As Deputy Head Housekeeper of Pennsylvania Castle Estate, Keanna Pearce is key to keeping the property running like clockwork. Keanna shares her story and gives us some insight into what it’s like working in an historical castle on the UK’s Jurassic Coast.
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I’ve worked at Pennsylvania Castle Estate for nearly two years now. I joined the team as a Deputy Head Housekeeper, but I’ve also worked in The Hayloft Café and The Castle Bar for events. It’s great to be able to support so many different areas across the estate.
My family owned a hotel, so growing up I was able to help with housekeeping and I always found it to be something I really enjoyed. Before I joined this team, I was a Head Housekeeper at a hotel in Bridport. It was a lot smaller than The Penn Estate so I really have enjoyed the change, working somewhere with so much variety.
I love the estate as a whole. It’s such a beautiful location and I feel so lucky to be here every day. I love the beaches and the views. It’s such a lovely area. You can really understand why people choose to take their holidays here.
Everyone at the property is also so welcoming and helpful. Probably the best thing about working here is how friendly everyone is. We all get along so well and if you every need help, you get the support straight away.
The properties on the estate are so beautiful and I enjoy being able to support maintaining such high cleaning standards. There is such a variety of different types of accommodation, and each one requires a different level of housekeeping and different needs.
At the castle, we pay attention to different little details and have extra cleaning requirements such as the pool and bar area. The Clifftops Lodges are luxury and require great attention to detail to maintain a high standard for guests. Our vans and pods are smaller and much easier to clean. It’s interesting that everyone in the team has a different favourite area they like to clean.
I am really passionate about providing the best standards of cleaning at work, and I even find some of the processes creeping in at home. Little things like how we make the beds to make them perfectly flat and the way we fold the corners, I do the same at home without even realising.
It’s a very fast-paced job and keeping up to date with all the little changes or extras can be challenging, but that’s what I love. No day is ever the same!