TORONTO — More than 260 hospitality professionals gathered last week on June 3, 2024 at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto for Hotelier’s ninth-annual Housekeeping Forum and the Greater Toronto Hotel Association’s (GTHA) third-annual Hotel Summit, marking Hotelier’s first hybrid event in partnership with the GTHA.
The event opened with a networking breakfast and welcoming remarks from Rob Housez, general manager, Chelsea Hotel, Toronto; Rosanna Caira, editor/publisher, Hotelier magazine; and Sara Anghel, president & CEO, GTHA.
“In creating the Housekeeping Forum several years ago, Hotelier wanted it to be a testament to our commitment to recognize and foster the immense value that housekeeping professionals bring to our industry,” said Caira. “By now combining our two conferences into one, we allow housekeeping professionals to better understand the various complex issues and challenges that hoteliers are facing and we allow general managers and other hotel executives to better understand the issues shaping the housekeeping department, from the perspectives of their own housekeeping team. We think it’s a win-win.”
“As we approach the 100-year anniversary of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, it’s more important than ever to honour the legacy of excellence that our members represent,” said Anghel. “GTHA has always championed the importance of every role within our hotels. By bringing together housekeeping professionals and hotel executives, we’re not only celebrating the hard work and dedication of our teams but also fostering a deeper understanding and collaboration that will drive our industry forward. In combining our two events, this conference provides an important platform for all of us to engage, learn and build a future where every member of our hotel family thrives. Together, we’re shaping the next century of excellence for the industry. We look forward to continuing to grow this relationship through future initiatives.”
Following the opening remarks, keynote speaker, leadership coach and creator of Signature Leadership Jamie Mason Cohen talked about how the hospitality industry can ensure it cares for its people. Drawing from his work experience at Saturday Night Live in New York, Cohen provided the audience with three guiding principles to set the tone for the rest of the day: relate like a friend, re-tell like a storyteller and restore like a leader. He also showed how a person’s strengths and weaknesses can be identified through their handwriting.
The first panel of the morning, Sustainable Hospitality: Navigating the Green Future, was moderated by Edwin Frizzell, regional VP, Central Canada, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and general manager, Fairmont Royal York. The panel featured Angela Nagy, founder and CEO, GreenStep Solutions Inc. and Georgy Pyle, Sustainability manager, Fairmont Royal York and KML Top-30-Under-30 winner/valedictorian for 2024.
Nagy opened up the discussion with the first definition of sustainable development from the 1980s by the Brundtland Commission. “Sustainable development was defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,’” she said.
Then, Nagy outlined some ways to measure sustainability within the tourism-and-hospitality sector, such as certification programs, energy assessments, social and cultural audits and more, adding that GreenStep Solutions Inc. is Rainbow Registered and also a living wage-certified employer.
Nagy continued, “Instead of thinking about sustainability as this big mountain that we need to overcome, what if we thought about it as an enabler? What if we looked at becoming more sustainable as a way to operate more efficiently, cut costs to improve profitability and meet growing consumer and corporate demand to attract top talent through value proposition?”
Pyle agreed. “Sustainability is a prominent focus among younger generations when we’re looking at our career paths and trying to carve out that future journey for ourselves. [During school,] I recognized the positioning of our industry as a powerful motivator for positive change.”
Then, Pyle shared the sustainability model at the Fairmont Royal York. She said at the centre of the model is people and nature. Outside, there are three key pillars: stay, eat and explore. She said the stay pillar involves looking at the impacts of the hotel itself, including energy and water usage; eat pillar involves initiatives such as food-waste reduction and sourcing; and explore pillar involves biodiversity, community giving and more.
“A big focus at the Fairmont Royal York under the stay pillar is energy use/reduction,” said Pyle. “Previously, steam represented about 88 per cent of our carbon emissions for the hotel, but reducing our reliance on steam and shifting over to other systems allowed us to reduce our direct emissions by 80 per cent.”
The second panel of the morning, The Future of Housekeeping: Trends & Innovations, was moderated by Caira and featured Lewis Bold Wark, executive housekeeper, Hilton Toronto; Lindsay Webster, director of Housekeeping, Delta Toronto; Anne Szuroczki, director of Environmental Services, EVS, Niagara Fallsview Casino; and Heather Richardson, Operations manager, Courtyard by Marriott Oshawa.
The panellists began by identifying some of the trends they noticed coming out of the pandemic that have impacted the housekeeping department.
“We struggled with staffing levels. A lot of people would attend an interview, be invited to join the team and then never show up,” said Bold Wark. “We had many positions posted and received very few resumés, but we’re seeing a better job market now. The only place I’m not seeing that movement now is trying to hire leaders. We have a lot of interest from entry-level leaders but when it comes to hiring mid-level leaders, such as executive housekeepers and housekeeping manager, it’s been a struggle.”
Other trends included more training to keep up with guest expectations and sustainability practices, such as increased adoption of eco-friendly cleaning products, recycling and minimizing waste.
The panel concluded with a discussion about challenges and opportunities in the housekeeping department in the future.
Other than labour shortages, Bold Wark said there’s a shifting demographic. “There are a lot of housekeepers who are extremely passionate about the quality of cleanliness in hotel rooms but they’re reaching retirement age,” he said. “On the flip side, we have this new cohort of candidates coming in who are also incredible team members but their focus is very different. Generally, they’re not looking at a housekeeper or room attendant position as their last job.”
“Speedy service is a challenge,” said Szuroczki. “Guests want immediacy and doing that while maintaining our high standards isn’t always easy.”
On a positive note, Richardson said her team “is working with a lot more technology now, so there’s an opportunity to build excitement and bring new tools to the team. Moving forward, I think technology will make things a lot easier for the department and perhaps less path breaking.”
Additionally, Webster said the hotel “started offering flexible working arrangements for our senior room attendants so they can have an extra day off without having to worry about using a sick day.”
Before breaking for lunch, Sabrina Kamann, director of Market Management, Priceline delivered a presentation on industry trends. Overall, Kamann said the millennial generation wants to travel and has a lot of money to spend on travel. They’re also the first generation that’s comfortable booking trips online. Other trends included trip planning as part of entertainment through apps such as TikTok; exploring destinations and attractions that are less known; and planning trips around an event, with concerts or sports games serving as a starting point.
For coverage of the event’s afternoon sessions, check out the Thursday edition of Hospitality Headlines.
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