will share their knowledge and tools to grow business, develop staff and assist attendees in remaining up to date with industry trends and emerging developments. Some of the topics will include infection prevention, crisis management, environmental & technological trends, work heathy safety concerns, procurement, business management, plus more. In 2018 the dedicated wing and education program for the Specialised Restoration and Cleaning Professionals (SRCP), which caters for the restoration, remediation, carpet and upholstery cleaning markets was introduced. This year ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo are continuing the momentum forward. The dedicated SRCP Speaker Theatre will host 14 education seminars including speaker sessions as well as variety of panel discussions with industry stakeholders.

To register for this course contact Lauren Micallef at laurenm@issa.com or call (612) 9890 4951

Due to last year’s success ISSA will run its consultant corner for attendees. Multiple business consultants will be available at the ISSA/ SRCP stand offering private,

The attractions don’t stop there, for the first time the ISSA Cleaning and Hygiene Expo will be co-located with Waste Expo Australia which caters to the waste management, resource recovery and wastewater treatment sectors. The waste expo attracts more than 4000 visitors annually. Attendees to the ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo will have access to both their show floor and educational program.  To register and stay up to date with regular updates, announcements and news visit www.issacleaninghygieneexpo.com

SOLUTIONS

23-24

OCTOBER

2019 DYLAN

ALCOTT

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

23 – 24 OCTOBER 2019

MELBOURNE

KEY NOTE

SPEAKERS

Australia’s only dedicated Cleaning & Hygiene Event

Dylan Alcott Wednesday 23th October 10am-11am

• Local & international exhibitors • Cutting edge products & services • In-depth education sessions, workshops & panel discussions

Simon O’Donnell Thursday 24th October 10am-11am

www.issacleaninghygieneexpo.com 1300 789 845 | info@interpoint.com.au Organised by

New Co-Locator

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

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We're in this together WHY THE FUTURE OF SUPPLY CHAINS IS SYMBIOTIC

BY SARAH SANNEN (OPERATIONS & FINANCE MANAGER) & KENDALL BENTONCOLLINS (STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER) FROM GECA

Though an ancient practice, procurement, along with all the players involved, has recently been through a significant evolution. Procurement has moved from a purely ‘cost-cutting’ function toward a more holistic lens focused on economic, social and environmental benefits. After many decades as an ad hoc function, procurement is now an essential part of an organisation’s strategy and risk management process.

he days of competing on price alone are long behind us. For your business to maintain its social licence to operate and even be compliant with the law, there are many more factors that you need to consider. An essential aspect of having a fully evolved procurement process is the quality of your relationships with your suppliers. This means infusing your relationships with authentic dialogue, mutual respect and a spirit of inclusion.

MOVING FROM CHECKLISTS TO CONVERSATIONS

The very term ‘supplier’ implies a one-way, if not parasitic, relationship. In reality, these are your business partners. Reframing the language may help to shift the power dynamic associated with ‘suppliers’ and encourage collaboration. In the past, for instance, many businesses sent questionnaires to their suppliers that didn't allow for nuanced responses. Closed-form questions can result in a skewed version of your supplier's reality and certainly doesn't allow them to discover more about your company’s wider vision. Practical steps you can take when reaching out to your suppliers can include using open-ended questions and setting up face to face meetings where possible. Remember to treat this as the development of a business relationship. What are you both hoping to get out of this relationship? How can you meet your shared and different goals? Ensure that you invite feedback from your suppliers on your company’s performance. Use reviews to encourage both buyers and suppliers to adopt improvements for mutual benefit.

Have you communicated your company’s sustainability priorities? For instance, your hotels may have been developed around a commitment to creating beautiful, healthy spaces for people while treading lightly on the planet. Do your suppliers share your vision? Do the people within your supply chain work in healthy conditions? According to Edge Environment, most of their clients have found that over 80% of their impact is in their supply chain. Procurement practices are hugely impactful. You can make that impact meaningful by finding out how to support and strengthen communities and their environment. Ask your suppliers if they have a passion for a certain cause or if they are working to champion a social or environmental initiative in their local community. How can you help make this come to life? If your suppliers do something positive, don't forget to celebrate this! For example, you can feature them on your social media channels or submit them for an award. If your new approach to supplier engagement is met with resistance, remember that this is a valuable learning opportunity! Seek first to understand and then to be understood – meet your supplier where they are rather than dictating requirements and solutions. It's about moving from having separate to shared objectives.

