Executive Housekeeper Nadia Moriconi: From Brazil to Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

From Brazil to Sofitel Sydney Wentworth: Executive Housekeeper, Nadia Moriconi

By Mandy Clarke, Editor

On most days, Nadia Moriconi can be found in one of her favourite places - amid the vibrant bustle of the Sydney CBD - in Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

Here, she proudly works behind the scenes to help create the iconic 5-star hotel experience guests expect when they arrive for a luxury escape at this hotel.

Nadia is a self-confessed people person and has always thrived and felt happiest when surrounded by her large and “loud” Brazilian-Italian family.

She just loves being around people: “I feel good when I make someone happy and welcome, so what would be the Management came to me a year after I started as a trainee and said ‘okay it’s time to go to front office’ but I said ‘No, I don’t want to move. I’ve found my niche. I really enjoy being in housekeeping.’ I worked with Holiday Inn in Bristol, Plymouth and Slough-Windsor and I was actually the youngest ever Executive Housekeeper at 22.

Q: The job has taken you around the world?

A: I have specialised in housekeeping since I trained in the UK and my husband and I moved to Australia in 1982. I opened the Southern Cross in Sydney, which is now the Vibe, then the Park Hyatt, then Park Lane which is now the Sheraton Grand Sydney. The Pre-opening is when you really get that bonding, people working together at the same time and everyone working together. After the Park Hyatt opening in 1990, I went to Buenos Aires in Argentina to help open the Park Hyatt there. I also went to Shanghai and helped open the Radisson Blu there. Then I went to Fiji to open the Radisson there. It was very exciting the visits were at least a

Nadia Moriconi

best career for someone like me? Hospitality of course!

“I discovered my passion for hospitality in my home country of Brazil where I also graduated from hotel management in 2002. After completing my studies, I felt I needed to explore the world to gain international experience.

“Australia was on my radar because of the similarities with Brazil and its reputation of being a friendly and amicable country. I left Brazil for Sydney in 2003, planning to stay for four months, but I fell in love with the country and had to extend my stay.

Luckily, I found a job in a restaurant and in a little motel in Artarmon where I did everything from cleaning guestrooms to breakfast, laundry, reception, reservations, and closing. My earnings were enough of what they are doing. A: It’s about leadership, leading

to subsidise living expenses and studies, which allowed me to stay in Australia for a year. What an experience!”

Nadia explains that after she returned to Brazil, she gained as much hospitality expertise as she could and prepared to achieve of her dream of returning to Australia.

“I worked in several departments including sales, banquets and front office but the area that sparked my attention most was housekeeping. In my hometown of Sao Paulo, I worked at Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi as a housekeeping supervisor. After a few years I took the opportunity to move to Chicago for an 18-month internship at the Embassy Suite by Hilton as the Assistant Executive Housekeeper.

“I began to apply for jobs in Australia and, in 2009, I received an offer from a housekeeping company to work at Hilton Melbourne South Wharf. After one year, the position of

month, though I was in Buenos Aires for two and a half months.

Q: How would you define the role of an Executive Housekeeper, what does your day involve?

the team to achieve the common goals which are set by head office, but it filters down to the hotel and departmental level. Down to the individual. We have had as many as 60 staff in housekeeping and we all have the goal to have excellence in what we do. If you have a happy team, if they understand what they are supposed to be doing it runs smoothly. Everyone must be comfortable with what they are doing and are doing it well. We always try to exceed guest expectations. You must make people proud assistant Executive Housekeeper

Q: What is the most important factor for your role?

A: To succeed in this job you have to have passion. I still love housekeeping all these years on. In the hospitality industry if you are successful it is because you love it. We work long hours, but we do it because we love it and want to maintain that culture of excellence.

Q: You are at the front line of guest satisfaction?

A: What we do relates to the success of the hotel. If we do it badly, it is the reputation of the hotel at stake. That is what I get everyone to understand. Our job in housekeeping is vital to the success and reputation of the hotel. People stay in hotels to sleep in a bed and room that is clean. That is the most important thing to the guest.

Q: How do you relax away from work?

A: My husband and I have golden retriever dogs and we love taking them on long walks through the bush near where we live at Wahroonga in Sydney’s north. It is a very leafy part of the world. I love gardening, too, and I go to the gym three days a week.

