CH&LA Lodging News Jan/Feb 2018

10 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com Carl Holmes Director of Housekeeping, West Inn & Suites HOTELIER PROFILE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND BACKGROUND. I started in the hospitality industry about 27 years ago. At times, holding down more than one job at a time. I have never been afraid to start at the bottom to learn my way up. This has served me well as I’ve served as a Bellperson, Night Audit, Front Desk Associate and then managed front desk operations. I began my tenure at the West Inn & Suites managing the Front Desk in 2006, then went to housekeeping since it was a larger department, and working closely with the front desk sold me on taking on a new challenge in 2008. WHAT AWARDS HAVE YOU AND YOUR PROPERTY WON? Recipient of: • CH&LA—Manager of the Year- Small Property 2008 • Visit Carlsbad—Manager of the Year-Small Property 2008 • Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition 2010 • California Senate Select Committee on Autism & Related Disorders for Excellence in Employment Award 2010 • California Senate Resolution 2012 for training and working with the San Dieguito Union High School District for training life skills through the Workability Program HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSEKEEPING AT THE WEST INN AND SUITES? I have been in this position for nine years. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF BEING A DIRECTOR OF HOUSEKEEPING? My favorite part of being a Director of Housekeeping is making an impact on my employee’s daily lives and wowing our guests. WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT SKILLS AND TRAITS FOR SOMEONE WORKING IN HOUSEKEEPING TO HAVE? You have to love and be passionate about cleaning. You can’t be afraid to get dirty. Being approachable and willing to smile is a must! While you may have most of your evenings for family and friends, this job requires dedication and commitment to excellence. This means being ready to work weekends and every holiday. It’s not easy. WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN YOUR JOB? Applicants that cannot yet speak English. We help teach them. Also, finding applicants with proper documentation to work in the United States. I have had to turn away a lot of good people. Also, because we have an award winning hotel, it’s always hard to lose good employees, or as we say, family members. WHAT IS A TYPICAL WORK DAY LIKE FOR YOU? Every day is 10 plus hours. I don’t disconnect until I have a day off. It’s the nature of the business. I’m connected with my employees and the hotel 24 hours per day. As a leader, you don’t disengage. My day starts with opening and assigning work to the team at the 8:00 am team meeting and daily assignments. I walk all departments within the property and help assist wherever the department is lacking. I attend meetings with department heads, train employees, inspect rooms, monitor quality control, conduct monthly inventories and purchasing, edit schedules, handle guest inquiries and complaints, and much more! WHAT TOOLS OR TRAINING DO YOU USE TO MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER? Tools: 9 9 Safety Committee Member 9 9 Opera for scheduling and forecasting 9 9 ADP for Payroll 9 9 Excel for spreadsheets and inventory 9 9 Fix-It for maintenance issues 9 9 AH&LA/CH&LA Videos 9 9 Risk Management & Security WebCast’s Training: 9 9 As a team we all abide by our West Village Service—Mission and Vision Statements 9 9 We are committed to our Eight Service Standards and Leadership Standards 9 9 Consistently and constantly updated in-house training manuals 9 9 Mentorships—every new team member is assigned a mentor WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN ENTERING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY? Be ready to work, available and hungry to learn. You must love people and provide them with a hospitable experience. Our West Inn and Suites Motto: “One Team, One Heartbeat.” 