Deaf Housekeeper Awarded $5,000 In Cintas Nationwide Contest

Cintas Corporation recently announced the grand-prize winner and runners-up of the 2021 Cintas S.H.I.N.E. (Star Housekeepers In a New Era) Award.

The grand-prize winner, Miriam Rodriguez Alvarez, a housekeeper at Best Western Plus Villa Del Lago Inn in Patterson, California, won the $5,000 cash prize and her property will receive a comprehensive product, training and consultation package from Cintas and its business partners.

“We received inspiring nominations about hardworking housekeepers from hotels across the country, many of whom were the only ones available to clean for much of the pandemic due to furloughs and layoffs,” says Nicole Beall, Cintas Senior Director – Hospitality & Gaming Enterprise. “These employees not only rose to the challenge of maintaining new standards of cleanliness, but did so with smiles on their faces and ongoing enthusiasm for their important jobs.”

According to her manager, Miriam “has changed the housekeeping department for the better.” In her nomination, her hotel’s management also noted that Miriam strives for perfection in cleanliness, and although she is deaf, she does not allow it to be an obstacle. She always has a positive attitude and frequently goes the extra mile to communicate with, and show appreciation for, hotel guests. They noted that she helps lift employee morale and has been instrumental in upholding cleanliness for the property during the pandemic.

The Best Western Plus Villa Del Lago Inn will also receive:  

• $2,500 in cleaning and hygiene products and services from Cintas

• A training and development package from the Indoor Environmental Healthcare and Hospitality Association (IEHA), a Division of ISSA, valued at $3,500

• A package from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, that includes a GBAC on-site consultation and enrollment in the GBAC Fundamentals Course 2.0, valued at $3,300

• A comprehensive product package from Rubbermaid Commercial Products, valued at more than $2,300

The nine runners-up, who each receive a $500 cash prize, and additional prizes for their property, are:

• Angel Alsina at Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Myers, Florida

• Calandra Sampson at Days Hotel Flagstaff in Flagstaff, Arizona

• Cathy Rogers at Best Western Plus Morristown Inn in Morristown, New Jersey

• Jaime Meraz at Viceroy Snowmass in Snowmass Village, Colorado

• Lorena Perales at Airlie in Warrenton, Virginia.

• Makinson Sido at Pelican Grand Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida  

• Marie Rousseau at Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida

• Shirley Chen at Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco

• Yen Nguyen at Motif Seattle, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel in Seattle

The grand-prize winner and the nine runners-up were selected by a panel of judges that included hospitality expert and television and podcast host Anthony Melchiorri, and representatives from Cintas, IEHA, GBAC and Rubbermaid Commercial Products.

To learn more, visit cintas.com/SHINEAwards/.