Assessing the ability of the Egyptian hospitality industry to serve special needs customers

Special needs customers are those who need the help of a partner or another person for normal daily activities because of physical or mental disability. The study aims to investigate the ability of the Egyptian hospitality industry to accommodate special needs customers. A questionnaire was used to gather data and measure respondents' perceptions of the subject under investigation. The study sample comprised six major five star hotel chains in Egypt; personnel representing the following departments were contacted and asked to complete the research tool: human resources, sales and marketing, and rooms division. It was assessed that there is a need to improve the quality and quantity of services and products offered to individuals with special needs; in addition hospitality operations staff should be provided with the proper training required to attract and satisfy such a sensitive segment.