December is Just Around the Corner

December 14th is my retraining just to brush up on my speed and make sure I do things right. Decmeber 15th will be my actual real workday with cart and on my own.

Why am I nervous?

They Hired Me

They re-hired me, but said I will be working weekends only in December as they are now fully staffed. Weekends are always harder because that's when people get ready to leave, and if they've been in the hotel all week the room is usually torn up. If they were just overnight, then we have to get it whipped back in to shape for the next weekender.

It's not such a bad thing, but I am hoping I can snap back into it. I'm afraid I will be a little rusty. I swear, at home I don't do as much cleaning as I do in the hotel but lately, I've been practicing. When the baby's sleeping in his crib, I break out my little cleaning carryall basket, set it on the coffeetable and see how fast I can get the place into shape, running a rag across all surfaces, pulling the bedsheets tight with hospital corners, washing the tub and wall, the sink, faucets, the toilet, floor and making sure the mirror is wiped clean. My mom thinks I'm nuts. She said I need to stop being so picky about my bedspread and worry about getting sleep.

I think she's probably right.

The Baby

IT'S A BOY. I had the baby and he'll be 4 months old. I worked for a couple months during my pregnancy in 2008, but it got too difficult to rush around and clean, and being around all the cleansers and putting myself at risk for infections around toilets and whatnot was just too much for me.

I was so scared to go, because of the economy and people not hiring people. Fortunately, housekeeping does have a high turnover rate, and I did not want to leave. Well, I took A LOT of time off and the hotel did promise me that I could come back anytime I was ready. I will continue my ventures and my blog in December 2009 when the hotel needs me during the Christmas and Hanukkah Vacation rush.

I turned in a new application and a letter to my former supervisor (whom will be my supervisor again).

"Dear L*****,

I will be ready to work as a housekeeper for [deleted hotel name] by December 1, 2009. I thank you for the opportunity to leave early during my pregnancy and to bond with my new baby. I enjoyed working with the staff and guests last year and would like the chance to come back and do it all over again. Please consider my position with your company, again.

Sincerely,
[Hotel Chick]"

Until next time...

I am Pregnant

I am now pregnant, and instead of the actual hard labor of cleaning up rooms by myself, I have been helping the other housekeepers and have also been doing laundry or walking with supervisors to double-check rooms.

The smell of the chemicals, the pushing around the car, lifting the vacuum on and off the cart, scrubbing tubs and moving chairs and furniture to vacuum behind became a bit much.

So, now I am running around making sure other housekeepers are doing their duty. If they aren't, I go up and wipe things down, make sure mirrors have no streaks or spots, pick up that extra crumb that was skipped over, etc. I wish my supervisors did that for me back when I very first started this profession.

It's a drag, the odor of the air freshener STILL gets me queasy, but other than that, laundry and walking the rooms has been interesting. I'm not fond of folding laundry so much though.

Crush

There is a man who stays in our hotel once a month for a week. He does work out here every single month and has a slight southern drawl, but also speaks so eloquently and crisp like that of a News anchor. He's an attractive man, but I am really not interested.

By now he's figured out my work schedule, and our lunch break. I never told him but he always asks me where am I going for lunch. I always tell him, "Home." I don't want him to go where I go and he's never asked to go to my home, so that was safe. Well, I lie. I do not go home but go to various restaurants around here to pick up something fast, or I just eat there and then go back to work.

Oh gosh, I made it to a hamburger shop called Rally's. Guess who I see? It's the guy who always gets our best rooms, comes in every single month for a week, and always asks me out. I was already eating, my face stuffed, and he came up with a tray, didn't sit in front of me, but sat at a table within the same booth, and was like, "It's good to see a familiar face. Mind if I join you?" I mean, he had already sat down, so what was I supposed to say, "No?"

Well, I packed my food up rather fast, because I told him I had to get gas and get back to work to clock in on time. I didn't really need gas, but just wanted to go. I don't feel like a hottie in my sweaty maid outfit. I feel like a trashman! Anyhow, it's cool he finds me attractive but it is not going to go anywhere.

