ALTHOUGH SERVICED APARTMENT providers prefer to hire staff and managers with hotel experience, there are differences in job responsibilities for those working in the two types of business. The requirements of long-stay guests in an apartment are not identical to those in a hotel.
'Our serviced apartments do not have as many layers as a hotel, and the principal difference is that we do not have food and beverage managers,' said Deanne Siqueira, chief operating officer at Shama Group.
'Housekeepers are at the front line, but differ from their counterparts in hotels in that they need to have a more personalised concept of service [and be] sensitive to the particular likes and dislikes of customers to accommodate their longer stays,' said Ms Siqueira.
Housekeepers and other workers, especially those dealing with clients, sometimes prefer working at serviced apartments as there is often no shift work required and they can enjoy weekends off.
'Swire Properties' serviced apartments have specialised teams of staff in security, engineering, resident services and leasing,' said Doris Chu, head of human resources and administration at Swire Properties Management, adding that housekeeping, concierge and technical support staff are outsourced to the JW Marriott Hotel and the Conrad Hotel.
At Shama, a building manager has responsibilities similar to those of a hotel manager, while building assistants spend about 30 per cent of their time on concierge work and about 70 per cent on maintenance and repair duties, said Ms Siqueira.