Collegian | Olivia Hajicek
An escape from homework. A place to build relationships. The satisfaction of serving other people—and you even get paid to do it. Working as a student housekeeper at the College’s Dow Hotel is a lot more than just folding bedsheets.
“I just kind of wanted a job on campus, just to kind of keep me going, keep me accountable, and I really like serving other people and doing things for other people,” said freshman student housekeeper Ashley DeMay. “I’m taking care of people after they’ve gone, and I’m also preparing for and welcoming people who are coming to Hillsdale. So that’s kind of my way that I can help or serve others.”
Student housekeepers’ duties include “stripping rooms,” which means taking out any dirty things the guests have left, removing the bedding and towels, and emptying the trash. They also help clean the rooms and prepare them for the next guests.
“It’s kind of funny, because for a lot of the housekeepers, this isn’t their favorite part, but I like stripping down the rooms,” DeMay said. “There’s something about making a room kind of clean or just taking out all the dirty parts of it that’s satisfying.”
Cedella Odiara, a sophomore who is a student housekeeper at the hotel, said she finds satisfaction in her work.
“When I got the job, I remember being told that housekeeping is all about making people happy, and really it is,” Odiara said. “Because you’ll go into a room, clean it up, make the bed, make sure everything is crystal clean and everything, so basically I would say my job is about making people happy through cleaning.”
“I think that’s what actually motivates me in this job,” she said, “and it’s very satisfying to see a room we’ve cleaned. It looks so nice. It’s heavenly.”
Odiara said there are two types of cleaning: check-outs, which happen once the guests leave, and stay-overs, which happen during the guests’ stay.
“For stay-overs is when I get to see the joy in the guest’s faces, because for a check-out, the guest left, and you don’t know who’s going to come in next,” Odiara said. “But with stay-overs, you almost feel like, ‘Yeah I know this person is in here,’ and sometimes they actually give you specifications of how they want their room done, and when they come back to that, they’re usually so happy, and they thank you. It’s very satisfying.”
Odiara said the hotel also houses wedding guests, who contribute to the joyful atmosphere.
“When people are preparing for a wedding and stuff like that, they’re super jovial, and so it puts you in an environment where almost everyone is just happy,” Odiara said. “So it gives you some sort of positive energy.”
The student housekeepers also benefit from positive relationships with their co-workers, according to DeMay.
“It’s a very fun atmosphere, which I wasn’t expecting, but I’m so glad it is,” DeMay said. “It just makes the day go by so fast, and even the full-time housekeepers are super easy to get along with, and they’re really fun. One of them always has chocolate, and her and I share it together, so that’s fun.”
Junior Erin Collins, another student housekeeper, said that her co-workers are intentional about building relationships when they can.
“There’s a really great culture there,” she said. “Everyone’s joking around with each other; it’s a lot of fun.”
Often, the housekeepers work alone, but Collins said that this can be a benefit too.
“I do really like being alone sometimes, having some time by myself,” she said. “It’s really hard to do that when you’re at college, and you’re always in class; and you’re around people all the time, but with this, I can kind of just have some time to myself—which I really need as an introvert.”
Whether they are working by themselves or with each other, their work provides a welcome break from the everyday stresses of student life.
“It’s a good way to get my mind off school and stuff, because you can’t do school while you’re working, so it’s a break from that,” Collins said.
Working at the hotel can also be beneficial to those planning to continue to work in hospitality.
“I kind of want to go into hospitality as a career,” she said. “I applied because I thought it would be really good experience.”
Collins, DeMay, and Odiara all said they would like to continue to work at the hotel next year.
“When someone comes to you and says, ‘Oh my goodness, the room looks so nice; thank you so much,’ or you meet the guest and they thank you for actually cleaning the room, that’s usually my favorite part,” Odiara said. “And also the kind of people I work with. They’re very understanding, and it’s sort of like a family in the hotel.”