HOTEL STAFF’S PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ENGLISH COMPETENCE IN HANDLING THE FRONT OFFICE JOBS

Abstract

The present study aims to discover how hotel receptionists perceived their competence to use English related to their jobs and describe the language problems they faced when handling front office jobs. The participants of this study consist of five front office staff (receptionists) who worked at MRT Hotel Senggigi Lombok. The study employed a qualitative approach with single case study design. Data were gathered from a number of sources, such as interviews, observations, and study documents. The result of the study shows that the receptionists’ language competence varied. Several perceived that they had adequate speaking competence to handle their jobs but some showed the opposite. They perceived that they were able to communicate with guests by only understanding one keyword to interpret what the guests meant. It was revealed from the study that participants’ level of education, training, and prior experience dealing with English-speaking guests all have an impact on this perception. It was suggested that the hotel management should invest in continuous language training programs to ensure receptionists maintain and improve their English-language communication skills over time.