What’s one milestone in your career that you’re especially proud of?
One experience that I am most proud of during my career at Lensbury relates to an elderly hotel guest who stayed at our hotel about two years ago. After an operation, he came to recuperate and stayed for nearly three months. His family visited at least once a week, but life was quite difficult for him. I was assigned to clean his room and while cleaning is my responsibility, I also feel it is important to make guests feel welcome, cared for and at home; this is my motto. I extended extra care throughout his stay by asking regularly how he felt and whether there was anything he needed. Before leaving, he told me that he truly appreciated the service and care provided during his stay. He mentioned he had lost his will to live when he first checked in, but because of the treatment he received, he felt he wanted to live again and that life was beautiful again. To provide such a service is more important than just making the room clean!
What has your experience been like as a woman working in this industry?
My experience working in Lensbury Hotel as a woman, has been consistently good since men and women are treated equal and gender plays no part in promotion and favours.
Who are the women who have inspired you, either personally or professionally?
The first person that inspired me was a lady named Patricia Carrol, who gave me training when I started at Lensbury. She trained me everything about housekeeping but most importantly she taught me to be helpful to my colleagues. She showed me by example that it is very important to have a good understanding of the difference in culture of people, to be compassionate to our colleagues and to build unity in the workplace. She also taught me to love my job, to do the work to the best of my ability and to uphold my integrity in whatever I do.
The second person who continues to inspire me is my supervisor, Jane Grimshaw. Jane is always very calm and composed. What I learned from Jane is that all problems can be solved and that getting emotional about things will only lead me to disaster. Jane is a very reasonable person and can cope with pressure within her composed and calm personality. I have learned so much from both Patricia and Jane.
What advice would you give to women who want to enter this industry?
What I want to say is that although housekeeping is considered a blue-collar job, I am very proud to be a part of a team here at Lensbury. For those who want to work here, I want to assure them that they can hold their head up high.
