Hi Joana, where do you come from and how long have you been in the Gstaad region?
Hi! I’m Portuguese and I’ve been working in Gstaad since December 2022, today as a room attendant at Hotel Huus. This is my first professional experience outside of Portugal.
Did you always want to work in the hotel industry or how did it happen that you work as a chambermaid at Hotel Huus?
I actually graduated in architecture and I was practicing in this profession when I felt the need to have a change – personally and professionally – outside of my area and abroad. My boyfriend and I have a friend who has been in Gstaad for about 9 years and he encouraged us to come here. After my first season in another hotel in the region, the opportunity to work at Hotel Huus as a chambermaid came up and I thought it was a good opportunity given the conditions of the hotel.
Do you want to stay in housekeeping or make a career as a governess or supervisor for example?
This is my first contact with the housekeeping profession and so I don’t have any concrete plans within this sector. I like working as a chambermaid and growing professionally within this sector is an option. But currently I’m open to opportunities that arise along the way and that fit into my plans.
What does your normal working day look like?
My day starts at 8:45 am with a meeting with the entire team to distribute the work list and share observations for us to take into account during the day.
Then I organize the products and accessories that I will need to clean the rooms and head to the floor assigned to me.
I start by making a mental plan of how to organize my work, in order to be efficient and productive in terms of new arrivals and guests who are staying at the hotel. I try to find the best way to manage my work time to finish the rooms for new arrivals until 3pm, which is their time for check-in, and finish the service in the remaining rooms.
Once the new arrivals and the remaining rooms are finished, we start cleaning the rooms that are currently empty or where guests are expected in the next few days.
My day ends with organizing the trolley that accompanies us throughout the day with all the products, sheets, and towels we need for the rooms, refilling the cleaning products for the next day and separating all the dirty items (cloths, towels, sheets) in the laundry.
What do you like most about your job?
What I like most in this job is the satisfaction of making guests happy with a room that’s clean and tidy, meeting the particular needs of each guest and feeling that they are having a good experience in our hotel.
What’s challenging about your job?
Working as a chambermaid is physically demanding, so the biggest challenge for me is keeping up with the rhythm of work when I get tired. It can be a struggle between my body and my mind to be able to complete all the work on time.
What do you need to know to do your job well? What are personal requirements?
To do my job well I need to be able to manage the rooms assigned to me efficiently, not waste time going back and forth in the corridors, and to optimize the time I spend in each room. I need to know the products I work with and the most effective way to clean with them.
From my point of view, the necessary personal requirements are to be organized, methodical, capable of managing work according to working hours, understanding that details matter and that the guest’s experience is the most important thing and that we must to do our job to provide the best possible service.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to do sports, discover new places, read a good book, spend time with people I like, and of course I love to travel!
What do you like about Gstaad and do you have any tips for people who are new to Gstaad?
What I like most about Gstaad is all the nature that surrounds us, the landscape that almost seems like a postcard, and the quality of life and tranquility that this gives us. I also like the possibility of meeting people from all corners of the world.
Despite having been in Gstaad for a relatively short time, the tip I would give to new people here would be to take advantage of the potential of hotels in this area, to visit the beautiful places in the region, the trails and lakes. And to have a drink in the lobby of the Hotel Huus, which has an incredible view!
So what do you want to do next, what is your next goal in life?
In the short or medium term, I plan to take a degree in hotel management – that’s an area that has always interested me. However, my current focus is on acquiring new knowledge and new skills, personally and professionally.
Obrigado, Joana!
Are you looking for a job in housekeeping?
Have a look here at our current openings!