RESPONSIBLE DISENGAGEMENT

Even the strongest business partnerships can come up against roadblocks. If you find something going on in your supply chain that goes against your values or is illegal, for example, there are steps that should be taken before ending the relationship.

The United Nation’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises state that companies should work with their supply chain to avoid, mitigate and remediate adverse impacts and use disengagement only as a last resort. It's about engaging with the supplier and using your leverage to help address the issue whenever possible. When looking to remediate a supply chain issue, you should first determine what leverage you have through your organisation's spend, networks and good working relationship with the partner. This leverage can be used to influence your business partners to improve the situation. It is important in this stage to work to understand your business partner's perspective. What are the barriers to changing the situation? How can both companies work together to achieve this goal? Sometimes, an organisation’s leverage may not be large enough to affect change. In this instance, there may be ways to increase your leverage or find new ways to drive change. For example, Patagonia directly funds certain capability building projects in their supply chain, helping their partners improve their business processes. Similarly, many competitors share partners across their supply chains. Bringing competitors together who seek the same outcomes increases collective leverage. In this phase, it's vital to support and reward the improvements business partners are making and be sure to provide plenty of feedback. If your supplier is still unwilling to change, the only option left may be to disengage. According to the OECD and

UN Guiding Principles, organisations should provide their business partner with ample notice. It is important to provide them with feedback on your reasons for disengaging as a last attempt to create change in your supplier's future. If necessary, report suspicious activity to local authorities or specialist organisations and remember that your supply chain is made up of people whose lives could be at risk. It is your responsibility to do what you can to protect the people in your supply chain. The hospitality industry has been identified as a hotspot for modern slavery in Australia. Ensuring supply chain transparency will play a significant role in the future of these industries. The Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018 has established a national Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement for certain large businesses and other entities in the Australian market. We encourage organisations that do not currently meet the threshold to opt-in and voluntarily report. Doing so will also empower you to better respond to clients who are required to report. Creating a more sustainable and prosperous future requires us to invest in truly symbiotic connections throughout our supply chains. By working together, we can be a part of significant positive change. The great news is you don’t have to take this journey alone! GECA’s Positive Procurement Pledge supports businesses as they explore and mitigate the environmental, social and economic impacts of their purchased goods and services. 

ADVERTORIAL

DOES YOUR FACILITY NEED A HELPING HAND WITH HAND HYGIENE? BY DIVERSEY

Even if they appear clean, your hands can be a vehicle for spreading potentially deadly foodborne illnesses or infections. To reduce the transmission of pathogens, proper regular hand care is key.

less experienced and believe a larger amount of product helps ensure better hand hygiene. By keeping a lower dose setting in this environment businesses can work to significantly reduce cost in use.

A HELPING HAND WITH INTELLICARE

Sustainability. Soft Care® pouches collapse from the back to maintain visibility and empty fully to reduce waste. The tamper-proof design prevents contamination and enables easy and quick replacement. All materials are fullyrecyclable in the IntelliCare range.

n order to make hand hygiene more convenient, Diversey is proud to introduce the award winning IntelliCare® Hybrid Hand Care Dispenser, featuring the industry’s first hybrid automatic hand care dispenser with both touchless and manual activation. With IntelliCare, employees can easily perform hand hygiene at key moments, thereby protecting themselves, customers and your organisation’s reputation.

INTELLICARE OFFERS NUMEROUS BENEFITS, INCLUDING:

Flexibility. The hybrid dispenser range uses patented technology which allows a seamlessly shift from touchless to manual mode, delivering uninterrupted hand hygiene, even when the batteries deplete. Assurance. The long-lasting battery functions for up to one and a half years and supports around 90,000 dosing actions between replacements and IntelliCare actually assists staff in ensuring hand care dispensers are always full and functioning by providing low content and battery alerts. Intelligent Design. The dispensers incorporate a large window to enable at-a-glance product and content level and product identification. With an ingenious nozzle designed to prevent clogging and dripping to reduce maintenance requirements and wastage. Compatibility. IntelliCare can accommodate liquid/gel and foam products, allowing facilities to customise product selection based on environment, site or user needs. Cost Control. The IntelliCare system offers dual dosing capability. By selecting low or high dose mode, depending on the setting and application, operators can optimise product usage for the best-possible combination of hygiene compliance and cost control. The high dose mode is ideal for back-of-house applications where users are likely to be experienced and trained in relevant hand hygiene procedures. The low dose mode is generally more suited to front-of-house applications where users are

The Future. IntelliCare will be connected to Diversey’s Internet of Clean platform. This connects machines, dispensers, sensors, beacons and other smart devices to enable remote monitoring of key processes.

