Cultural intelligence: key to international hotel success!

Cultural intelligence: key to international hotel success!

Interlaken, Schweiz - The hotel industry is again in an option! After a massive slump through the pandemic, in which around one billion international trips were lost, travelers are moving back into the world. Despite increasing prices for flights and hotels, it can be seen that the demand is unbroken, such as "https://www.htr.ch/story/hotellerie/peter-varga-fehlt-feht-fuer-kulture-- 43653"> htr.ch . A look at the travel habits of the guests shows that the cultural diversity in Switzerland is growing increasingly. In particular, new guest segments from Asia, especially from China and India, as well as from the Middle East and South America find their way to the Helvetian hotels.

In particular, the Interlaken region benefits from Bollywood's attraction that makes numerous films in the picturesque backdrop. The Chinese guests are also increasingly found in Lucerne, while luxury travelers from the Gulf States are increasingly checking in in Geneva, Zurich and Zermatt. However, challenges are also associated with this change, such as the lack of awareness of cultural differences in the industry.

cultural intelligence is required

The high personnel fluctuation in the hotel industry means that many employees are often not sufficiently prepared for the needs of different cultures. A lack of training courses in the field of cultural intelligence can easily lead to misunderstandings. Peter Varga from HTR.CH emphasizes that professionally trained communication is becoming increasingly important and personnel should be particularly sensitive to the expectations and ideas of the guests.

"Listening is the most important social skills," says Tina Seiler, who examines as part of her master's thesis at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, how Zurich's luxury hotels communicate with international guests. This insight is not only relevant for the hotel management; Employees should also be trained in intercultural communication in order to avoid misunderstandings. Seiler recommends using translation apps and taking the time in language barriers to talk to guests, for example with a cup of tea, such as the platform hotellerie gastronomy.ch reported.

stay flexible and openly

The hotel industry has to adapt. Artificial intelligence becomes increasingly part of the business, but will not replace human interaction in the luxury segment. Because travelers are looking for authentic experiences and individual offers. The trend is clearly towards a personalized service that meets the different expectations. Here, hotel operators should actively inform about cultural tendencies.

These findings about the growing complexity in tourism should not be underestimated. The digitization and sustainability trends play an increasingly important role. The travel habits change: an increasing number of Germans is increasingly traveling individually, and many want to make their trips socially compatible, as Statista . More and more travelers value sustainable options and environmentally friendly mobility.

In 2024, over 60% of Germans want socially acceptable vacation planning. It is therefore not only important to promote intercultural skills, but also to take into account the ecological concerns of the guests. So there is still a lot to do here in the industry, and that will remain a hot topic in the future.

summarized it is clear: passion, flexibility and cultural sensitivity are the keys to shine in the diverse world of tourism. Hoteliers should take the opportunity to develop new training courses and to actively deal with the cultural differences in order to raise the hospitality to the next level.