Analysis of Marriott Hotel Handbooks in UK and Singapore Operations

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Marriott's hotel handbooks, specifically focusing on its operations in the United Kingdom and Singapore. The introduction establishes the purpose of the handbook in guiding employee behavior and ensuring consistent service quality, highlighting the cultural adaptations Marriott makes across different regions. The main body delves into the cultural nuances of the UK and Singapore, emphasizing how Marriott tailors its handbooks to reflect local customs and values. It discusses the influence of Hofstede's Five Dimensions model on hotel management practices, examining power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, individualism versus collectivism, and long-term versus short-term orientation. The report also presents a comparative analysis of the 'Do's and Don'ts' outlined in the handbooks. The conclusion reiterates the importance of these handbooks in maintaining brand standards and adapting to diverse cultural contexts. The report underscores the significance of employee adherence to handbook guidelines in providing exceptional customer service and maintaining Marriott's reputation in the global hospitality sector.

HOTEL HANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Culture, behaviour and model......................................................................................................3
Hotel Handbook...........................................................................................................................5
Table of “Don’ts and Do’s” for staff of the hotel........................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
A hotel hand book mostly supports to various employees or staff at a hotel business to
properly do their daily job according to hotel’s guidelines, instructions, rules & regulations.
Many of hotels within across the world already has developed their own handbooks to be
informed various employees or staff about what they need to do and what they no need to do.
After understanding what need to do and what not to do, hotel’s employees will be provided best
services to many customers or people (Zhu, Lam and Lai, 2019). This report mainly discusses
hand book of Marriott hotel. The Marriott is a leading hotel brand, headquartered in Maryland,
United States (US). This is hotel business currently runs own various business operations within
all continents, like; Europe, America, Asia etc. The exclusiveness of Marriott’s hand book is, the
hotel has developed various hand books to various countries and regions according to existing
tradition and cultural values. The Marriott’s hand book has been discussed on the basis of
countries called United Kingdom and Singapore. The UK is a European country and Singapore is
an Asian country.
MAIN BODY
Culture, behaviour and model
Hand book is the book provided by the hotel to the employees showing them culture and duties
they need to do in the working. It represents the working of the employees in the Marriot
interactions which work with the representation on the behaviour and culture of the location. UK
people are more open minded and came with modern background. They are open to the cultures
and always admire new traditions. Singapore on the other hand is bit connected to the museums
and Buddhist traditions with flower gardens etc. Marriott’s hotel has different chains all over the
world and is a well know brand in hotel industry and hospitality sector. They work in the
premium service of hospitality and are connected through the ground level location wise
showing all the respect towards the culture and behaviours which help in attracting the customer.
Book shows that the people from the UK are more modern to the company and the people from
Singapore are bit orthodox towards the culture. UK people are open minded and feel connected
with the culture easily, but Singapore people are with patience and natural person who like to do
natural thing and indulge in the culture (Swarbrooke,2018).
Hospitality sector need open mindsets and UK is a great place and Marriot is working very good
in the UK with the business in the place. In case of Singapore the company need to provide more
3

the culture and the traditional services to be given to the customer so that they can feel connected
to the company and can get better facilities.
Working in both UK and Singapore is good for the hotel as both the countries are educated and
knows the ways to respect the culture and understand the behaviours of other and give them the
proper respect and admire the religions and ways.
The guest from UK are likely to enjoy more of sports and for that the hotel also provide the
sports facilities in its UK branch and they give the goal courses and other games in the services
and on other hand the services which company rely in Singapore hotel is to give more silent
zones, library, and Indoor activities as Singapore people are less to sports. Company gets benefit
in both the location by the language they have in their country (Brunt,2017).
Hofstede’s Five Dimensions model: -
Culture is learned and shared by the way of thinking and the actions among people and the group
of society. It varies on the underlying patterns of values and attitudes.
Hofstede have given an approach to understand values across the different countries and
different cultures which can influence human behaviour at the workplace.
Power Distance: -
Power distance is a willingness of culture to power difference and to accept the status
among the member. In low power distance they would likely to be expect the power to be
divided equally and also expect to given the power to less powerful individual. This helps in
understanding the importance of the power and why the need of the equality is important among
the people, Hospitality service in the UK and Singapore shows the gesture to the equal power to
both the location by the company and provide the equality in both the locations according to the
culture power. This factor influences the behaviour of the employees in the Hotels in both the
countries on different levels.
Uncertainty avoidance: -
It is referring to the lack of tolerance among the people and they need rules and policies
to control them. The higher degree of uncertainty in the country are likely to feel more
uncomfortable to them. In hospitality the hotel needs to provide the situations and the
environment in both the countries to maintain the uncertainty and the uncomfortableness to be
controlled. Avidness can affect the employees behaviour and nature in negative way.
Masculinity vs Femininity; -
4

