Hospitality Workers’ Interaction with Multinational Guests: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Hospitality is an industry that co-exists with the tourism industry, which primarily provides services in the form of accommodation, food and beverages, and entertainment. Hospitality workers are exposed to multinational guests. Diversity in ethnicity, nationality, culture, and beliefs pose a challenge among hospitality workers. Poor knowledge of dealing with multinational guests can result in bad customer experience and complaints. This research explored the lived experiences of hospitality workers in Cebu with multinational guests. This study utilized a descriptive phenomenological design. Seven key informants are hospitality workers from different areas of the industry who participated in this study. Collaizi's seven steps of data analysis were utilized in the analysis of the descriptions of the informants. Results revealed that: theme (1) hospitality workers face Language barrier problem, theme (2) guests' food preferences are influenced by their ethnicity and religious beliefs, theme (3) Hospitality workers displays qualities of an accultured worker, theme (4) hospitality workers see that dealing multinational guests is a learning opportunity, and theme (5) they think that their experiences can be useful for future work prospect.