10 minute read
PEOPLE: CLEAN TEAM
Clean Team
TO MARK HOUSEKEEPING APPRECIATION WEEK (SEPTEMBER 8-14, 2024), HM SPOKE TO SOME OF THE TOP PERFORMERS IN THIS CRITICAL DEPARTMENT.
***
Name: Rosa Pitt
Hotel: View Sydney
Title: Housekeeping Manager
Tenure: 25 years with ahs hospitality
Tell us a bit about your career journey.
I started my housekeeping career journey with ahs hospitality 25 years ago as a part-time Housekeeping Supervisor, and it’s been a rewarding journey ever since. Over the years, I’ve moved into the role of Housekeeping Manager which has given me the wonderful opportunity to work at different hotels and lead their housekeeping operations. I have also had the opportunity to help open a few hotels across Sydney which has really helped me grow in my role. I am currently the Housekeeping Manager at View Sydney and I love it. I feel very fortunate to be working alongside a fantastic hotel team, all with the continued support of ahs hospitality.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I truly enjoy leading my housekeeping team and providing them with the training and support to do their jobs well. It’s so rewarding to come to work every day and see my team excited about making our guests happy. For me there is no better feeling than watching my trainees grow from not knowing how to make a bed to becoming fantastic housekeepers. It gives me so much satisfaction as a Housekeeping Manager that I’m making a positive difference in their careers as we work together to achieve great guest satisfaction.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?
The most challenging aspect I find as a Housekeeping Manager is managing labour costs while maintaining the cleanliness standards of the hotel on a budget. Working in the hotel hospitality space, from time to time, you come across difficult guests where you try your best to meet their needs. However, these challenges are often resolved by working together with my housekeeping team and the hotel general managers.
How is technology impacting how you do your job?
Technology has made a significant improvement in our daily housekeeping operations. My housekeeping team currently use Hub OS and we all agree it has made our jobs easier. I can communicate and allocate tasks to my housekeepers through Hub, including assigning vacant rooms to clean, clean rooms to inspect, and access important information that will impact my team, such as notifications about ‘rush rooms’ that need to be cleaned earlier, and special guest requests. Technology truly has improved the productivity of my housekeeping team as having all the information I need on one system means I can run my department as smoothly as possible.
What’s one myth about your job that you’d like to debunk?
Working as a hotel housekeeper is not as easy as people think it is. It is a physically demanding role that also requires someone to have a strong eye for detail, the ability to work well in a team environment, learn new skills and have a positive attitude. If you have a ‘never-give-up’ attitude, you will be a great housekeeper.
***
Name: Jader Cran
Hotel: Mercure Welcome, Hotel Melbourne
Role: Assistant Facilities Manager
Tenure: 4 years
Tell us a bit about your career journey.
I started my career in Pullman as a public area cleaner, which gave me a solid grounding in the basics of facility maintenance and operations. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and hotels needed to adapt quickly, I stepped up as a team leader to help manage the team under the quarantine hotel. This role was challenging but allowed me to hone my leadership skills in a high-pressure environment.
As the hotel began to return to normal operations, I advanced to a supervisor position. This role involved overseeing daily operations, managing staff, and ensuring everything ran smoothly. My commitment led to a step-up position as an assistant facilities manager, where I now assist with more complex facility management tasks and contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our operations.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What I appreciate most about my job is the opportunity to handle diverse challenges and find practical solutions. It keeps me engaged and ensures that I’m always learning and adapting.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?
The most challenging part of my job is handling people related issues, like resolving conflicts and managing different personalities, along with dealing with roster changes and varying occupancy levels. Balancing these day-to-day concerns while keeping everything running smoothly can be quite demanding.
How is technology impacting how you do your job?
Technology is an important part of how I do my job properly. With tools for managing schedules, tracking maintenance, and communicating with the team, everything runs a lot smoother. It helps me stay on top of things and handle issues faster.
What is one thing that would make your job easier?
If there was one thing that would make my job easier, it would be having more advanced tools for managing and tracking tasks. Something that integrates everything in one place would really help streamline processes and save time.
***
Name: Suranga Hewagamage
Hotel: RACV Torquay Resort
Role: Housekeeping Manager
Tenure: 12 Years with RACV; 24 Years in the hospitality industry
Tell us a bit about your career journey.
