Bridging the Language Gap: Foreign Language Services in Enhancing Guest Satisfaction of a Hotel in Cebu City

This study assessed the foreign language services availed by international guests at Amethyst Boutique Hotel Cebu, their satisfaction and communication difficulties, and the relationships among guest characteristics, service utilization, and satisfaction. A descriptive-correlational design was used with 60 foreign hotel guests recruited through stratified sampling. A researcher-developed questionnaire was administered, and frequency, percentage, weighted mean, chi-square tests of independence, and Pearson correlation were applied. Translation applications or devices were used by all 60 respondents (100%), compared with translation services (75.00%) and foreign-language visual aids (71.67%). All three services received very satisfactory evaluations; the aggregate satisfaction mean was 3.54 on a four-point scale. Limited translation services (55.00%) and confusing foreign-language visual aids (51.67%) were the most frequently reported problems. Nationality and native language were significantly associated with services availed (χ² = 77.732, p = .0001 for each), while the other profile variables were not. No guest profile variable was significantly associated with satisfaction; service utilization and satisfaction were weakly and nonsignificantly correlated (r = .197, p = .131). These findings support a combined approach to multilingual guest assistance through accessible digital translation, clearer multilingual materials, and staff development. The proposed Hospitality Language Program provides a staged intervention for improving communication quality and international guest experience.