Q: It must give you a great sense of satisfaction to know you are giving guests a great stay.

A: Yes, and it’s great to see people progressing in the housekeeping role, as well. Because when you have a happy staff, you have happy guests.

became available at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, I applied, got the job, and was promoted to Executive Housekeeper in 2012. I worked here until 2016 when I had my first baby.

“After maternity leave, I invested in my own cleaning business, Sparklean Cleaning Solutions, which still runs successfully in the Northern Beaches. Following this, I had a break from hospitality for about two years, then I worked as NSW/ACT housekeeping operations manager for Silk Hospitality, which was a great experience and expanded my network within the industry.

“After having my second baby, in 2018 I was ready to return to work and was offered my ‘old job’ back at the Sofitel. I was very happy to take it! It has been a year now since I returned, and I am forever thankful for all the opportunity I was given by Accor, it is a great company to work for!”

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is an impressive hotel that combines French elegance and traditions with sophisticated comfort, creating a world class destination for the most discerning travellers. The hotel is the perfect blend of classic European style and Sofitel luxury, from 436 beautifully appointed rooms and suites, restaurants, bars, and event spaces.

Nadia manages a large team that includes room attendants, housemen, supervisors, coordinators, and public areas’ attendants.

The team during the Housekeeping week

“Besides the onsite operational team,” she explained, “we also have our dry cleaners, linen supplier, florists and landscaping team that work very close with us”.

“The rooms are managed by Empire Hospitality and our public areas managed by Challenger Services. Our housekeeping team is a superstar! We have a clear and open communication with our team, we work very close to our guests ensuring the highest cleaning standards are always maintained.

Nadia’s role is to ensure the housekeeping department runs as smoothly as possible, she explains: “I am responsible for managing multiple contractors in the hotel and ensuring that all of them comply with their agreed contracts and services.

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

My daily tasks include assigning jobs for room attendants, housemen, supervisors and public areas; monitor guest requests to ensure they are completed in a timely manner; monitor our guest satisfaction platform, Trust You, ensure hotel and housekeeping standards and procedures are followed, design department policies and procedures, order linen and guest supplies, manage suppliers, purchase orders, as well as deal with invoices and department budgets.

“I love that every day is different, and everything can happen!”

Nadia told us she was excited by new trends and waves in the industry: “Going green,” she says, “is the latest trend in all industries

Empire Hospitality provides outsourced housekeeping services to Sofitel

Sydney Wentworth, including manpower and equipment.

Operations manager NSW,

Rodel Dayag told us: “We also have a full-time housekeeping manager onsite who takes care

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

and housekeeping is definitely ‘on it’.” The Planet 21 program at Accor asks customers to re-use their towels and sheets. Savings made on water and energy are used to fund tree planting. One tree is planted every minute.

“Some of Accor hotels also offer eco-designed beds made from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests (FCS certified) as well as bedspreads and pillowcases made from recycled bottles. Not to mention eco-certified soap, shower gel, shampoo, and environmentally friendly, ecocertified cleaning products.”

Nadia likes efficiency above all: “I am the type of person who likes to have things done as soon as possible. One of my strengths is that I make things happen; I am an activator. I like consistency and that motivates me to keep my department running smoothly.”

Talking about her management style, she told me: “I cannot say I have a specific management style. Throughout the years, I learnt different management styles and once you know them, you choose the right one to use at different times and occasions.

“Having worked in other departments helped me understand that no job is more important than another, they all have a purpose, and they all make a difference. Dealing with people in general is never easy, it’s always a learning curve because everyone has their own expectations and background, so you have to be very flexible. This is what makes it challenging and exciting at the same time.

Her biggest challenge to date has been COVID-19, without a doubt.

“COVID turned the business around and everything changed overnight. We had to create and implement new cleaning procedures to comply with NSW Health Department, we had to be vigilant and make sure everyone followed the rules. Ongoing training is now part of the daily routine for our business to succeed. COVID has been tough on all of us but, at the same time, we have been working more closely as a team than ever.”

Who has been your biggest cheerleader?

Nadia has been fortunate to work with many great professionals across hospitality who have supported and influenced her. Even so, she says her biggest supporters have been her husband and family. “Even though they are far away, my mum and dad have always supported me in whatever I chose to do personally and professionally’ she says.

