Overcoming Difficulties in Giving Information To Foreign Guests As a Concierge Trainee At Hilton Hotel Bandung.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Tugas akhir ini berisi analisis permasalahan yang dihadapi ketika saya melaksanakan kerja praktek sebagai Concierge di Hotel Hilton Bandung. Kerja praktek dimulai dari bulan Juni hingga bulan September 2012. Selama melaksanakan kerja praktek, saya menemukan kesulitan dalam memberikan informasi kepada tamu-tamu asing dengan menggunakan Bahasa Inggris..

Faktor yang menjadi penyebab dari permasalahan yang saya alami adalah saya kurang cakap dalam berkomunikasi langsung menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Faktor yang lainnya adalah tidak adanya pelatihan

percakapan Bahasa Inggris yang diperuntukan bagi peserta kerja pratek di hotel. Saya pun kurang menguasai informasi tentang kota Bandung dan Hotel Hilton, sehingga saya gugup dan takut memberikan informasi yang salah kepada tamu asing. Hal-hal tersebut mengakibatkan saya

mendapatkan kesulitan untuk mengerti apa permintaan-permintaan tamu asing.

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DAFTAR LAMPIRAN

A. Flowchart

B. The Interview Questions

C. The Transcription of Interview

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APPENDIX : A

FLOWCHART

PROBLEM STATEMENT : I had difficulties in giving information to foreign guests when I was a concierge trainee at Hilton Hotel Bandung.

POTENTIAL SOLUTION III :

I will intensively study the information book about Bandung and hotel product knowledge.

POTENTIAL SOLUTION II :

I will take an English conversation course with a native speakers of English as my teacher.

POTENTIAL SOLUTION I :

I will use body language if necessary. while still going to college. give will not satisfy foreign guests expectaton.

Effect 2: I became nervous in dealing with foreign guests.

Efffect 3: The foreign guest could not provide English training for hotel trainees.

Cause 3: I have limited knowledge about hotel and its surrounding.

CHOOSEN SOLUTION :

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APPENDIX: B

THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. How long you have been working as a concierge at Hilton Hotel

Bandung?

2. In your opinion, are job of the concierge hard to do?

3. Do you have any dificulties in communicating with foreign guests?

4. If yes, do you have any tips in handling that kind of situation?

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APPENDIX : C

THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE INTERVIEW

Name of Interviewer : Amelia Kurniawan

Name of respondent : Gema Guna Buana

Day & date of interview : Sunday, 30 September 2012

Place of interview : Kantin Saparakanca, Hilton Hotel Bandung

Amel : Halo,ka Gema. Makasih yah uda bersedia di interview, bantuin

tugas akhir saya.

Gema : Iya sama-sama Amel. Sok hayu atu dimulai, Gema cuma bisa

setengah jam disini, harus cepet balik lagi ke depan, takut ga ada

orang.

Amel :Okeh, langsung aja yah. Ka Gema udah berapa lama kerja

sebagai concierge di Hilton?

Gema : Hmm.. Gema disini uda 2 tahun lebih, kira-kira itu masuk sekitar

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Amel : Oh, lama juga yah ka Gema. Terus menurut ka Gema sendiri,

pekerjaan concierge itu berat ga?

Gema : Sebenarnya pekerjaannya itu ga berat, Cuma tanggung jawab

kita bawa itu menurut ka Gema cukup besar yah. Hilton kan uda,

ada di seluruh dunia terus termasuk hotel internasional bintang 5

sebagai staff nya kan berarti kita harus kasih servis hotel yang

sepadan. Terus concierge itu sebagai first impressionnya tamu

yang dateng kesini, mau kita lagi bad-mood, berantem sama

pacar, lagi sedih,sebisa mungkin harus tersenyum dan kasih

pelayanan yang terbaik.

Amel : Terus ka Gema sendiri ngerasa kesulitan ngga kalo harus

ngehadepin tamu asing?

Gema : Ngehadepin gimana maksudnya?

Amel : Kaya berkomunikasi sama mereka gitu. Kan pasti harus pake

bahasa Inggris.

Gema : Oh, dulu awal-awal kerja sih iya, tapi sekarang uda mulai terbiasa.

Amel : Nah itu,ka. Kemarin waktu aku magang disini, aku paling takut

kalau harus komunikasi sama bule. Ka Gema punya tips apa ngga

buat ngadepin situasi kaya gitu?

Gema : Hmm.. Asal kita berani sebenernya, pasti bisa. Bule itu ga terlalu

mentingin grammar, yang penting kita ngomong, dia bisa ngerti.

