Young hotel staff bringing clean towels and other supplies

We are celebrating International Housekeepers Week (Sept. 10-15) to again recognize the contribution cleaners make in a range of industries. Spearheaded by the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) in 1981, this celebration is marked during the second week in September to highlight the professionals who maintain clean, safe and healthy environments.

"As Executive Director of IEHA, I am so excited to be celebrating Housekeepers/Environmental Services Week. I am proud to announce that IEHA fought to establish this annual week that is celebrated globally each year during the second week of September," Michael Patterson said in a message to members.

During this week, schools, healthcare facilities, office buildings and the hospitality industry are taking time to recognize the hard work of their environmental services staffs.
 
Hilton, for instance, shared a number of ways that its individual hotels have recognized their housekeeping staffs:

• Hampton Inn by Hilton Indianapolis organized a car wash. Housekeepers relaxed with refreshments while managers washed their cars.

• The engineering team at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tucson at Reid Park gave all the vacuums and carts a good cleaning and tune-up, so they worked as good as new. They also wrote personal thank-you notes to the housekeeping team.

• Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Pigeon Forge On The Parkway (Tenn.) treated housekeepers to onsite spa treatments such as heated neck wraps, cooling eye treatments, hand and foot treatments, exfoliating treatments and tips on relaxation techniques.

Hilton also uses the week for skill-building opportunities, The company suggests its hotels hide  “Hotel Dollars” in guest rooms before they’re cleaned during International Housekeeping Week, choosing areas that may be overlooked. At the end of the week, housekeepers can trade the play money in for prizes.