Interview with Elspeth Zemla, Executive Housekeeper Langham Auckland New Zealand

While Liz was in New Zealand recently she took the opportunity to catch up with Elspeth Zemla, the Executive Housekeeper of the 5 star downtown Langham Auckland Hotel.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Scotland.

What was your career path to date?

I started out in administrative roles in hospitals and schools. My housekeeping career began with the role of assistant executive housekeeper at the Sheraton Edinburgh in the mid-1980s. I was promoted to executive housekeeper just 18 months later.

In 1989, I became the executive housekeeper at Craigendarroch Hotel and Timeshare Resort in Royal Deeside, Scotland, which had 50 rooms and 91 timeshare lodges. After six months I was relocated to Loch Lomond to be part of the opening team of the company’s second resort, Cameron House Hotel and Timeshare Resort. I then moved to Manchester City where I worked as the executive housekeeper in the Hotel Piccadily and the Forte Crest at Manchester Airport for three years.

In 1994 I moved back to Scotland to be the executive housekeeper at The Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh before moving to New Zealand in November 1995. I was executive housekeeper at the Millennium in Queenstown before moving to the Christchurch Park Royal for five years. I then moved back to Queenstown where my family home is, to manage The Dairy Private Luxury Hotel which is a small hotel with 13 rooms in the centre of Queenstown. In 2011 I went to Papua New Guinea to consult and set up the housekeeping and laundry departments of an international standard hotel for Coral Seas Hotels in Port Moresby, the Grand Papua Hotel.

I first joined The Langham, Auckland in January 2012, before moving to Millbrook resort in Queenstown for a year and then returning recently to The Langham, Auckland.

What was your first role as Executive Housekeeper?

The Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh Scotland.

What challenges did that bring?

Being promoted from assistant executive housekeeper to the executive housekeeper role in the same hotel was challenging. The executive housekeeper moved from her position to front office manager and I found I had to create some distance between myself and the team to maintain their respect, trust and confidence in me.

What is your current position and property? What are your current job responsibilities at your property?

I am currently executive housekeeper at The Langham, Auckland, New Zealand. I am responsible for ensuring a high quality of servicing in the rooms, public areas, guest laundry and valet services and the linen/ uniform room. I’m also overseeing the launch of a new laundry facility to process towels within the hotel.

How many staff are you responsible for?

I am responsible for 99 staff colleagues of which just over 30 per cent are full- time. The rest are permanent part-time workers.

What areas are you responsible for?

409 rooms including 16 suites; all public areas such as The Winery, lobby and Eight restaurant; the laundry/valet retail shop; the linen/uniform room and the flowers.

What would your typical day be like?

I generally start at 7.30am with a review of the previous day’s occupancy and pickup along with a check on the day ahead. I run the daily room attendant briefings at 9am, attend the daily ops meetings at 9.30am and a supervisor briefing at 10am. My day then varies with ongoing projects, interviewing new staff, walking the floors and conducting spot checks of the rooms and keeping an eye on the servicing of the public areas.

What are your top three challenges this week?

-       Monitoring our guest feedback

-       Dealing with staffing issues as they arise

-       Extra guest traffic as it’s school holidays

How did you choose those managers under you?

They need to demonstrate they have initiative, a drive to do the job and the potential to be a good leader.

What criteria?

They must show compassion and a willingness to look after the team.

How do you deal with different cultures?

I treat everyone equally and I don’t play favourites. I work hard to make the staff feel they can come to me with any problems and I spend time counseling and offering advice if I can.

Going to from one country to another, what are the differences in your management style?

In Papua New Guinea my management style was more directive than the style I have used in other countries and this worked well with the team there.

What are your top 3 tips for success in Housekeeping Management?

1. Have a sense of humour
2. Treat every day as it      comes
3. Give your staff the full      respect they deserve

If you had to do it all over again what would you do differently?

I would not do anything differently.

What advice would you give someone starting out in housekeeping?

Stick at it. Show your boss you have potential and always be the first to volunteer.  

How about your personal life? How do you balance work and home life?

With difficulty –my husband lives in Cromwell in the South Island. We travel every third week to be together. I walk to and from the hotel which is a good way to unwind and a glass of good wine helps too.

What do you do for fun?

I enjoy walking, light reading and cooking dinner for friends.

How do you think housekeeping management has changed since you started?

Dramatically with the advent of IT and computers – all the manual and handwritten lists have given way to computerised solutions for the operation.

Where do you think it is heading?

More and more IT initiatives such as Optii Keeper will change the way forward for housekeeping in the future.