In praise of housekeepers
— -- Business travelers depend on many individuals to improve their quality of life on the road. One person who toils daily in the background yet rarely receives recognition for their important role is the housekeeper who cleans your hotel room. Next week (Sept. 14-20) is International Housekeepers Week, and as such, I would like to devote this column to those most underrated and unsung heroes and heroines of the travel industry.
"Housekeeping is a critical function," says Thomas Jones, Associate Professor at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, yet housekeepers are among the lowest paid hotel employees and their vital work "doesn't get much respect."
For the next two weeks that will change. As a prelude to International Housekeepers Week, over 16,000 housekeeping and cleaning industry professionals from the International Executive Housekeepers Association and the International Sanitary Supply Association are in Las Vegas to celebrate the importance of housekeepers. The conference includes a "Housekeeping Olympics" where teams from individual hotels compete in bed-making and vacuuming contests.
"International Housekeepers Week recognizes those dedicated, hardworking professionals who maintain a safe and clean, healthy environment on a daily basis," says Tony Gallow, Housekeeping Manager at Bally's Las Vegas Hotel. Bally's is one of 20 contestants in this year's Olympics.
During International Housekeepers Week, many hotels bestow praise, parties, gifts and prizes upon their staff. At the Four Seasons Hotel in Irving, Texas, housekeepers are treated to breakfast, ice cream, and a weekend banquet, according to Louanna Henning, Director of Housekeeping and Laundry.
The Omni San Francisco Hotel conducts its own Olympics and a week of festivities, according to the hotel's general manager, Bob Graney. Omni Housekeepers are greeted with roses one morning and doughnuts and coffee the next. At a full banquet luncheon, housekeepers receive certificates redeemable for air travel, groceries, movie theaters, public transport or days off with pay. Plus Omni managers try their hand at housekeeping: "I never knew how difficult it was to make a bed," Graney told me.
The Omni San Francisco actually recognizes housekeepers and other staff throughout the year by providing three free meals each day and a banquet with over $10,000 in cash prizes awarded to employees who provide exemplary service. As such, the hotel enjoys a very low turnover rate among housekeepers and won first place honors for best service among U.S. hotels in the 2008 TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Awards (PDF file).
Most business travelers think of housekeepers only in hotels, but they're also employed by schools, hospitals, day care centers, office buildings and many other public venues, according to UNLV's Jones. As Director of Environmental Services & Safety, Michael Ross deploys as many as 300 Housekeepers at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, which covers 1.3 million square feet and eight city blocks. Ross' housekeepers scrub window ledges and sidewalks, shampoo carpets, and clean and disinfect 80 Convention Center restrooms which may be used by as many as 20,000 visitors each day.
Housekeeping has evolved through the years according to Jones. "For many years, we were only concerned with how the place looked. We wanted it to be neat and tidy with no dust on the TV screen," says Jones. "We have moved beyond that." While neat and tidy is still important, today's housekeepers strive to provide a healthy pathogen-free environment. "When thousands of people occupy a facility over the course of the year we want to be certain we won't catch anything when we check into a hotel," Jones adds.
At the Pennsylvania Convention Center, "we clean for health," says Ross, whose housekeepers focus on sanitizing surfaces and preventing the spread of contaminants, allergens, and pathogenic microorganisms. Using "the science of cleaning," Ross says his housekeepers continually fight "those invisible dragons that can kill people."
Housekeeping is back-breaking work. A hotel housekeeper might be called upon to clean as many as 18 rooms per day, according to Jones. As business travelers, what can we do during International Housekeepers Week to recognize these most important folks who keep our environment safe and clean? Tipping your housekeeper, of course, is one way to say thank you for providing a good service.
"Gratuities are always appreciated and should be based on the quality of service provided," according to Maria Langley, Director of Housekeeping at the Luxor Las Vegas Hotel. The hotel managers I canvassed for this column suggested a gratuity of $2 to $5 per day depending on the services provided and the price of the room.
Several different housekeepers may be assigned your room during your stay, so Langley suggests leaving smaller daily gratuities rather than one large tip at check-out. Gratuities should be left in an obvious place, like on a pillow, in an envelope addressed to the housekeeper, or next to the card with the housekeeper's name if you find one of these in your room. I often request a refrigerator and non-allergenic pillows and blankets upon my arrival and usually offer the housekeeper a small gratuity at the time these special items are delivered.
Perhaps even more than gratuities, a simple "thank you" really goes a long way, according to Langley. "Housekeepers often feel invisible and recognizing their contributions means so much." Every hotel manager I interviewed concurred on the value of a completed comment card or a handwritten note addressed to the housekeeper or the hotel management, which also gives the hotel the opportunity to formally recognize that individual employee.
So expressing your appreciation for your housekeeper would be a nice gesture while you are traveling next week. You might wish that housekeeper "Happy International Housekeepers Week" in a note or seek them out to thank them personally and express your gratitude for the essential job they perform.
Send David your feedback: David Grossman is a veteran business traveler and former airline industry executive. He writes a column every other week on topics of interest and concern to business travelers. E-mail him at travel@usatoday.com.