On our Fabian Cares page, you can get to know the Fabians! We tell you about the good deeds in our day-to-day life that bring us joy, and how you can help together with various charities. We share our tips for doing things in Helsinki as well!

MEET OUR STAFF: Housekeeping Manager Katrina

Who are you and what do you do on a daily basis?

I am Katrina Laht, Housekeeping Manager at Hotel Fabian and sister hotel Hotel Haven. I am from Pärnu, Estonia, and I moved to Finland 13 years ago. In Estonia I studied tourism and worked as a hotel reception manager.

I have been working at Fabian for three years and together with my team I am responsible for the cleanliness of the hotel rooms, the hotel's common areas and the breakfast service. My role is to manage the daily work of my team. In a hotel situations change quickly (bookings, special requests from customers) and I am there to make sure that each employee has the knowledge, skills and tools to serve customers in the best possible way and to succeed in their job.

I also personally check the hotel's various facilities on a daily basis and monitor the practical implementation of high cleaning standards. My job also involves constantly improving working methods and procedures, organising work and training my team. "Your last view is customers first view" is my personal motto, which I have also taught to others.

What kind of things make you feel good?

Helping children and animals always brings joy to my day. They are disadvantaged and need the support of others. My family and I make a donation to homeless children every Christmas and often take food to a dog shelter when we visit Estonia.

I also participate in the Cancer Foundation's Roosa nauha fundraiser, which raises money for Finnish cancer research and counselling services. This is a very important cause for our family as we have been very closely affected by cancer. A small donation can make a big difference and can save someone's life. "Your small steps could mean a world to someone" is my thought behind the charity.

What is the best thing about working at Fabian?

We have a great atmosphere at Fabian, even though the housekeeping and breakfast team are from another company, Sol Services Ltd. Every morning I love coming to work and I feel like we are one big family. I believe this feeling is passed on to the customers.

My team consists of 14 people from five different countries: the Philippines, Ukraine, Estonia, Nepal and Kenya. Our common working language is English. Many of our employees are learning Finnish and our working community has established colourful and fun expressions from Takalo, Estonian and Ukrainian languages. Multiculturalism is a great enrichment and we celebrate Christmas parties together. Everyone brings food from their own country for others to taste. We learn from each other every day!

What do you recommend to do in Helsinki?

Punavuori is full of small boutique shops and restaurants. Many of the shops, galleries and museums in the Design District are also located there. The Mikael Agricola Church, Sinebrychoff Park and the Sinebrychoff Art Museum are also interesting.

Fabian has fun accommodation packages such as the Pajama Party and the Love Birds package for couples. It's perfect for a wedding night, a wedding present or even an anniversary. If you want to pamper yourself, you can book a massage at Hotel Fabian or head to our sister hotel, Hotel St. George's spa at St. George Care, a luxurious option with a range of treatments.

Tell us about your most memorable joyful encounter with a hotel guest!

In more than 15 years in the hotel business, I've experienced all sorts of things, but one of the most important is the regulars who stay at our hotel. They always come to say hello and chat about how things have been and what's been happening between visits. The dogs are always a delight too. They are quick to guess whose pocket you can pick here!

What was your #GoodDeedOfTheDay today?

Today in our morning meeting I praised our teams and offered them ice cream cakes for a job well done. We exceeded the targets we had set for ourselves in our work. We were at a higher level than our goals were.

Katrina Laht,
Housekeeping Manager

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Welcome to Hotel Fabian!

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