CEFR-based Front-desk Staff’s English Skills: A Case in Indonesian Hotels

This article analyses the English skills of front-desk staff on the accommodation business, particularly Listening, Spoken Interaction and Spoken Production skills. It is based on a qualitative descriptive research conducted in a medium-sized city in Central Java, Indonesia. The data are collected using self-assessment based on CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) Can-do statements, and crossed-checked in interviews and focus-group discussions. The research found diverse levels of Listening, Spoken Interaction and Spoken Production skills of front-desk staff, mostly A2 (Waystage Basic User), B1 (Threshold Independent User), and C2 (Mastery Proficient User). Besides, the results show that respondents are split in terms of consistency in perceiving their listening and spoken skills. It is also found that both hotel guests and front-desk staff use mobile translating applications to assist spoken communication, encouraging further studies to explore the role of mobile translating application in promoting the success of communication in accommodation business