What is your best advice for housekeepers?

“I always say common sense is not that common,” she laughed. “Everyone has a way of seeing or doing things differently. So, if you expect something to be done your way, make sure you are clear on your instructions and your expectations. Communication is also key! For instance, upon check-in, if a guest makes a simple request for their bed to be made with blankets instead of a

Empire Hospitality partners with Sofitel

doona and this message does not of our staff and oversees our housekeeping operations.

“Nadia is the Executive Housekeeper of the hotel; she is responsible for the overall running of the housekeeping department. While Nadia works directly for Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, she has always made sure that our staff are part of ‘one team’ by integrating them with the hotel-employed team members from other departments.

“Nadia is responsible for the execution of quality and brand standards and dealing with guest complaints. She ensures all Sofitel policies and procedures are adhered to by all members of her department including quality and workplace health and safety.

“Our relationship with Nadia is one of partnership; we ensure the cleanliness, safety and comfort of the guest rooms, as well as the well-being of our team.

“Our weekly meetings involve discussing issues like guest complaints, operational issues, staff issues and future planning. We rely on her experience and leadership to instruct and guide us towards achieving the hotel’s cleaning expectations.”

get to the correct department or is forgotten, then the basic task is not completed and the guest’s whole experience may be ruined.”

What qualities make a good housekeeper?

“You must be a team player because housekeeping is one of the largest departments in a hotel and you have many colleagues. You also must be very organised and attentive to details. The rest goes with the flow because everyone can clean, it just requires practice.

Everyone wants to know whether you have any housekeeping tips!

“I sure do! Cut the clutter! The more you have, the harder it is to clean. Use a lightweight vacuum cleaner and always dust before vacuuming, so that you can suck up any dirt and debris that you dislodge and always vacuum or sweep before you mop, so you do not drag dirt around.”

How do you choose and purchase cleaning equipment and products for your department?

“Well, cleaning equipment and products must be efficient, practical and easy to handle or use. I usually look online and do some research before making any decisions. I ask my suppliers for new trends, but I never buy anything before I try it first.

“Some products might work well in other properties but might not be as good in yours.”

Are there any aspects to your day-to-day that you find particularly satisfying?

“There are many of them! A bathroom and a kitchen clean is a must. However, I have to say that I vacuum my home every day as I cannot stand anything on the floor and having a full house with two young kids, sometimes it drives me nuts!

“In my job I get to know everyone in the hotel. Since cleaning is everywhere in the building, we end up meeting with many team members and building relationships not only with staff but also guests. Getting to know everyone’s story can be amazing and if you work with the right people it can be loads of fun!”

Sleepmaker Commercial & Sofitel = MyBeds

Sleepmaker Commercial has had a long association with the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, and have proudly supplied the Sofitel MyBed’s to this prestigious hotel, delivering over 400+ of the exclusive Sofitel MyBed, only available to Sofitel & MGallery by Sofitel Hotels.

Sleepmaker’s National Account Manager Michael Anderson told us: “We worked with Accor Hotels to develop the MyBed with specifications for Australasia and it was launched in 2011, and with the success of the Sofitel MyBed. “We have supplied in excess of 6000 Sofitel MyBeds to Sofitel & MGallery by Sofitel Hotels & Resorts across Australia and New Zealand & Pacific in the past 9 years.

“The Sofitel MyBed is the perfect example of exceeding guest expectations, with a great night’s sleep using our famous Miracoil 5 Zone Sleep System with a specially developed Fire Retardant MyBed fabric exclusive to the Sofitel MyBed.

“Having been so successful and well received, Sleepmaker has recently launched an updated model - the Sofitel MyBed II, utilising the latest temperature control technology called “Kulkote” which is exclusive to us in Australasia.”

Image courtesy of Hotel Chadstone Melbourne

Sleepmaker congratulates Nadia and the team at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. We are proud to have provided the beds for their guestrooms. Sleepmaker is proud to be a preferred supplier of bedding to AccorHotels. 1800 425 903 | commercial@sleepmaker.com.au www.sleepmakercommercial.com.au

A look at Paypont A payment systems provider based in Australia

The Paypont story begins in 2015 in Australia – back when laundromats there were still mostly coin-operated. At the time, only a few vended laundries had addressed the situation, but these businesses were restricted to closed-loop payment options.

