I USED to be a Travelodge cleaner – it may have been fun but I wouldn’t stay as a guest in a million years.
I think I know a bit too much about what goes on behind the scenes to be able to relax there – although I’m sure most hotel housekeepers are doing a much better job than we did.
Catherine LofthouseI spent my teen years working as a cleaner at a Travelodge[/caption]
TravelodgeCleaning the rooms is hard work – and I definitely cut corners when it could have got me the sack[/caption]
It was a lot of fun at the time, even if some of what happened would have got me the sack, if only management had known.
It all started just after I turned 16 and wanted to get a weekend job while I was taking my A levels.
The pay was more than my friends were earning, working in shops and the like, and we got fed free at the Little Chef next door so I thought I’d give it a go (despite the uniform).
I only wanted to get a bit of cash to go out with my mates and maybe save up for a gap year, so I wasn’t too bothered about taking it seriously.
Sometimes we’d have to clean all 40 rooms between just two of us – stripping and making beds, hoovering, cleaning the bathrooms.
Every so often, you’d open a door and the state of the room was something to behold.
It was full-on, physical work so it was no wonder corners got cut.
We’d use the previous guests’ towels to wipe around the bathrooms and sometimes we didn’t bother with the floors if they seemed clean enough.
There are lots of little moments that I remember from my time there, like the time I thought one of the guests had gone out for the day and went into his room to make the bed and change his towels.
I don’t know who was more embarrassed when I got an eyeful as I walked through the door to find out exactly what Scotsmen wear under their kilts.
Another time, a really rude guest was uppity towards me and my colleague.
When we were tidying her room later on, we found her diary on the bedside – with some of her sordid secrets, it was a surprise that she thought she was so much better than other people.
The most awkward moment was when we had a fire alarm early one morning and my colleague spotted a woman she knew coming out of a room with someone who definitely wasn’t her partner.
I don’t think she ever said anything to the partner, but the woman made a complaint against my colleague as she thought she had dropped her in it.
Probably my most vivid memory of my Travelodge days was the morning that Princess Diana died which I can remember like it was yesterday.
We were cleaning a room with TV on in the background as when the newsreader made the announcement.
Despite still having so much work, we actually had to stop and make ourselves a cup of tea when we heard.
Years later, I’ve still never actually stayed in a Travelodge as a guest.
I’ll always be grateful that my first job taught me exactly what hard work is and how to have fun with colleagues while still getting the job done.
Now I always make sure I leave the beds stripped, dirty towels piled in the bath and rubbish in the bin whenever I stay
in a hotel room.
Hats off to the hotel cleaners though – they work hard for very little thanks and often don’t get given the respect they deserve.
Here’s what you can expect if you stay at the biggest Travelodge in the UK.
AFPI wouldn’t stay – but hats off to the cleaners[/caption] Read More