Housekeeping Heroes

MICHEALA SLAPAKOVA

Senior Room Attendant

I’m originally from Slovakia where I worked as a piano teacher. I moved to Scotland to study music and took on a part-time housekeeping job at Gleneagles. As soon as I joined, I was so proud to work within such a lovely team. Every single employee at the hotel is valued and it’s wonderful to work with such supportive colleagues.

My ambition for every room I prepare at Gleneagles is to clean and present it with the same passion and care that I would take to prepare a room for my family.

I’m not only asking myself, “has every section been cleaned?”; “are the pillows perfectly square to the head board?”; or “are the towels arranged beautifully?”; when I finish preparing a room, I ask myself “would I like my own mother to stay here?” Only when the answer is “yes”, is the room finished.

I’m very observant, highly organised and like things to be perfect. I check everything – every single surface, window pane, bathroom tile and each square inch of bed linen several times – to make sure everything is perfect. Often I will even move to various places in the room to see how an item – a newspaper, a teaspoon, or a cushion – looks from every angle.

It’s one of the most important roles in the hotel because we’re helping our guests have a lovely time at Gleneagles. When they are happy, then I am happy.

I love children, and when I make their beds, I like to fold their clothes beautifully or arrange their toys for them in a way that will surprise or delight them, so that they are happy guests too. Last week, I tucked one little girl’s toys in a hand towel, and folded it up like a little cosy bed, so it looked as though they had gone for an afternoon nap. It’s going above and beyond like this that makes all the difference.

JAN OTAHAL

House Porter 

I was studying Sport and Fitness at Perth College and wanted a part-time job, so I applied to work within the housekeeping team at Gleneagles.

The flexibility of shifts was ideal for fitting around my studies, because you can work hours that suit your other commitments.  What also appealed to me were the incredible career development opportunities, not just in housekeeping, but in other departments across the estate. You might join as a housekeeper, and then decide after a while that you’d like to gain experience in a different team and Gleneagles will always be supportive in helping you achieve your ambitions.  For example, my girlfriend worked here as a Room Attendant but she moved to become a childcare assistant in the hotel’s creche, so the opportunities for progression are superb.

After completing my studies, I was promoted to a full-time House Porter. My job is to make sure that all the items our guests need – slippers, bath robes, water, towels, extra beds, cots – are ready for our Room Attendants to prepare the bedrooms.  You’re working to precision and accuracy and with the highest attention to detail, but you also need to be effective because you’re working to a timescale to ensure each room is ready at the right time.

My favourite part of the job is making our guests happy. I feel so satisfied and proud to know that everything I do is helping our guests have lovely memories of their stay. I also love the supportive and caring spirit in our housekeeping team. We all look out for each other and if one member of the team has finished their tasks, he or she will then help another member of the team to complete their tasks.

DENISE SCOUGALL

Housekeeping Supervisor 

I’ve always been passionate about keeping things tidy and clean – my family would say I’m a bit obsessed – so housekeeping is the perfect career for me.

I’ve worked at Gleneagles for nearly a decade. I first joined as a Room Attendant when I was 16, doing turn-down at the weekends, and then later, after I became a mum, I worked hours to fit around my son’s days at nursery and school.  Once he started high school, I was able to top up my hours, and take on more responsibility as a supervisor.  Housekeeping is really superb for giving you that kind of flexibility.

We’ve got a really supportive team and we all get on really well with each other. To be an outstanding housekeeper you need great attention to detail and well-honed organisation skills.  It’s hard work, but, if you thrive under pressure, it’s the most satisfying job in the world.  I love the sense of achievement when you’ve cleaned and tidied a room from top to bottom and everything is fresh and clean. There’s no better feeling!

The best thing about working here is meeting our lovely guests. Over the years, you get to know the families who come back every year, and watch their children grow up, and then eventually meet the grandchildren. You build a relationship with these families because they often like to return to the same bedroom year after year, and you know how they like their towels set out, which pillows they prefer, how many extra sugars they take with their coffee and how many shortbread biscuits they enjoy in the afternoon.  It’s so satisfying to prepare a room just how a guest likes it before they’ve even asked! Going the extra mile to create the wow factor moments for a guest, and seeing how happy it makes them, is what gets me up in the morning and truly inspires me every day.