“ Amusing anecdote about housekeeping ”

I came across an amusing story about a maid on a thread, and so I though I would share one of my own. This came from one of my TR’s in May 2006 when we stayed at Mandalay Bay.

After getting ready to head out, I went in search of our maid. The do not disturb sign sits on our door in the morning while we are at the pool, but I wanted to make sure our room was cleaned in the afternoon.

We had met the maid the day before, said hello, and realized she didn’t speak any English. I now found her cleaning the suite at the end of the hall.

Our ensuing conversation could be a skit on Saturday Night Live.

“Can you please clean room 28211 before 3 o’clock?” in English.

Quizzical look in return.

“Room 28211?” Repeating the number didn’t help. At least I am smart enough to know speaking louder doesn’t help either.

“28211” this time in Spanish. Growing up in SF I learned how to count & make change in ½ a dozen languages.

This time I get a smile.

Now I pick up her room list and point to our room number.

She smiles.

I hand her $5 and say “Before 3 o’clock”.

She smiles and says “Yes, next”.

I’m sure she is a very nice lady and she does her job well. But if you ever leave a note for the maid requesting something special, and you think you were just ignored, this is probably the reason why.

Maybe others have any amusing anecdote to share.

Housekeepers can provide better customer service with ESL. www.englishsolutions.biz

“Housekeeping Walked In On My Bath”

…The second day there, we did not want or need housekeeping, and I went in to take a bubble bath. The lady came to the door, at my husband’s request, to drop off some towels, and apparently she barged into the room under the guise of picking up used towels, “straightening up”, or something—all of a sudden, as I lay soaking, reading my book, I heard my husband lamely say, “My wife’s in there…”, and the next thing I knew, a stranger entered the bathroom, picked up towels from the floor, and left. I am no prude, but who wants staff walking in on them when they are trying to relax? …

“Very odd stay– housekeeping wakeup call!”

… 7:55am, I get a knock on the door, awakened I walk to the door & just as I look through the peep hole someone puts a card in the door & begins to push open, I held the door & said may I help you?… the answer: housekeeping… seriously? I said but I’m still in here! She said “I will come back”… bizarre to say the least, never had housekeeping walk in on me before, poor communication with housekeeping & front desk because I obviously hadn’t checked out!…

“Stay away!”

… The next morning housekeeping walked in on me changing clothes. Pretty much just opened the door and was there. Luckily I’m not that shy but still…

The entire hotel operation seems to be lacking in management especially with housekeeping…

Seriously, stay away from this property at all costs!! You can do much better nearby in the same price range.

“TINY rooms”

… Also, SOME of the staff was really really pushy. For example, housekeeping walked in on me sleeping, apologized, and then went right away to the reception where she called me twice to tell me they wanted to tidy up the room (it was already cleaned for the day and they just saw me sleeping)…

Avoid comments like these on your Tripadvisor reports. Consider on- the- job ESL training www.englishsolutions.biz

A young Indian man with heavy dark red eyes is finishing his night shift. He is the hotel manager filling in for the receptionist. The reception area is bright and welcoming. He works in an elegant hotel. I am standing in line behind a customer, observing. The customer looks upset. The manager greets the customer with his best forced smile. After receiving the room key from the customer, he asks politely, “How was your stay?”

“It was great until the housekeeper walked in on me while I was getting dressed.”

Hesitant to respond, the manager replies, “I am very sorry about that.”

“Well, it happened.”

The room seems a bit darker now. It’s also uncomfortably quiet. The manager says, “Good bye,” to the customer, and the customer leaves, without saying anything.

Some hotels prefer their housekeepers to be seen and not heard. The problem is, after a guest interacts with the front desk, the housekeepers are seen in the hallways or in their living quarters. They are often asked for assistance, and with limited English, there is little that they can offer as far as communication and customer service.

According to BusinessDictionary.com, a frontline operator is a “sales or service personnel, or other employee who deals directly with customers and acts as a communication medium between them and the firm.”

