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PDQ – Process Delivering Quality – another way of delivering Housekeeping Services
PDQ is a company made up of hotel professionals that specialize in optimizing the overall performance of the housekeeping department in a hotel. This is accomplished by not only training the associates in classroom sessions and practical, on-the-job, demonstrations; but also by changing the cleaning processes, techniques and tools used to maximize efficiency and quality throughout the department. Click Here To Read More
Stone and tile care: the cost implications of getting it wrong
Acidic glass cleaner has been used to clean the shower door, but the marble shower floor hasn’t been protected from the run-off chemical which has caused substantial damage.
This article was written by Gary Phillips – MD of Slique, Australasia’s stone and tile care experts.
Tiled surfaces – and particularly those using prestigious natural stone – are some of the most expensive surfaces that cleaning staff will be required to maintain. There are inherent risks with any surface, but the risks are magnified when the surface is highly sensitive to incorrect care, and extremely expensive to repair or replace should it be damaged.
In this article we look at some of the damage that is often caused by cleaners, and the cost implications for each scenario. It should provide excellent motivation to avoid these situations!
The Power of Steam
In the accommodation industry, presentation is paramount. First impressions are everything and guests are quick to make judgements about the cleanliness of their accommodation.
But appearances can be deceptive. Some cleaning methods are only ‘skin deep’ and what you see is not necessarily what you get.
The old mop and bucket days are well gone but many traditional methods of cleaning may provide the “presentation” but not the “cleanliness”. Straight vacuums, for example, merely produce a top surface clean rather than the necessary deep clean. Vacuuming only lightly picks up surface dirt, when the actual odour-causing grime, dirt and soil is deep down.
SEQPHA October breakfast at Sunfresh Linen
The next South East Queensland Professional Housekeepers Association breakfast will be held on Wednesday 8th October from 7.00am at Sunfresh Linen, 59 Ebbern Street, Darra, Queensland. Breakfast will be followed by a site tour. Complimentary to Housekeepers. Supplier members $25 and non members $35. RSVP to Melissa Bent. melissab@mbdesigns.com.au
South East Queensland housekeeping fraternity encouraged to learn and network
With a busy schedule of regular events, the South East Queensland Professional Housekeepers Association (SEQPHA) delivers an ongoing program of education and networking opportunities for executive housekeepers. Its most recent get together was a monthly breakfast held at The Point Hotel, Brisbane, with some 35 members and guests in attendance.
Tips to keep your housekeeping staff’s spirits high
Housekeeping staff have a direct impact on hotel cleanliness and guest satisfaction-an integral part of a hotel’s operation,” said Todd McKeown, Vice President Global Hospitality and Gaming, Cintas Corporation. “By investing time and energy in recognizing and rewarding these skilled individuals, it can revitalize your staff, while increasing productivity and building team work and retention.”
Cintas suggests the following tips to keep your housekeeping staff’s spirits high:
1) Ask for feedback – To maintain high job satisfaction and ensure each employee feels fulfilled, ask for feedback. Have a suggestion box and encourage an open-door policy to keep open communication with your staff.
Don’t forget International Housekeeping Appreciation Week and this year it’s from 14 – 20 September 2014
Housekeeping Operational Review of the Observatory Port Macquarie
Liz was recently engaged by the owners of The Observatory Port Macquarie to undertake a 2 day Housekeeping operational review. The goal was to take a look at systems, procedures, staffing and indeed all aspects of the operation in order to see where improvements could be made. Liz spent time with the management and housekeeping teams to assess efficiency and effectiveness of everything from cleaning tools and equipment to sequence of service and the team itself.
Update on Optii – The fork in the road -Optii Solutions (Optii) CEO, Soenke Weiss discusses the future direction of housekeeping and the increasing impact of technology
“Housekeeping has long been plagued by a reputation that they are slow to adapt to change and, in particular, slow to embrace technology. In our experience, we have found the opposite to be true, with housekeeping staff and hotel management well aware of the benefits that focused software can bring to their daily roles and guest satisfaction. It is most often the hotel owners – who are managing different priorities – that may not fully understand the impact that streamlining housekeeping has on financial results, service advantage and ultimately, competitiveness.
However, in the next twelve months, we will see a deeper awareness within the hospitality industry that the housekeeping function has grown in complexity; and that it will continue to do so at a rate that cannot be responded to purely with manual labor.”
Cleaning without Chemicals – update
There have been several developments in the world of Housekeeping with relation to cleaning without chemicals. These include exclusive use of microfibre, combined use of microfibre and steam in hospitals and advances in nanotechnology for surfaces.
Microfibre only - Radisson Blu in Sydney Australia is now in its 6th year of using only microfibre and water in the cleaning of their guest rooms and public areas. Maureen Jolowicz, the Executive Housekeeper and also President of the Professional Housekeepers Association of NSW has maintained the overall system she first started in 2008 with some modifications. Housekeeping Room Attendants pick up their cleaning pack every morning at the start of their shift including a blue microfibre cloth for each room, 3 scourers for the floors and shower tiles and their bucket with a water spray bottle and the only chemical used – a disinfectant spray for the toilet bowl.
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