Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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I uprooted to Sutton Coldfield this week to attend an exhibition at the NEC Birmingham and although the hotel I stayed in was one of the ‘big names’ globally, my room and the outside corridor certainly wouldn’t have passed muster in terms of cleaning! Had it not been such a difficult journey up on Sunday with time spent walking around the huge show at the end of it, I’d probably have asked to change room, but I was tired... The bed was graced with a cosy duvet instead of old-fashioned sheets and a blanket and as it and the pillows were exceedingly comfy – and clearly freshly laundered - I decided to stay put. After all, another room may have proved even worse and I knew enough to wash cups etc. before use and I didn’t even bother with the TV…
As I checked out the duty manager enquired about my stay and when I said there were issues that I didn’t have time to discuss, she asked me to email – no doubt worried I’d otherwise write a bad Google, TripAdvisor or Facebook review. I wonder how many other travellers have similar experiences and resolve to write in but then don’t bother? Thank goodness the Internet makes things so easy - if enough of us complain when it’s warranted, perhaps we’ll always have rooms that delight us!
Shortly, I’m heading to London for the Golden Service Awards – set in place decades ago to celebrate the best of our nation’s cleaning services. They used to be held annually but as the programme has become so vast, an annual event is logistically impossible. The last Awards were held in 2015 and I’m wondering how much of a part, in the interim, new technology has played in sorting the winners from the runners-up.
Years ago I sat with a cleaning contractor whose site was up for an Award and was told that a cleaner had burst into tears following the judge’s on-site inspection, because the judge had wiped a clean white tissue around the curves of the intricately designed wrought iron staircase and discovered dust on it. High standards indeed…
I know which companies have made this year’s Awards shortlist - and, knowing the judging process, am fully aware of how hard they’ve worked to get there. Whether or not they end up lifting trophies today, they’re all winners in my view and I’m sure every one of them could show the management at my hotel this week a thing or two about cleaning!
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Yours,
8th March 2018