Chairperson of the UAE Professional Housekeeper’s Group, Tatjana Ahmed, writes about her recent collaborations with Housekeeping Associations in London and Mumbai and the impact on good housekeeping on good hospitality.
The hospitality and travel industry could not have become what it is today without the extremely high standards and versatility of hotel accommodation it has to offer globally. Behind it, the executive housekeepers who are responsible to ensure that these accommodations meet and exceed the uncompromised expectations of today’s travellers.
When we talk about the global traveller, please do not forget that housekeeping plays an integral part in making this traveller feel at home; in any part of the globe.
The UAE Professional Housekeepers Group meets on a regular basis to network, share best practices and to keep updated about latest products and trends in the cleaning industry.
But so far there have not been many opportunities to share our perspective with Executive Housekeepers from around the world. Therefore I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend and present my views on trending subjects in the world of housekeeping in two different places during last summer.
The first meeting I attended was from the India Professional Housekeepers Association in Mumbai in June. While I was sharing my view on “cleaning for Health” and “what’s trending in Housekeeping” I was part of two panel discussions in which we discussed “How to meet the demands of the connected customer” and “how to manage your people”.
The Indian Housekeepers Association hosted a full day event, sponsored by H&FS India, the country’s foremost hospitality media. The agenda included various presentations from suppliers and vendors, as well as the two panel discussions. The organisers were able to bring together a small group of GMs who stood answer to their housekeepers on how they can be developed further. Before the evening concluded with networking and cocktails an image consultant and makeup artist had advised the audience on how to look your best.
The UK Housekeepers on the contrary, did not have so much time on their hands and the meeting was held in the early evening hours. Networking seems to be key in the city of London and I was impressed with the attendance on that night. I have to give the venue a mention: Holborn Bars, an inspiring central London venue which was built towards the end of the 19th Century. The London Housekeepers shared their views during a panel discussion on green initiatives taken in their properties and what else could be done to become more sustainable.
The London Housekeepers were sponsored by Mitre Linens who are also supplier to the Royal Household as well as Protect-A-Bed, the leading manufacturer for mattress and pillow encasing.
All in all to sum it up, we share many challenges of the same nature. And therefore it is imperative for us to meet and share our best practices on how to overcome these challenges. Like any other department in the hotel, the housekeeping department is going though many changes as we embrace new technologies and practices to ensure we keep pace with the demands of providing clean and well maintained guest rooms and facilities to our customers.
I’m extremely humbled that I have had the opportunity to network with the Housekeepers Associations in Mumbai and London and to share with them the message of the incredible value we bring to the hospitality Industry.
I hope the opportunities will increase to work with various Housekeeping Associations on a more global platform in the future.
