Cross-cultural awareness in the hospitality industry

Master of EducationThis thesis investigates the awareness of cross-cultural issues within hotel management and front line staff interacting with international guests and relates this to the current status of cross-cultural awareness training within a number of Melbourne's hotels. Hotels have a unique position in the study of cross-cultural communication as they are environments in which vast numbers of different cultures sleep, bathe, eat, drink and relax. Front line staff working in these environments interact with large numbers of international tourists as part of their service role. The success or otherwise of these interactions has the potential to greatly impact on the hospitality and tourism industry within Australia, and Melbourne in particular. As the study deals with unconscious cultural behaviours, ways of thinking and other human aspects, some of which are not readily observable, a qualitative approach was selected for gathering the information. In-depth interviews and observations were used as the main means of gathering data. Overall the investigation revealed that hotel management had a limited knowledge or awareness of cross-cultural awareness, and its complexity. As a result of this lack of awareness, little time or money was directed towards training of staff about different cultures and creating an awareness of different guests' service needs