Standardizing and assuming that each guest will have the same perception and expectation of customer service, is no longer sufficient in today’s growing population of travelers around the world. Guests from different cultures are likely to have different expectations for a hotel or resort experience. The guest’s cultural background will impact their service expectations. It may be a challenge for the hotel industry to accommodate different cultural expectations. However, it is essential for resort and hotel business to understand the different culture perceptions and expectation of what would be consider great service. Better understanding of different culture’s expectation can lead to satisfied and loyal guests.
In order to understand the guest expectation, we have to gain knowledge of their culture norms and traditions. A culture distinguishes one group of people from another, and sets the normality for acceptable behaviors and attitudes. What may be acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another culture. As Americans, we tip at restaurants, parking valets, hotels, clubs, bars, etc. What we may consider to be an act of generosity can be perceived as an insult in other places around the world. In many parts of Asia, Japan for example, leaving tip is commonly viewed as rude. In addition, many of the service charges are already often added to the guest hotel bills. However, if one would want to give additional tip, it best to put the money in an envelope rather than handing out cash.
Another important culture tradition that is often over looked is religious superstition. Today, China has been dominating the world economical success, and the Office of Travel and tourism Industries said stated that there is a 232 expected percent increase in Chinese visitors over the next five years (article from week 2) China is a country with rich traditional and