Housekeepers are the least acknowledged frontline operators in the hotel. They often speak limited English, and are inadequately trained to handle this role.

For example, in the previously described scenario, the housekeeper did not have the English skills needed to request permission to enter the room or understand the customer’s response, which lead to disaster. This clearly made the customer uncomfortable and unhappy.

There are three things that hotel housekeepers should be able to do in order to enhance customer service and experience.

Housekeepers should be able to:

• Greet guests
• Communicate and comprehend customer requests
• Address concerns when a customer is unhappy

If English is not the first language of a hotel’s housekeeping or service staff, then you should consider ESL training for your staff.  With ESL training, your employees will be able to communicate better. They will be able to welcome guests to the hotel and greet guests warmly. They will be able to make requests, like, “May I enter?” They will also be able to comprehend customer requests and address concerns made by unhappy customers. With ESL training, scenarios such as the one described previously in this article will be avoided.

Wyatt Chambers has been teaching ESL using modern methods and technologies for more than 10 years in the industry. Got ESL? Call Wyatt at 1 (657) 888- 4ESL

According to the EEOC website:

• An employer may not base a decision on an employee’s foreign accent unless the accent materially interferes with job performance.
• A fluency requirement is only permissible if required for the effective performance of the position for which it is imposed.
• English-only rules must be adopted for nondiscriminatory reasons. An English-only rule may be used if it is needed to promote the safe or efficient operation of the employer’s business.

Instead of asking employees to speak English Only, why not offer tools that can help strengthen their English skills, like ESL training. www.englishsolutions.biz

October 13 1994, the teamsters union filed civil-rights charges against a Walt Disney World, contending that its “English only” policies discriminated against the hotel’s Hispanic housekeeping and laundry workers.

The hotel knew that many employees spoke no English but offered them a training manual that was printed in English Only. One sentence in Spanish was placed at the end of the job manual, saying that the employee acknowledged receipt of the handbook, and responsibility for the information included.

A spokesman for the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel said yesterday that it had no “English only” policy.

He acknowledged, however, that the job manual as well as many safety warnings that manufacturers post on hazardous products were in English only.

Many companies use ESL training to avoid these types of controversies.

English as a Second Language (ESL) training could have fully eliminated these complaints.

ESL services include translation of safety material as well as implementation of English classes geared towards improving communication and safety. Many hotels have benefited from this type of training because on- the- job ESL has proven to increase communication, customer service, retention, safety, and morale.

Got ESL? Check out www.englishsolutions.biz

Many companies are now hiring people from different ethnic backgrounds and languages. In result, communication is often difficult for both the employers and the employees.

The employees who are having a hard time communicating clearly in English have difficulty presenting their ideas effectively. Unable to fully participate in the workplace leaves workers who speak limited English feeling depressed and frustrated.

Poor communication can lead to inefficient production. Employers have to take the time to explain and possibly re-explain how things are supposed to be done.

Another problem that employers face is difficulty promoting employees that speak limited English even if employees are highly skilled in other areas. This directly affects company morale and retention. If employees do not receive recognition for their achievements or do not see a clear career pathway for them to move forward, they often leave, or they simply stop caring.

Without ESL training, employers are receiving a negative return on their investment, actually costing them time and money.

Limited English – Motivation= Less Profits

One of the best things that employers can do is incorporate an ESL training program. Ultimately ESL training will improve English communication. Improved communication will enhance company efficiency. Employees will be able to communicate their ideas better, and employers will not have to re-explain their ideas.

ESL training has also been proven to improve employee retention. If employees find a pathway to reach set goals within the company, they are more likely to stay and increase in their overall value for the company.

Promotions will be easier for employers because there will be an increase in the pool of suitable candidates.

With ESL training, employers are receiving higher return for their investment.

More English + Motivation= More Profit

www.englishsolutions.biz is the number 1 recommended resource for workplace ESL.