MARRIOTT BUZZ NO. 15 - 2019

26 E X C L U S I V E The Spotless and Sustainable Efforts of the Laundry TEAM Buzz sat down with the head of the laundry department along with seven other team members to get a better look at what the laundry team does, the challenges they face and the initiatives they are constantly undertaking to ensure the highest standards of guest loyalty and satisfaction. A Dedicated Team Heading the laundry team, which consists of 57 hosts, is Wael Ahmed. The laundry team’s organizational structure, headed by Ahmed, involves a senior supervisor that oversees four supervisors responsible for each of the main areas that the laundry department operates: washing, pressing, drying and valet. The valet area is responsible for processing requests from the guests, which hosts then go pick up, sort and tag before sending to their respective destinations, either washing or dry cleaning, where it is again sorted under four provisions for cleaning based on; soil, color, material and temperature. In the pressing area, they will again be sorted according to material and type. After this process is complete, the valet then sorts according to the guest room numbers, before delivering it to their rooms personally. Turning Challenges Into Opportunity “At the Cairo Marriott, we are not calling anything a challenge. We are naming it opportunity, and we are facing opportunities every day!” Ahmed exclaims. Reflecting on some of the difficulties the laundry team faces, Ahmed and his team mention that one of the primary challenges they face is meeting the low timeframe that guests expect their laundry to be complete within. “Guests expect their laundry very fast, they expect delivery very shortly on the same day. This is an opportunity we have, where we constantly try to meet guests’ high expectations as quickly and professionally as possible.” The laundry team, in response to such demands, offer different times for delivery for guests to choose from depending on how urgent their laundry needs are; regular and express.