Bridging the Language Gap: Foreign Language Services in Enhancing Guest Satisfaction of a Hotel in Cebu City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23317830Keywords:
foreign language services, guest satisfaction, multilingual hospitality, translation applications, intercultural communication, Cebu CityAbstract
This study assessed the foreign language services availed by international guests at Amethyst Boutique Hotel Cebu, their satisfaction and communication difficulties, and the relationships among guest characteristics, service utilization, and satisfaction. A descriptive-correlational design was used with 60 foreign hotel guests recruited through stratified sampling. A researcher-developed questionnaire was administered, and frequency, percentage, weighted mean, chi-square tests of independence, and Pearson correlation were applied. Translation applications or devices were used by all 60 respondents (100%), compared with translation services (75.00%) and foreign-language visual aids (71.67%). All three services received very satisfactory evaluations; the aggregate satisfaction mean was 3.54 on a four-point scale. Limited translation services (55.00%) and confusing foreign-language visual aids (51.67%) were the most frequently reported problems. Nationality and native language were significantly associated with services availed (χ² = 77.732, p = .0001 for each), while the other profile variables were not. No guest profile variable was significantly associated with satisfaction; service utilization and satisfaction were weakly and nonsignificantly correlated (r = .197, p = .131). These findings support a combined approach to multilingual guest assistance through accessible digital translation, clearer multilingual materials, and staff development. The proposed Hospitality Language Program provides a staged intervention for improving communication quality and international guest experience.
Downloads
References
Abdulla, M. A., Hassan, T. H., & Al-Khalifa, S. S. (2025). Native-language service delivery and perceived authenticity in international hospitality settings. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 118, 103689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103689
Al-Azzam, A. F. M. (2022). Global standardization of guest expectations in multilingual hospitality environments. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 52, 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.07.001
Baker, M. (2020). Cultural sensitivity and translation choices: Contextual influences on meaning. Routledge.
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/1.1.1
Carvalho, I., Ramires, A., & Iglesias, M. (2023). Attitudes towards machine translation and languages among travelers. Information Technology & Tourism, 25, 175–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-023-00253-0
Castilho, S., Moorkens, J., Gaspari, F., & Doherty, S. (2018). Quality assessment of machine translation: A study of human evaluation and post-editing. Machine Translation, 32(3), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10590-017-9208-8
Chan, A., & Baum, T. (2020). Language barriers and service quality in luxury hotels: Evidence from Hong Kong. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45, 55–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.07.003
Chen, G., & Starosta, W. J. (2021). Intercultural communication competence and multilingual service delivery in hospitality. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 50(2), 134–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2021.1874325
Chen, L., & Rahman, M. (2021). Multilingual communication and guest satisfaction in hospitality services. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.01.004
Chen, L., & Rahman, S. (2023). Service availability gaps and multilingual support in international hotels. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 104, 103345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103345
Chen, Y., Wang, L., & Zhou, H. (2021). Mobile translation applications and their impact on communication efficiency. Journal of Language Technology, 15(3), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlt.2021.03.005
Giles, H. (1973). Accent mobility: A model and some data. Anthropological Linguistics, 15(2), 87–105.
Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2021). Digital transformation and technological readiness in hotels. Tourism Management, 85, 104295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104295
Hymes, D. H. (1972). On communicative competence. In J. B. Pride & J. Holmes (Eds.), Sociolinguistics: Selected readings (pp. 269–293). Penguin.
Koo, C., Xiang, Z., Gretzel, U., & Sigala, M. (2021). Artificial intelligence and robots in tourism and hospitality: A state-of-the-art review. Tourism Management Perspectives, 38, 100823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100823
Littlewood, W. (2007). Communicative and task-based language teaching in East Asian classrooms. Language Teaching, 40(3), 243–249. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444807004363
Luo, H., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Meeting linguistic needs in hospitality: Effects on guest impressions and loyalty. Tourism Management, 55(4), 233–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.04.009
Mariani, M. M., Borghi, M., & Kazakov, S. (2019). The role of language in the online evaluation of hospitality service encounters: An empirical study. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 78, 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.11.012
McBurney, D. H., & White, T. L. (2009). Research methods (8th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Moon, J., & Oh, S. (2021). Guest preferences for multilingual communication in hospitality. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 44(2), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/jthr.2021.002345
Nguyen, T., & Lee, S. (2021). Language inclusivity and customer loyalty in hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.02.006
Olsen, K., Martinez, R., & Chen, Y. (2021). Demographic influences on language service needs in hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.01.007
Onomejoh, P., Ehigie, D. E., Igbinovia, O., & Braimoh, J. J. (2024). Navigating cultural sensitivity in translation: The role of interpersonal communication in translating sensitive narratives. Journal of Science and Knowledge Horizons, 4(2), 283–293. https://doi.org/10.34118/jskp.v4i02.4020
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
