“To sum up, the participants felt the Summit was one of its kind as they were able to see on and all with the same mindset and wave length at the professional level. The Summit has helped in increasing levels of deliverable high quality standards.”
Extending his full support following the success of IHS 2016, Quang Nguyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Executive Housekeepers Association, said the Summit has paved the way for the successful integration of the Asian community and laid a strong foundation for the formation of the Asian Housekeepers’ Association.
Adding, Tatjana Ahmed, Housekeeping Manager, Grand Hyatt Dubai, said that the Summit provided an ideal platform to meet and share the vast experiences and knowledge, especially young housekeeping executives taking the advantage of learning from their senior counterparts.
“The sessions and panel discussions which were on the agenda have been absolutely informative and entertaining as well. Many hotel professionals have come forward to share their experiences. But also the guest speakers who presented motivational talks and do’s and don’ts of training have taken the audience into their aura.”
With over 200 participants from India, the IHS 2016 succeeded in winning appreciation for addressing the new concept of housekeeping and carving the path of growth for housekeeping in India. In a survey conducted by IPHA, the delegates scored excellent and good for the content, organizing and speaker selection of the Summit. “I-Professional Housekeepers’ Association pledges its support to Clean India and the Asian Housekeepers’ Association and offers commitment to participate in all the professional activities organised,” said Vaishali Sinha, Director Housekeeping, Meluha The Fern
The unique character of the Summit was the way it intertwined product presentations, training sessions, interactive modules, motivational speeches, leadership modules, and management of procurement, resources, sustainability and technology.
The two-day summit was organized to strategize the future of the housekeeping department and Clean India Journal played a pivotal role by bringing so many countries and their housekeepers together on a common platform. Delegates not only exchanged ideas during the summit but took away with them knowledge, skills and attitudes to make them better than the best!
It is the need of the hour that all housekeepers join hands for bringing about the change in the way people look at the thankless job which is done by all housekeepers 365 days and 24×7.
Housekeeping is a serious business that affects the bottom line. It is no more a back of house, non-revenue generating department or a cost center. It is the department that is responsible for the cleaning, maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the property – This being the very reason why a guest chooses one hotel over the other. Hotel rooms contribute to 70% of the total revenue, and a room is a very tangible and perishable product. Housekeeping makes that product and it is only good housekeeping that will guarantee repeat business for a hotel. The Summit has truly brought the focus back on hotel housekeeping and its role in the overall reputation and revenue of the hotel.
[box type=”shadow” ]Housekeepers can become GMs, Directors
During a discussion, the General Managers of some of the prominent hotel chains stressed on the fact that the individual growth of a housekeeper depended solely on one’s passion, desire and aspiration to move forward. “If one has that spark, then the immediate boss will definitely spot it and do the hand holding,” said Manish Sodhi, General Manager-The Lalit, Mumbai. One who comes in with a formal housekeeping training from recognized institutions has an added advantage. With the right kind of attitude, a housekeeper can aspire to become not only a General Manager, but also a Director. But this is possible only with cross functional training and understanding of the entire business processes of the hotel.
“One has to keep in mind, in the desire to go up the corporate ladder, if the basic function of housekeeping is not executed to perfection, then one loses out on either count. First you have to excel in what you are doing,” said Punish Sharma, Area General Manager, Meluha The Fern.
The GMs unanimously agreed that a forum like IHS should see that the promoters of the hotels do attend the event. “We have to create a spark in the top boss as well, like we look for one in the EHK,” said Manish Sodhi.
Stressing on the need to address Housekeeping on a different pedestal, Anurag Sharma, Deputy GM, The Leela, said that all hotel institutes should teach housekeeping in a decision making role rather than an administrative function.
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International Housekeeper Summit 2016 Gallery
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