INTERNATIONAL HOUSEKEEPER SUMMIT 2016 organised by CLEAN INDIA JOURNAL UNVEILING THE POWER OF HOUSEKEEPING
- More than 200 delegates from top hotels
- First time-ever Seven countries participate
- Asian Housekeepers’ Association launched
- Next Gen housekeepers felicitated
- Lifetime Achievement Award presented
- First-ever Fashion Show of Uniforms
- GMs support Housekeepers in corporate role
- Draft Framework of White Paper on Redefining Housekeeping formulated
Yesterday Housekeeper, Today GM
A winning combination of integrity, determination and passion, coupled with a penchant for luxury and the finer things in life, inspired me to give it my all. It also played a crucial role in taking me to the Taj Group, as a housekeeper as well as a consummate hotelier. In the first two years at Taj, I had a glorious time at a lovely beach resort in Goa. This was followed by a six-month stint doing content development and handling the newly-launched Hotel Operations Management Program (HOMT) — where I taught my favourite subject: Housekeeping.
Somewhere around this time, it occurred to me that the role of the housekeeper needn’t end with what’s traditionally expected of him/her. So I spent the next year and half in self-learning, growing and gathering information. I inherently believed that I was a great Housekeeper and I was quietly confident that I could be an even better Rooms Division Manager – Accommodations. But this transition needed confidence — to come out from the back office and face the guest, deal with revenue figures, deal with guest complaints; make the move from the Spine of the hotel, to become the Face of the hotel…
Luckily for me, this transition took place rather easily. The Taj Group was hugely supportive in giving me an opportunity to learn and expand. I was fortunate to work with teams and colleagues who welcomed me with open arms and inspired me to learn, explore and implement. With the analytical skills of a Housekeeping person, a keen eye for detail and good interpersonal skills, this transition was effortless.
This was followed by seven years of exploring various hotels; from a pre-opening hotel in Goa to the wondrous Taj Lands End in Mumbai and even the stunning Taj Bengal Kolkata, I handled various situations, guests and moments of truth; each step bringing me closer to my ultimate dream of handling a hotel. The journey was full of rewards and awards that inspired me, enhanced human connection and gave me the ability to impact people’s lives.
Today, as the General Manager of Taj Wellington Mews in Mumbai – I realised the journey would not have been possible without the exposure and experience I got as a Housekeeper. The dynamics of handling people from various socio economic backgrounds, the precision of monitoring every minute detail and correcting it, helped me create a work environment of mutual respect, transparency and passion. And at every stage remembering to pay it forward.”
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step and that small step was a nudge by a classmate at IHM Mumbai to appear for the then OSHM (now OCLD) campus placements. With Avril Sule being the most loved teacher at IHM Mumbai; Housekeeping had been Brasso, dusters, polishing the old auditorium door along with loads of giggles and out right laughter!! Housekeeping seemed like a fun place to be.
My Housekeeping journey began at the Oberoi Hotel Mumbai in 1996 where I was at the Tower’s wing, a mammoth property known for its quality, standards and above all people. I worked with housemen and room attendants who had spent more years in the hotel than my age and they did not miss a chance to remind me that. I still remember my first night shift, all of 20 years of age, when I was taking rounds and watching the night crew do deep cleaning tasks and one of them told me to go rest because the team had ‘done the job for more years than my age’. This was my first lesson in people management – I told them I was there to learn from them and stood with them through the night…
Not only did the same people become some of my closest friends but I learnt that I would get tested many times and it depended on me to build trust and learn.
To learn something every day has been one of biggest motto’s in my professional life and a after a few years I got an opportunity to head my own Housekeeping team at the Wildflower Hall Mashobra, beyond Shimla. A spectacular hotel, stunning views and luxurious – but a tough opening where planning and organizing were of paramount importance. If you forgot something, the closest city to get it was Chandigarh, a good four-hour journey by road. So we learnt to improvise; but above all we learnt to plan! A city which got snowed in for days meant that there were weeks wherein the whole team did not go home. Keeping the team motivated and ensuing quality were key!
Marriage… husband in Mumbai and the distant relationship did not work. So when Marriott was opening its flagship property – the JW Marriott, Juhu Mumbai I decided to move. As Director of Services responsible for opening and positioning a new brand in the country, it was a tremendous learning opportunity and we were soon a very successful hotel. An Ace team along with passion, energy and drive soon meant that the hotel was winning business and accolades. My team helped me win many awards within Marriott and I was soon called to support a number of new hotels or to set new standards across the world. A longer stint in Tainjin, China and an even longer one in Amsterdam, helped in learn more – whether it be working with different cultures or managing a very expensive resource – people. A career talk with my Director of Rooms and I moved to Front Office as Front Office Manager and an year and half later was Director of Rooms at the hotel.Opportunity beckoned again and I had an excellent opportunity to join back my alma mater Oberoi as the General Manager at Trident Jaipur An excellent city, beautiful people and an extremely passionate team made my four years at Jaipur some of my most memorable. I have now been at the helm of operations of Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon, for the last four years and each day is another opportunity.
For me Housekeeping gave me my core skills of people management, organizing, planning and inventory management. I also found the housekeepers the most fun people to work with – a team which forgave easily, taught with an open heart, laughed often and above all passionate every day! I have had many great teachers along the way and not surprising most of them were proudly
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Professional Excellence
A massive thank you again for letting me be a part of what was a smashing program with two excellent days. All throughout the seminar I heard high praise from the attendees about the meet. The presenters were excellent with some great thoughtprovoking topics and the sessions that were really well attended.
