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Edita Talat-Kelpsiene on spotless standards

By Edita Talat-Kelpsiene

Founder - Spotlight Hospitality Solutions

Fluent in Lithuanian, Russian, and English – and with a good command of Arabic and Hindu too – Edita Talat-Kelpsiene’s multilingual mastery is a reflection of her love of travelling and time working worldwide.

Edita started working in five-star hotels 15 years ago as a room attendant and worked her way up to managing large housekeeping operations in hotels in London and the Middle East.

Edita is now applying those five-star standards to her own serviced accommodation business, Spotlight Hospitality Solutions, providing high-quality services to accommodation providers and holiday let properties in Southampton, Winchester, and the New Forest.

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You’ve spent time working in five-star hotels in both the Middle East and London; what did you take away from the experience?

In the Middle East, they have really high standards – you always have to be on the ball; there's always pressure and competition from other hotels so you have to keep the standards really high.

Customer service is really important. One of the most important lessons I learned is that even when you get a complaint, you can turn that around and the person who has made the complaint can become a loyal customer. People are afraid of complaints, but they can actually be an opportunity to turn things around.

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What’s the business set-up and services of Spotlight Hospitality Solutions?

We have a property management service for serviced accommodation and HMOs.

We also manage Airbnbs and provide housekeeping, cleaning, and maintenance services for holiday lets.

We’ve also started offering storage solutions for serviced accommodation. We have warehouse units where clients can store things for their properties, so they don’t have to spend money on renting lockable storage units.

Everything we do is to make property owner’s lives easier: we cover maintenance, storage, housekeeping, and we can manage their properties for them.

You take a lot of pride in your work; what do you enjoy most about what you do?

I enjoy getting feedback from the clients. Especially new clients who are just starting their journey in holiday lets – they don’t know where to start and I guide them in how to set up the property, how to get on Airbnb, and what amenities to buy. They can call me anytime and I enjoy guiding them in how to set up their properties.

"Everything we do is to make property owner’s lives easier: we cover maintenance, storage, housekeeping, and we can manage their properties for them."

What kind of advice do you give to property owners?

I advise on how and where to list the property and anything from how to take deposits to being more sustainable. I also advise them on how to systemize everything, we work through an app that makes things more efficient and saves them a lot of time. It takes a lot of headache away from the clients –they can connect our app to their booking sites, it communicates to us when the guest has checked out so that we know when we need to go and clean, and then the property owner can see when we have finished.

How are you finding it working for yourself and running your own business as opposed to working for the big hotels?

It’s amazing. Obviously, there are a lot of challenges because you’ve got to wear so many hats, but it brings a lot of pride and joy because it’s your business – especially when you do really well.

"In the Middle East, they have really high standards – you always have to be on the ball; there's always pressure and competition from other hotels so you have to keep the standards really high."

Edita Talat-Kelpsiene - Founder, Spotlight Hospitality Solutions

What’s the most enjoyable thing in life for you outside of work?

I love travelling, I love meeting new people, and I love food and different cuisines. My goal is to travel every month even if it’s just a short break.

I also have a dog, so I spend a lot of time outdoors walking him, he’s a cocker spaniel so he’s super energetic.

Of all the places you’ve travelled, have you got a favourite destination?

Switzerland – because of the nature, the crisp air, and the mountains. It’s such a beautiful country.

Have you got any favourite hotels that you’ve stayed in?

I am a big fan of W Hotels. If I go to any new place, I will always look for a W Hotel. I love their concept; it’s a lifestyle brand and it also reflects my personality because it’s the company that I used to work for. I love what they offer for the guests – their motto is whatever and whenever – their customer service ethos is to go above and beyond for their guests. They’re really creative and fun to work with.

Edita portrait