Maid on the Iron Range: 11th Housekeeper Olympics today

The team from Fortune Bay Resort and Casino competes in the 2014 Iron Range Housekeeping Olympics. (PHOTO via Iron Range Tourism)

Today in Mountain Iron, hotel housekeepers from around the Iron Range will compete for fun, pride and barbecued food in the 11th annual Iron Range Housekeeper Olympics.

The event takes the everyday tasks of hotel staffers and turns them into sport. I suppose this could be considered the latter-day equivalent of the old logging competitions in lumber camps or the comparisons of feats of strength in the mining camps. In fact, service workers like hotel housekeepers hold the same place in today’s economy that miners and loggers did 100 years ago.

In fact, when you look at statistics from the U.S. Labor Department ….

(muffled struggle)

I am new blogger. Here is press release:

MOUNTAIN IRON, MN As the annual Iron Range Housekeeping Olympics enters its second decade, the event returns to the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Mountain Iron, where it will highlight and celebrate the work of hotel housekeepers everywhere.

In conjunction with International Housekeepers’ Week, hotel, motel and resort housekeeping staff will compete in the 11th Annual Iron Range Housekeeping Olympics, Monday, September 14, 2015, at the Holiday Inn.
The activities, which begin at 11 a.m., pit teams of hotel housekeepers against each other as they compete in four events: bed-stripping and making, linen folding, laundry stacking and the obstacle course. The event kicks off with a grand parade of teams carrying banners, followed by the lighting of the Housekeeping Olympics torch.

“The Housekeeping Olympics have grown over the years and we’re excited to welcome teams from around the state to this great event that showcases our hardworking hospitality staff,” said Jim Makowsky, General Manager of the Eveleth Super 8 and AmericInn of Mountain Iron. “Being part of this event since its inception has generated a lot of great memories for me, and it never fails to help me appreciate the great work our area housekeepers do”

The annual event is designed to celebrate the work of hotel housekeepers and foster friendships among housekeepers from area lodging businesses. National Housekeepers’ Week began in 1981, then gained international involvement in 1996. Currently thousands of hotels, motels, resorts, and other businesses participate across the U.S. Regardless of where it is celebrated, International Housekeepers’ Week can motivate employees by making them feel appreciated.

“This event is fun for the housekeepers, property managers and spectators alike,” said Jane Serrano, general manager of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. “It’s great to see the pride our housekeepers have in their jobs, and the friendly rivalries that have grown between properties.”

The event culminates with a barbeque for all participants and team awards for first place (gold), second (silver) and third (bronze) as well as an award for the best team banner.

You can track the event by checking out the Iron Range Housekeeping Olympics Facebook page.