1. Asian tourists 

1.1 Chinese tourists 

The Chinese consider the service profession as to serve people, so they always want to be treated like "Gods". When meeting Chinese guests, the receptionist needs to bow and smile friendly. During the communication process, it is necessary to limit direct eye contact with guests because they see it as indecent and impolite behavior. In the Chinese custom, they consider 4 as the death, so they avoid room 4 or 4th floor, they will prefer the 8th floor, 9th floor or the 8th and 9th floor.

Knowing these principles will help the receptionist to communicate and arrange the most satisfied Chinese living room.

1.2 Japanese tourists

Japanese people take standards very seriously and have their own rules when meeting. When welcoming Japanese guests, the receptionist needs to bend over to bow, hands close in front of the abdomen and hold the position for about 3-5 seconds. This type of greeting is seen by the Japanese as a way of showing respect and goodwill. In Japanese opinion, if standing up first is rude, so they always follow each other when greeting to stand up at the same time.

Most Japanese guests cannot speak English, so the hotel needs a Japanese-speaking reception and instruction boards and leaflets also need to be presented in Japanese for them to stay informed. Like Chinese visitors, Japanese guests avoid rooms or floors with number 4, especially numbers 42, 49 because it is the same sound as the word "die" in Japanese.

If something goes wrong during Japanese guests' stay, hotel staff should invite senior management to apologize and personally handle it. Because for the Japanese, this is an expression of sincerity to apologize.

1.3 Korean tourists 

Koreans have a familiar greeting and they love to hear it when other people say "An-nhon-ha-sae-yo". When greeting, the receptionist needs to smile and bow slightly. If a Korean guest is a person with status, when meeting the guest, the receptionist should greet and bend his back to show respect. The act of pointing the thumb towards Koreans or looking straight at each other for too long are actions that Koreans consider impolite.

Besides, in Korean culture, red is a symbol of death, so when you need to write names or information for guests, you should not use red.

2. Western tourists

2.1 American tourists 

With American tourists, they have a liberal, relaxed personality, like to go straight to the point. They always think "Time is money", so Americans are very concerned about the speed of service. Therefore, the receptionist, when working with American guests, needs to operate the check-in and checkout procedures quickly but still must ensure the necessary process. When communicating, you need to address your name by calling your name and making eye contact, because Americans consider not looking into each other's eyes when talking is unprofessional and unreliable.

American tourists love light lunches and meals at dinner. The breakfast time they will spend on work and appointments for partners and customers. 

2.2 British tourists 

The British are quite cold, they pay little attention to those around them, even those from the same country. They just shook hands with each other after a long distance to meet again or want to express their sincere gratitude. The British are very humble, and do not like ambiguous speaking. The British don't like talking about money, religion and Northern Ireland. They just love to talk about architecture, history, language and take time very seriously.

2.3 French tourists 

France and Vietnam have deep connections in history, culture and architecture, so France is always in the top 10 countries with the most visitors to Vietnam. The French often focus on form, style and often use gestures in communication. However, they are relatively limited in English so if the hotel regularly has French customers then there should be a front desk that speaks French.

The French are very proud of France's history, civilization, arts and education. Not only that, they love the delicious food and use wine. They do not like to talk about politics or personal matters, but only like to talk about food, culture and sports, so the receptionist can equip themselves with knowledge about these fields to impress customers.

3. Tourists from Muslim countries 

The Islamic conception does not allow women to contact strange men, so if the hotel has female customers from Muslim countries, the receptionist should be arranged, housekeeping is female. When shaking hands or receiving anything from guests, the receptionist has to use right hand or both hands. In addition, when giving directions to visitors, staff must use both their hands and their thumbs on the palms of their hands. Absolutely not use the index finger because it is taboo.

Above are the tips to capture the psychology of international tourists that hotel staff, especially the receptionist, should know. Hopefully, with these tips will help to serve the hotel customers more professionally and satisfy the most customers!

Source: Ezcloud