Housekeeper Only Meeting Review: September 2025

Date: Tuesday 9th September 2025
Region: London & SE
Meeting: The Athenaeum Hotel, 116 Piccadilly, London W1J 7BJ

Our London UKHA Housekeepers met at The Athenaeum Hotel for an informal forum, despite the London tube strike!

Event Review

Tuesday 10th September everyone will remember the horrors of the tube strike. However, Housekeepers across London banded together and ensured that they would not miss this meeting together at The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences. The 162-bedroom property, nestled in the heart of Mayfair, known for its living wall opposite Green Park, was alive with chatter on the first-floor event space.

We do occasionally hold closed meetings so that our housekeeper members can candidly express their views to their peers. And this meeting was no exception, we learnt a lot about the challenges our members are facing and the solutions they are finding and sharing.

The night was filled with emotions ranging from frustration (with transport) to joy, laughter and being able to reconnect with each other with refreshing bubbles, delicious canapés, and great company.

Our Speaker on Hotel Security

Our speaker was Reino De Villiers TechIOSH TMIFPO Director of Security at Pan Pacific London, and his talk on "Why Security Matters in Housekeeping" was both fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. With OCGs - organised crime groups becoming more skilled in human trafficking and embedding agents in hotels, with housekeeping being a prime target, because of their access to rooms, we all need to be more aware and help the hotel community guard against these risks.

His expertise was invaluable to our members and we plan to share his presentation and insights with all our members across the UK in due course.

New Opportunities

The Hotel Magazine was discussed where there is a new, regular feature just for Housekeeper profiles, sharing their journey so far. Great to get some recognition!

Thank yous

A huge thank you to Charlotte Shaw from The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences for hosting our UKHA United Kingdom Housekeepers Association housekeepers forum and to her team who made the event a success; Edward Bracken - General Manager, Sharon McArthur - Director of Operations, Beata Drabik - Conference and events agent, Kazi Galib - Assistant bar manager, Ellie Valentine - Conference and banqueting supervisor, Sushma Karai - F&B agent, Kevin Fawkes - Executive Chef, Francis Noronah - Junior Sous chef, Dawid Kowerski - Commis chef.

Thank you to all of those who were able to attend and brought raffle prizes - and battled their way to the venue, along with the commutes home. Thank you to Reino, from Pan Pacific, for taking the time and making the presentation about security thorough and so relevant for housekeeping.

The Next London & SE Event

Our next London & SE event is the Annual Business Luncheon, which is now open for bookings for UKHA Members and their guests from across the UK >> MORE DETAILS. And remember to save the date for our Winter Ball on 13th December 2025.