I was a housekeeper once

May 20

By Hollie-Anne Hartley

I was a housekeeper once
Unheard and busy.
Franchise housekeepers,
From six in the morning until three in the afternoon.
Two restaurants, one bar, one hotel
Thirty-nine hotel rooms to clean.
To most of our customers
We were ghosts
Unseen and unheard.
Some customers,
The nice ones,
The ones that we remember
Even they may not remember us.

Our work is silent,
We go unnoticed,
Fall under the radar.
In after they leave, gone before they return.
Before I worked in this profession, I took it for granted too.
A clean room
Is what they return to.
They may spare a thought for us
But we will never know.
We go unnoticed.
The ghosts of the hotel,
Unseen and unheard,
Little cleaning fairies.

But there are some customers
Whose lives we touch forever.
The ones who,
While they will not remember us,
They will remember what we did.
How special we made their day,
The rose petals on the bed,
For their wedding night.
The room of their ceremony,
We cleaned just hours before,
For their perfect wedding.
They will remember what we did
How special we made their day.

The penthouse suite, the bride’s suite.
Before photography we would work our magic,
Clean up and dress the room.
They will not remember me
But I remember them,
The name of every single bride
Their dress, their bridesmaid’s dresses,
From black to olive green,
I remember it all.
All the compliments to them,
The smiles,
They will all blur into one
But we were part of their day.

That is the best part of working in cleaning.
We play such a small role.
We are not remembered.
But we get to play a part in their day.
When I was a little girl,
I always wanted to work in weddings
And for a few years as a housekeeper
I did.
Unnoticed but there.
Our role is huge
And greatly appreciated.
We just do not see the return of the customers
We are left to wonder.

There are customers,
The rare, special ones
That touch our hearts.
I remember one wedding,
31st December 2019,
The bride’s dress missing
None knew the room number, or location.
The bride was in a panic
And I was around the floor.
Her mother called to me and explained the problem.
I took the name of the booking,
Spoke with reception,
And used my universal card to retrieve her dress.

That day, I was called a ‘fairy godmother’ by the bride
Housekeepers go unnoticed
But the feeling that you contributed,
You helped; you saved their day…
That is gratitude enough.

I was a housekeeper once
Unheard and busy.
Franchise housekeepers,
From six in the morning until three in the afternoon.
Two restaurants, one bar, one hotel
Thirty-nine hotel rooms to clean.
To most of our customers,
We were ghosts
Unseen and unheard.
Some customers,
The nice ones,
The ones that we remember,
Even they may not remember us
But they will remember what we did forever.