INTELLICARE WINNER OF THE 2018 ISSA AWARD FOR DISPENSING.

To find out more about IntelliCare Dispensers contact our friendly Customer Service Team on 1800 647 779 or email aucustserv@diversey.com Diversey has been, and always will be, a pioneer and facilitator for life. We constantly deliver revolutionary cleaning and hygiene technologies that provide total confidence to our customers across all of our global sectors.  Diversey is headquartered in Fort Mill, SC, USA. For more information, visit www.diversey.com or follow us on social media.

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Ultimate VERSATILITY

One single dispenser for both foam and liquid.

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One single dispenser MAINTENANCE for both foam and liquid. Improved CONTROL Improved MAINTENANCE CONTROL Battery replacement and content refill Battery replacement and content refill alerts. Improved MAINTENANCE CONTROL alerts. Battery replacement and content refill alerts.

Improved MAINTENANCE CONTROL Battery replacement and content refill alerts.

Greater SUSTAINABILITY Battery replacement and content refill alerts. Collapsible refills minimise environmental impact and Collapsible refills minimise environmental product formulations optimised for minimal CO footprint. Greater SUSTAINABILITY impact and product formulations Collapsible refills minimise environmental impact and Greaterformulations SUSTAINABILITY optimised for minimal footprint. product optimised for minimalCO2 CO footprint. Improved MAINTENANCE CONTROL Greater SUSTAINABILITY

Collapsible refills minimise environmental impact and Greater SUSTAINABILITY product formulations optimised for minimal CO2 footprint. Collapsible refills minimise environmental impact and Trusted GLOBAL PLATFORM product formulations optimised for minimal CO footprint. One dispenser, product range and support tools 2available Trusted with GLOBAL PLATFORM anywhere globally trusted formulas and universal One dispenser, color coding. product range and support tools available Trusted PLATFORM anywhere GLOBAL with globally trusted formulas and universal One dispenser, color coding. product range and support tools available Trusted GLOBAL PLATFORM anywhere with globally trusted formulas and universal One dispenser, product range and support tools available color coding. anywhere with globally trusted formulas and universal color coding.

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Diversey has been, and always will be, a pioneer and facilitator for life. We constantly deliver revolutionary cleaning and hygiene technologies that provide total confidence to our customers across all of our global sectors. 29 Chifley St, Smithfield NSW 2164 AUSTRALIA -

1800 647 779

THE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF

sustainable cleaning BY CHRISTIAANE DAVIS, SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER – RUBBERMAID COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS APAC

The hospitality industry is one which is constantly evolving and improving to meet the needs of guests. From high-end furnishings, quality fixtures and fittings, luxury bedding and décor, the smallest details matter. Guests also expect a service that is discrete, quiet and doesn’t disturb their experience.

aintaining the current standards of housekeeping is vital to deliver a high valued service, this includes productivity, efficiency, low costs and high team morale. However, guests and hoteliers alike are shifting their focus to environmental responsibility and sustainable cleaning. Housekeeping staff are beginning to adapt to sustainable cleaning through microfibre products which minimise water usage and toxic chemicals. According to sustainable hospitality expert Dr. Willy Legrand “sustainable hospitality is an entire industry that stands up to face the environmental and societal challenges by exploring ideas, solutions and strategies of how to develop future hotels and how to manage operations in a sustainable way.”1 Alternative cleaning technology such as microfibre is environmentally responsible and still upholds the high hygiene standards you expect from cleaning products. The introduction of ‘green cleaning’ and microfibre products has helped many organisations commit to reducing their water usage and high level of toxic chemicals without compromising on hygiene. Microfibre products, which are scientifically designed with incredibly fine fibres, are 20 times lighter than a human hair, traps dirt, dust, grease, food and liquid, and remove 99.9 per cent of bacteria at the same time. The idea that microfibre cloths and mops only require a small amount of water and chemicals, eliminates the need to wring out excess liquid, move multiple buckets of water and also reduces the amount of water and chemicals going down the drain. Furthermore, microfibre products are reusable and can be washed numerous times, ultimately reducing the number of products going to landfill. Utilising sustainable products such as microfibre assists in creating a one-step work flow which significantly reduces cleaning times and enhances productivity by allowing staff

