By TEAM HANSEL

Intan (left) and Nurul Hasikin are part of the team involved in the housekeeping duties.

HOME is where the heart is but for guests who stay in Hotel on the Park at Resorts World Genting, they need not worry about getting homesick.

Thanks to its 50-odd housekeeping employees overseeing 271 rooms spread out over eight floors, the hotel provides a homey atmosphere for guests to enjoy a soothing holiday.

“We make sure the rooms are in tip-top condition,” said Mohd Khairudin, who has been in the housekeeping industry for 17 years.

He has slowly worked his way up to becoming an assistant housekeeper at the hotel. While the housekeeping team works hard to maintain the cleanliness and comfort of the hotel, the management makes sure that any difficulties faced are not overlooked.

In order to overcome the language barrier between the local and foreign contract workers, effective solutions have been introduced, including a translation code that allows the housekeeping team to identify and report defects more easily. For instance, the facilities in the rooms are labelled and a glossary is outlined in order to bridge the gap between the management and the housekeeping staff members, and to prevent any misunderstandings that may cause hiccups in the hotel system.

“They would tell us that the sink was broken, when in reality, it was only leaking,” said Cheras-born rooms division manager Suzanna Ooi.

Nurul Hasikin Abu Hasan, the hotel’s supervising housekeeper and Intan Nur Massyahira Mohd Zainal, a regular housekeeping staff member, also shared their experience. “I’m still considered new. So during the first month of the opening of this hotel, I learnt a lot of new things like serving the customers and delivering the supplies quickly,” Intan said.

In the case of finding defects such as stained linen or faulty kettles, modifications would be done immediately. “We’ll do touch-ups again and again.

Sometimes if it’s still not good enough, we have to keep doing it,” Nurul Hasikin said. She conceded that housekeeping can be stressful at times, especially when there are irrational and irresponsible guests. “I have found baby or infant excrement (soiled diapers) and vomit on the floors during my time here,” Intan said. However, she cleans the rooms without complaint, as she knows that it is her responsibility.

Nurul Hasikin, who is also in charge of setting up the VVIP rooms, revealed that the arrangement of the room is much more detailed than the rest.

They should be in “tiptop condition with little to no defects”, hence requiring extra attention to the minor details. Ooi believes that meeting new people is the highlight of working here. Since the hotel accommodates many “repeat guests”, they form a certain bonding with the members of the staff, thus making it a memorable overall working experience.

However, dealing with different people with varying personalities may also be a challenge for the housekeeping team. Intan has learnt to cope with guests’ complaints over the months. “We always learn something new from our mistakes. I take advice and comments with an open heart because I know that I still lack experience in this field,” she said, adding that her team members feel touched when guests appreciate their hard work.

Ooi said that the customers’ satisfaction and enjoyment during their stay is the driving force that makes the staff members want to further improve their services and facilities. “Even if our hotel gets a two or three-star rating, I’m fine with it. As long as the customers are happy, we are happy.”