Gema waktu pertama kali masuk sini, Inggrisnya kacau balau,

parah lah. Tapi Gema niat gitu buat belajar, buat berani, jadi kalau

ngeliat bule dateng Gema berusaha ga takut, malah Gema

datengin, diajak ngobrol, pede aja, padahal Inggris Gema kacau

balau.

Amel : Hahaha. Pertanyaan selanjutnya yah ka Gema. Kan tugas

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Bandung, restorannya, tempat rekreasinya, jadwal kereta api. Ka

Gema pernah merasa ngga kesulitan dalam memberikan

informasi tersebut? Terutama ke tamu asing.

Gema : Iya. Soalnya kan informasi itu update terus yah, kadang malah

tamu hotel yang lebih tau daripada Gema, kaya restoran baru di

Bandung. Tapi ya sebisa mungkin kita harus bantu mereka. Kalau

Gema ga tau tentang informasi yang tamu tanya biasanya Gema

langsung tanya sama staff lain, ke concierge lain, ke operator

Magic atau langsung ke tempat yang bersangkutan juga bisa.

Amel : Bukannya lebih baik langsung cari dari buku informasi yang ada di

hotel yah?

Gema : Dulu ka Gema malah pernah salah kasih informasi ke tamu asing

gara-gara ngikutin buku. Dia mau reservasi restoran sendiri lewat

telpon, dia tanya nomor telponnya ke Gema, Gema kasih. Taunya

nomor telpon restoran itu uda ganti. Dia balik lagi nyariin ka Gema

katanya no telponnya salah, untung dia nya ga marah. Jadi buku

informasi kadang ga lengkap,Mel, ga terlalu update. Baca buku

informasi menurut ka Gema sih kurang efektif, butuh waktu lama.

Mending langsung tanya sama staff lain.

Amel : Oh, ngerti-ngerti. Untung yah bule nya ga marah, hahaha.Makasih

yah ka Gema uda bagi pengalaman.

Gema : Sama-sama, Amel. Uda beres ini?ga ada pertanyaan lagi?

Amel : Hahaha, ga ada ka Gema, udah cukup. Terima kasih yah.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Nowadays, transportation is becoming more advanced. People can

travel abroad anytime either on holiday or business. A relationship

between one person to another from different countries can be easily built.

That situation not only provides huge benefits for transportation

companies but also for hospitality companies.

Staff in every hospitality companies must be ready because people

from different countries with different characteristics and languages can be

brought together in a hotel. Naturally, each of them expects to have a

comfortable place to stay with excellent services. Therefore, it is a big

challenge for hotel staff to satisfy their needs. In other words, a good hotel

staff must be able to master the hospitality skills in order to provide

excellent services to hotel guests. In the real world, not all of hotel staff

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hotel staff and a trainee. Many of them still have problems in performing their

duties as hotel staff.

A vital part of all hotel staff is a front liner staff or usually called as a Front

Officer. Front Office staff are usually divided into 4 categories, they are: Front

Desk or Receptionist, Guest Relation Officer, Concierge, and Operator.

According to article entitled “Front Office”, it states front office is the first

impression of the guest and face of every aspects of the business in the hotel

(par 1). Therefore, Front Office staff plays a deciding role in hotel progress.

I encountered one problem relating to giving clear and correct information

to foreign guests especially Indian, Arabian and Australian guests when I did

my internship as a concierge trainee in Hilton Hotel Bandung. For example,

on my second day as a concierge, an Indian gentleman came to me to ask

about the nearest maternity hospital for his wife. I could not give a correct

information that he needed because I did not know where the nearest

maternity hospital was (July 11, 2012). It is obvious that a good concierge

staff should have a good mastery of all information relating to the hotel and its

surroundings. Therefore, this paper will be very useful because it will not only

expose some difficulties that concierge trainees usually have in giving

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B. Identification of the Problem

In this term paper, the problem will be analyzed to find out the answer of

the following questions:

1. Why did I have difficulties in giving information to foreign guests as a

concierge trainee at Hilton Hotel Bandung?

2. How did my difficulty influence my job as concierge traine at Hilton

Hotel Bandung?

3. How should I overcome those difficulties?

C. Objectives and Benefits of the Study

The aim of this study is to analyze why I have difficulties in giving

information directly to foreign guests when I became a concierge trainee at

Hilton Hotel Bandung. This study also will analyze the effective ways to

overcome those difficulties.

The benefit of this term paper is to help the present writer find out the best

solution for the problem. For the readers, it is expected to increase their

knowledge about the effective ways in communicating and giving information

to foreign guests, especially for those who do not have any working

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problems that their staff encounter while handling foreign guests; therefore,

they can try to find out the best solution to help their staff.

D. Description of the Institution

Based on the article entitled “The History of Conrad Hilton Corporation”,

the founder of Hilton Hotel’s network in the world is Conrad Nicholson Hilton.

