Using Culture for Customers Expectations Analysis in a Luxury Hotel

The study of customers’ expectations leading to their satisfaction and loyalty in the luxury segment of the hospitality business suffers from a significant gap. Specifically, there is insufficient analysis of culturally diverse customers’ expectations of luxury hotels regarding services and interaction with the staff, including their manners, communication style, timing and language, and personalised requirements. This research aims to narrow this gap by analyzing the case of a luxury hotel in Biarritz, France. Expectations of the major groups of the hotel’s international guests in the high seasons of 2017–2019 (American, Russian, French, Spanish, and Japanese) are analysed through the prism of Geert Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions. The research is descriptive and is based on in-depth analysis of data obtained through 157 face-to-face questionnaire discussions with customers, selected by random sampling. The main hotel departments providing services were analysed, including reception, conciergerie, food and beverage, room services and housekeeping. The findings indicate significant differences in international customers’ expectations towards communication styles, the timing of services, status recognition, ethnicity recognition, the language used, menu and catering experiences, leisure program organisation, and other aspects of services.