Having been dormant for a long time, these young housekeepers really expressed their joy at the Making Bed and Towel Competition in Mediterranean Bali, Saturday (Apr 29). The participants were so enthusiastic about spreading the sheets and then folding the duvets well. The time given was really put to good use, so that almost all of the participants appeared creative. “We at the Indonesia Housekeeper Association (IHKA) of Bali Chapter consistently hold this event. However, the previous year was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the Chairman of the IHKA Bali, I Gede Cahaya Adiputra, on the sidelines of the competition.

The Making Bed and Towel Competition towards endemic was held at Mediterranean Bali. At this time, the competition was attended by 96 participants, consisting of 66 representatives from hotels throughout Bali, 12 from LPK (campus) and 18 participants from vocational school. The activity was even supported by 34 vendors in the field of housekeeping that enlivened the event by opening booth. “Hopefully, in the future this event will always be beneficial for participants in particular and the wider community in Bali in general,” he hoped.

The competition aims to hone skills, so that a housekeeping person must be able to make beds with the right procedures. The steps must also be well known, starting from the beginning, namely spreading sheets and then folding duvets to ergonomic accruement, namely a movement when making a bed does not hurt certain parts of the body. “We will propose the winners to the Central Executive so that later on they will take part in national level competitions. We at IHKA Bali are also ready to host,” he said.

Director of Mediterranean Bali, Luh Gede Intan Purwitasari, stated that she was happy to be IHKA Bali’s partner in holding the bed making competition. “To be honest, this is an event to shape the quality of students, especially in the field of housekeeping. We know that in the world of tourism in Bali we cannot just get stuck there, but the quality must be improved and be able to competitive at the national and international level,” she explained.

The competition is a forum for screening young people who are indeed talented and have quality and qualifications. It is one of the activities that will shape and build students’ character and hone their abilities. “Related to graduates of Mediterranean Bali, our history shows that students of Mediterranean Bali have received a lot of appreciation, such as from the training in several 5-star hotels with international standards. Moreover, on cruise ships, they have filled supervisor and manager levels,” she said proudly.

Meanwhile, Public Relations Coordinator of IHKA Bali, Nyoman Roma Pujawan, added that the competition activity is a start because there will be three subsequent series. The event will be continued in June 2023 in the form of a larger exhibition that will invite all levels of the housekeeper executive management and hotel ranks from Bali, which are almost reaching 684 hotels. “A total of 684 hotels will join the event. This is our start to carry out our revival pattern in hospitality, especially in the field of housekeeping,” he said.

On average, at hotel there are around 70 percent of revenue from room below to create regeneration through this activity. Hopefully, it will run smoothly and sustainably in the future. “For the competition this time, we have three categories where each looks for three champions, namely the first, second and third,” he concluded. (BTN/015)