“The Hotel Housekeeper” By Carol Wright, about The Hotel Ritz, London
Excepts from an article written in 1989 for the “In Britain” magazine — All in a Day’s Work
Kate Clifford is the lady who ensures the rich and famous sleep well at night. Jackie Onassis, Aly Khan, Graham Greene and Mick Jagger among those who have slept better for Kay’s concern for the state of their bedrooms. Kay Clifford is head housekeeper at London’s Ritz Hotel, a place where old style quality and comfort and discreet service are key notes. “We keep everything as old-fashioned as possible «says Kay. “It’s part of the quality of the Ritz. We are a world apart, more of an institution than a hotel. People come here for the peace and quiet and the feeling of being well looked after without being spied on.”
Ensuring that the 130 bedrooms as well as the famous Palm Court and public areas downstairs are kept in perfect order, this means hectic days, starting perhaps with a monthly window clean that cost pounds 18,000 a year. Problems are presented by each floor of windows being of a different size, the presence of pigeons and pollution in Piccadilly and the double glazing weighed at the back which means Kay has to organise a carpenter to open the windows while they cleaned.
Much of Kays days are spent in meetings and the paperwork which includes budgeting to keep the 83-year-old Hotel immaculate. New maids must be interviewed, problems of staff listened to, and linen and dry goods constantly checked and ordered. Kay has a staff of 50 including 8 housekeepers, day and evening maids, house porters, valets and Linen Room stuff.
Each day the maids clean 9 rooms each taking 45 minutes. Every surface must be properly cleaned and polished including the £400 brass bedsteads, brass swan necked lamps and fireplace fenders. The dressing tables bedside cabinets and desks are original furniture dating back from 1906. Each room has recently been redecorated in basic colour themes of green, pink or blue and the mouldings picked out in gold leaf at a cost of £40,000.
London-born Kay grew up in County Limerick and later worked in Dublin. She has a soft, lilting voice, but it’s firm enough to ensure maids know who is boss. She went into the hotel business “by accident «in 1967 when she returned to London and found accommodation and hotels easier to come by than a flat. When Kate joined the housekeeping side of the Ritz in 1972, things were old-fashioned. “I was once told off for wearing a beige dress as being too bright and daring”
Kay has seen the modern touches of air conditioning, minibars and TVs introduced. The old-style Irish linen sheets have gone in favour of Egyptian cotton, still monogrammed, and made extra long for the specially made Ritz beds. The monogramed pillow slips must be put on correctly with the opening away from the door and the monogram in the top right-hand corner.
Kay and her housekeeper spend part of each day spot checking rooms. Kay starts with a sniff “if I can smell stale cigarette smoke, the windows have to be opened”.
Kay checks for dust with a white cloth, especially on the new marble bathroom floors which must be washed thoroughly each day. A task the maids are unenthusiastic about (one elderly maid always swears when cleaning the toilets). Kay is a dust spotting phonetic and finds it impossible to go to other hotels without checking for dirt and plumping up cushions.
Each bed has 7 seats of sheets, 2 in service, changed at night if needed, 2 at the laundry, 1 dirty and the rest in reserve at the Laundry. Linen checking is an endless task.
To help maids, Kay keeps a book of regular guests’ requirements: someone has 50 hangers, others extra lamps, more pillows or a bed board. They also keep stocks of pyjamas and toothbrushes for forgetful travellers, hot water bottles, irons and boards for those not using Valet services.
Rewards of all this work come when rooms are appraised by guests. When I asked Jackie Onassis, a frequent guest, if everything was all right, Jackie Onassis replied, “it’s like paradise.” But paradise for Kay Clifford is relaxing with plenty of non-fiction books, cooking, doing a tapestry and visiting friends. She reckons she gets enough exercise pounding along the corridors of the Ritz and up and downstairs, checking, checking and checking as she goes.