Perceptions on English Communication Skills Training for Hotel Front Office Employees

Successful communication is key to lucrative hospitality industry. Communication in this industry is an important factor and plays a role in a smooth and effective interaction between the hotel service staff and their customers. English communication skills training is associated with several benefits including enhanced job performance, high guest satisfaction and sustainable growth in today’s competitive hotel business. This paper surveys front office employees’ satisfaction toward an implemented English communication skills training at a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants’ satisfaction on the training content and method were assessed via questionnaire and group interview session. The results reveal that most of the participant had encouraging attitudes towards the method and content of the training. Findings of this study help to create the awareness among employers, human resource managers and industrial experts to reconsider the content and methodology of communication skill training for hotel staff. Implications of well-designed English communication skills training for hotel front office employees were discussed.