Day by Day: Leadership for Housekeeping Managers

Lisa Williams and Lesley Skelt attended each day to observe and contribute to the course content, supporting Liz Lycette in her training programme. This is their diary of the 3 days in York.

Day One of the Scholarship Programme at The Grand, York

Today marked the first day of our Scholarship interactive presentations at The Grand, York - what an inspiring start it has been.

The room was filled with passion, curiosity and a genuine desire to learn. The level of engagement was outstanding — open discussions, role play scenarios, storytelling and shared experiences from housekeepers representing hotels from across the UK. The energy in the room was powerful.

Today’s focus included training on presentation skills, public speaking and enhancing how we deliver training within our own hotels. Building confidence to stand up, speak with authority and communicate effectively is a vital leadership skill, and it was incredible to watch individuals step outside their comfort zones and grow in real time.

At The Grand, York, part of Splendid Hospitality, investing in our housekeeping teams is not just an initiative it is a commitment. UKHA and our valued sponsors made this programme possible, and The Grand, York proudly is hosting the scholarship across all three days, recognising how vital it is to invest in people and develop future leaders within our industry.

A sincere thank you to all the General Managers across the Uk who have supported their housekeepers in attending this scholarship. Your belief in their potential and your commitment to their development is what makes programmes like this possible. You should be incredibly proud of how confidently and professionally they presented today.

Scholarships are about more than opportunity; they are about belief belief in potential, belief in growth and belief in raising standards together.

Interactive learning brings energy. It challenges thinking, builds confidence and strengthens connection. Today we saw individuals support one another, share openly and lead with authenticity — exactly the culture we strive to create.

I am incredibly proud of everyone taking part from all over the UK. This is only day one, and already something very special is taking shape.

Tomorrow we move into Day Two: Financial Awareness — understanding the numbers behind our departments and strengthening commercial confidence.

The future of hospitality leadership is bright.

Day Two of the Scholarship Programme at The Grand, York – part of Splendid Hospitality.

Today focused on building commercial confidence. We explored P&L, financial awareness, sustainability, balancing budgets and understanding CapEx — bringing financial language to life in a practical and engaging way.

One of the key reflections in the room was the realisation that, for some attendees, exposure to their departmental P&L has been limited in the past. That created an important moment of awareness for us all.

As we look to develop the next generation of Executive and Head Housekeepers, it’s clear that greater financial visibility and structured conversations with Financial Controllers and General Managers will form part of future action plans. The more we share, the more confident and commercially astute our leaders will become.

Understanding the numbers isn’t just about budgets — it’s about ownership, strategic thinking and being fully aligned with business goals. When housekeepers are included in financial discussions, they are empowered to truly manage their departments as businesses.

The engagement throughout the day was exceptional — open dialogue, thoughtful questions and a genuine desire to learn.

Tomorrow is all about leadership through motivation — encouraging development, embracing variety and using recognition to drive engagement. We will explore delegation as a motivational and leadership tool, emotional engagement with guests to achieve higher satisfaction scores, practical problem-solving, and how training checklists and measurement tools can sustain both motivation and quality standards.

This programme is not just about education; it’s about evolving how we prepare our future leaders.

Dinner on Tuesday Evening

The Grand, York, is delighted to welcome our UKHA Associate Member sponsors this evening for dinner, as we continue supporting the Housekeepers of the future.We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the eight Associate Members who have sponsored this new initiative by funding one or two delegates to attend the course. Your belief in investing in people and raising standards across our profession truly makes a difference.

Ela, Debbie & Gemma from Miele Professional
Alastair McCrae from The National Laundry Group
Sue Morley from Clean Linen Services - linen & workwear UK
Leigh-Anne Carville from Group GM UK, exclusive amenities
Svetlana Daskalova from KMS UK Ltd, housekeeping services
Chris Daniels from Rubbermaid Products, commercial catering & cleaning supplies
George Tringham from Tringhams Luxury Lampshades, interior design
David Morrell from Yorkshire Laundry Services, laundry & linen hire

Together, through collaboration between suppliers and hoteliers, we are investing in the next generation of housekeeping professionals.

Day Three – Leadership Through Motivation

Today marked the final day of our Scholarship Programme, hosted at The Grand, York, and it has been an inspiring and powerful conclusion to three days of learning, discussion and development.

Day three focused on leading through motivation and proactive leadership. We explored how great leaders create environments where teams feel supported, valued and inspired to perform at their best.

Topics included:

Creating a motivating and secure team environment
Encouraging development, variety and recognition to drive engagement
Using delegation as a motivational and leadership tool
Applying quality control techniques to maintain high standards
Emotional engagement with guests to achieve higher guest satisfaction scores
Practical problem-solving using real operational challenges
Using training checklists and measurement tools to sustain motivation and quality

What has been truly inspiring across the three days is the passion, commitment and professionalism shown by every delegate. The discussions have been open, the learning collaborative and the energy in the room exceptional.

Today we were also proud to present certificates to our delegates, recognising their commitment to investing in themselves and in the future of housekeeping leadership.

These scholarships are about more than training — they are about building confidence, developing future leaders and raising standards across our profession.

A sincere thank you to our sponsors, the supporting General Managers, and The Grand, York – part of Splendid Hospitality Group – for hosting the programme and believing in the importance of investing in people. A special thank you to Adam Dyke my General Manager for the support he gives me on a daily basis and allowing me the time do this amazing Course!