Assistant Housekeeper
Coppid Beech Hotel

Sanju K

00:00:03 Hi I’m Sanju K, and I work at the Coppid Beech Hotel, and I work as an Assistant Housekeeper. On a day to day basis I do training, sometimes recruiting, and also training people how to clean a room, and in a right order and the right standard what the company expects actually, we have certain standards which has been created by the organisation, which is the International Hospitality Standards, so we try and maintaining that level. And that’s my job to keep it in order, and also train people in order to keep that ongoing.

00:00:41 My Mum wanted me to become a doctor when I was a kid, until I was 12 she always said that OK one son will become an engineer, another will become a lawyer, and you’ll become a doctor. And I, until I was 15, I always thought that I would become a doctor. But when I was growing up, then I started realising that being a doctor is not what I want, I wanted to become a chef. So that’s when I decided that OK – I mean I’ll take up a career in hospitality. 1998 I started my degree, and I graduated in 2001. But in that period in college we were supposed to do a full time internship, so after classes we’d go and get trained in four or five star hotels, in the restaurant, being a chef, as an apprentice.

00:01:28 And end of the year you always have a competition so you’ve got to prove to the faculties and to the head of the organisation that you are the best in the lot. I got trained and qualified to become an Indian chef and a Pastry Chef. So I did couple of – win couple of awards as a Pastry Chef, and a Head Chef for Indian kitchen.

00:01:50 In 2001 when I graduated, I could not continue in kitchen, to pursue my career as a chef in a hotel, because at that point of time there was pretty much like employment was frozen in the whole city for a chef, because it was high demand and everybody else from different states and different cities used to come down to Bangalore, and I then decided that my next choice was Housekeeping, because I didn’t want to wait for any longer and not gain any experience, and just wait at home and not doing anything. So moved on, got a job in the first interview itself, I became a Housekeeping Supervisor, in a small and a big four star hotel. It was my first job so I learnt a lot, and I was trained for every aspect in order to run the department. it was – it was fun, and at the same time it was challenging. And I only took it on the basis of like a first work experience really, because I needed something desperately to back up on my CV.

00:02:54 When I did my Hospitality Training course back in India, my degree, we were introduced to colour, design and interior decoration as part of Housekeeping subject. And that’s when I got interested more towards creativity. Two years ago when I came back from India, then I designed a few shirts, all of silk, and when I got them here and I, just out of curiosity, I showed it to a few friends, and they all loved it. And the very first week I got orders for like 20 shirts, in all different styles.

00:03:29 I’m actually taking it to the next level by starting my own business, maybe in next year’s time. I’m designing some shirts and counterpanes and throws, all of silk, and I’m also learning – trying to learn jewellery making, which is basically silversmith and enamelling, so I want to start my own gallery to display all my products. Maybe in next ten years’ time I would like to incorporate a gallery with a Boutique Hotel, where I can put all my activities together, and then run the show.

00:04:00 ENDS