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Incident 1:
The hotel manager decided, as a gesture of appreciation, to call into his office one repeating guest from Qatar to thank him and offer him a small gift. When the guest arrived, they both sat in the small sitting area of the manager’s office for some small talk. During their discussion, the manager crossed his legs, showing his guest the sole of his shoe. The Muslim guest felt offended and stormed out of the office.
In the Muslim culture, the sole of the feet must be directed very carefully. If you are pointing your feet soles at someone, it is like disrespecting them.
Cultural ethics are just the rules a community believes in, and there is no way to prove one society’s values better than another is. The only noble thing to do is to respect them and work out a way around them.
The hotel manager unintentionally offended his Qatari guest by pointing his feet sole. Since this is something unacceptable in the Muslim culture but not in the hotel manager’s culture, the guest was offended.
Cultural ethics deal with principles, morality, integrity and values of a culture, and in some case, even religion. It usually differs from culture to culture. In spite of that, certain values remain the same simply because they are ethically and morally justifiable. Cultural ethics reflect the values and morals of a society and therefore, it plays a vital role in the governance of that society. Culture is an integral part of ethics and vice versa. The culture of a community impacts it progress, development, laws, principles, and to some extent, its policies. Ethics is a code of behaviour that a society considers moral and appropriate for guiding relationship with one another. Ethics deal with things to be sought and things to be avoided, with ways of life. Ethics are standards of right and wrong, good and bad. Ethics are concerned with what one ought to do to fulfil one’s moral duty. Ethics refers to norms of conduct regarding acceptable and unacceptable behaviours within a society or community from a human or cultural perspective.
The unpleasant situation for the Qatari guest could have been avoided if the hotel manager was more careful on his body language and be more informed on cultural ethics of the hotel guests since they come from various countries with different backgrounds and cultures.
Sandis C. (2014). Cultural heritage ethics. Between theory and practice. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers.
Erll, A., Grabes, H., Nünning, A. (2008). Ethics in culture: The dissemination of values through literature and other media. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter.
Incident 2:
Alex, the hotel animator from a Southern European country, was regularly late for her job. Her manager, coming from a Northern European cultural background, was upset about it and did not want to confront her, as she has been excellent in her duties. The other employees started to talk about the management’s weakness to resolve the issue. Finally, when the manager decided to talk to her, he found out that Alex did not know that she was expected to be punctual.
For people from Northern European countries punctuality is very serious, even crucial, while for people from a Southern European/Mediterranean cultural background attitude towards it seems more relaxed. This creates a cultural misunderstanding between the two colleagues in question, with other colleagues, and a problem in the management of the hotel’s daily activities.
People from different cultures have their own cultural perceptions, beliefs, values, and social customs that greatly determine their communication ways. In daily intercultural communications, it is necessary to pay attention to the code that governs the expectations of social behaviour, or the conventional norm. These codes required by good breeding and expected to be obeyed are called etiquette.
Each society has its own set of rules, customs, ethical codes and social behaviors, so even two European nationals that come from North and South Europe have different cultural background. Therefore, when the manager talk to Alex about punctuality, found out that she was not aware of that, coming from a more relaxed cultural background.
Etiquette is the set of norms of personal behavior in society, in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practiced by a society, a social group or a social class. Etiquette, system of rules and conventions that regulate social and professional behaviour, a code of polite conduct that if you practice it, you are less likely to offend or annoy people and the expected behaviour that shows respect, in order to make everyone feel comfortable. In any social unit there are accepted rules of behaviour upheld and enforced by legal codes, there are also norms of behaviour mandated by custom and enforced by group pressure. An offender faces no formal trial or sentence for breach of etiquette; the penalty lies in the disapproval of other members of the group. Any society will have an etiquette in which every person knows the behaviour expected from him toward others and from others toward himself.
The unfortunate situation between the two colleagues could have been averted if they were following the same rules. The manager should not just assume that all employees have the same background or etiquette, but to clarify at an initial meeting when they all started working together, that all the employees need to be punctual and on time.Richerson P. J., Boyd R., (1998). The evolution of human ultra-sociality, In: Ideology, Warfare, and Indoctrinability. Eibl-Eibisfeldt I. and Salter F., eds. 71-95, Berghan Books.
Baldrige, L. (2003). New manners for new times: A complete guide to etiquette. New York: Scribner.
