It is all in a name: as an all-rounder I do a bit of everything! On Monday I arrive by boat and then I see where I am needed: checking out a few guests, seeing whether I can lend a hand with the cleaning, checking that the sauna looks neat, cleaning the windows and vacuuming there, answering the phone and checking and tidying the shared cupboard. In the afternoon I check the emails and whether any questions have come in through the booking sites, and I also process the newly received reservations.
I stay on the island for a few nights, so on Tuesday I am there to make breakfast. During the autumn half-term, for example, we had lots of breakfast guests again, and then I am busy keeping everything topped up. Other weeks are a bit quieter. Throughout the day I make sure everything on the grounds looks neat, which also includes watering the plants or snipping off faded flowers. While doing so I walk past one of the buildings and see that the hallway is full of leaves and someone has walked in with very dirty shoes. Well, off I go, grab the vacuum cleaner and the mop, and clean it up! I really enjoy making sure, independently, that our guests are happy and tell us when they check out that they will definitely come back to the Vlindertuin. I also like to help guests who have a comment quickly, so that they are happy again too.
On Wednesday I do breakfast again. Today only 2 apartments are checking out; I clean those myself so that the other housekeeping staff are free. Then I place the orders with our supplier and drive to the shop to do all the other shopping for things he doesn’t stock. I actually plan my own day as far as possible. I do tick off all the tasks in an app, so that we all know what has or hasn’t been done yet. That is how, together as a whole team, we make sure the Vlindertuin is a lovely place to stay, but also to work.
