It is now common knowledge that the guest must be treated differently and attentively today than a few years ago, because:
- Travellers’ needs have changed
- People’s expectations are much higher
- International borders are increasingly flexible
Each Guest, depending on his or her origin and culture, must be “pampered” with all due care in the facilities he or she chooses to stay in during his or her travels.
In order to tailor their stay as much as possible, it is also necessary to know their behaviour codes.
With globalisation and the changes of the last two years, the Guest expects quite a different welcome from those of the past, centred on standardised codes of conduct, under the motto “If you don’t come back, someone else will!”. In fact, the guest expects a new welcome, with attention to detail, personal and emotionally close to his or her own cultural system.
So, how is it possible to sensitise and build guest loyalty with the behaviour codes and get them to remember the ‘way of doing things’ that the staff of the facility have done? And what exactly are behaviour codes?
They are all those codes concerning the customs, habits, traditions, superstitions, which are part of a specific local and/or national culture and which distinguish it from the rest of the world.
Behaviour codes are like a real language that every people and cultural stock, large or small, possesses.
Knowing how to recognise and understand these codes today is fundamental, especially for those who work in the world of tourist hospitality and, therefore, work in direct contact with guests every day.
An example of attention to the behaviour codes concerns the approach to have towards Asian Guests. In detail, it is important not to move your arms and hands excessively in front of your interlocutor. An Asian guest will, on the other hand, feel threatened by the whirling of arms in front of him or her by a receptionist who may only wish to help him or her.
So be careful with your composure and the use of your voice, which should be kept low and quiet.
Knowing how to speak the language of the international behaviour codes is like speaking a real language, with the peculiarity that, once learnt, it offers much satisfaction in the relationship with guests and leads to their loyalty!
Thanks to a growth in the culture of hospitality, which includes the indispensable and in-depth knowledge of the behaviour codes, it is possible to truly help the recovery of tourism in Italy, which already presents, in itself, the best that tourists desire in terms of culture, places and landscapes!
Alberto Presutti
Specialist in Italian and international behaviour codes