International Housekeepers Summit 2018 Setting New Standards

Each year, America celebrates Independence Day on July 4. This year was no different except that on the other side of the Prime Meridian, the 3rd International Housekeepers Summit was being attended by over 300 delegates of 14 nationalities at the Shangri- La Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The celebration by Asia’s Housekeeping Professionals was a two-day event filled with educative sessions, debates, workshop, interesting activities and of course, the 3rd Asian Housekeeping Awards. Avril Sule takes you on a journey of the two days of the Summit, which witnessed the coming together of professionals who believe and cherish housekeeping.

The International Housekeepers’ Summit successfully completed the third edition at Hotel Shangri- La, Colombo, Sri Lanka on July 4 & 5. This is the first time, the International Housekeepers’ Summit has been organised outside India, following the first two editions at Mumbai, India, in 2016 and 2017. Based on the theme of “Rekindling Foundations of Housekeeping, Linen Care and Customer Service”, IHS2018 had three generations of housekeepers on a single platform – the hospitality students, the experts and the veterans.

With extensive support from the Sri Lankan Tourism Ministry, Shangri-La Hotel, Sri Lankan Airlines, housekeeping associations from 11 countries, THASL, HPMF, LDAI and 27 partners, IHS2018 was inaugurated in the hands of Hon’ble Minister of Tourism Development and Religious Affairs John Amaratunga along with the AHA members and dignitaries including Hon. Sujith Sanjaya Perara, M.P. Monitoring Minister, Parliament of Sri Lanka, Sannath Ukwatte, Chairman – Mount Lavinia Hotel Group, Colombo, Sri Lanka, M. Shanthikumar, President-City Hotels Association, Ramada, Colombo, Kumar D’silva, Chairman, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, and Jayaraman Nair, Chairman, Virtual Info Systems Pvt. Ltd, the organizer of IHS2018.

In an endeavour to set new standards for housekeeping, housekeepers and hospitality at large, the IHS2018 also introduced innovative practices in disseminating knowledge.

For the first time, sponsors conducted noteworthy, educative and fun-filled activities instead of making presentations. Delegates thoroughly enjoyed the interaction which enlivened the whole gathering.

The training session on the second day, in fact was a unique way for doing a workshop. It was filled with practical sessions, videos and also live skit performed by assistant housekeepers.

Following the traditional lamp lighting, the minister was felicitated with a shawl and plaque. The Housekeeping association heads presented a token of appreciation to the minister as well.

In the opening speech, Jayaraman Nair said, “In any country, hospitality is the most important aspect not only for the development but also to enhance the tourism industry.” Speaking on the past success of the summit, Jayaraman Nair mentioned that having held two editions of the summit in India, bringing IHS2018 to Sri Lanka has been the biggest step forward.

Hon’ble Minister John Amaratunga commended the participation of so many countries in the event. He was happy that IHS2018 enabled Housekeepers in Sri Lanka to know about the latest technology and products available in the International market. He expressed the desire to host the summit in Sri Lanka every year. The International Housekeepers Summit 2018 – ‘REKINDLING FOUNDATIONS’ commenced to the strains of an Indian rendition of Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ heralding the five sessions scheduled for the two-day summit.

 

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.”

Addressing what is perhaps the most important aspect – Training – Ranjit Shankar from Vivanta by Taj, Bentota, Sri Lanka purported that Housekeeping is one of the pillars of the hotel which makes the hotel run very smoothly. He said that training impacts many things in a hotel. With guest delight topping the list, he went on to explain how comprehending English, cultivating an eye for detail and aesthetic appeal, understanding linen and laundry processes and maintaining hygiene, cleanliness and safety standards are all areas that enhance the performance of the Housekeeping department. He suggested that there should be cross-training in allied groups. He said, “You should look at training in a productive manner which will help in managing the cost and improve revenue.” Furthermore, he said, “Outsourcing is the name of the game today. We should also include them in our training.”

Meticulously planned and co-ordinated the session was skilfully chaired by Jayantissa Kehelpannala – Executive Vice-President, John Keells Hotels who concluded the session by summarizing the content delivered by the panel members.

Not to be outdone the delegates represented by Association Heads challenged the General Managers regarding the support provided by the Management to achieve the desired result. They questioned why why Session III: Targeting Training Needs Clean India Journal www.cleanindiajournal.com August 2018 27 COVER STORY despite understanding the importance of the department, Housekeepers are not in Excomm positions and not even part of the Excomm committee. They queried why they were not being part of the committee that decides the selling price of the rooms, especially when they are expected to take ownership of the business in the department. They also seriously objected to being referred to as ‘the back-ofthe- house.’ Assuaging the housekeepers, the General Managers assured them that they have every opportunity to play a more prominent role at the management level and that they perceived housekeeping as the heart of the house!!

 

IHS 2018 was a platform of motivation, learning and above all, an interactive session. Thanks to all who supported this wonderful event.

Annie Mendez, CHG group

 

Aptly captioned, ‘Head to Head – The Gloves are Off ‘, the session concluded with a round of handshakes.

A quick activity by Oriental Lotus Pvt. Ltd. involved a quiz where the delegates were invited to take the challenge.

The unsung heroes in the guest services are those who select and process the guest linen. All too often the soft, clean towels, spotless sheets and crisp table napkins are taken for granted. ‘Understanding Linen Logic’ is a must for every housekeeper right from the point of purchase through the series of laundry processes that make this possible. In the session that followed two experts shared information from their point of view.

Ujithe Gunasekara – Head of R & D, Celcius Solutions Ltd. made a detailed presentation on the various aspects of the quality of linen that require to be focussed on at the time of selection. The raw material, fabric construction, thread count, fabric weight and dimensional stability were among the criteria that require to be checked at the time of purchase. All of these affect the whiteness of the fabric and the fabric strength. Additionally, in the case of Bath Linen, the base construction, the pile yarn count and the pile yarn height are relevant to the quality. The presentation was interspersed with inputs by Akash Dharamsey – Director – ADD Laundry Concepts on how linen quality is crucial to the laundry process. Akash emphasized the importance of selecting the correct laundry equipment and using the appropriate process to ensure that laundering is carried out effectively, efficiently and economically. Over the years, machines have been designed to have considerable savings in terms of water usage and time taken. The litres of water used is automatically adjusted according to the load. He explained how complete solutions for a largescale laundry could be set up to be fully automated from start to finish emphasizing on the role of water quality in the wash process.

The session provided the crucial insight to the role of linen care and was followed by a short skit staged by Celcius Solutions Pvt. Ltd., having a somewhat startling title – ‘We’re Good In Bed!’.

The post-lunch activity by Charnock Pvt. Ltd was a fun-filled energizer with all the delegates seeking the rest of the delegates to make up a group.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to the sponsors of the summit. Referred to as ‘speed dating’, the supporting vendors met with the delegates in the B2B session. Proper procurement is in fact, a serious business. Delegates had the opportunity to interact with all the suppliers in rotation.

The second day of the summit began with an interactive activity involving twelve sporting delegates in four teams. The twopart challenge necessitated communicating (in charades) and calculating. The activity was organised by Care Clean division of Megamorph.

“International Housekeepers Summit” (IHS) has proved to be the ultimate rostrum for exchanging ideas and sharing best Housekeeping practices for the top housekeepers, vendors, procurement heads and operational heads of various organizations. I am very much satisfied with this conference, because it not only discussed the “problem”, but it also presented answers and solutions on technology, laundry, management, servicing and purchase.

‘International Housekeepers’ Summit has been the preeminent annual gathering that has convened hospitality professionals from all round Asia. IHS has created an environment that empowers housekeepers, investors, vendors to take their ideas and product to the next level. Through the two days of networking, mentoring and workshops, IHS has empowered hoteliers to pitch their ideas, build partnerships, innovate and find new goals that will improve the tourism industry. IHS 2018 in Colombo has been a fruitful conclave, as we came out of this conference with answers and solutions instead of just more questions and concerns.

The event was a grand success. It helped us to bond with other people. Such kind of positive stimulus is very important, and we found the event enjoyable and productive. Thanks to all…chèeeers

Vaneeta Arora
Director – Housekeeping,
The Park – New Delhi

 

IHS 2018 was a forum where housekeepers from different nations came together and discussed their concerns and sought for solutions. Getting so many housekeepers together at one time and one place was a great effort done by Clean India. United we stand in the face of diversity was put forth very well. New friends, old acquaintances, ex colleagues and future good friends all together was what we became which will reap its fruits by making the housekeeper community strong and helpful. IPHA contributed to it a lot as well by connecting and making teams to assist and guide at each step of reaching the venue. Sri Lankan tourism gave us a very fabulous and crisp tour of the city which was planned very well. Thanks to each one who worked in the background making IHS a success. Cheers!!

Pancham Narkar
Housekeeping Manager, Grand Hyatt Mumbai

The session ‘Targeting Training Needs’ — a spin-off on the leadership concept from the book When the Penny Drops by Gopalakrishnan. It commenced with the world of getting things done i.e. Process, then addressed the aspect of the inner world relating to People and in the final segment focussed on the external world of relationships with others – People-to-People.

Opening the three-part session, Amal Nanayakkara – HR Consultant, Sri Lanka gave a presentation on Creating SOPs. Drawing an amazing analogy between the success of a nation and the success of a department, he pinpointed the reason why nations are successful – “The difference is in the attitude of the people modelled for many years by education, moral responsibility and culture.” He drew a parallel with the statement, “In our industry of hospitality related to tourism, an SOP is fundamentally the rules and regulations on which the department would be managed — a management that will be effective, purpose driven and customer oriented. An SOP needs to be based upon this fundamental principle. The purpose of an SOP is to provide detailed instructions on how to carry out a task, so that any employee, can carry out this task correctly, every time.”

He pinpointed the need to combine enthusiasm with experience using an appropriate old Irish saying, “A new broom sweeps clean; but an old broom knows the corners.”

