Canberra QT Hotel’s Emma Searle was named Housekeeper of the Year at the annual Australian Hotel Association ACT awards last week. She is congratulated by Bivek Poudyal, ACT general manager for LUXXE Outsourced Hotel Services. Photo: AHA.
It takes special skills to be named among the best in your industry. Just ask assistant housekeeping manager Emma Searle from QT Canberra.
She was presented with the “Best Housekeeper” title at the 2024 Australian Hotels Association’s ACT awards night.
Emma, who has worked at the QT Canberra since 2012, said she was proud to receive the award which was made in recognition of her outstanding contribution in the field.
And it’s not all about ensuring beds have hospital corners or folding toilet paper the right way – it’s more a matter of expecting the unexpected when you’re in charge of keeping house in a major hotel.
Asked what was one of the strangest things she’d dealt with in the job, Emma said a cat hidden by a hotel guest in luggage and snuck into the room.
“The guest – and the cat – ended up both spending the night at the hotel,” Emma said, “but the guest was charged with an extra cleaning fee.”
As housekeeper in a big city hotel, Emma said her day typically started at about 7 am when she prepared tasks and assignments for staff. She spent the rest of the day planning weekly rosters, ordering stock, checking in with her team and managing the day and any problems it brought.
“I love my job,” she said. “My favourite part is to motivate the team to be the best they can be.”
She said that was to provide the best guest experience. Her least favourite part was the long hours.
Emma said “exceptional attention to detail” made a good housekeeper.
“Also to be efficient and effective with my time management. I absolutely thrive in a fast-paced environment and love the rush.”
QT Canberra’s signature restaurant, Capitol Bar & Grill, won the Best Wine List award.
“I’m so proud of our wine list,” restaurant manager and sommelier Ashleigh Smith said. “It has been curated to highlight exceptional wines from around the world, including aged selections and proudly showcases the incredible diversity of wines from the Canberra wine district.
“Crafting this list was a labour of love, blending the best of both worlds to offer our guests a truly unique and memorable wine experience.”
QT Canberra general manager Stephen Hollow said to be recognised twice at the awards was “a true testament to our people”.
“We are honoured,” he said. “This is a remarkable accomplishment given the calibre of talent in this industry.”
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