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Housekeepers Week 8 – 14 September 2024

Housekeeping is at the core of the hospitality industry. Hotels, resorts, lodges, casinos, guest houses, restaurants and other establishments cannot do without housekeeping. Ask any hospitality owner or manager; they will tell you. However, this department is often overlooked.

 

When was Housekeepers’ Week Started?

Since 1981, housekeepers’ week has been a week that aims to show appreciation to housekeepers for their hard work. The week-long celebration has gained popularity throughout the world. In 2024, the Housekeepers’ Week will be on the 8th – 14th September.

 

How is it celebrated?

The Housekeepers’ Week is celebrated all over the globe, from Cape Town to Dublin, from the east to the west. As to how you celebrate the event is entirely up to you. From small independent hotels to big hotel chains, the event is all about appreciating the hard work and the important role this department plays.

 

Here are some cool ideas you can think of:

• Guest room cleaning competition
• Bed making competition
• Towel folding art (origami)
• Best housekeepers award
• Housekeepers’ best supervisor award
• Motivational sessions
• Team building activities
• Housekeepers dinner

 

Ideas for celebrating the housekeepers’ week

Guest room cleaning competition

In this competition, you give a group of housekeeping teams to thoroughly clean guest rooms at the shortest possible time. It’s a race against time. E.g. you can give them 5 minutes then after they are done, the executive housekeeper and managers can score them. This can also include bed-making, bathroom cleaning, replenishing guest complimentary amenities, etc.

 

Bed making competition

In this competition, you can give each staff member a bed to make in the shortest time. This can include mattress protector, fitted sheet, flat sheet, duvet, pillow protectors, pillow covers, throw/ runner, decorative items, etc.

 

Towel folding art (origami) competition

Towel origami is the art of making decorative items out of towels. It can be anything. Ideas include elephants, kissing swans, flowers, monkeys, scorpions and many more. The best art wins!

 

Best Housekeepers Award

Nothing gets better than being awarded for your hard work and dedication. Appreciate your top achievers by giving them an award.

 

Housekeepers’ Best Supervisor Award

Here you can ask the housekeeping staff to choose their best supervisor.

 

Motivational Sessions

You will be amazed how much a word of encouragement can achieve. Your team needs motivation from time to time. Choose a person they can look up to and see their job as a career that can take them to greater heights.

 

Team Building Activities

There is a lot of teambuilding activities that you can choose for your housekeeping staff. Activities can be focused on improving team work, strengthen job skills and help staff members work better together.

 

Activities can be outdoor activities, puzzles, team challenges, partner exercises, obstacle courses, icebreakers and many more. Here are some team building ideas for your staff.

Housekeepers’ Dinner

 

If you have the budget, you can also organize a formal dinner for your housekeeping team. This can be coupled by the awards, speech from the GM and other managers, and good music. Treat them to a lovely buffet dinner and let them be served as guests: It’s their week.

 

You as the GM together with other managers must share the meal with them.

 

In conclusion, housekeeping job is stressful but often under-appreciated. Working hard behind the scenes without praise or recognition can lead to a demotivated staff member, and you do not want that with your housekeeping staff.  

 

Pressure comes from guests, staff and managers. If anything goes wrong with housekeeping, it affects the overall guest experience. As the General Manager, you should your time to appreciate them in their week.

 

One way to appreciate them is to thank them and tell them how important they are. Mention the proud moments openly so that they know they are valued.

 

A token of appreciation goes a long way! Whether it’s a mug with the hotel logo or a personalized pen will be much appreciated. There are many things you can do for them to show your appreciation.

Moreover, housekeeping shouldn’t be a once in a year event. It should be a daily repertoire. Learn to show your team some appreciation every day. They also need improvement, so consider taking them for housekeeping training so that they can improve their standards as well.

 

Do you have more ideas? Are you working in the hospitality industry? Please leave us a comment. 

 

Kind Regards, 

 

Samkeliso Nkwanyane

Hospitality Coach, Speaker and Consultant