It refers to the tendency of culture with stereotypical traits of both. The values concern on
the emphasis of masculine related to assertiveness, opposed to more personal & humanity goals.
Singapore is the place where feminine culture works and the UK works with masculine and the
company work in both the culture in their own locations with the ways to give the proper respect
to the culture.
Individualism vs. Collectivism: -
In individualism cultures, citizens of country are self-centred and focus on accomplish
individual goals and needs. In collectivism cultures, people focus on group welfare rather than of
individual and work as team to accomplish the goal. Hotel Industry in the UK is more of
collectivism and people focus on development of group rather than of individual and on the other
hand Singapore hotelier follows individualism to accomplish the goal. Marriott follow policy
according to country’s culture for example in UK it follows collectivism to accomplish of goal
and on the contrary in Singapore it focusses on individual for accomplish individual task
(Kotler,2017).
Long vs. Short Term Orientation: -
This long term and short dimensions term help in analysing work-related value and behaviour
springing. In long term goals employees focus on long term goal achievement and getting result
and in this workforce has a long-time working mindset. In short term employee focus on short
term achievement in the organisation and organisation frequent change by employees is another
characteristic of it. In UK employees focus on long terms goal achievement in the organisation
and on the contrary Singapore workforce emphasize on short term objective and goal
accomplishment. In Britain, Marriott focus on long terms achievement of employees as per the
culture and on the other hand Singapore Marriott management focus on short terms goals
achievement of the employees
Hotel Handbook
Nowadays Marriott hotel is operating own business activities within lots of countries, so
that staff or employees at this hotel responsible for following various instructions and guidelines
of handbook that provides by their hotels. Suppose, employees who are working in Marriott
hotel, UK, in which they are responsible for following UK hotel’s handbook only. On the other
hand, employees who are working within Marriott hotel Singapore, in which they are responsible
for following Singapore hotel’s handbook only. This is very necessary for providing an excellent
5

experience and satisfaction to various international visitors. Generally, upper management at
Marriott hotel has created own handbooks according to people’s tradition, culture, customs and
behaviour of a country. On the other side, Marriott has highly succeeded for making various
handbooks, because nowadays this hotel has too large share of market in international hospitality
sector. Many global tourists, visitors and people like for staying in this hotel (Zientara and
Zamojska, 2018). In each certain period of time, upper management at Marriott always for taking
various steps to more improve & develop own hotel’s handbooks that this hotel has used in
various countries and regions.
On the basis of Marriott hotel’s management, development of handbooks in each certain
period of time is too essential task for this hotel. Reason is, cultures, market trends and people
behaviours always has changed, so Marriott has mostly added new culture, trends or behaviours
in own handbooks to make customer services very appropriate and excellent. Suppose, some
months ago, various employees or staff at Marriott was shaking hand in its UK operations with
various customers and visitors in the context of their welcome. In this situation, after COVID 19
(coronavirus) pandemic people has avoided for shaking hand with different other people to
protect themselves through infection. In this situation, now employees and staff at Marriott hotel
not shakes hand for welcoming different visitors in the UK’s hotel operations. However,
nowadays many of hotel businesses in across the world takes steps for adding Asian culture of
welcome in their respective handbooks for stopping coronavirus infection. On the other hand,
employees who works in Marriott hotel’s Singapore operations need for continuing welcome
visitors through following own previous way of welcoming, because people not shake hands
while welcoming someone in Asia.
Nowadays global visitors stay at Marriott hotel, UK to explore this beautiful country, in
which present staff at this hotel need to properly provide them an excellent experience and
satisfaction (Sonnenschein, Barker and Hibbins, 2017). When HRM at Marriott hotel has hired
various people in its environment of business as employees, then this HR department provides
handbook to every newly joined employee and staff for properly learning that, what they can’t do
here and what they have allowed to do in this hotel. Under this handbook, top-level management
of Marriot hotel has mentioned general things also for an employee. For example; way to behave
with various visitors who regularly visits within the Marriott and way to treat with various
customers who has started to visit in this hotel. Under this handbook, existing management
6

