Effective Communication Skills for Housekeeping Staff: Improving Guest Interaction in English

Abstract

Practical language skills are essential in the hospitality industry, especially for housekeeping staff interacting directly with international guests. This study aims to identify and evaluate effective English training strategies to improve the communication skills of housekeeping staff at Duta Syariah Hotel Palembang. This study uses a mixed-methods approach involving ten housekeeping staff selected through purposive sampling. The quantitative method was conducted with pre-tests and post-tests to measure the improvement of English proficiency. In contrast, the qualitative method involved in-depth interviews and questionnaire analysis to gain insight into the staff's perception of the training received. 77.4. This indicates that, in general, housekeeping staff is at a moderate level of ability. However, there is considerable variation among them. The highest score obtained was 89 (SH), while the lowest score was 58 (RR). The average score of all staff was 77.4, which indicates that overall, the staff's speaking ability was at a moderate level. The English training program developed and implemented in this study effectively improves the English skills of housekeeping staff, improving professional competence and guest satisfaction. The study recommends implementing similar training strategies in other hospitality industry sectors to improve the quality of global service and communication.