International Housekeepers Summit 2018 Setting New Standards

We Thank All Our Speakers

Session l Raising the Revenue Graph: Symposium
Chairperson: Jayantissa Kehelpannala, Executive Vice President, John Keells Hotels

Speakers:
• Harikesha Wijesekara, General Manager, Mandarina Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Elton Hurtis, General Manager, Marriott Resort Weligama Bay, Sri Lanka
• Lankesha Poannamperuma, General Manager, Hikka Tranz By Cinnamon
• Ranjit Shankar, General Manager, Vivanta by Taj, Bentota, Sri Lanka
• Ahmed Siaar, General Manager, Fushifaru Resort, Maldives

Session II Linen Logic – Quality & Trends
• Ujithe Gunasekera, Head Research & Development, Celcius Solutions Ltd, Sri Lanka
• Akash Dharamsey, Director, ADD Laundry Concepts Pvt. Ltd., India

Session III Targeting Training Needs
• Amal Nanayakkara, Independent Human Resource Consultant, Sri Lanka
• Anupama Deshmukh, Independent Housekeeping Trainer and Consultant, India
• Mubitana Siba, Executive Housekeeper, Kurumba, Maldives
• Saravan Kumaran, Director-Housekeeping, Oakwood Residence Kapil, India
• Nedra Wickremesinghe, Executive Director, Arden Institute Pvt.Ltd., Sri Lanka
• Ekaterine Kvirikashvili, Executive Housekeeper, Champa Central Hotel, Maldives

Session IV ‘I, ME, and MY ROOM’- Configuring Aesthetics to Guest Requirements
• Hirante Welandawe, Managing Director, H W Architects Pvt.Ltd, Sri Lanka
• Shanez Wijesinghe, Asst. VP, Brand Quality Assurance, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka Session

V: Tomorrow is Now – Seize the Power!
• Aval Sethi, Founder and Chief Executive – Protaiga Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd., India

The sessions began on a lighter vein with the International Housekeepers Test conducted as an icebreaker by Project Consultant and Hospitality Expert Avril Sule.

The purpose of every hotel is to consistently provide quality products and services. Striking a balance between revenue earned without compromising on quality is tantamount to practicing the art of jugglery and there are many intricate details involved. Taking time off from their hectic schedule, five General Managers based out of Sri Lanka and Maldives offered advice on ‘Raising the Revenue Graph’ in the opening session of the summit. Each of them addressed a different aspect…

Modern Housekeeping was addressed by Harikesha WIjesekara from Mandarina Colombo, Sri Lanka. Emphasizing on the need for meeting customer expectations, he referred to the current scenario in which “the hotel technologies have very successfully streamlined operations, improved communications and bolstered business intelligence in many departments which can be applied to housekeeping as well. So, adapting effective housekeeping technology solutions empowers your team to make very smart job decisions, increase productivity and allow hotels to optimize room inventory ultimately raising guest satisfaction scores.”

Picking up where Harikesha left off, Lankesha Ponnaperuma from Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon focussed on Modern Equipment and Technology in Housekeeping. He cited “The most important part of modernization would be centred around the property management system and a good property management system must have seamless between the departments. It should allow the management to monitor the productivity to look at the outcomes and improve. A mobile app will allow various departments of the hotel to know real time information as well as the situation.” Housekeepers are now expected to be more productive and optimize productivity.

Simplifying what appears to be complicated, Elton Hurtis from Marriott Resort, Weligama Bay, Sri Lanka spoke about Intelligent Procurement relating it to the housekeeping department. Speaking in an appealing conversational style, he said that procurement itself should be intelligent and emanates from basic needs. “As hoteliers, we are here to make a profit.

Some of the best Housekeepers are the ones who understand the forecasting process.

“There are two key positions in the hotel – the Executive Chef and the Executive Housekeeper and there is a reason why they are called Executive”, said Ahmed Siaar. He emphasized on the need for customization and personalization in the area being managed in order to make it productive and enhance bottom-line performance. On System Customization, Ahmed Siaar who manages the Fushifaru resorts in Maldives, said, “In terms of Housekeeping Management, there are two areas to be looked at – One is the possibility of increasing revenue and the other is cost management.”