Lo and behold, I ended up having to clean his room. His room smelled so nice, like a fresh shower...he never uses the trial size shampoos or soaps we leave. The room smells like the Axe body wash he has in the shower, and the Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren that sits on his vanity. His room also has a hint of leather because of his leather luggage. Guess what, he requested that I personally clean his room because he said I do it better than anybody else." I had noticed that my room schedule had said that Estella got one of my rooms and I ended up with one of hers. We had a room swap.

The man, who I have figured by the paperwork on his nightstand is named Mark, only needed extra towels, as all his towels and washcloths were used. I made his towels extra fluffy, by shaking them out and refolding them. I fluffed his pillows although we were trained to flatten them, and even straightened out his shoes which were in a mess in front of his closet. I had to, he left me a $30 tip on his pillow.

I'm so very flattered.

Coke and an Umbrella

Yesterday, I went to a checked-out room, and saw TONS of belongings in there. I'm thinking, "Oh, they must have extended their stay," and I moved on to finish up 2 other rooms. Later, my supervisor asked me why I had skipped over the room, after reading over my room-list. It wasn't highlighted (we have to highlight all rooms we cleaned). I said, "It's still occupied."

So, she calls the front desk and they are like, "No, they checked out already." I'm thinking WTF is with all the stuff everywhere?

I went back to the room and found a note that said (verbatim):

Dear Staff,

Thank you for the friendly service this entire vacation. I can't bring all my luggage with me on the airplane because of new baggage fees. The things I have left can be used or donated. I only brought them for my trip. Please do not throw away because everything is in mint conditon. I would like them to be donated or put to good use. I took what I needed. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Mrs. J***** M******* (I bleeped out her name)

She left 2 small suitcases full of clothing (some were brand name and brand spanking new), a bag of lotions and unused lipstick samples and lipbalms, poolside/beach gear consisting of a small plastic table, a rainbow colored beach umbrella, and a folding beach chair (maybe used once or twice), and an ice chest full of Coca Cola and still had a few ice cubes and water in it. My supervisor called for extra help for me, but I really would have liked to been there alone! The housekeepers were on her things like crazy, arguing over who wanted what! They were holding shirts and dresses up. I took the ice chest and umbrella, considering my car was parked within 50 feet of her door.

Housekeeping does have its perks! LOL

I'll Miss You Cashew and Chicken Combo

For the entire duration of my job at the hotel, I was always able to buy food at the hotel restaurant. The only staff that is allowed to actually sit and eat in there are the head hotel honchos who have business meetings there. I would order food and then take it to the break room.

So, they held a meeting Monday after work and said we couldn't order food from the restaurant anymore. This means no more coffee and muffin for me in the morning. I'm so aggravated. I'm an On-The-Go type of person. I wake up in the morning, shower, throw my uniform on, braid my ponytail and GO. I don't usually even have a real breakfast.

Eating a morning snack and having a cup of coffee or even a bottle of water is always convenient for me. It wakes me up and gets me going. They said it makes the restaurant look "cheap" having staff (housekeepers and maintenance is who they actually meant) in the restaurant. We are also not allowed to use the restroom in the hallway. It's for guests only. We have to take that extra long walk to the break area and go there. I was spoiled for a moment. When I first got here, things were much more lenient.

I guess with the cost of everything going up, they also had to do some cutbacks in order to keep guests happy, like making staff use the restroom that tends to not get as clean as the ones in the hallway.

I am pretty bummed. I won't be able to get the fabulous cashew and chicken sandwich that I was able to order before. Now, I have to eat at Subway or McDonalds down the street. Yuck. I guess I could pack a lunch, but WHO HAS TIME anymore?

When I get home, I try not to work so hard. Standing around on my feet as a housekeeper, you'd think my house would be white-glove clean too. WRONG. I have laundry piled up and eat off paper plates because I GIVE UP on dish washing. I also never make my bed unless someone is coming over...like I really have time and energy to fix myself a sandwich.