1. Customer Service

2. The customer is the King
When a customer comes into your room, their first impression of it will always be remembered. The decoration must be accurate with proper arrangement and atmosphere, clean air and no odours, with everything impeccably neat and clean.  
Silence and discretion. Soft-soled shoes. Carpeted corridors. Carts with shock absorbant wheels Greased hinged doors and slowing arm to avoid abrupt closures. With our attitude and our discretion, we show our respect and consideration for our customers.

3. Different types of influence on different types of customers with the housekeeping activities

4. 1. Families
Design: Breadth of the rooms (room description). Adjoining rooms. Elimination of risk factors (sockets, connections, etc..). Balcony rails without holes/gaps and with appropriate height. Wardrobes with adequate space and durability and hangers for children as well as adults. Mini-Bars locked. Prohibition of children using the lift (elevator) alone.

5. Special attention: Cots and extra beds in perfect condition
Special attention: Cots and extra beds in perfect condition. Padding in the cradle. Complementary towels for changing babies.
Tables for changing nappies in bathrooms. Plastic bags to deposit nappies. Frequent cleaning. Baby-sitting service.

6. 2. Business Executives
They are characterised by: Maintaining an orderly room. Allowing ample time for cleaning. Requesting the laundry service. Being knowledgeable about the housekeeping service. Rarely making complaints. Preferring queen size beds. Valuing the hotel’s gym facilities.

7. 3.Guests on holiday.
If the customer is in a hotel on the coast the following must be taken into account:
Guest travelling with a lot of luggage/baggage.
The room being difficult to clean.
Their schedules are irregular so their rooms should be cleaned
at a later time.
There is a very short time to clean the rooms and this means more staff needed with fewer working hours.

8. 4. Flight Crew
They are very accustomed to staying in hotels and it is necessary to do the following: Their “Do Not Disturb” hanger should be respected scrupulously. They should be assigned rooms away from noisy areas. They do not conform to usual departure times. They always tend to be assigned the same room. They, as a client, are almost invisible to housekeeping.

9. 5. Disabled customers
In Spain the law obligates us to have rooms suitable for people with disabilities.
We must pay adequate attention to and be courteous in facilitating the needs of disabled customers. Eg. Clearing corridors, providing a place for putting crutches or removing a chair so that the person can move closer to the meeting table with her own wheelchair.

10. Good Manners
Act naturally. Look the customer in the eyes. (Don't stare) Don’t be patronising or condescending. We should not assume that a disabled person needs help. If the customer is used to fending for themselves, we should help only if they request it. If we do not know how to act the best solution is to ask, in private, directly and with understanding and discretion.

11. The rooms:
The design must never resemble that of a hospital. They should be located on the ground floor and near the lift/elevator. The principal adaptations include: doors, seats, tables, flooring, lighting, alarm clocks, etc.. The toilets also have required standards: Eg. The door must open both ways, the flush and the sink must be close to the toilet and the toilet paper dispenser must be accessible from a wheelchair (eg. At wheelchair height), etc.

12. 6. Senior Citizens
Older people need some special attention Complementary pillows and a choice of pillows that are different from those already in the room. The bathroom floor and the bottom of the bath must have an anti-slip surface. Support rails in the bath. Housekeeping should keep track of when they put up the “Do not disturb” sign, to ensure that they are well.

13. 7. Athletes
They have very particular habits that housekeeping should be aware of: Two athletes will usually share one room. They spend a lot of time in their rooms. At times they will attend meetings together, this will require taking the cups, chairs, etc. to the meeting room. It is necessary to know their mealtimes, as all leave and return to their room at the same time.

14. 8. VIPs
Reception should be informed of the rooms assigned daily to expected VIPs, as far in advance as possible. Thus, housekeeping will have enough time to organise themselves and to pay special attention to VIP rooms. This is very important because a problem with a VIP can be severely compromising and have devastating effects for the hotel. Hospitality (housekeeping): Welcoming details give a very important first impression. Eg. Gifts from the hotel or chain. Preferences for cleaning: In the case of heads of state, the cleaning is done in the presence of the security force. Sometimes, depending on the customer, altering the furniture arrangement is required. The room should be decorated with fresh flowers. Express laundry service should be provided. The most experienced and confident staff should be allocated to their care.

15. 9. Conferences
All guests leave and return to their rooms at the same time. There is little margin for cleaning time. Housekeeping has to meet the requirements of all rooms during the same limited hours (this includes the laundry service and ironing clothes). All customer requests are urgent. Conference guests are usually very tidy. It is important that the room attendant is sure not to throw anything away.

16. 10. Foreign Customers
The housekeeping department needs to know how to address the behavior of guests from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. Here are some examples of such differences in behaviour: The interpretation of the use of the room’s facilities. Lack of recognition of any part of the bathroom and/or how it may be utilised (eg. bidet). They may need to cook in their room with a gas or electric cooker. It may be customary to leave a tip on the pillow. Requests for alternative pillows may be made. More bars of soap for the shower may be needed.

17. 11. Young Groups Here are some of their features:
Their rooms are very untidy. It is difficult to find a time at which the room has no one in it for cleaning. Mini bars can be kept locked or empty, if believed necessary.

18. 12. The Regular Customer
This type of client finds it difficult to adapt to different hotels, so they often return to one in which they feel the most comfortable.
They know the waiter/waitress who serves them
We know and can anticipate their habits/routines and tastes.
5% of customers who stay in a hotel will become regular customers.

19. Communication with the Customer
Housekeeping does not work directly with the customer but there are several ways to communicate with them. This includes: The Preference Sign. Usually green, this sign indicates that the client wants their room cleaned. Also known as the “Please Clean” sign The “Do not disturb” sign. Usually red, this sign conveys the following message from the client: I do not want to be bothered!        There may be other reasons why the customer displays the sign. It does not necessarily mean that they want to sleep.

20. It is very important that all staff know and respect these indicators
It is very important that all staff know and respect these indicators.      Laundry Service      Each hotel provides a manner in which the customer can notify housekeeping that they need to use the laundry service.     NEWSPAPERS      They are placed in front of the room door inside a bag.      In 5 star hotels newspapers are distributed very early. Room Service Breakfast    The customer orders it by:     1. Calling a number in the directory.    2. Filling out a breakfast form.