includes few big aspects as well. For example; what to do while having in the emergency
conditions, way for dealing with various problems in the place of work etc. That’s why, any staff
or employees can simply enable for providing an excellent experience to various customers and
visitor of Marriott hotel.
On the basis of the Marriott hotel’s policy, such staff or employees will be quickly
terminated by this hotel organisation who has not performed according to handbook’s
instructions and guideline in daily operations of hotel. This is too strict policy of Marriott,
because if employees work in the hotel without following handbook, then these employees can
be negatively impacted to the market image of Marriott hotel at global hospitality sector (Ying
and et.al., 2018). According to existing management, the handbook provides an appropriate way
to various employees and staff to offering excellent services to different customers or visitors. A
handbook generally has contributed in developing the customer service’s levels at Marriott hotel,
and this the main reason that hotel’s existing management always takes handbook too seriously.
The management is taking various steps for more & more improving own handbooks as well for
systematically operating its business operations in UK and Singapore.
Table of “Don’ts and Do’s” for staff of the hotel
Do’s Don’ts
 Adhere the all guidelines and instructions
of the handbook that has provided from
Marriott Hotel.
 Avoid to take different factions under the
place of work without taking proper
permission from own respective
managers or leaders.
 Follow well manners while
communicating with various people of
Marriott, like; senior managers, leaders
and other employees.
 Don’t conduct various informal and
unethical attempts within the daily
operations. For example; politics.
 Always be maintained own personality
according to Marriott’s eligibility criteria.
 Don't ignore requirements or demands of
various customers and visitors in the
Marriott hotel.
 Mostly be enthusiastic for participating
within various programmes of training &
development and learning (Dewi,
 Fully avoid for abuse and harassing other
employees and staff by considering their
behaviour, religion, caste, colour and
7

Mataram and Siwantara, 2017). cultural differences.
CONCLUSION
This report has projected the difference of the UK and the Singapore culture in th hospitality
sector. Thew hand book explain the culture and doings, its all about the preferences hospitality
serve to its customer. It is a guide of tool for the workers in the hotels to give the service in the
hotel as a staff (Holloway,2019). It helps in guidance in serving best of the quality service as
possible to its customer who are visiting in the hotels. Customers from different country have
different ways of thinking and different with the choices. The people from UK are likely to play
sports rather then just sitting on other hand Singapore people are less interested in the sports.
Singapore staff likely to take few services from the hotel and the UK guest are likely to enjoy
everything in the services.
8

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Brunt, P., Horner, S. and Semley, N., 2017. Research methods in tourism, hospitality and events
management. Sage.
Dewi, N. I. K., Mataram, I. G. A. B. and Siwantara, I. W., 2017. Validating a framework of the
integration of corporate social responsibility and culture: The case of hotel
industry. International Journal of Business and Economic Affairs. 2(1).
pp.31-44.
Holloway, J.C. and Humphreys, C., 2019. The business of tourism. SAGE Publications Limited.
Kotler and et.al., 2017. Marketing for hospitality and tourism.
Sonnenschein, K., Barker, M. and Hibbins, R., 2017. Chinese international students' perceptions
of and reflections on graduate attributes needed in entry-level positions in
the Chinese hotel industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
Management. 30. pp.39-46.
Swarbrooke, J., 2018. The meaning of luxury in tourism, hospitality and events. Goodfellow
Publishers Limited.
Ying, T. L., and et.al., 2018. The role of patron dining experience and emotions on relationship
quality in chain restaurant industry. Intangible Capital. 14(3). pp.357-369.
Zhu, J. N., Lam, L. W. and Lai, J. Y., 2019. Returning good for evil: A study of customer
incivility and extra-role customer service. International Journal of
Hospitality Management. 81. pp.65-72.
Zientara, P. and Zamojska, A., 2018. Green organizational climates and employee pro-
environmental behaviour in the hotel industry. Journal of Sustainable
Tourism. 26(7). pp.1142-1159.
9