I commenced my career as part time Minibar Attendant at Metro Inn Jolimont in 2000 while an undergraduate student at La Trobe University. At Metro Inn I acquired a sound knowledge about, and valuable practical experience in, all layers of the housekeeping department. This enabled me to start my career as an executive housekeeper at Sommerset On Elizabeth Melbourne (The Ascott Limited), through Empire Hospitality, in 2003. I have worked in a number of regional hotels and resorts including Mount Hotham Ski Resort in regional Victoria and the Whitsundays in Queensland.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I thoroughly enjoy my current position with the RACV and the opportunities that the establishment has given me. I enjoy the people I work with and the role, as it challenges me every day. Every single day is different, with a new set of challenges – I never get bored.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?
Implementing zero tolerance for error and maintaining high standards consistently with the goal of meeting guest expectations are the most challenging aspects of my work, especially in a fastpaced environment like ours.
Yet another demanding aspect to my role, serving in a regional property, is managing staff turnover rates and recruiting sufficiently qualified staff.
How is technology impacting how you do your job?
Remote access to all my applications makes daily operations much easier. Team meetings can be conducted online without having to physically come to the venue, giving flexibility and saving time.
What’s one myth about your job that you’d like to debunk?
One myth about my job is that ‘a housekeeper is just a glorified cleaner’. We are the backbone of hotels and are generally the last to get recognised as such.
***
Name: Irina Rynne
Hotel: Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas
Role: Executive Housekeeper
Tenure: 16 years
Tell us a bit about your career journey.
My journey began 16 years ago, when I first joined as a cleaner in the villas. Before that, I had been a teacher at a prestigious school back home, but none of my qualifications transferred over when I moved to Australia. Still, I was grateful for the opportunity, and before long, I was promoted to team leader, followed by a supervisor role at the hotel. Over the years, I built strong relationships with the Housekeeping Managers and Assistant Managers, and eventually, I was given the opportunity to step into the role of Housekeeping Assistant Manager. From there, I worked my way up to Executive Housekeeper.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What I love most is how varied my role is – I’m deeply involved in everything, from working alongside our team to planning rosters for over a hundred associates, managing budgets, forecasting expenses, and ensuring everything runs smoothly. The best part of my job is that no two days are ever the same. Every day brings new challenges, fresh faces, and new energy to the department. It keeps things exciting and dynamic.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?
Working in such a remote location means we constantly face worker shortages, and the cost of labour is always something we have to keep an eye on. On top of that, ensuring we maintain our brand standards remains a top priority.
How is technology impacting how you do your job?
Technology has been a great help. We rely heavily on online tools like SharePoint, GXP, Opera, and, of course, good old spreadsheets to help keep everything on track.
What is one thing that would make your job easier?
One thing that could make a world of difference is offering sponsorship for outstanding overseas workers in senior roles, securing them for a longer term – say, three to five years. This would help us save on training costs, and by rewarding these team members, we’d foster a greater sense of loyalty towards the company and department. As Bill Marriott famously said, ‘Putting people first always pays off’.
***
Name: Maricel Pagarigan
Hotel: Hilton Brisbane
Title: Housekeeping senior supervisor
Tenure: 13 Years
Tell us a bit about your career journey.
I started as a casual room attendant at Hilton Brisbane in December 2012 before moving into a full-time position a few months later. From there, I became a housekeeping trainer and team leader, responsible for training new team members, and later moved into a supervisor role. About 12 months ago, I was promoted to senior housekeeping supervisor.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the satisfaction that comes with making the guest stay as enjoyable as possible and being part of a diverse team that works together to provide a good service to all of our guests.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
Last-minute arrivals keep us on our toes, as we need to make up every room to the guests’ requirements. The other challenge is when our systems or machines are out of service, leaving us in short supply of the items we need to get our job done, and we must go back to manual allocation of rooms for attendants.
How is technology impacting how you do your job?
We use Mobile HotSOS which allows us to communicate with all departments across the hotel. This communication allows us to use our time more efficiently. Our department also communicates through a WhatsApp group which helps the team stay up to date in real time.
What is one thing that would make your job easier?
The one thing that would make my job easier would be a way to access the system without having to go back down to the office to retrieve traces, the status of the rooms and other information.
