Patricia Mutie: From House Girl to Housekeeper earning 300K, to 5-star Hotel Director
Patricia Mutie is a Kenyan woman who has broken the glass ceiling with her global successes.
On Tuesday, June 14, Mutie told Lynn Ngugi Network about how she went from being a house assistant to working at the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai.
Mutie’s work visa was about to expire at the time, so she decided to try her luck in the hotel industry. She told Lynn that after submitting her application to the hotel’s top management, she was hired as a concierge within 30 minutes.
“I just went to the reception and asked for the HR and they directed me to the fourth floor. I went and met a gentleman. He took my CV and looked at it then he told me, what I have you are too overqualified. I told him I will take it. In a space of 30 minutes, I had met top officials and I was hired,” she said in an interview with Lynn Ngugi.
Mutie worked in various areas at the five-star hotel, progressing through the ranks. She was compelled to resign after she discovered herself washing toilets and performing other housekeeping duties.
Mutie was hosted by friends in Dubai for four months after serving her resignation letter before landing another work opportunity at a palace.
She was hired as an Assistant Executive Housekeeper in the palace, with a starting salary of Ksh336,000 plus perks.
At the five-star hotel, Mutie served in different departments, rising through the ranks. However, she was forced to resign after she found herself scrubbing the toilets and doing other tasks of a house help.
After serving her resignation letter, Mutie was housed by friends in Dubai for four months before she landed another job opportunity at a palace.
Her starting salary was Ksh336,000 without allowances.
“Congratulations you are an Assistant Executive House Keeper. I saw the salary offered and for a moment I thought they had made a mistake. I had a letter stating that I would be taking home Ksh336,000 as minimum salary and that was in 2007,” Mutie stated.
That was a watershed moment in her career because she was now a key figure in Dubai’s hotel business. Mutie was a driving force behind the opening of Dubai’s Address Mall.
She was elevated to lead the Dubai Mall Hotel as a result of her energy and accomplishment.
“I moved from the palace to become an executive housekeeper of Dubai Mall Hotel. I was the big mama there. Anything to do with furniture, decorations and even in charge of all cleaning activities in the Mall,” she remarked. However, the pandemic ate into her fortunes with the hotel industry reeling from the painful effects of the virus.
She has substantial experience in hotel operations and growth prior to the economic downturn.
Her most recent position was as a Director.