“From a laundry customer’s perspective, these solutions involved payment friction, as the customer had to open an account, load credit and procure a physical card before he or she could even start a machine,” explained Paypont founder Kishore Aggarwal. “Customers were accustomed to smartphones, and online and card payments, but when they visited a laundromat, they were entering a time warp where coins-only was the norm.” Aggarwal, a veteran of the banking industry with more than 25 years of experience in building payment platforms, developed Paypont soon aft er entering the vended laundry industry with the opening of his fi rst familyowned laundromat in 2014.

“My customers were forced to pay with coins in the laundry, and yet in every other aspect of their lives, they were accustomed to the convenience of paying with plastic cards and mobile,” Aggarwal said. “It just didn’t seem right, and I couldn’t understand why it didn’t exist in the way I imagined. “So, I pulled together the brightest minds from the payments industry – people a whole lot smarter than me – and we set ourselves the challenge of building a modern, scalable, multicurrency platform to help lower the cost barrier for all hardworking laundry owners globally who were just like me, searching and only fi nding disappointment. “Along the way, we were also able to solve some other pain points that laundry owners faced, such as remote management and customer loyalty schemes. Having a small chain of my own laundromats gave us a

Paypont founder, Kishore Aggarwal

direct insight into the minds of store owners and customers. It enabled us to evolve the platform very quickly.” Aggarwal and his team reimagined the modern laundry payments platform from the ground up. They built it using wireless, plug-and-play technology, which off ered simple DIY installation for store owners. It was optimized to run in secure cloud data centers, to drive costs down and scale internationally. It was backed by bank-grade security and infrastructure typically found only in large enterprises. And always at the forefront of Paypont’s work and design was Aggarwal’s dual mantras of

convenience for customers and aff ordability for laundry owners. Today, customers walking into a Paypont-equipped laundry can make payments to laundry machines the minute they walk in, using a credit card or even PayPal account. They can pay with their smartphone wallets, Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. They can make a mobile payment or pay on a card reader. There is no need to open accounts or load credit, with the new technology their payment is completed instantly and they can use the laundry machine immediately. “We’ve also rethought the loyalty solution, so it’s tied to the card that’s already sitt ing in the customer’s pocket,” Aggarwal noted. “They don’t have to carry around another unwanted plastic card. Now, customers can get their 10th wash free, or at a discount, just by tapping their usual Visa card.” Paypont systems can be found in vended laundries, student housing, national parks, remote campsites, boarding houses and motels, among other locations. The company’s open technology platform also features API integration modules that quickly allow extension of the technology at locations such as hotels, automatically adding laundry use to guest bills at checkout, or residents at a student housing complex paying for their laundry directly from their student account.

“The future is so exciting,” Aggarwal said. “We are living in a time where payment technology is rapidly evolving and becoming ever pervasive in daily life. “Millennials are very clearly a mobile-fi rst generation that prefers mobile payments over all other forms of payment,” he continued. “They fi nd mobile payments secure and convenient. However, the previous generation has not fully transitioned to mobile and are generally more trusting toward card payments. The Paypont stack is designed with both demographics in mind, and it supports both forms of payment with a single plug-and play Pip module that is installed inside each laundry machine. “Install Pip and you have enabled mobile payments in your laundry, with everyday payment methods that customers trust – such as Visa, American Express, Mastercard, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and PayPal. For customers of the future, we expect paying for laundry will one day be as simple and powerful as saying, ‘Siri, start Washer 3.’” For those who prefer card payment, the company adds a wireless kiosk, which brings full card payment capability without the need to install a card reader on every machine.

Aggarwal recently shared his thoughts on the future of the vended laundry business with AccomNews:

What is the most pronounced trend you’re currently seeing in the industry?

Laundromats around the world have started the transition to cashless payments. For some store owners, they want to off er an improved experience or reduce the risk of vandalism. Whatever their drive, the result is the same – a world of new opportunities and features are unlocked when a store starts off ering cashless payments. Reduced coin collection, reduction in vandalism, customer convenience, increased customer spend, advanced loyalty programs, ability to restart machines remotely, statistics and analytics, and the list keeps going. It’s very exciting, and the trend seems to be gaining momentum.

Where do you see the vended laundry industry headed?