Incident 3:
A Muslim family arrived at a Bulgarian hotel during Ramadan. They settle in and after a while, they come back to the front office and ask where the prayer room is. The front office employee tells them that the hotel does not have such a space. The father becomes upset that the employee does not know what Ramadan is and requires that the hotel set up a prayer room. The employee tries to explain that this is not possible. The man asks to see the hotel manager. When he meets him and tells him his request, the hotel manager replies that no one else has asked them for something similar. The man becomes even more upset and says that this is outrageous as during their last family trip to the Netherlands, the hotel where they had stayed, had set aside a private space for prayer to welcome all religious backgrounds, and had taken note of the calendar events of cultural and religious significance. The man then goes on to ask the hotel manager what will happen with their already booked meals, as he observed that the restaurant is not open during the times the family may eat. The hotel manager says that this is how his hotel works and they should have known before booking their stay there.
Religious practices like praying or Ramadan have strict customs and traditions including faith rituals and mealtimes. Hotels often do not accommodate such practices and traditions.
Catering to religious needs is important for customers’ orientation and satisfaction. Addressing customers’ religious needs in the hospitality industry should be taken into consideration by the hotel management. Hotel managers should be aware of any religious observances when a guest is visiting, for example, during Ramadan.
A Muslim hotel guest gets upset since the front office employee and the hotel manager informed him that the hotel does not have a prayer room. In addition, the hotel manager informed the Muslim guest that the restaurant could not accommodate him and his family at the requested times the family might eat due to Ramadan.
Religion is a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal god or another supernatural being. Religious needs were conceptualized as the need for strengthened religious beliefs, participation in religious rituals, or support from clergy or others. Religious resources were conceptualized as higher levels of participation in religious practices and higher levels of religious belief. The practices of a religion may include rituals, sermons, prayer, trances, commemoration or veneration of a deity, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, religious music, religious art, sacred dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Different faiths have different approaches to ritual duties and performance. For example, whilst Christianity is not demanding in terms of specific daily rituals, there are defined times for Jewish prayer at least twice a day, and Islam requires prayers be performed five times a day. This inevitably means that for proper observance, prayers will almost certainly occur at times during the ordinary working day.
A hotel is a place where people of different faiths and background meet, so a multi-faith room as a safe space for both guests and staff to pray or meditate should be present. That would keep most guests satisfied if they want a place to be able to practice their faith. On the other hand, the guest need to understand that the hotel restaurant works on specific times and it is not always possible to accommodate the guests’ needs, but the hotel manager should mention that room service can be the alternative in that case.
Nongbri, B. (2013). Before religion: A history of a modern concept. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Harrison, P. (2015). The territories of science and religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Incident 1:
The hotel manager decided, as a gesture of appreciation, to call into his office one repeating guest from Qatar to thank him and offer him a small gift. When the guest arrived, they both sat in the small sitting area of the manager’s office for some small talk. During their discussion, the manager crossed his legs, showing his guest the sole of his shoe. The Muslim guest felt offended and stormed out of the office.
In the Muslim culture, the sole of the feet must be directed very carefully. If you are pointing your feet soles at someone, it is like disrespecting them.
Cultural ethics are just the rules a community believes in, and there is no way to prove one society’s values better than another is. The only noble thing to do is to respect them and work out a way around them.
The hotel manager unintentionally offended his Qatari guest by pointing his feet sole. Since this is something unacceptable in the Muslim culture but not in the hotel manager’s culture, the guest was offended.
Cultural ethics deal with principles, morality, integrity and values of a culture, and in some case, even religion. It usually differs from culture to culture. In spite of that, certain values remain the same simply because they are ethically and morally justifiable. Cultural ethics reflect the values and morals of a society and therefore, it plays a vital role in the governance of that society. Culture is an integral part of ethics and vice versa. The culture of a community impacts it progress, development, laws, principles, and to some extent, its policies. Ethics is a code of behaviour that a society considers moral and appropriate for guiding relationship with one another. Ethics deal with things to be sought and things to be avoided, with ways of life. Ethics are standards of right and wrong, good and bad. Ethics are concerned with what one ought to do to fulfil one’s moral duty. Ethics refers to norms of conduct regarding acceptable and unacceptable behaviours within a society or community from a human or cultural perspective.
The unpleasant situation for the Qatari guest could have been avoided if the hotel manager was more careful on his body language and be more informed on cultural ethics of the hotel guests since they come from various countries with different backgrounds and cultures.
Sandis C. (2014). Cultural heritage ethics. Between theory and practice. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers.
Erll, A., Grabes, H., Nünning, A. (2008). Ethics in culture: The dissemination of values through literature and other media. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter.
Incident 2:
Alex, the hotel animator from a Southern European country, was regularly late for her job. Her manager, coming from a Northern European cultural background, was upset about it and did not want to confront her, as she has been excellent in her duties. The other employees started to talk about the management’s weakness to resolve the issue. Finally, when the manager decided to talk to her, he found out that Alex did not know that she was expected to be punctual.
