I was delighted to be invited to attend the inaugural Triple H Awards and Shared Knowledge Day. The Triple H Awards was organised by MEG Events Ltd and sponsored by the UKHA and Housekeeping Today UK. The Triple H Awards stands for Hotel Housekeeping Honours and is the first award ceremony to celebrate the dedicated housekeeping staff and individuals that work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our hotels looking pristine.

Held at the Park Plaza Riverside, all the shortlisted nominees were applauded at the start of the evening and my associate Katie Young Gerald of Bespoke Textiles was amongst them.

Bespoke Textiles was a finalist for the Green Award and Katie a finalist for the Unsung Hero Award.

In total there were ten awards and the winners are:

• Laundry Manager/Linen Keeper of the Year  – Adelaide Elsey, Army and Navy Club
• Housekeeping Supervisor of the Year – Edyta Pykosz
• Cleaning Technician of the Year – Raymond Panyi, Conrad London St James
• Room Attendant of the Year – Ilza Gindra, Soho Hotel Firmdale
• Porter of the Year – Janis Stabulnieks, Cheval Residences
• Housekeeping Team of the Year – Old Course Hotel and Spa
• HHH Green Award – The Grove Hotel
• Trainee/apprentice of the year – Holly Langan, The Ritz
• Unsung Hero – Mark Gough, Mottram Hall
• Lifetime contribution – Julia Harper

I was delighted to see that Holly Langan won Trainee / Apprentice of the Year as I was her EHAP End Point Assessor for her apprenticeship.

It is always very rewarding to see how the Apprentices that I have assessed go forward in their careers.

Following on from this celebration the next day was UKHA’s Annual Shared Knowledge Day. This year the theme was ‘Inspire, Innovate, Inform’. This certainly came to life with the keynote presentation by Jeff Wielgopolan, Senior Vice President, Learning and Development at Forbes Travel Guide.

Jeff inspired the audience with his knowledge of the Forbes Star Ratings and revealed what they look for when scrutinising the service and facilities. He declared that London has the global lead in hospitality as we have the most 5 star hotels, which is a something we should be proud of.  He demonstrated how the housekeeping team learn about their guests, and likewise our guests learn about us. Through his many anecdotes and pictorial references, it was clear to see how the smallest attention to detail will really wow your guest. Whether that be leaving personal thank you notes, certificates from the tooth fairy, or tucking toys up in to bed with their own miniature pillows and covers. One thing was clear, never leave a ‘dirty towel’ on the floor and always check ‘the mood’ your cushions are in!

Throughout the day there were panel discussions and more presentations, a fashion show and raffle. One lucky winner received a copy of my book ‘Star Quality Talent’ together with my infamous ‘Starlight’ teddy. If that was not enough to keep you occupied there were plenty of exhibitors to visit in between times, including Bespoke Textiles and the Institute of Hospitality.

Sebastian Dabrowski and the UKHA committee members are to be congratulated for putting on such a fabulous event year after year. It was a real pleasure to meet Jeff Wielgpolan who flew in from American to present and I look forward to next year’s Shared Knowledge Day.