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ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) and Kimberly-Clark Professional announced today the launch of the Heart of Hospitality Program to provide executive housekeepers with tools and resources to educate, empower and recognize housekeeping staff. As the cornerstone of the program, an annual Heart of Hospitality Award will be given to recognize exceptional housekeepers who enhance the hotel guest experience.

How important is the guest experience? Studies have shown that 66 percent of Americans are willing to spend an average of 13 percent more with businesses that provide excellent customer service. On the other hand, 82 percent of consumers have stopped doing business with a company because of a negative experience.

"Housekeepers are the heart of a hotel, but they don't always receive the recognition they deserve," said Mary Remson, IEHA executive director. "With the Heart of Hospitality Award, we are looking to change that by putting a program in place to honor the critical role of housekeepers in ensuring guest satisfaction."

"We are excited to partner with IEHA on this recognition program as a way to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of housekeeping staff," said Ronnie Phillips, Ph.D., hospitality segment leader, Kimberly-Clark Professional. "At Kimberly-Clark Professional, we understand the important role that housekeepers play not only in helping ensure the health and well-being of guests and employees, but also in driving repeat guests and hotel brand loyalty."

2015 Heart of Hospitality Award

Designed by IEHA and Kimberly-Clark Professional, the inaugural Heart of Hospitality Award launches in 2015. Housekeeping executives will be able to nominate exceptional housekeepers for the award.

Nominations will open in January 2015 and remain open through July 2015, with winners recognized at the IEHA 49th Annual Conference and Convention in November 2015. All nominations will be reviewed by the IEHA recognition committee, who will then select the winners.

Heart of Hospitality Program Components

In support of the Heart of Hospitality Award, the Heart of Hospitality Program also will include a variety of educational resources and recognition tools, such as a housekeeping guide, inspirational posters and recognition cards, to empower housekeeping executives and their staffs to own the guest experience.

About IEHA
IEHA is a 3,500-plus professional member organization for persons employed in facility housekeeping at the management level. The organization was founded in 1930 in New York City, and is now located in Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of the State's capitol, Columbus. Executive Housekeepers are managers who direct housekeeping programs in commercial, industrial or institutional facilities. They supervise staffs ranging from a few to several hundred people and handle budgets from a few thousand dollars to millions. IEHA provides members with an array of channels through which they can achieve personal and professional growth. www.ieha.org

About Kimberly-Clark Professional
Kimberly-Clark Professional partners with businesses to create Exceptional Workplaces* helping to make them healthier, safer, and more productive. Key brands in this segment include: Kleenex, Scott, WypAll, Kimtech, and Jackson Safety. Kimberly-Clark Professional, located in Roswell, Ga., is one of Kimberly-Clark Corporation's four business sectors.  To see how we are helping people the world over work better, please visit www.kcprofessional.com. 

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the Company's 142-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation