Introduction
It is common knowledge that everyone may not like the same thing. People are born with different traits. The academic trip I made to Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver is worth noting. An awareness of global and environmental issues affecting the hospitality industry is necessary for anyone aspiring to be a professional in the field. This necessity demands knowing the nature of consumers as well as other stakeholders allied to the tourism and hospitality industry. Throughout the course, I have gained considerable knowledge in both theory and practice. Initially, these lessons seemed complex for me to grasp. However, the trip to Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver was insightful and eradicated my earlier misgivings. Therefore, this reports aims as bridging the gap between theory and practice by comparing and contrasting the knowledge I gained in class with the practical experience gained on the trip to the Expo. Numerous ideas exist that cannot all be highlighted in this paper. Therefore, this report reflects on the global awareness based on the issues affecting the hospitality industry such as multicultural sensitivity, awareness of global issues and the impact of managers working in the hospitality industry on the environment.
Hospitality refers to the process of providing service to others alongside demonstrating consistent quality and excellence (Nowak, Petit & Sahli, 2010). It also means the probability of giving value at any price level while demonstrating the uniqueness in individual service delivery. Indeed, hospitality should provide a space for individuals to maintain exceptional standards and extend their style and personality to others. Hospitality plays a key role in tourism in many countries globally. As learnt class, a business in the tourism sector operates within the premises of the environment. Hence, the relationship between them is symbiotic in nature. Consequently, various environmental issues affect the tourism sector.
Firstly, global awareness requires that hoteliers offer environmental awareness to employees. Such awareness is necessary because employees interact with the environment on a daily basis. Strengthening employees’ environmental awareness begins by initiating simple practices such as adopting green policies in the tourism sector. In harmony with the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom setting, Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver applies the go green practices by offering global awareness programmes to its employees.
According to Nowak et al. (2010) sustainable development is a global concern in the tourism sector. The hospitality industry has taken precautionary steps to adopt a “go green’ policy. For example, several hotels have adopted the use of sustainable energy such as solar. Similarly, the cost of labor is a global issue that continues to affect the hospitality and tourism industry. The cost of labor remains the largest expenditure item for investors in the tourism sector. It is estimated that the upward trend on the cost of labor may continue to increase substantially in the near future. Consequently, due to the magnitude of the cost of labor the managers of hospitality have gone extra miles in their roles to cut down the high labor costs. Contrastingly, when we visited Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver, it was unclear if the industry had a financial crisis. Majority of the employees I spoke with seemed happy and had no elements of financial problems. Likewise, none of the hotel companies showed signs of financial problems. While the global issue of high labor costs might be real in some tourism sectors, I find the point conflicting based on my personal experiences on the trip.
Furthermore, reflecting on the impact of business operations on the environment, it was stressed in class that the fundamental role of the hospitality manager is to protect the environment. Hospitality managers have a duty to care and provide awareness programs through practices and interventions that address environmental sustainability (Mensah, 2014). As demonstrated, several tourism sectors including the hotel sector have neglected environmental awareness over a long period. Therefore, the practices of most managers have led to various repercussions to the environment and the everyday life of citizens, especially those working in the hotel industry. While the class reports that the hospitality industry currently lacks sustainable policies based on environmental management, the trip to Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver provides opposite. While the hotel rooms and other sectors uses electricity as a source of power, the hotel has implemented policies that ensures that proper management of power is accorded. The visitors using the lodges are required to put off the lights during the day as well as use the available resources such as water conservatively. Ideally, this evidences the fact that the management has taken various precautionary measures to environmental awareness. Therefore, it provides a difference with the idea developed in the classroom.
The most consuming energy sector, which is the catering department has also adopted green practices by using the solar energy. Apart from being environmentally friendly, solar energy is cost-effective compared to electricity sources of energy (Mensah, 2014). In terms of waste products from the company, the management has employed people and has bought tractors that collect wastes to a certain specified point. Thereafter, the waste products are picked-up by the recycling industries allowing for environmental sustainability. Likewise, the industry has adopted the “leave no trace” principle that advises visitors touring the place carrying snacks to put them in their bags on their way out. This policy has reduced littering in the compound of the hotel signifying the strong management policies on environmental protection.
Lastly on the comparative reflection is the multicultural sensitivity and awareness in the hospitality industry. As taught in the classroom, multicultural issues are the newest topics and trends adjacent to hospitality management. Cruz-Lara, Cabello, Osswald, Collado, Franco and Barrera, (2012) assert that managers have a role to provide adequate mentoring to the political landscape and multicultural talent affecting the tourism sector. Business franchising is taking over the world, and its success depends on internal and external customers, understanding ownership, legislative related matters and workforce related issues. With the ever expanding globalization, issues of multicultural are disturbing and is real in the tourism sector. Tourism must, therefore, blend the amenities to cater for the needs of different cultures that are also central to the international tourism chains. Notably, cultural issues have never before been a determinant on the operations of the hospitality industry. For instance, in the Asian culture, eye contact may not be sought since it is believed to make guests feel uncomfortable. However, in the western tradition, eye contact is equated to honesty and openness.
Based on the theoretical class aspects, the multicultural issues affecting Connect are quite evident. Firstly, based on the premise that the most of the employees have similar cultural backgrounds; this might as well signify the lack of cultural diversity in the industry. Likewise, most of the meals prepared in the catering department have British origin, making an Indian or Asian feel uncomfortable either about employment terms or while touring the place. It is saddening that the enterprise management has allowed the multicultural issue to penetrate the business. Therefore, since the hotel has zero cultural concerns both in the services offered and the activities in the premise, it reaffirms the point that multicultural diversity is a major concern in the tourism sector.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver is a nice place despite the global challenges affecting it. This reflection provides some of the contentious issues facing the tourism industry in comparison to my real life experience. Ideally, one of the main reasons why people seek employment is to develop their career with field experience. However, reaching the point of self-actualization is the core driver of my career. My self-actualization involves earning a decent life and using my knowledge and skills to change the tourism sector substantially. Holding to this point, I would seek employment in Connect so that I join the powerful team that is doing reputable job in environmental management. Above all, I would be glad to secure a job in a hotel in order to make it a cultural diverse industry and tap more visitors to increase revenue.
References
Cruz-Lara, S., Cabello, J. M., Osswald, T. M., Collado, A. M., Franco, J. M., & Barrera, S. M. (2012). Tourism in Virtual Worlds.
Mensah, I. (2014). Different Shades of Green: Environmental Management in Hotels. International Journal of Tourism Research 16(5), 450-461.
Nowak, J. J., Petit, S., & Sahli, M. (2010). Tourism and globalization: The International division of tourism production. Journal of Travel Research 49(2).