For people from Northern European countries punctuality is very serious, even crucial, while for people from a Southern European/Mediterranean cultural background attitude towards it seems more relaxed. This creates a cultural misunderstanding between the two colleagues in question, with other colleagues, and a problem in the management of the hotel’s daily activities.
People from different cultures have their own cultural perceptions, beliefs, values, and social customs that greatly determine their communication ways. In daily intercultural communications, it is necessary to pay attention to the code that governs the expectations of social behaviour, or the conventional norm. These codes required by good breeding and expected to be obeyed are called etiquette.
Each society has its own set of rules, customs, ethical codes and social behaviors, so even two European nationals that come from North and South Europe have different cultural background. Therefore, when the manager talk to Alex about punctuality, found out that she was not aware of that, coming from a more relaxed cultural background.
Etiquette is the set of norms of personal behavior in society, in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practiced by a society, a social group or a social class. Etiquette, system of rules and conventions that regulate social and professional behaviour, a code of polite conduct that if you practice it, you are less likely to offend or annoy people and the expected behaviour that shows respect, in order to make everyone feel comfortable. In any social unit there are accepted rules of behaviour upheld and enforced by legal codes, there are also norms of behaviour mandated by custom and enforced by group pressure. An offender faces no formal trial or sentence for breach of etiquette; the penalty lies in the disapproval of other members of the group. Any society will have an etiquette in which every person knows the behaviour expected from him toward others and from others toward himself.
The unfortunate situation between the two colleagues could have been averted if they were following the same rules. The manager should not just assume that all employees have the same background or etiquette, but to clarify at an initial meeting when they all started working together, that all the employees need to be punctual and on time.Richerson P. J., Boyd R., (1998). The evolution of human ultra-sociality, In: Ideology, Warfare, and Indoctrinability. Eibl-Eibisfeldt I. and Salter F., eds. 71-95, Berghan Books.
Baldrige, L. (2003). New manners for new times: A complete guide to etiquette. New York: Scribner.
Incident 3:
A Muslim family arrived at a Bulgarian hotel during Ramadan. They settle in and after a while, they come back to the front office and ask where the prayer room is. The front office employee tells them that the hotel does not have such a space. The father becomes upset that the employee does not know what Ramadan is and requires that the hotel set up a prayer room. The employee tries to explain that this is not possible. The man asks to see the hotel manager. When he meets him and tells him his request, the hotel manager replies that no one else has asked them for something similar. The man becomes even more upset and says that this is outrageous as during their last family trip to the Netherlands, the hotel where they had stayed, had set aside a private space for prayer to welcome all religious backgrounds, and had taken note of the calendar events of cultural and religious significance. The man then goes on to ask the hotel manager what will happen with their already booked meals, as he observed that the restaurant is not open during the times the family may eat. The hotel manager says that this is how his hotel works and they should have known before booking their stay there.
Religious practices like praying or Ramadan have strict customs and traditions including faith rituals and mealtimes. Hotels often do not accommodate such practices and traditions.
Catering to religious needs is important for customers’ orientation and satisfaction. Addressing customers’ religious needs in the hospitality industry should be taken into consideration by the hotel management. Hotel managers should be aware of any religious observances when a guest is visiting, for example, during Ramadan.
A Muslim hotel guest gets upset since the front office employee and the hotel manager informed him that the hotel does not have a prayer room. In addition, the hotel manager informed the Muslim guest that the restaurant could not accommodate him and his family at the requested times the family might eat due to Ramadan.
Religion is a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal god or another supernatural being. Religious needs were conceptualized as the need for strengthened religious beliefs, participation in religious rituals, or support from clergy or others. Religious resources were conceptualized as higher levels of participation in religious practices and higher levels of religious belief. The practices of a religion may include rituals, sermons, prayer, trances, commemoration or veneration of a deity, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, religious music, religious art, sacred dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture. Different faiths have different approaches to ritual duties and performance. For example, whilst Christianity is not demanding in terms of specific daily rituals, there are defined times for Jewish prayer at least twice a day, and Islam requires prayers be performed five times a day. This inevitably means that for proper observance, prayers will almost certainly occur at times during the ordinary working day.
A hotel is a place where people of different faiths and background meet, so a multi-faith room as a safe space for both guests and staff to pray or meditate should be present. That would keep most guests satisfied if they want a place to be able to practice their faith. On the other hand, the guest need to understand that the hotel restaurant works on specific times and it is not always possible to accommodate the guests’ needs, but the hotel manager should mention that room service can be the alternative in that case.
Nongbri, B. (2013). Before religion: A history of a modern concept. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Harrison, P. (2015). The territories of science and religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.