NEWH - Spring 2023 - 20

EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND DIVERSITY
The Global Intersection of Culture and
Hospitality
RAQUEL MILLER
Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, NEWH New York Chapter
CEO, Bunchful Enterprises
W
hat comes to mind when you marry the terms " culture " and " hospitality " ? Do you see images
of folk performances, brightly arrayed headdresses, aboriginal musical dances? That's the
culture part, right? And then you now think of hospitality. The very word conjures perfectly
pressed bedsheets, symphonies of servers catering to your needs, welcomings, meals, drinks, and more.
Can there be hospitality without culture? What would that look like? It would seem that what lies at the
heart of hospitality has sprung out of cultures, and the knowledge of peoples who have been bonded by
time and stories and histories, lives formed around the ritual cadence of activities.
Hospitality is the process of creating an environment that is welcoming and provides service for
someone that goes beyond that which is expected and meets their basic needs.
It's important to acknowledge that the hotel cannot survive, and certainly not thrive, without the
machinations of the supporting village that provides its bare materials: its workers and its food. Its primary
functions require the collaboration and participation of a workforce that brings its own stories and ways
of being. Without these stories, it sits merely as a shell against its environment. To thrive, it must provide welcome and hospitality, not just to its
guests, but also its staff. It must also appreciate and nurture culture and identities of its staff, its surroundings, and the culture and identities of its
current and future guests.
There are two directions the hospitality industry must look: outward and inward.
As it looks outward, it embraces and welcomes the traveling world. It provides the comforts that are necessary for its guests and embraces their
varying cultures, bringing understanding and thought to how guests are received and cared for. To be an exemplar, it would go beyond mere
acknowledgment of widely known cultural norms of particular guests. It would seek out and uncover cultural nuances that create delight and offer a
specialness that raises the bar and resonates well beyond the length of stays. That is communicating on a visceral level and an emotional one. When
guests survey their surroundings, they should see aspects of their own culture reflected.
" In the contemporary hospitality business, cultural awareness has become an important source of competitive advantage. With the
proliferation of multinational hospitality firms, there is cutthroat competition: it is a 'survival of the fittest' game. Hospitality firms can outsmart
and outperform each other based on how well they know the cultures of their present and potential markets. " - Muchazondida Mkono, Tourism
Analysis
They also see the aspects of cultures that are not their own and through it understand the global welcome that is offered. At this, cultural awareness
is of utmost importance and as competition rises, the outliers will be those who understand the cultures of the markets they have and the ones they
seek. It is speaking the universal language of " welcome. "
Then there is the proverbial inward turn, where the hotel looks at itself, including an understanding of its staff. How is their voice represented, not
just from a broad cultural aspect, but even from the individual's own voice. Here, our hotel has a challenge, for while it maintains its own identity,
acknowledging and understanding its staff is crucial to its success. While it expresses itself, it must also leave room for the self-expression of those
whose industry keeps it alive.
" As our world becomes increasingly diverse, the hospitality industry recognizes the need to reflect this in the way it operates. " Glenn Skolnick, HVS
No one hotel is expected to answer the call of every culture, as it must focus on its niche markets. But that cannot be done in a vacuum and it most
certainly cannot be done at the expense of leaving out and ignoring vast areas of people and continuing ignorance. Many cultures have knowingly
or unknowingly contributed to hospitality in many ways, and we are now in a time when we are all called
upon to shake off our ignorance and credit those whose work we consume.
As a leading organization in the hospitality industry, NEWH celebrates diversity in hospitality and the
varied cultural backgrounds of our membership.
❙❘❚
20 newh.org

http://www.newh.org

NEWH - Spring 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - Spring 2023