to achieve more in less time. Instead of waiting around for a floor to dry, using microfibre ensures wet surfaces are dry within no time, allowing staff to move on to other work, and guests to continue enjoying their hotel experience without disruption. Sustainable cleaning helps in increasing productivity, as microfibre products can be used across many surfaces, including glass, mirrors and stainless steel with streak-free performance. Regular touchpoints such as lift buttons and door handles can also be hygienically and quickly cleaned by housekeeping staff using a colour coded system for each cleaning appliance. The many small improvements made by the housekeeping staff can add up to significant time savings and reduces the time spent between changing equipment and products. The beauty of microfibre is its versatility, less adverse impact on environment, as well as delivering many different financial savings and benefits at the same time. The financial savings of sustainable products include launderable microfibre cloths that can be reused multiple times resulting in considerable reduction of chemical and water costs and the benefit of cleaning productivity without increasing labour costs. In a fast-paced industry such as hospitality with high guest occupancy and significant turnover, maintaining high cleaning standards and recognising cleaner, greener products can have a huge benefit. Choosing ‘green’ products and equipment can have a great benefit on the environment, social aspects of hotels and financial back end systems. 

REFERENCE

1. Sustainable Hospitality: Eco-Friendly Industry Trends and Tips for Hotels.

WHAT HOTEL HOUSEKEEPERS AND ADMINISTRATORS NEED TO KNOW

about WELL BY STEPHEN P. ASHKIN

Several buildings in Australia and New Zealand have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification over the years, many of which are hotels. As a result, LEED is relatively well known. Further, it is a fairly old program, having started back in 1989. Its age adds to its familiarity.

owever, a new program that parallels LEED in many ways has been introduced by the International WELL Building InstituteTM (IWBI). Like LEED, WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment and how they impact human health, productivity, and comfort. Both organisations contract with Green Business Certification Inc. TM (GBCI®) to certify facilities. This is an independent, thirdparty organisation, not affiliated with either organisation.

While the impact of WELL in parts of the world, including Australia and New Zealand, has so far been minimal, we can expect this to change in years to come. As of this article, nearly 300 facilities are WELL certified—more than 125 in the US and about 50 in China. It’s a relatively new program, having started in 2014, and while it parallels LEED, it differs in the following ways:

WEATHERDON

• WELL is operated by IWBI, a public-benefit corporation. This means it has shareholders who expect the corporation to make a profit. However, unlike a traditional corporation, a public-benefit corporation has a specific social purpose, which in this case is to make the indoor environment healthier for people. • Many LEED-certified facilities, including hotels, now use sustainability dashboard tools to continuously measure and monitor their use of fuel, water, energy, and other metrics. These dashboard tools help reduce operating costs. However, they are also valuable in helping to reduce consumption and waste. While WELL-certified facilities certainly can benefit from these systems if for no other reason than to lower operating costs, they are more building-focused, lending themselves to LEED certification. • WELL uses medical and related data that explore the connection between buildings and the people who work in, learn in, and use those buildings. LEED is more focused on the building itself and how it is operated. • When evaluating property, WELL has seven categories and concepts it is most concerned with, some of which overlap with LEED. These are indoor air quality, water quality, nourishment, light, fitness, and comfort. However, WELL is also concerned with what it refers to as “mind,” relating to the overall well-being of building users.

