- Contributed
Executive housekeeper Beverley Brown.
BEVERLEY BROWN, an executive housekeeper, walked away from teaching 13 years ago and into the resort sector where she has made a career of making rooms and suites super clean.
Brown was teaching English and Physical Education at Donald Quarrie Secondary School with her best friend, Cordell Natoo, and was quite content with her lot until her friend decided to leave teaching for employment in the tourist sector. Her friend persuaded her to join her.
Couples, Ocho Rios where she first worked "was a university for me", states the former graduate of St. Joseph's Teachers' College and the Western Australia College of Advanced Education in Perth, Australia (Commonwealth scholar Diploma in Physical education and Health). In 15 months she was ready for a managerial position and she was recommended for the post by her supervisor.
Beverley Brown is currently executive housekeeper at the Sandals Dunn's River Golf Resort and Spa where she has been for the last three years.
"The hardest part (of the job) is getting employees to keep to the standards expected of them," she states. "Housekeeping is all about paying attention to detail."
Each room of the 255-room hotel must be so clean that arrival guests see no trace of the previous occupants. It takes a lot of training and coaching to bring each worker to reproduce these exacting standards.
"At home you might be able to exclude the bathroom one day," Brown reflects, noting that in the resort this cannot be allowed.
In the hotels, the baths are cleaned every day and entire rooms sanitised. Shower curtains are washed each day too, as are faucets which are cleaned to a shine.
On the dressers, it doesn't matter how many bottles of pills and shampoos guests have left -- they all have to be removed and the surface cleaned. All clothing and shoes must be placed in appropriate storage, leaving the room as neat as possible.
Supervisors follow behind staff after each room is done to ensure that "I do evaluations," the executive housekeeper states. If she notices a pattern of problems, it is instantly addressed. Using the checklists of her supervisors, graphs are created which make it fairly easy to spot trends which need to be nipped in the bud.
Brown believes in an hands-on approach to management. "If I have to coach a worker on the job, I will do it myself," she notes. But, the organisation of her department is intended to ensure that such coaching is not needed every day. The executive housekeeper starts each day with devotion with her staff of 47, motivation and training. They repeat the Sandals quality advantage or mission statement and this is followed by a motivational speech from the former teacher. "I inspire them to do the right things in a professional way."
The group then look at the problems of the previous day and find solutions for them. Training in the morning session involves at least one activity, focusing on either bed-making, or bathroom cleaning, etc. Staff are reminded to take the last look to ensure that everything is in place, because their last look is the guest's first look.
Supervisors check for uniformity in outcomes, as guests should not know that there was a different cleaner working that day. The rest of the day is spent looking at such matters as budget and purchasing. Her inventory of bed pads, sheets, pillowcases, blankets, bathroom supplies and cleaners and cleaning implements are constantly reviewed. The executive housekeeper has had the pleasure of opening several hotels and training staff to exacting resort standards. "I like training and setting the standards from day one," she says. She was responsible for doing this at Couples Negril and also Grand Lido Braco.
Brown admits that she does miss the classroom sometimes, especially when she meets past students and they express disbelief and disappointment that she is no longer teaching. But, she gets a lot of satisfaction from counselling staff members.
"Many come here stressed and depressed and yet they are required to come in with a smile. Sometimes, I have those who come in and just cry. They have problems and I have to deal with them." Staff members, she says, even call her in the night at home with problems. She is pleased also when they excel. There is one houseman at Dunn's River who is currently completing his degree at the University of Technology, (UTech). "I hope I live to see him graduate, for I must be there," she said.
Counselling and encouragement are all in a day's work for Brown who is currently pursuing studies in counselling at the Institute of Theological Development in St. Mary to further her skills in this area.
The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCO) certified trainer has also established herself as a master trainer in her own right. While in Negril, she did a special programme with this tourist organisation in training. "There are very few hotels around the coast you will walk into and not find someone who I have trained," she notes.
She has remained in housekeeping she said, because she has been offered so many satisfying challenges over the years. "Housekeeping is the nucleus of the hotel. You know how well a hotel is doing by the performance of the Rooms division."
For the future, Brown, the mother of a 13-year-old son, is interested in "imparting knowledge, counselling and changing behaviours. I want to be able to help," she says. "I want to be that person my staff can come to when they are in need of help."
- Avia Ustanny