I feel you did a superb job organising the meetings, selecting, allowing for networking and especially loved how you had laid out two days with different angles from very common business sectors. The seminar was superb and hassle free and I very much enjoyed meeting, speaking to and listening to many of the people who attended. I very much admire your professional attention to detail and perfectionism on all levels.
My heartiest congratulations again for what was really a successful and memorable seminar – truly you are the gold standard!
Punish B Sharma
Area General Manager
Meluha The Fern -An Ecotel Hotel Rodas
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Great Opportunity
Thank you for the opportunity to take part in the International Housekeepers’ Summit!
It was a great learning for me personally, about this aspect of the Hotel Industry – as I’m always curious! It was also good to have some interesting chats with a good number of delegates as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the buzz of the conference.
Ian Stern
Managing Director, Holistic
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Hats off
The two-day International Housekeepers Summit held IN Mumbai on 27th & 28th of August was a well organised event.
This event has been the most purposeful one, with regards to participation and interaction for a mutual benefit, in my three years of association with Clean India Journal and Virtual Info Systems Pvt. Ltd. Hats off to you and all in your team for their excellent efforts and coordination in bringing together the top notch of the Executive Housekeepers and General Managers of the 4 and 5 Star category Hotels and Resorts across the country and as well as from Dubai,
Qatar, Indonesia, Srilanka, Maldives, Nepal and Vietnam. Kudos to your efforts.
My special thanks to Jayaraman Nair, JP Nair and Mangala Chandran for their courtesy and warm reception extended to me and our team at the event.
Dr S. Chandrasekar
Executive Director, Roots Multiclean Ltd
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Game Changer
The IHS 2016 was a wonderful programme which we believe could be a game-changing event in the Housekeeping space for Asia.
It was very professionally organised and it was a pleasure being a part of the event as a sponsor. Thank you!
Looking forward to your future events!
Shaji Kuriakose
Commercial Director – India, Nepal & Bhutan
FCS Computer Systems (S) Pte Limited (India Branch)
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Right Path
Thanks a lot for having arranged the International Housekeepers’ Summit in Sahara Star, Mumbai, in such a wonderful and professional manner, and giving laundry segment a platform to speak. We are deeply obliged.
I learnt a lot in the summit, especially the tensions and problems faced by the department, cleaning machinery, chemicals and many other areas of housekeeping. I got to know many people too.
I wish you all the best for years to come. You are on the right path.
Vijay Rodda
Laundry Expert
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Excellent Arrangement
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting me to the Summit, which was a Herculean effort, and the Clean India Team seemed to carry it amazingly well, and with ease too.
Congratulations, firstly for the excellent arrangements by the team. It was a real pleasure to be part of the Summit, and to be part of the team for drafting the White Paper to Redefine Housekeeping.
G Raghubalan
Co-Author of Hotel Housekeeping and Operations & Management
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In what proved to be an exceptionally successful event attended by over seven countries, Clean India Journal created a platform for Hotel Housekeepers, by organizing Asia’s first-time-ever International Housekeepers’ Summit 2016 on August 27 and 28, 2016, at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai.
Never before witnessed previously on such a forum, 220 delegates expressed strongly their dedicated commitment to raise the bar of housekeeping to the corporate level across the continent. It was an event which took many risks that proved to be successful largely because of the make-it-happen approach of the organizing committee as well as the support of the vendors and partners of the event.
The audience was well represented by both genders and a force to reckon with, given that they were all champions in the industry. Addressing such an audience would be a daunting task for any speaker but the panel of presenters were veterans in their field. They motivated and even challenged the housekeepers to work towards achieving recognition at the corporate level. The Housekeepers remained completely involved, with queries and arguments at every stage, including the so-called graveyard session.
General Managers, Housekeeping managers and procurement managers from India, Dubai, Maldives, Doha, Vietnam and also the suppliers sought to redefine the concept of housekeeping not merely as an
administration department but also as a decision making body in the organization.
The Summit set the stage for thinking, deliberating, engaging, exchanging ideas, networking and overall a great platform to learn, unlearn and relearn.
Brainstorming can be a Herculean task, especially when there are 200 plus participants. Delegates were divided into groups and given topics ranging from training, technology, procurement, resources and sustainability. The buzz in the room was unmistakable as the housekeepers gave opinions and suggestions (some more vociferous than others). The inputs were consolidated and presented by the General Managers in the group discussion that followed. Thus, endorsing the points put forth to redefine housekeeping. These points will be further deliberated and a white paper formulated to guide the entire hospitality housekeeping segment to become decision makers in the hotel hierarchy. The white paper will be formally released during the Clean India Technology Week to be held at Hyderabad from January 18-20, 2017.
Giving the Key Note address, Jayaraman Nair, Chairman of Virtual Info Systems Pvt Ltd, emphasised on the importance of housekeeping department, as most of the guests give a lot of importance to rooms while choosing their hotel. There is always a demand for perfectly maintained rooms.
Speaking about the success of the Summit, Hari Krishnan, General Secretary, Maldives Housekeepers Forum, said that the Summit proved to be advantageous for the delegation, especially because Maldives being a country of many islands and follower of “one island one resort concept”, could bring about a synergy and usher in uniform pattern in housekeeping principles and practices throughout the country.
“The interaction and discussion among the participants provided ample scope for understanding the various nuances of housekeeping, not merely conventional but novel new in keeping with the technological development. Innovation and sustainability were the hallmarks of all discussions which were found to be beneficial for the MHF in the concept of training and orientation.
“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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