Receptionist’ English Language Proficiency in Hotels and Accommodations in Phuket Province

Abstract

The objectives of the study were to: 1) examine the readiness level for English use of receptionists’ English Proficiency in hotels and accommodation in Phuket; and 2) to compare receptionists’ English usage in hotels and accommodation in Phuket classified by personal factors, education level, professions branch and hotel location. A questionnaire was used as a research tool. The population was 280 staffs from hotel accommodation in Phuket who registered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand were drawn from the population, by choosing one receptionist for a hotel, using a simple random sampling technique. The statistics used in data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean (x̅), Standard Deviation (SD) and t-test.
The results were as follows: 1) The overall availability of the English language usage of hotel services provider and accommodation was at a high level. Considering the mean of the four language skills from the highest to the lowest are reading, writing, listening, and speaking respectively. For each specific skill: the overall listening skills were at a high level. The highest point was listening to the telephone messages about room reservation; the overall speaking skills were also at a high level. The highest point was talking to provide hotel facilities in hotels; the overall reading skills were at a high level. The highest point was reading manuals and explaining specific problems in hotels; also, the overall writing skills were at a high level, and the highest point was writing daily hotel announcements or notices; and general Culture Understanding as a whole was at a moderate level. The highest points were manners and practices which front desk officers need to know how to make guests impressed and like to visit Thailand again. 2). Comparing the receptionists’ in hotels and accommodation in Phuket by their personal factors, education level, professions branch, and hotel location, the results were as follows. The receptionists’ personal factors were significantly different by their education level at .05 levels. Employees who had a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degrees were more available in English usage than those with low levels of education. Their English speaking skills were significantly different by personal factors at .05 levels. The staffs who graduated in hotel services was more proficient in English speaking skills than the staff who graduated in other fields of study. The staffs’ skills on listening, speaking, reading, writing skills, and cultural understanding of the staff were significantly different by their workplace location and hotel accommodation at .05 levels. The staffs who worked at beach front hotels along the seaside was more available for English usage than the employees who worked in the city. In order to raise the level of the hotel service to an international standard, it was recommended that hotel services provider and accommodation and related organization train the staff to understand local cultures and be able to communicate in English effectively. Additional English courses should be provided to the staff. The staff with lower education background should be provided for more opportunity in getting a higher level of education.