CATEGORIES AND CONCEPTS

Just so it is not overlooked, the bottom-line difference between LEED and WELL is that LEED focuses on buildings, and WELL focuses on people. Possibly, this will become clearer by reviewing the general certification requirements involving the seven categories just referenced. Indoor Air Quality. Typically, what WELL is looking for is that windows are operable, meaning they can be manually opened and closed; there is no smoking allowed in the facility; Green Cleaning solutions are used to help reduce the number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air; and interior furnishings, carpet, and related items have been selected that produce minimal off-gassing after installation. Water Quality. The WELL program requires that filtering systems be installed to ensure that potable (drinking) water used in the facility is not hard and does not contain any suspended soils, dissolved materials, chlorine, or fluoride.1 Nourishment. If you are reading this article in a hotel and near a vending machine, take a quick look at the offerings in that machine. If they include candy, chocolates, crackers with cheese, and similar items, the property will not pass evaluation to become WELL certified. Those items will need to be replaced with 100 percent organic fruits and vegetables as well as hormone- and antibiotic-free meats. Light. Most LEED-certified facilities are designed to take advantage of natural light. WELL takes this a step further. The WELL program requires that natural light complement our circadian systems (our internal clock) and sleep cycles. To accomplish this, furnishings must be designed to help

reflect light and lighting systems tested to ensure they address required light levels throughout the day. Fitness. Most hotel properties now have a hotel gym. However, in order to be WELL certified, that gym, or something comparable, must also be available to all hotel staff. If not a gym, there must be walking and biking paths near the property or other options for staff to exercise. Comfort. As this applies to hotel staff, WELL requires that personal humidifiers be available, along with fans, standing desks if requested, and adjustable chairs. Mind. Satisfying this category in a hotel property would be possible, for instance, by providing hotel housekeepers, administrators, and other staff members access to credible and current “best practices” regarding hotel cleaning, operations, and guest relations.

WELL IN HOTELS?

At this time, few hotels in the world are WELL certified. While LEED-certified hotels are now fairly common, the big question is “Will more hotel properties seek WELL certification as well?” To answer that, we need to examine the growth of Green Cleaning since the late 1990s. Initially, many hotel property owners were reluctant to select Green Cleaning solutions because they tended to be more expensive, and their quality and performance were not always comparable to traditional cleaning products. However, their customers, primarily corporate customers, had other ideas. Customers started to select hotel properties for their travelling staffers based on whether the hotels were cleaned using environmentally preferable cleaning products. When that happened, the movement to Green Cleaning solutions accelerated considerably. Similarly, hotel properties became LEED certified. Not only did this help promote their marketing value, but also they were able to reduce operating costs, a benefit many initially had not expected. While we cannot say for sure that WELL will follow the same path as Green Cleaning and LEED, but as more office buildings, schools, and universities become WELL certified, the program and its benefits are likely to grow. Also, we are likely to see WELL in more hotels around the globe. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen P. Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specialising in Green Cleaning and sustainability, and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools LLC, a company that measures and monitors sustainability with the goal of protecting natural resources and reducing facility operating costs. He has been directly involved with the LEED program since its inception, is on the board of the Green Sports Alliance, and has been inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame (IGIHOF). He can be reached at steveashkin@ashkingroup.com

REFERENCES

1. Hard water is potable, however, it contains high amounts of natural mineral minerals, calcium, and magnesium. While health risks are minimal, in a hotel, hard water could cause guests to experience dry, itchy skin and hard-to-manage hair.

ADVERTORIAL

SOMETIMES THE BEST ASSETS ARE THE ONES WE SIT ON Who would have thought that a guests experience with a toilet seat could affect your hotel?

oesn’t matter which it is, a wobbly seat that doesn’t know it’s place or a crack in the surface, both give a reason to feel genuinely disappointed when using the toilet. Then there is the hygiene topic, stained toilet seats, or hinge fittings that have obvious signs of dark black gunk growing on it, don’t make you rush to rest yourself on such an object for any period of time. Now there’s always a direct line to the headperson who governs hotel maintenance, with many conversations about toilet seats needing attention repeated daily. Send a tradie to fix a badly designed, low quality toilet seat in a hospital, and watch the dollars burn.

Ineffective repair to problematic issues like broken hinges or seats coming away from the toilet, are common place. Maybe the motto is, use a well know brand that’s got a good track record and make sure you can quickly get your hands on spare parts from a local source. Use your head, look for a brand with commercial history who give no less than a 10 year warranty, multiple seat and hinge options, as well as direct representation on the ground Australia wide. 

seats for your senses www.pressalit.com

THIS COULD CATCH ON IN YOUR HOTEL

In a busy world where time is precious, let your guests dream, use their imagination and bring out the adventurer inside. t: 0415 425 461, au@pressalit.com

