California Hotel Housekeeper Named 2021 S.H.I.N.E. Award Winner

Cintas Corp. has named Miriam Rodriguez Alvarez the grand prize winner of the 2021 Cintas Star Housekeepers In a New Era (S.H.I.N.E.) Award. 

The annual award program recognizes housekeeping professionals employed at U.S. hospitality properties for their contributions to guest safety and satisfaction. Rodriguez Alvarez, a housekeeper at Best Western Plus Villa Del Lago Inn in Patterson, California, has been selected by the panel of judges as the US$5,000 grand prize winner. In addition to the cash prize, she will also receive the following:

• $2,500 in cleaning and hygiene products and services from Cintas
• A training and development package from the Indoor Environmental Healthcare and Hospitality Association (IEHA), a Division of ISSA, valued at $3,500
• A package from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, that includes a GBAC on-site consultation and enrollment in the GBAC Fundamentals Course 2.0, valued at $3,300
• A comprehensive product package from Rubbermaid Commercial Products(RCP), valued at more than $2,300.

Cintas also recognized the nine runners up, who will each receive a prize package valued at more than $1,800, which includes: a $500 cash prize for each runner-up,  a complimentary membership to IEHA for each runner-up’s hospitality property, a free IEHA training course, enrollment in the GBAC Fundamentals Course 2.0, and an RCP housekeeping cart. 

“We received inspiring nominations about hardworking housekeepers from hotels across the country, many of whom were the only ones available to clean for much of the pandemic due to furloughs and layoffs,” said Nicole Beall, Cintas senior director of hospitality and gaming enterprise. “These employees not only rose to the challenge of maintaining new standards of cleanliness but did so with smiles on their faces and ongoing enthusiasm for their important jobs.”

According to her manager, Miriam “has changed the housekeeping department for the better.” In her nomination, her hotel’s management also noted that Miriam strives for perfection in cleanliness, and although she has a hearing disability, she does not allow it to be an obstacle. She always has a positive attitude and frequently goes the extra mile to communicate with, and show appreciation for, hotel guests. They noted that she helps lift employee morale and has been instrumental in upholding cleanliness for the property during the pandemic.

For more winners and a complete list of runners up, visit cintas.com/SHINEAwards/.