Hilton Hotel Bandung began to operate in 2009 and it is the only Hilton Hotel

in Indonesia. Hilton Hotel is an international hotel with 5 star amenities,

located in downtown Bandung, and is one of the best hotels in Bandung.

Hilton Hotel is strategically located close to the Pasteur toll gate, Bandung

airport and the railway station. Many tourists and businessmen stay at Hilton

Hotel. The design of the hotel itself is not only very luxurious but also

minimalist so as to leave an impression that it is a comfortable home.

Hilton Hotel Bandung has 186 rooms which are divided into 5 types;

deluxe, executive, executive plus, junior suite, and presidential suite. Deluxe

type has 118 rooms, executive type 45 rooms, executive plus type 19 rooms,

junior suite type 3 rooms, presidential suite type 1 room. In addition, there are

smoking room and non-smoking room types in Hilton Hotel Bandung.

Smoking room types for deluxe are located on levels 5 and 6, while the

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Hilton Hotel also offers complete facilities, from a Magma lounge, a Jiwa

spa, swimming pools, a gym, a kid’s corner, to Purnawarman International

Restaurant and Fresco Italian Restaurant. A Magma lounge and

Purnawarman International Restaurant are located on the lobby area while a

Jiwa spa, swimming pools, a gym, a kid’s corner and Fresco Italian restaurant

are located on level 6. Those facilities are not only for in house guests but

also outsiders or public. Purnawarman International Restaurant opens a

buffet every night from 6 pm untill 10 pm and Jiwa spa provides many health

and massage spas for outsiders and in house guests.

Hilton Hotel worldwide has a brand standard in serving their guests, in

welcoming guests, and also in handling guest’s complaints directly or by

phone. They also have a brand promise, vision, mission and Hilton’s value.

Brand Promise

To ensure every guest feel cared for, valued, and respected

Vision and Mission

Vision : To fill the earth with light and warm of hospitality

Mission : To be the preeminent of global hospitality company, to be

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Maranatha Christian University Values

‘H’ for ‘Hospitality’ : We will be passionate in delivering an exceptional

guest experience

‘I’ for ‘Integrity’ : We do the right thing all the time

‘L’ for ‘Leadership’ : We are the leader in our industry and community

‘T’ for ‘Teamwork’ : We are the team-player in everything that we do

‘O’ for ‘Ownership’ : We are the owner of our action and decision

‘N’ for ‘Now’ : We operate with the sense of urgency and

Discipline

E. Method of the Study

Related data collection is obtained from my self observation in a job

training that I had been through for 60 days from June 18th until September

16th, 2012 in Hilton Hotel Bandung. There are also several data obtained

from the brochure of Hilton Hotel Bandung, Internet site and also an interview

with a concierge staff, Gema Guna Buana, at Hilton Hotel Bandung. The

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F. Limitation of the Study

In this term paper, the study will focus on the difficulties in giving

information about the hotel and its surrounding areas to foreign guests. The

subject of research is I as a trainee at concierge in Hilton Hotel Bandung. My

internship period started from June 18th until September 16th, 2012. My

working hour were divided into 2 shifts: morning shift ( 7am – 4pm ) and

evening shift ( 2pm – 11pm ). The analysis would be concerning things that

can bring a problem to a concierge trainee. Moreover, the analysis would also

discuss how a concierge trainee can overcome the problems.

G. Organization of the Term Paper

This term paper begins with Abstract that contains a summary of this term

paper. Then it is followed by Acknowledgements, which contains my

gratitudes to those who have helped me in the completion of this term-paper.

After Acknowledgements, there are Table of Contents followed by four

chapters. Chapter I is an introduction to the analysis, which consists of

Background of the Study, Identification of the Problem, Objectives and

Benefits of the Study, DescrIption of the Institution, Method of the Study,

Limitation of the Study, and Organization of the Term Paper. Chapter II

contains the analysis of the problem, the cause and effects of the problem.

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effects and potential negative effects based on a relevant theory. Chapter IV

contains a conclusion and the best solution for the problem. Those four

chapters are followed by Bibliography, which consists of a list of books,

articles, and an interview used as sources in the preparation of writing this

term-paper. The last part is Appendices, which contains background

information or relevant materials such as flowchart, interview questions and

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CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

Being a concierge trainee at Hilton Hotel Bandung is not as easy as I

thought, especially when I have to speak English with foreign guests. In

dealing with foreign guests, I have difficuties in giving a correct and clear

information to them. On account of the analysis in the previous chapter, I

have found three causes and effects of my difficulties in giving information

to foreign guests. Those causes are: I was not fluent in speaking English,

the hotel did not provide English training for hotel trainees and I had

limited knowledge about hotel and its surroundings. Furthermore, those

causes will bring up some effects such as: the services I gave did not

satisfy foreign guests’ expectation, I became nervous in dealing with

foreign guests, and the foreign guests could not understand the

information that I gave to them. From my analysis, I have found three

potential solutions that might be useful to solve the problem. The first

potential solution is I will use body language when explaining something

to foreign guests if necesary. Second, I will take an English conversation

course with a native speaker of English as my teacher. Last,I will study the

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From all the potential solutions above, the solution that I think might be

the best to solve the problem is the combination of the second potential

solution and the third potential solution, namely taking an English

conversation course with a native speaker of English and study the

information book about Bandung and hotel product knowledge. By doing

these, I will be capable of giving a clear and correct information to foreign

guests.

