The Sharia hotel policy in Yogyakarta toward non-Mahram guests

Abstract

As one of Indonesia's priority destinations in halal tourism, Yogyakarta offers Sharia hotels that can be found hassle-free. Although several previous studies have discussed the Sharia hotels' criteria, research regarding the implementation of Sharia hotel policies toward non-mahram guests seems rarely found. This research proposes three objectives: 1) identifying the Sharia hotel policies toward non-mahram guests; 2) understanding the motivation behind Sharia hotel policy; 3) investigating communication strategy concerning Sharia policies to every non-mahram guests. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with nine Sharia hotel managers in Yogyakarta by employing a qualitative method. The results showed that the regulation in handling non-mahram guests was motivated by local morality and religious values. Each manager communicates the policy to potential guests through offline and online scenarios. The Sharia policy toward non-mahram guests is the most apparent characteristic that distinguishes Yogyakarta Sharia hotels from conventional ones.