Product news SWAN BEDDING HOTEL LUXURY Rated 4 Stars, and suggested by its own name, the Hotel Luxury Commercial Mattress is tailored for accommodations wanting to provide their guests with a luxurious sleeping experience. The HOTEL LUXURY features a 5 Zoned Pocket spring unit gives tailored support to the body with a 700+ spring count (Queen Size), plus layers of premium memory foam, convoluted foam and stretch knitted top panel offers great comfort and breathability. The “UniSurround” Foam Encased edge support provides a firm and solid support while sitting on the edges of the bed. All this combined, we have set this mattress at the sweet spot balancing between support and comfort, and what makes it more attractive is the price: $395 for a queen size*. Main Features • 8 Inch – 5 Zone Individual Pocket Spring Unit • Memory Foam • Euro Top • Foam Encased Edge Support • Fire Retardant Premium Stretch Knit Fabric • Sanitising Treatment • 4D Breathable Fabric • Specially Designed King Zip For Split-King model *GST Exclusive, Minimum order apply

NO FINGERPRINTS A titanium-look finish is the feature of the high-strength recycling bin. Smart in any guest room or common area Weatherdon’s range of 10 and 20 litre recycling bins do the dirty work for you. With a non-slip rim, each canister has two coloured bins, a green one for recycled refuse and a black one for standard scraps making it a nobrainer to be an environmentally astute titan too. Named after the Titans, the divine beings of Greek mythology, titanium is known for its luxurious silver sheen and in this case, resistant to greasy finger prints making it ideal for hospitality rubbish bins. Weatherdon’s top team of designers and manufacturers specify standards to meet the unique demands of the hospitality sector. A family-owned and operated business established in 1975, Weatherdon is the preferred supplier to more than 1,600 hotels in Australia and New Zealand www.weatherdon.com.au

For more information please visit swanbedding.com.au or contact your nearest office.

Oxyzone Silver Hospital Ozone Generator An environmentally-friendly, chemical free, high-tech housekeeping aid for busy hospitality providers. Modern and stylish in design, the Silver Hospitality all stainless steel construction with microcomputer technology is the ideal ozone unit for any hotel, motel or function centre.

The Silver Hospitality is perfect for use by cleaning staff in motel rooms or cabins. Quick and Easy Operation Simply select the run time you want and press run. The ozone generator operates until the time is complete and waits for you to move it to the next room and press run again. It remembers the last setting, it’s that simple. Electrically safe and compliant with Australian wiring and emission (Ctick) standards, this generator is fitted with a cover safety interlock for your added protection. All features are built in so there are no additional costs. Perfect for many applications:

The simple press and walk away countdown operation is ideal for busy cleaning staff.

• Motel Rooms & Cabins - Remove unpleasant odours and sanitise the room. • Function Areas - Remove unpleasant odours. Remove odours from drying carpets, freshly painted rooms, covered rubbish areas and from rooms that have been subject to trauma or sickness.

100% Australian Made and Manufactured Oxyzone products are designed and manufactured in Australia to comply with electrical and safety standards. Our service personnel and our spare parts are also in Australia.

Oxyzone Pty Ltd Unit 13, 218 Wisemans Ferry Road, Somersby NSW 2250 Phone 02 4340 1801 | Email: sales@oxyzone.com.au

www.oxyzone.com.au

The Luxury Bathrobe Collection Discovering a comfortable and well-appointed bathrobe upon entering a hotel room is one of travelling’s most appreciated small luxuries. From classic cuts in sumptuous velour to streamlined styles in contemporary cotton, we offer robes to suit every guest, environment and budget. Available in 100% natural fabrics, our robes are all customisable and specifically designed for hospitality. Interior Images are the exclusive distributor of Frette, the Official Bed & Bath Linen Provider for Forbes Travel Guide.

INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR IMAGES LUXURY HOTEL AMENITIES

info@interior-images.com.au +61 3 9673 1444 www. interior-images.com.au MOLTON BROWN ~ GROWN ALCHEMIST ~ D I P T Q U E ~ ASPAR ~ L ATHER ~ M A L I N + G O E T Z ~ S E R E N D I P I T Y S U B T L E E N E R G I E S ~ C . O . B I G E L O W ~ N A T U R A B I S S É ~ A N Y A H ~ O R A N A ~ ALL ABOUT ME

AUSTRALIA ~ OSMÈ ~ FIRST WE CLEAN FRETTE ~ KUBE SYSTEMS