English in the hotel industry in the city of ourense

UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EMPRESARIALES Y TURISMO
End-of-Degree Project
English in the Hotel Industry in the city of Ourense
Presented by Ángel M. Sampedro González
Ourense, July 2019

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UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EMPRESARIALES Y TURISMO
End-of-Degree Project
English in the Hotel Industry in the city of Ourense
Presented by Ángel M. Sampedro González
Supervised by Dr. María F. Llantada Díaz
Ourense, July 2019

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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my end-of-degree project supervisor María Francisca Llantada Díaz
for her patience and availability to help me and for her time correcting my imperfect
English during the second semester of the last year of my University Degree.
I cannot forget to acknowledge my other Professors for teaching and encouraging me to
finish my degree, they taught me a lot of things that I am so proud about.
Also, I ought to be grateful to my parents for pushing me to know the importance of
maturity and sacrifice, thanks to them I feel capable of reaching all my goals and be as
ambitious as I am when something matters to me.
Last, I would like to thank my classmates for their support and for sharing special
unforgettable moments during these recent years that I will never forget.
-Ambition and love are the wings to great deeds
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

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Resumen
En el presente proyecto de fin de carrera, me centraré en el idioma inglés en la industria
turística de la ciudad de Ourense, España. Hoy en día es imprescindible aprender el
idioma inglés. El inglés se usa cada vez más en casi todas las áreas del conocimiento y
desarrollo humano. Se puede decir que el inglés es el idioma del mundo actual. Ha
afectado principalmente a todos los países, también a España, lo cual afecta a los
diversos campos y profesiones de diferentes maneras.
He decidido comenzar el proyecto con una introducción a la evolución histórica del inglés
y terminando con el inglés actual, centrándome también en la relación entre la
importancia del Grand Tour y la historia del turismo. Después de eso, se hace una
explicación del inglés en la industria del turismo actual y también la metodología utilizada
para escribir este proyecto.
Este proyecto de fin de carrera tiene como objetivo estudiar el uso del inglés en la
industria hotelera en Ourense, enfocándose en un conjunto de hoteles en esta ciudad
gallega con el objetivo de analizar en profundidad el dominio que el sector hotelero de
Ourense ofrece a sus huéspedes extranjeros.
Intenté utilizar una bibliografía diversa para recopilar una información ampliada para
poder completar el proyecto. Los diferentes tipos de cuestionarios que se encuentran en
el Apéndice nos proporcionan diferentes opiniones dentro de la industria del turismo.
Palabras clave: lengua inglesa, comunicación, turismo, Ourense, páginas web de
hoteles.
Resumo
No presente proxecto de fin de grado centrareime na lingua inglesa na industria do
turismo da cidade de Ourense. Hoxe en día é imprescindible aprender a lingua inglesa. O
inglés úsase cada vez máis en case tódalas áreas do coñecemento e do
desenvolvemento humano. Pódese dicir que o inglés é a lingua do mundo actual. Incidiu
principalmente a todos os países, tamén a España, que afecta a diferentes campos e
profesións de diferentes xeitos.
Decidin iniciar o proxecto cunha introdución á evolución histórica do inglés e rematando
co inglés actual, centrándome tamén na relación entre a importancia do Grand Tour e a
historia do turismo. Despois farase unha explicación do inglés na industria do turismo e
tamén a metodoloxía que se seguiu para desenvolver o proxecto.
Este proxecto de fin de grado ten como obxectivo analizar e estudar o uso do inglés na
industria hoteleira na cidade de Ourense, España. O estudo céntrase nun conxunto de
hoteis da cidade galega co obxectivo de coñecer en profundidade o dominio que o sector
hoteleiro de Ourense ofrece aos seus clientes estranxeiros.

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Tentei empregar unha bibliografía diversa para recoller información detallada para poder
completar o proxecto. Tamén se poden atopar diferentes tipos de cuestionarios no
Apéndice co obxectivo de ter diferentes opinións dentro da industria do turismo.
Palabras chave: lingua inglesa, comunicación, turismo, Ourense, páxinas web de hoteis.
Abstract
In the present end-of-degree project I will focus on the English language in the tourism
industry of the city of Ourense, Spain. Nowadays it is essential to learn the English
language. English is increasingly used in almost all areas of human knowledge and
development. It can be said that English is the language of the current world. It has
impacted mostly all countries, also Spain, and this affects the various fields and
professions in different ways.
I decided to start the project with an introduction to the historical evolution of English
finishing with present-day English, focusing also on the link between the importance of the
Grand Tour and the history of tourism. After that, an explanation of English in the current
tourism industry was presented and also the methodology used to write this project.
This end-of-degree project aims to study the use of English in the hotel industry in
Ourense focusing on a set of hotels in this Galician city with the objective of analysing in
depth the domain that the Ourense hotel sector offers to its foreign guests.
I tried to use a diverse bibliography in order to collect an extended information to be able
to complete the project. The different kinds of questionnaires found in the Appendix
provide us with different opinions inside the tourism industry.
Keywords: English language, communication, tourism, Ourense, hotel websites.