Thanks to the Millennial Generation and big-tech companies like Apple and Google, customers are increasingly showing a preference for cashless payments. When looking at the demographics, we can see that people really do get att ached to their ways of paying for goods and services. Some customers remember dealing only with cash and feel comfortable with it, while others have gott en used to credit cards and love them.

However, today, many customers are transitioning to electronic payment solutions from every direction – banks, Google, Apple, eBay, Amazon and so on. As a result, off ering convenient payment solutions that cater to all of their customers – coins, cards and cashless options – is going to help laundry owners

Paypont Cashless Solutions Comparison Table

Feature

Payment Options: Debit/Credit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Amex, Mastercard, Discover, PayPal

Loyalty Programmes

Installation Effort

Vandalism Prevention

Customer Interaction

Mixed Environment

Payment Combinations

Pay As You Go Solution

Mobile Payments

Cost Effective Others

No account setup required, wallet option also available. Mostly closed loop cards (requiring a special machine to load credit and associated steps to manage).

Free! Does not cost extra. No need for a plastic loyalty card, customers are identi ed intelligently when they make a payment. Reward them with 10th wash free, a percent or dollar discount.

Completely wireless and plug’n’play, easy install within minutes.

Reduce/eliminate vandalism by reducing the volume of cash in your store.

Customers can make a payment the minute they walk in. No loading of credit, no app downloads, or complicated wallet systems – just walk in, make a payment and start your wash.

Yes. Add any combination of machine brands and have them all function seamlessly together.

Pay by mobile, coin or token…. or any combination of these.

Low upfront costs, and simple Pay as you go subscription. No contracts and no cancellation fees.

Yes. Pay conveniently using your mobile. No account setups, and no apps to download. The mobile solutions looks and feels like an app, but there is no 70mb download. Customers love it!

“The cost is as little as one wash cycle per month, per machine. Low upfront costs.” Some loyalty programs require a plastic card, and a special machine to apply the loyalty discounts to the card. This can be expensive for a service that the store owner will be giving away at a discount or even free.

Extensive cabling and long installs.

Some solutions simply shift the coin collection from the individual washer/dryers to a single kiosk machine. These machines are simply targeted instead.

Watch out for friction – customers hate it. Setting up accounts, crediting a special wallets, plastic cards – these are all pain-points customers dislike.

Some solutions will only allow the same brands of machine to be connected to the platform

Closed loop solutions can lock store owners into distributing plastic cards, or tokens only, with no other way for customers to start machines – and instead of adding more payment options, customers options have been reduced.

Watch out for high upfront costs.

Some may – but do they do it right? Are customers left downloading a 70mb app, having to setup an account, or load credit into a wallet, just to make a payment to a laundry they may visit only once.

Some solutions may appear cost effective, but when it comes time to install and cables need to be run, costs can start to mount. Keep a close eye on hidden costs.

build larger, happier customer bases at the end of the day.

If store operators make it easy for their customers to pay, those consumers will spend more.

The general trend is toward cashless payments, with one generation seekingout card payments and the next generation going mobile fi rst. The smart business operator needs to cater to both payment options.

What’s the biggest reason for vended laundry owners to be optimistic?

With the emergence of aff ordable wireless, non-invasive, plugand-play technology that is easy to install, it’s never been easier for laundry owners to off er more payment options to their customers. In addition, some laundromat customers are going to be blown away to fi nd out how a simple touch ID on their phones has the power to credit a machine instantly and get their laundry load going.

What are the keys to successful laundry ownership today?

Obviously, store location will always be a key. However, another key is knowing and clearly recognizing that your business serves a demographic and fi nding out exactly who these customers are and how they like to pay for their goods and services.

The next key is listening to these consumers. Spend a morning in your vended laundry and see what your customers are up to – fi nd out what they struggle with at your business and then think about ways to make their lives bett er.

Also, Google your store and see what social media has to say about your laundry operation. Are customers leaving positive comments?

For my laundry business, it has always been about listening to the customer and trying to keep them happy.

In return, they will come back to your store, and not go over to the competition.

Of course, a small part of listening to your customers involves making it as easy as possible for them to pay at your laundry, using payment methods they like to use and to which they are accustomed.

Would you like to fi nd out more about Paypont? Call us on (07) 3186 1030 or visit www.paypont.com.