Raising the image of housekeeping as a career
The Accom Management Guide, recently interviewed Marian Stratford who, in addition to a lengthy, successful career as an executive housekeeper, happens to be the president of the Professional Executive Housekeeper’s Network.
In the course of the interview, Marian stated, “Unfortunately housekeeping still does not get enough recognition or nearly as much as chefs do, while chefs are given almost celebrity status these days thanks to so many reality television shows. Maybe we need to invent a reality show about the executive housekeepers and the work they do to raise their profile and popularity.”
Certainly PEHN creates an awareness and recognition of the work that the executive housekeepers and the housekeeping department does, how important their role is and why they are seen as the backbone of the hotel industry, as does the Professional Housekeepers Association of NSW and of South East Queensland.
But still the housekeeping teams of most accommodation complexes are the forgotten, behind-the-scenes workers that contribute so much to the reputation of that business.
Things are changing, albeit slowly. Housekeeping is now being seen as a career by many and a most successful one at that.
In another very refreshing interview with an executive housekeeper with AMG, Megan Johnston told how she worked first as a room attendant, working her up way to housekeeping manager and now she now oversees a team of 70 at Park Hyatt Melbourne. Megan originally considered home economics as a career however, due to limited demand within this area, decided to complete a business degree in hospitality management and chose housekeeping as a career.
“The first area that I worked in was housekeeping. Once I got a taste for it I loved it and became really passionate about it,” Megan enthused.
Megan has now worked for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts for 16 years and throughout the interview her passion and enthusiasm (and very obvious professionalism) came to the fore.
“I believe housekeeping is the backbone of the hotel industry and this is why I am so passionate about my team doing a good job,” she says. “Knowing at the end of the day you have contributed in some way to a guest having an enjoyable stay is a wonderful feeling.”
One wonders how many heads of other departments in the average accommodation complex go home with that same feeling.
While chefs may have attained celebrity status through the overwhelming plethora of cooking shows on television, it is doubtful that the glamour of housekeeping would be enhanced by a reality soap. Indeed there have been series on hotels but they hardly glamorised the accommodation industry itself, let alone housekeeping.
The American prime time drama series Hotel of the 1980s by Aaron Spelling (based on Arthur Hailey’s 1965 novel) hardly enhanced the housekeepers of the fictitious St Gregory Hotel in San Francisco! Later efforts like Hotel Impossible with Anthony Melchiorri trying to rectify all the ills of accommodation providers and Gordon Ramsay’s copycat Hotel Hell did nothing for the glamour of housekeepers. And then there was the soap Hotel Babylon…
Maybe we should leave well alone. The associations, accommodation providers and, most of all, the housekeepers themselves are doing a very good job at raising the image of housekeeping as a career.
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