By Krystal Rhaburn
In honor of International Housekeeping and Environmental Services Week from Sept. 11–17, cast members from Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disneyland Hotel spiced things up with an annual salsa-making competition and enjoyed an end-of-summer celebration that included mariachis, a photo booth and buffet provided by Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa’s Chef Marcel and banquet team.
Housekeeping teams have hosted a salsa-making contest for more than 15 years, in which the top three edible entries from each hotel move on to the finals. General managers, culinary team leaders and guest experience managers served as judges, tasting and deliberating over the nine salsas, assessing prominent ingredients, texture, smell, heat and flavor, and voting for their top pick. Congratulations to Felipe Manzo who earned first place, Ines Vega who took home second and Maria Macias who placed third this year!
“I get a chance to work all over, which I enjoyvery much because I have an overview of the work asa housekeeper,” said Eva Ngo with Disney’s ParadisePier Hotel. “My favorite Disney hero is the Incrediblesbecause of my team … although we are few, we areincredible in the way we make things possible.As a team, everyone belongs.”
“This year was extra special since we didn’t get to celebrate last year because of the pandemic,” said Hugo Penate, executive housekeeper of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. “We have new hires that just joined the team, and this week gave them great motivation after experiencing firsthand how this role is a good fit for them, showing how we care for our cast members. We’re very proud of our team.”
Housekeepers at the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort create magic through organizing and cleaning hotel rooms, hallways and common areas. They also create characters out of hotel towels and leave chocolates on pillows during evening turndown service. When staying at the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort, be sure to give a special thanks to our wonderful housekeepers for all that they do! And if you’re looking to sprinkle a little pixie dust in a housekeeping role yourself, head over to disneyland.jobs to explore available roles.