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Index
0. Introduction .................................................................................... 10
0.1. Historical evolution ...................................................................... 11
0.2. The principles of tourism: Grand Tour ................................................ 12
0.3. Present-Day English .................................................................... 13
1. English in tourism industry................................................................... 17
2. Methodology................................................................................... 19
2.1. Review websites......................................................................... 20
2.2. Questionnaires........................................................................... 41
2.3. Questionnaires’ results ................................................................. 42
2.3.1. NH Ourense......................................................................... 42
2.3.2. GH San Martín...................................................................... 45
2.3.3. Francisco II.......................................................................... 49
2.3.4. Princess ............................................................................. 52
2.3.5. Carrís Cardenal Quevedo......................................................... 56
3. Conclusions.................................................................................... 60
3.1. Websites’ reviews conclusions ........................................................ 60
3.2. General conclusions .................................................................... 60
4. Bibliography ................................................................................... 62
5. Appendix ....................................................................................... 64
5.1. Positive comments on Ourense hotels found on websites ......................... 64
5.2. Negative comments found on websites............................................... 73
5.3. Questionnaires for hotel managers ................................................... 76
5.4. Questionnaires for employees ......................................................... 78
5.5. Questionnaires for tourists ............................................................. 80

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0. Introduction
English is the main language that allows communication with people from other countries.
It is a fact that English has become the main language for all kinds of service. The aim of
this project is to analyse the use of English in a set of hotels in Ourense, a city of Galicia
in which spa tourism, cultural tourism and gastronomy tourism predominate among other
types of tourism.
The teaching of English anywhere in the world is seen as an urgent necessity. No matter
which continent you are in or how old you are, the fact is that for any person it is essential
to have basic knowledge of the English language. Moreover, it is even said that anyone
who does not master this language would be in a clear disadvantage in today’s world.
There are plenty of reasons to say it. The aim of this project is to make these motives
visible inside the field of hospitality.
All the detailed information shown in the present end-of-degree project has been analysed
thanks to the knowledge acquired:
- After 4 years of study on this particular sector in the University degree of Tourism
Degree at the University of Vigo
- During my 2-month stay as correspondent of practices in reception at the Gran Hotel
San Martín
- During my time as a student and lover of languages and exotic cultures
- During my Erasmus period
Moreover, the information included in this project has been extracted from different
sources, as can be seen in the bibliography and webgraphy collected in the Appendix. All
the data obtained in order to develop this end-of-degree project was analysed from
November 2017 to June 2018, and later renewed during 2019.
In this end-of-degree project I will study the use of English in a set of hotels of the city of
Ourense. After showing the specific analyses for each hotel, I will comment and analyse
the questionnaires prepared for directors, employees and guests of the 5 busiest hotels in
Ourense. Thus, some conclusions will be drawn about the importance of English and its
use in these hotels.

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0.1. Historical evolution
English is a language originated by the diversity of dialects that has assimilated over the
centuries. Everything begins in the 5th Century, when a Celtic cultural domain is
perceived. It covered most of Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The years pass and
the English zone is dominated by the Romans. During this time Latin was predominantly
used for important issues and by the upper class while the Celts continued to use their
language as everyday use.
In the middle of the 5th Century, Germanic tribes started arriving. This movement is
caused as the getaway of the Huns who left the steppes and went to Europe. The first
invading tribes in England would be Anglos, Jutes and Saxons from France, Germany and
Denmark.
These Germanic tribes influenced to an enormous extent the foundations of today's
English with their dialects. They are primitive people who still did not know about
Christianity and still believed in their gods, they had their laws, which were very simple
and their type of life was more dedicated to livestock than to agriculture.
This set of villages is going to be installed in the South and the East of England, with what
begins the stage of the so-called Old English and that will last from the 5th Century until
the 11th Century.
In 1066, the Normans led by William I, who conquered both England and the Island of
Sicily, broke into a sort of empire of Norman culture in which French was to be the main
language and feudal customs were imposed. When William I assumed power, the
normalization of England began to develop at the end of the 11th Century. This will have a
considerable impact on the institutional and cultural development of the English nation.
French is established as the language of the noble class and becomes the courtly
language par excellence. Latin will be the language for the real and most important
documents. English is relegated to family use and dialectal varieties germinate throughout
the territory. This creates a very important separation between the nobility and the rest of
social groups. English is here under the influence of French terms and is called Middle
English (Lynch, 2010).
Unlike Old English, Middle English dialects are diverse and they generate a rich writing
tradition. In the Middle English period, the relationship between the church and the king
resents. The confrontation reaches its peak of greatest tension in 1170 with the
assassination of Archbishop and Chancellor Thomas Becket in the bleachers of the altar
of Canterbury. This fact considerably weakens the power of the monarchy and cuts all the
bonds of the subjects with the king, whose capacity of government progressively becomes
diminished. In the 14th Century, daily life is altered by famines, pestilences and wars.
Despite the fact that skepticism is installed, this period is the apotheosis of Middle English
and even medieval literature in other languages such as Italian, with authors like Dante,
Petrarca and Boccaccio. For England the 14th Century is the Century of literary takeoff,
marked by chivalric tales and romances and religious poems.
Beginning in the 15th Century, English began to take shape and resemble what we know
today. This stage is known as the stage of modern English. It is a standardized English

