217034639

DASWA SM DPHM19 WIL ASS 2

WIL ASSIGNMENT 2

ESSAY: MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE REGARDING WIL

DPHM19

217034639 DASWA SM

HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT SCIENCES

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Reflection
Thoughtful thinking, mainly about possibilities that might take place and opinions
based on belief and judgement.
Critical thinking
Is debating, analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and being able to come up with a
conclusion.

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My Personal experience regarding experiential

learning

As a hospitality management student, I have been given an opportunity to go

experience the working environment of the hospitality industry. I am currently doing
my work integrated learning at one of the leading hotels in Pretoria, Sheraton hotel.

The hotel was established in October 1999, it has 175 rooms designed to give
comfort to guests. It has a lounge, pool, Wi-Fi, fitness (gym), spa, presidential suite,
saloon, and restaurant just to name a few, making it a 5-star rated hotel.

The hotel is luxurious, has a well-appointed staff and various departments for it to
remain sophisticated. The staff is well trained for each appointed department thus
the hotel has successful operations. There are 6 hotel operation departments in
Sheraton.

These departments include:

 management and finance,

 reservations and marketing,
 food and beverage,
 housekeeping,
 security,
 and maintenance department.

The departments that I got the opportunity to work on so far is the housekeeping
department, and the food and beverage department. There are a lot of different
things that I have learnt in each department, and still learning.
The first department I was introduced to is the housekeeping department. There are
different sections at the department which include:
 the executive housekeeper office,
 hotel room cleaning and preparation (room attendants),
 supervisors (quality control and maintenance),
 the public area,
 and laundry room.

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During my first two weeks I was assigned to assist room attendants when they were
given duties to clean rooms. Over two weeks, I have learned the correct way to
prepare, clean and inspect a guest room. There is a standard procedure every
morning before the executive housekeeper assigns duties. A brief meeting is held,
room attendants are given worksheets with all the rooms that need to be cleaned.
The worksheet that the room attendants are given have the total number of rooms to
be cleaned, the number of guests that departed, vacated rooms, occupied rooms,
and dirty rooms. This list is created by the executive housekeeper or supervisors
using opera.

Reference: Daswa SM. (2023) Housekeeping worksheet. Sheraton hotel.

I had the opportunity to learn how opera works and I was also assigned as a junior
supervisor of the day. I had to inspect all the ready cleaned rooms and repunish little
mistakes that were made.
In my observation, the brief meeting was not only about assigning duties but also a
way to create a bond amongst colleagues. The other use of the briefing was to
address issues faced when attending guest rooms, to give ideas and suggestions
and to give recognition to employees that were performing well. The executive
housekeeper and supervisor show excellent management skills and communication
skills.
After the brief meeting is conducted room attendants prepare their housekeeping
carts with guest amenities, cleaning chemicals, and cleaning equipment. The laundry
department prepare for the laundry cycle.

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Guest amenities:
 shampoo
 conditioner
 hands and body lotion
 dental kits
 shower caps
 morning shoes
 water
 coffee station items
 bath soap
 fresh towels
 clean linen

cleaning chemicals
 air fresher
 window and glass cleaner
 floor cleaner
 toilet cleaner
 carpet cleaner

Procedure I learned when cleaning a guest room (departed room)

Check the worksheet to indicate the rooms allocated to you as a housekeeper. Upon
arrival to the guestroom knock three times before entering. Place the housekeeping
cart by the guestroom door to stop entry while the room is being cleaned. A
disinfectant is sprayed in the bathroom to kill bacteria, preserving the guest’s health.
While the disinfectant soak, the guestroom is serviced. Open the curtains to let in
sunlight, check for any lost guest items under the bed, in the cupboards and if any is
found it gets labelled by the lost and found sticker with the guestroom number. Lights
and appliances are checked if they are still in good working condition. The room gets
vacuumed then dusted, glass items and windows are cleaned to remove dust and
fingerprints. The linen gets changed and the bed is made according to the hotel’s
brand standard. The bathroom is cleaned with proper cleaning chemicals,
repunished with clean towels, and bathroom amenities. The guestroom gets sprayed
by an air freshener, to give the room a pleasant fragrance.
Supervisors do final inspection of the room then report to front office if the room is
ready to be occupied by a guest.

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Reference: Daswa SM. (2023). Standard clean guestroom(left) and clean guest bathroom(right).
Sheraton hotel.

The laundry-cycle.
The second housekeeping section I was introduced to is the laundry room. The
laundry room is one of the crucial parts of a well-established hotel. All the linen and
towels used by the guest go through a laundry cycle. The linen cannot be hand
washer, or hand ironed because of the large amount of linen. Instead, industrial
machines such as the continental industrial washer, industry drying machine, and flat
ironer are used for the laundry cycle.

Reference: Daswa SM. (2023). Continental industry washer(left) and industry drying machine(right).
Sheraton hotel.

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Reference: Daswa SM. (2023). Flat ironer. Sheraton hotel.