The reason why I choose those two potential solutions is because

taking an English conversation course with a native speaker of English

has a lot of benefits. As written in the previous chapter, when I speak with

my English teacher, I can imagine that I am speaking with a foreign guest.

Moreover, I will feel more confident when having a conversation with

foreign guests in real situations. Besides, by interacting with native

speakers, I could learn more about foreign cultures that might be useful for

me to build a good realtionship with foreign guests in Hilton Hotel

Bandung. I also choose the third potential solution because based on my

research, frontline hospitality staff must have a strong knowledge of their

‘product’ in order to deliver pro-active hospitality. Moreover, I could provide

all guests with a prompt response. As a result, the guests will appreciate

me as a profesional staff. The reason why I do not choose the first

potential solution is because it is problematic and culture-bound. It might

either cause the guests not to understand the message or they might

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Finally, I have some suggestions to other students going to work as

hospitality trainees, especially for those who will work as a concierge or a

front office trainee. In my opinion, It is better to practice their English

speaking skill before they start working as concierge trainees because

there will be a lot of foreign guests that come and stay at the hotel.

Furthermore, they must study seriously about the hotel product knowledge

and the hotel surroundings because it will be very useful. Based on my

experience, at the first day of my training I did not consider seriously about

the importance of knowing the hotel product knowledge. As a result, I

began to have a lot of problems relating to giving information to the

guests. By applying all the suggestions given, a concierge trainee can

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Printed Sources

Mulyana, Deddy. Komunikasi Efektif. Bandung : PT Remaja Rosdakarya,

2008.

Electronic Sources

Blue, George M. “Hospitality Language As a Professional Skill”.

9 January 2013.

<bsd.nstru.ac.th/~elearning/39/research/091128083949.doc>

Brassfield, Marissa. “ The Importance of Training for Hospitality “. Ehow

Money. 17 September 2012.

<http://www.ehow.com/facts_6897368_importance-training-

hospitality.html#ixzz27yDum9cX>

“ Cross-Cultural Misunderstanding “. NSW HSC Online. 1 October 2012.

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SITXCOM002A/4114/misunderstanding.htm>

Dean, Marissa. “ Customer Service Skills Required by Hotel Employers ”.

Ehow Money. 24 September 2012.

<http://www.ehow.com/about_5516138_customer-skills-required-hotel-

employers.html#ixzz29DXYaG6T>

Dolecki, Leigh Anne. “Maximizing the Relationship Between the Hotel

Concierge and the Guest”. 9 January 2013.

<http://www.lcdusa.org/Main/PressRoom/documents/Concierge

ConciergeRelationshipwithGuest.pdf>

“Front Office”. PickTourism.ie. 17 February 2013.

<http://www.picktourism.ie/Tourism-Courses-and-Careers/Tourism

-Careers/Accommodation/Front-Office/>

Pandit, Madhura. “How to Improve Oral Communiaction Skills”. Buzzle.

24 May 2011. 17 February 2013.

<http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-improve-oral-communication-

skills.html>

Marshall, Lisa B. “How to Persuade Using Body Language”. The Public

Speaker. 10 January 2013. 17 February 2013.

<http://publicspeaker.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-persuade-using-

body-language.aspx>

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Ezine Articles. 9 January 2013.

<http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Teach-Pronunciation-For-Foreign-

Languages&id=7220615>

Kennedy, Doug. “ Pro-Active Hospitality Requires Knowing Your Product “.

4Hoteliers. 9 July 2010. 1 October 2012.

<http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=5234

Kennedy, Doug. “Train Your Hotel Team to‘Say This, Not That!”.

4Hoteliers. 17 December 2008. 9 January 2013.

Scott, Elizabeth, M.S., “I’m Just too Busy, How Do I Find More Time?”.

Stress Management. 23 November 2011. 10 january 2013.

<http://stress.about.com/od/managetimeorganize/f/time_

management.htm>

“ What Are the Benefits of Learning English “. Wisegeek.1 October 2012.

<http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-the-benefits-of-learning-

english.htm>

Interview