Born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, María del Rosario Martinez, our Housekeeper at The Royal Caribbean and The Royal Islander has been a Cancun resident since 1985 and joined Royal Resorts in 1989.
Rosario celebrated her 25th anniversary at Royal Resorts in 2014 and tells us how she was recruited: “I joined Royal Resorts in 1989. I was working in the Plaza Caribe Hotel Downtown at the time when I was head hunted by the late Raul Esquiel who was the Resort Manager at the time. He offered me the post of Housekeeper at The Royal Mayan and he had to work very hard to convince me to return to the Hotel Zone.
I had been working at the Kin-Ha Hotel when Hurricane Gilbert struck in September 1988. The management wouldn’t let us go home and after that frightening experience I vowed that I would never work in the Hotel Zone again. Raul was very crafty. He interviewed me and then took me up to see the view of the Caribbean from the penthouse. It was so spectacular that I decided that I wanted to see it every day and I accepted the job.
“In 1992, I was promoted to my current post and I now supervise the work of 167 maids and cleaning staff at The Royal Caribbean and The Royal Islander; in turn I report to Executive Housekeeper Mirna Pech. I love my job, but I sometimes miss calling on the members I have known for years to say hello and catch up with all their news. I am so busy behind the scenes that I don’t have much time to do that any more. However, I always greet the members and guests that I see during my rounds of the resorts.
“I think that members appreciate the way we look after the villas and keep them in tiptop condition. Every year, they notice improvements, for example a new bedspread or lamp or perhaps a change in the art on the wall or the tableware.” Rosario adds, “My staff are vigilant, always on the look out for problems, a loose tile, a flickering light bulb or a door that needs a new coat of varnish and electrical appliances in the villas are replaced on an as-needed basis before they reach the end of their useful life. And of course we budget carefully during the year to keep costs down wherever possible.”
“Something that gives me great satisfaction is the work we are doing to protect the environment. In recent years we have been able to spread environmental awareness among our employees. It started with separating trash and the importance of recycling and now we are using eco-friendly cleaning products and we have been able to reduce the amount of chlorine we use at the resorts.”
Rosario says, “Looking back at my career, I still believe that choosing to join Royal Resorts was the best thing I ever did. It is a company with integrity and principles and it looks after its staff very well.” As a personal message to members, she concludes, “I would like to thank our members for their faith in Royal Resorts and in Cancún. They are part of our family and we are happy to welcome them home each year.”
