Changing dirty sheets and freshening toiletries is just a small part of a housekeeper’s job when it comes to cash-loaded clients, as these juicy insights show.
Speaking anonymously to The Hotel Show Dubai, a group of UAE-based hotel cleaners have revealed some of the odder things they’ve witnessed – including being asked to scrub clean a £20,000 designer handbag.
Another recalled being asked to make a pair of velvet loafers ‘shine’ and one maid was gobsmacked to find more than £2,000 accidentally left under a bed.
Changing dirty sheets and freshening toiletries is just a small part of a housekeeper’s job when it comes to cash-loaded clients, as these juicy insights show
Taking things up a gear, one housekeeper said that she was asked to re-carpet an entire bedroom because the guest was apparently ‘allergic’ to the flooring that was in place.
In a bid to solve the situation, she put down a linen covering in the bedroom while rugs and anti-slip mats were installed in the bathroom.
Also going above and beyond, one women recounted how she was forced to become a makeshift midwife when a pregnant guest’s baby arrived unexpectedly early.
She explained: ‘I was inspecting our rooms when I heard an unusual sound – a lady crying loudly, seeking help.
‘I called a female colleague, and together we entered the room and found that the guest was about to give birth.
‘I called for more assistance – from duty managers to security – and she eventually had a baby girl there in the room.’
One housekeeper said that she was asked to re-carpet an entire bedroom because the guest was apparently allergic to the flooring
The housekeeper said she immediately shampooed the carpet, changed all of the bed linens, and had the room perfect again in no time.
Commenting on the insights, Gary Williams, a hospitality expert who works as an events director at the Hotel Show Dubai, said: ‘The results go to prove exactly why Dubai’s vast international housekeeping teams are the backbone of the region’s world-leading holiday destination.’
In a bid to test housekeepers’ skills, the Hotel Show Dubai ran a Housekeepers League of Champions in September, with a contest to see who can fix a ransacked room the quickest.
Lakmall Mawella, a member of the competition’s judging panel, added: ‘The hotel industry keeps changing but many people think housekeeping is stagnant – it’s not. It has moved on a lot in the last decade in terms of technology and efficiency.
‘A few years back, it took one hour to clean one room – now it takes about 20 minutes.’