The next segment dealt with ‘people’, addressing the Grooming and Attitude of Housekeeping Staff. The session was introduced by a somewhat bizarre film revealing the poor attitude of the staff when cleaning a guest room. Anupama Deshmukh, Independent Trainer and Consultant, gave a presentation on ‘Creating Impressions in Housekeeping’. She led the discussion into a debate – “Which is more important in creating impressions in Housekeeping – Grooming or Attitude?” Speaking for Grooming were Nedra Wickremesinghe – Executive Director, Arden Institute, Colombo and Ekaterine Kvirikashvili, Executive Housekeeper, Champa Central Hotel, Maldives; and supporting attitude were Mubitana Siba, Executive Housekeeper, Kurumba, Maldives and Saravan Kumaran, Director of Housekeeping, Oakwood Residences Kapil, Hyderabad. After a few moments of ‘he said, Session IV:she said’, the debate concluded with a live polling by the audience which revealed that they were strongly in favour of attitude.

The conclusion of this session was perhaps the most innovative – in a format that has never been done before. This segment of the session addressed issues of people-topeople referring to the co-ordination between departments and employees. A case study via a role play was presented to the audience. Scripted by Avril Sule, directed by Irandi Wijegunawardane and enacted by 11 talented assistant housekeepers of the Aitken Spence Group of Hotels, the play presented everyday conflicts between Housekeeping, Front Office and Maintenance. The performance was a great success and kept the audience involved and interested. The follow-up case study questions drew audience opinion on what went wrong and what could have been done better.

First of all, I would like to congratulate the entire I-PHA and Clean India Team for putting together an amazing show – IHS2018.

“It has provided a platform to exchange ideas and knowledge not only from the seasoned Housekeeping professionals from across the globe but also given voice to the upcoming, young minds who think completely different from their predecessors and have completely different ambitions and aspirations from their Housekeeping careers. A melting pot for ideas from yesteryear experience versus the new technology knocking on our doors, an amazing experience altogether. A great initiative which needs to grow from strength to strength in coming years!!!”

Best wishes always…

Asha Pathania,
Head Housekeeping,
PVR Cinemas

Session four ‘I, Me and My Room’ was also an out-of-the-box idea linking guestroom design with brand standards. Without a doubt, no level of service or glamour can equal the sensation a guest feels when entering a well-decorated, spotless, tidy and conveniently arranged room. In conversation, Hirante Welandawe, Managing Director, H W Architects Pvt. Ltd and Shanez Wijesinghe, Asst. VP, Brand Quality Assurance, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, revealed perspectives that could assist in closing the gap between Housekeeping and Interior Design thereby improving service standards. Shanez said, “Brand perspective of standards pertaining to Housekeeping must be co-ordinated with the architect at the beginning when the architect’s brief is being done by the management. Housekeeping cannot get involved later on when the project starts. Housekeeping must identify minimum requirements of storage spaces as this cannot come later on the wish list.” There is need for a constant dialogue between the Management, Housekeeping and the Architect to formulate a comprehensive architect’s brief. Hirante empathised saying that architects must look at the human and mechanized efforts involved in cleaning and the fact that it adds to the maintenance budget at some point.

Shanez expressed her belief that, “by providing a clean guest room, the Housekeeping department has an opportunity to create guests who are raving fans despite being behind the scenes.” Having discussed the need for design to be practical in terms of cleaning, Hirante went on to say “Rather than throw away the brand idea, it is always possible to use lateral thinking and solve the problem because the main point is to maintain the brand idea. This can be done by balancing the pros and cons.” Shanez re-iterated that “iconic products should not be discarded if they supported the brand idea in creating a different experience.” Shanez concluded the session by stating the two key points – a set of documents identifying everything in advance and the fact that Housekeeping has the opportunity to create raving fans out of guests. The delegates expressed that they wished that this was a regular practice followed by all hotels.

The final session ‘Tomorrow is now, Seize the Power’, was an eyeopener to the current scenario and Speaking on what the future holds, he said, “The advent of Industry 4.0 has led into the emergence of a new concept of “Procurement 4.0” which gives procurement a significant opportunity to strengthen its strategic role in an organization.” Using several video clips he explained how hotels of the future may embrace technology in all its forms. He predicted that the future of housekeeping lies in Integrated Digital Solutions.

Notwithstanding one cannot undermine the need for human resource, he said, “While technology starts to play a significant role in the industry, there has to be a clear balance. And technology has to be an enabler, rather than creating a barrier between people. As we move along, there will be more and more elements which will require humans to participate actively.”

In the concluding session, Prabhat Shukla, Chairman of the Doha Housekeepers’ Group, made a presentation on “Until the Lion learns to write, every story will glorify the Hunter”, highlighting the need to educate and make the staff down the line informative and knowledgeable. The room attendant to command respect from the guest needs to know his product, i.e. the room, and the products in the room. Knowledge commands respect, he concluded.

Finally, a mention about Trishma Pinto, the emcee for IHS2018 who did an excellent job of steering the entire proceedings in a very delightful and excellent manner.

The Summit concluded on a positive note, with delegates – 150 from looking – discussing and sending suggestions of the topics that need to be addressed at IHS2019. The partners too found a lot of interaction time and business opportunities. We thank all the support extended by the partners and the associations in making IHS2018 a success.