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Chona Ogilvie Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour
Sheraton, Darling Harbour (one of nine brands operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts).
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hona Ogilvie is the Executive Housekeeper at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, a 630 room 4star property located in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Talking to Chona, you understand fairly quickly that she has a passion for Housekeeping and this is reflected in the fact that she has just been elected the new President of the Professional Housekeepers Association of NSW (PHAN). Chona, originally from the Philippines, lived in a small country town with her grandparents. When she applied as a Room Attendant in 1983 the Human Resources Manager doubted that she can do the job. Not to be defeated she told the HR manager that if she could look after farm animals she could clean rooms! She offered to prove her worth by cleaning rooms without pay and said the calluses on her hands proved that she was a hard worker... she was asked to start the following Monday! Chona has been married for 33 years, has 2 children aged 28 and 31, both of whom have finished their degrees and contribute to society in a positive way volunteering for charity organisations that benefit other people less fortunate and her pride is noted in her voice. When she was asked what are her hobbies she said “work” but also she enjoys different styles of dancing except slow dance. Chona has been in the hospitality industry for 27 years commencing in 1983 as a Room Attendant at the Airport Hilton, Sydney and was quickly promoted to Housekeeping Supervisor. In 1991Chona moved to the Hotel Nikko Darling Harbour and worked as part of the pre- opening team. Almost immediately Chona was promoted to the position of Assistant Housekeeper and 3 year later took on the role of Executive Housekeeper. In May 2000, the hotel was sold to GPT and rebranded as the Four Points by
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| Vol 14 No. 1 |
The Executive Housekeeper
Chona describes her transition from Hotel Nikko to Four Points as difficult but every time she felt overwhelmed the management team were there to give direction, support and provide encouragement. Chona acknowledges that the reason she enjoys working for the Four Points is because of the “family” environment and most of all the incredible support she has within her team, she wouldn’t be able to perform her responsibilities without their commitment and dedication. We asked Chona about her biggest challenge, Time Management! “All of my staff are staff are self checkers who must be fully responsible for the quality of the room cleanliness and presentation. I have four Assistant Housekeepers who are responsible for the daily operation including random room checks and that is quite a challenge with 630 rooms.When problems arise I personally address the issue with the self checker to ensure quality control and increase guest satisfaction” Chona controls the roster and manpower levels of her 85 staff using the services of outsourced manpower as a “top up” when occupancy is high so that a seamless service is delivered to all guests. Chona adores working for Four Points and credits the company with all the knowledge and skills she has acquired. She describes her role as running her own business, ordering and purchasing all supplies for Housekeeping, contracts, recruitment and managing payroll. Her development as a leader was assisted through structured in house training developed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts and facilitated at property level. Four Points provides numerous development programs including the opportunity to progress through all levels of the Starwood Cares Leadership University. The program combines several leadership courses focused on developing Starwood’s high potential staff . In addition Starwood’s mandatory Brand Training ensures their leaders build a culture of performance, accountability, trust & credibility and collaboration. Chona enjoys great management support from within the hotel and this enables her to create unique incentive schemes for her department. Examples of this is being able to take her staff
in rotation to “Breakfast with the stars” –simply to have breakfast at the hotel as a motivational exercise and chat on a personal level. Her four Assistant Housekeepers implemented a competition between floors to encourage teamwork including a competition for the “best trolley presentation” and “best pantry” awards. The winner receives a “care share cheque” a points system whereby the staff can redeem points for Myer vouchers, complimentary accommodation in the hotel or dine in the restaurant. When guests mention staff by name, they receive a “service hero” certificate signed by the General Manager with a “care share cheque”. Chona says that being a Room Attendant is not a job for everyone, it is physically demanding and the least she can do is create a happy working environment with the help of her Assistant Housekeepers. She believes everybody should enjoy coming to work because if the staff are unhappy the job will seem 10 times harder! (sounds like good advice I think!) Chona is assisted by an electronic document management system, “INVU” implemented by Four Points and unique to the hospitality industry. The system gives access to all necessary information including tracking purchase orders, lost property, applying for leave on line, reporting maintenance and recording incidents so that all departments can follow up at any time. In true Four Points style it is uncomplicated, totally paperless and easily tracked. In her new role as President of P.H.A.N., Chona urges General Managers, Hotel Managers and Rooms Directors to encourage their Executive Housekeepers, Assistants and Supervisors to join the association. Upon joining the association everyone can take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and best practices. Chona recognises that there is a need for all Housekeeping departments to be viewed as a true business partner and acknowledged for their contribution to the operation. Her principle is that no one can take away the knowledge and skills that you acquire but it can be shared to anyone who wishes to learn. We wish her well in her new role with PHAN. n