Today I worked with Juliana, the Brazilian gym teacher, again for my second day of training. So far all I am allowed to do is make beds, fold things, dust and vacuum. Because Sean and I are looking at joining a gym, I asked Juliana if she was a member of one. Her response? When you work at this job you don't need to join a gym. I am quickly beginning to realize that she is right. I will be collapsing into bed somewhere around 9:30 tonight and I haven't even worked on my own or cleaned a bathroom yet.
They take housekeeping REALLY seriously at this hotel. For one thing, it's brand new and only opened a few months ago and since this is a resort city, they have some stiff compeititon from several other luxury hotels in the area. But so far they are doing well here and hope to get really busy as ski season approaches.
Every morning we have a briefing with the executive housekeeper. We all stand around in our little gray uniforms and listen to our supervisor talk about things like polishing ice buckets, replacing the proper number of ammentities and new protocol for robe placement in the wardrobe. It's as if I have entered into another world entirely. But since this brand has a reputation to uphold, everybody works really hard and each person has two rooms randomally inspected each day. Aparently it's paid off. As of now, this hotel is in the top ten cleanest Hiltons (rated by guests) in the world.
All this cleanliness comes at a price though. For me that means spending the required 45 min. (45 min!) in each room that is being cleaned for the next person. For the guest, that means nightly rates of over $300, minimum. All the rooms include views of the lake, fireplaces, showers with full bathtubs (some have outdoor hot tubs), king beds, and two flat screen TVs. The hotel complex includes 7 different restaurnts and bars, a pool, a spa, and a movie theater. You can take a water taxi from the Hilton right to the pier at downtown Queenstown. It's all pretty snazzy - come and visit!
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