By Geraldine Peters
The work assignment: Meet Mdm Judy Tan Lee Kim, 56, an Executive Housekeeper at Singapore Marriott Hotel Tang Plaza Hotel who was going to show me what it was like to be a Room Attendant. She wasted no time in introducing me to Mdm Low Lai Kin, 56, a Room Attendant for 18 years.
The 60 person-strong Housekeeping department functions on a buddy system that allows for faster learning and better productivity where a trainee is paired up with a veteran for around two to three weeks. Donning my trainee tag, Mdm Judy, Mdm Low and I take the elevator to the first room. It was going to be a busy day ahead indeed – clean and tidy up to 16 rooms in 20 to 30 minutes each.
The Right Routine
Our first room was a junior suite on the 23rd floor. While I was awestruck by its interior, I was quickly catapulted back to reality when Mdm Judy pointed to specks of illuminated dust.
Citing the reputation of the hotel and customer satisfaction as motivations, Mdm Low sprang into action using various potions and tools from her housekeeping trolley to clean every inch of the room.
Moving onto the bed, she motioned me to stand at the side of the frame as she changed the sheets, needing my assistance to smoothen out the surface upon tucking the corners in.
“I learned this when I started as a Room Attendant myself, some 35 years back and that is to think of your arm as an iron. You need to smooth out any fold or wrinkle you see,” said Mdm Judy.
Before I had time to wrap my head around the advice given, the room was pristine and Mdm Low was packing up to get to room number two.
Career Opportunities
Feeling the burn by my third room as I wiped the exterior of the cabinets clean, I asked Judy what the hotel offered as training. She mentioned Marriott’s Passports to Success programme which provides On-Job-Training for all in the department, as well as orientation on not just the technicalities of the post but also on departmental procedures. This month-long programme is compulsory for all who join Marriott.
The hotel had also tapped on the Devan Nair Employment and Employability Institute’s (e2i) Inclusive Growth Programme to help fund the automation called the Karcher Professional Machine that helps in effectively vacuuming carpeted flooring faster.
After completing my fourth room, I felt the opposite of all that I heard of the occupation - that it would be labourious and to an extent, not that rewarding. As contented as I was with my work though, Mdm Low laughed at my sloppy effort, and said: “As long as you’re happy like me, if you are not, then there is no point anymore.”
Source: NTUC This Week