Dirty linen is collected and brought down to the laundry room to be washed,
pillowcases, towels, sheets, and covers are all washed separately in the continental
industrial washers. Stains on linen are treated using bleach before they get washed.
When the washing process is done, sheets, pillowcases, and cover are taken to the
flat ironer to be ironed. The flat ironer removes wrinkles and serve as a dryer for the
linen. The towels are taken to the industry dryer machine. These machines use high
temperatures to dry off the linen and has hygiene benefits. After the drying process is
complete, the linen is folded and delivered to the room attendants.

As much as clean linen is important at Sheraton hotel, a clean and presentable

public area is as important. In public area the hotel’s image is prioritised. Ensuring
the all the guest public areas are always appealing by emptying the trash bins,
cleaning, arranging outdoor furniture, cleaning the ash trays, vacuuming corridors,
cleaning windows, and cleaning guest restrooms, are all duties of public area.

Working at the housekeeping department helped me to understand that it is not just

about keeping the hotel clean, but it is about giving the guests the ultimate
experience and making them feel that needs are important. It also helps me to work
with diverse people learning language and cultures, it also improved my confidence
in working with different types of personal.

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Restaurant

The restaurant is the most exquisite part of the hotel. The guests get to indulge, feed
their cravings, and lift their mood for the day. The restaurant staff ensures that each
guest enjoy what they are devouring by welcoming and serving. I have learned that
to get an excellent guest satisfaction I have to engage with guests, serve, and
acknowledge them. I performed different kind of duties which include serving,
customer service, clear and set up, back of house, clearing floors, just name a few.

A pleasant reception is the first step for guest satisfaction. Addressing formally,
asking for their name and simple questions about their wellbeing helps with
understanding and creates a bond between the guest and me. Ensuring that the
guest is well taken care off by serving and offering more service lets the guest feel
good.

The duties that are done while working at the restaurant include:
 serving
 clear-up
 serving beverage
 misnplus (back of house)
 checking buffet
 room service
 banqueting
when serving a guest, I must be quick on my feet so that I can be fast to serve the
guests and in return get a good customer service review. I must remain calm in all
situations, be aware of the guest body language, keep eye contact, listen attentively,
and show confidence when communicating or serving. What is also important is
writing down what the guest is ordering, if it is a meal that needs to be prepared by a
chef it is gets easily communicated. The last this is to serve food while it is still hot.

When the guest is devouring whatever meal they have ordered, I must make sure
that the table they are sited at is clean. Clearing up plates, glass, and cutlery they
are done using. I must ensure that everything they need is provided, including
beverage. Once the guest is ready to leave a say farewell and wish them a good
day. I clear up the table, then set up for the next guest. When setting up I wipe the
table with a clean cloth and sanitizer, place the table number, salt and pepper at the
centre, folk on the left-hand side, knife on the right-hand side (according to the
restaurant’s brand standard).

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reference: Daswa SM. (2023). Set up at magnolia restaurant. Sheraton hotel.

Set-up is not only done at the guest tables only, but also at the buffet area before,
during and after the buffet period. Ensuring that there are enough and correct
serving gear for each dish. Placing enough crockery and glass, ensuring that the
juice and water is always refilled, making sure that the area is clean during serving
time, replacing.

To replace the serving gear, cutlery, crockery, and glass, one needs to be working at
back of house. Washing dirty cutlery and glass using hot water and a dishwasher,
wiping the crockery from the dishwasher. Once the process is done, the serving
gear, crockery, cutlery, and glass are then taken to the buffet area.

Working at the back of house requires the clean as you go principle. Cleaning the
service bar, ensuring that everything is in the correct place, wiping surfaces to
remove dust and liquid, ensuring that the service bar is clean and set up.

The hotel also prioritizes floor clearing, taking used dishes from room service. This is
done by going floor by floor with a trolley, checking and clearing dirty dishes. In doing
so the hotel maintains cleanliness and a good reputation.

The last thing that I gained experience in is banqueting. Here I learnt teamwork and
collaborating with others because we would serve a large group of people. The hotel
hosts events, conferences, weddings, delegates, and birthday celebrations. The
venues that host the events need to be set up and prepared in time before the-
guests arrive. This is done by arranging tables and chairs the way the guest
specified. In case of conferences, a tea station is set up for the guests.

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Reference: Daswa SM. (2023). Coffee station at a conference. Sheraton hotel.

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I gained a lot of skills working at Sheraton Hotel, which I can apply if I were to be
placed in a different establishment. Being exposed to how the hospitality industry
works will help me navigate through this broad field. What I have learnt all in all is
that to work at a hotel you have to have patience, communication, prioritization, swift
problem-solving skills, and modesty.

I think students should be given training on how the industry works before they head
out to do their WIL. There should be a briefing and guidance on what to expect
(student finance, how to find your own placement, and how to balance work-life).
Students should be provided with proper working uniform in time. And lastly, there
should be a policy or a set of laws for both students and establishment that protect
the students from being unfairly treated at work.

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