Margaret Fernandes continues grand career at Hilton

With almost forty years in the hotel industry, Margaret Fernandes, the Executive Housekeeper of the exquisite new Hilton in Melbourne, tells Grantlee Kieza about her career…

It must be a joy working at the new Melbourne Hilton which has opened in a grand old building on Little Queen Street?

I feel very privileged to work at Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street. To be responsible for the upkeep of a beautifully restored heritage in the heart of the city is a real pleasure, and it is a very special place to stay.

The hotel interiors combine an old-world classic feel with a modern look and being a newly restored building, the designers and architects have considered everything down to the smallest detail including top-notch amenities and facilities. The owners wanted to make sure every care was taken in restoring the building and nothing was overlooked. This is carried through into every part of the hotel and there was a lot of preparation put into training the housekeeping team. We are really proud of what we’ve achieved, and our team is committed to doing an amazing job every day.

You’ve had a very interesting career?

Yes. Straight out of high school in Mumbai, which was called Bombay then, I studied hotel management and kicked off my career at the 600+ Searock Sheraton, among the most modern properties at the time. I started off as a trainee housekeeping supervisor and I worked there for about six years. I was placed in charge of the hotel refurbishment which was my first exposure to setting up hotels. Before migrating to Australia in 1988, I got married to my husband, who was also in hotels, as a chef at the Oberoi Towers.

Was it always a dream to come to Australia? 

We migrated here with a desire to start our new family in a new country where we could access greater opportunities in work and family life. We have two boys who are now 31 and 26 and we are very glad we came here.

You started in housekeeping straight away in Australia with a role at the Pullman in Albert Park, Melbourne?

I’ve always been passionate about this department. Housekeeping is a real challenge, and every day is different. I love interacting with people and achieving results as a team. I learned the skills needed to manage and develop other people who are starting their careers in this industry.

You’ve certainly worked at some lovely hotels such as the Stamford Plaza, the Radisson at Flagstaff Gardens, the Grand, and the Sebel on St Kilda Road?

Most of my supervisory experience was at the Stamford Plaza and I made my breakthrough as an executive housekeeper at the Grand Hotel on Spencer Street. I did the opening of that hotel which was converted from the old railways’ administration building to an opulent hotel and apartments. During my twenty years at the Radisson of Flagstaff Gardens, I have developed and mentored many colleagues, and I was sent to Tahiti to open one of their new resorts, so I have had lots of interesting opportunities during my career.

Housekeeping is such an important role because it’s the first thing hotel guests notice.

That’s right. Everybody wants a clean, comfortable stay in a hotel. That is what they’re looking for. It’s important that the industry recognises the value of the housekeeping department and the hard work that the teams put in.

How does your day pan out at work?

I always like to start early because it sets up the flow of the day. Even though occupancies are low at the moment due to COVID, I’m still at the hotel by 7 am as it gives me the chance to go through all the public areas before we have our team briefings. We don’t have a big team at the moment however, the fast-paced nature of the housekeeping operation means the day goes by quickly.

COVID must have made your job tougher?

There are certainly a few extra challenges in making sure all the areas are sanitised; making sure everything is not just clean but disinfected and making sure the experience is the very best it can be. At the Hilton, we have our CleanStay program which is focused on delivering an even cleaner and safer stay than ever before across all areas of the hotel from the restaurant and bar to the individual rooms. It is really detailed and gives guests the assurance that they’re staying somewhere that has the highest standards of cleanliness and disinfection. We work in partnership with Dettol who provides our cleaning products.

After the room attendants clean a room, my supervisor and I go through it again making sure all the ten touchpoints are disinfected again. We seal the doors to give guests the assurance that once it’s sealed the next person to enter the room will be them.

Staff numbers are down because occupancy rates are lower than normal. How many people are working on your team now?

We currently have 14 team members. The public areas in this property are quite extensive, once we reach a higher occupancy of our 244 rooms we would require as many as 40 people to service the rooms and look after the property.

What do you do away from work to relax?

My husband and I love to travel but like everyone else we haven’t been able to during COVID. Normally we would make one overseas trip every year but we have been travelling within Australia when we can instead.

I also love gardening. It gives me the chance to settle from the busyness of work and wander away from everything. On a daily basis, I love cooking and bringing my family together with food. As my husband works with food all the time, he doesn’t like cooking that much at home. I’m glad to step in. I’m very good at traditional Indian cooking – at least that’s what my family says – so I am very glad they like it.

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Grantlee Kieza OAM

Grantlee Kieza OAM has won three Queensland Media Awards, two Australian Sports Commission Awards and has been a finalist for the Walkley and News Awards and for the Harry Gordon Award for Australian sports journalist of the year. In 2019 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. You can find more of his work in our AccomNews & Resort News print magazines.
He has written 22 acclaimed books, including bestsellers Hudson Fysh, The Kelly Hunters, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash, Sons of the Southern Cross and Bert Hinkler.