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that continues to assimilate foreign words from Latin and Greek. In the 16th Century the
expansion of the British Empire along with the Renaissance complete the language that is
internationally spoken today (Crystal, 2004).
0.2. The principles of tourism: Grand Tour
The Grand Tour is a training trip in a variety of disciplines made fashionable by young
aristocrats of 18th-Century Europe. These series of trips were compulsory for all young
people belonging to the bourgeoisie. Belonging to the bourgeoisie at that time meant
belonging to wealthy families and a high or middle-high social class. These young people
had to take this trip compulsorily because it was a way to process new knowledge and
was part of their academic training (Becker, 2013).
The Grand Tour is, therefore, an English invention that would later be copied by these
well-off young people from other European countries. It is a training trip in which the
protagonist travels for an average period of two to three years. Having their starting point
in England, the pioneer nation, these young aristocrats could expand their political, social,
historical and artistic knowledge by visiting the most emblematic places of 18th-Century
Europe.
The Grand Tour included Paris, northern Italy, Florence, Rome, Naples, Switzerland and
sometimes Germany; and also, from Paris to Germany. They also tried to cross Austria,
Greece or Switzerland; although France and Italy were always considered the essential
countries. The Grand Tour was not a fixed route, it has many aspects.
These young bourgeois did not necessarily travel alone, they always traveled with a tutor
or with a person specialized in this route, which would be known today as a tour guide.
This time was influenced by the scientific revolution of the previous Century and by the
innumerable inventions and discoveries that brought with it. The Pompeian ruins, the
imposing temples of classical Greece and the captivating eruptions of Vesuvius, are just
some of the wonders these travelers could enjoy.
It is in this way that the Grand Tour can be seen as the antecedent of what is now known
as 'mass tourism', that type of tourism that is named after the volume of tourists who
participate in it with a common goal (Terán Mantecón, 2008).

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0.3. Present-Day English
For years, we have been talking about globalization, about a more interrelated planet.
With the Internet this has come true, Spain has an important shortcoming to compete in
that context, a general lack of competence in English. According to a classification drawn
up by the EF English Proficiency Index in 2017, Spain is the 21st country out of 27 in the
European Union by number of inhabitants who speak the English language (56.06% of the
population), a figure below the average Community (66%). The previous year, however,
Spain was ranked 19th with a slightly higher score (56.66%). However, these figures have
been extended in recent years, since in comparison with a survey prepared and published
by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in 2011, the percentage of Spaniards who
spoke English was 35.5%, figures only surpassed by Hungary and Bulgaria in Europe
(Spanish Statistical Office, 2011).
This encouraging and optimistic data shows that Spain is beginning to settle in the
mastery of English language lately, although it is a slow growth if we observe the current
situation and the progress of other countries such as Germany (62.35%) or Portugal
(58.61%).
If Spain wants to be competitive, it must show up at the European level and improve the
study of English in young people. There must be an awareness of learning English as a
second language. It is an essential language in today's globalized world to attract foreign
investment and to obtain the necessary opportunities and quality of life.
However, Julio Redondas, communication director at Cambridge University Press, points
out that the level of English will continue to improve thanks to the use of social networks
and the Internet, since they are the basis of all types of content in English where you can
learn an infinity of things (Soler, 2017).

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Comparison of English speakers between the European Union on 2017 (%). Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2017
However, if Spain’s level of English is better positioned when compared with the level of
the other Spanish-speaking countries, Spain appears in third place. It should be noted,
then, the poor level of English shown by Spanish speaking countries. Argentina is leading
with 58.40% in a list that closes El Salvador with a poor 43.83% (EF English Proficiency
Index).

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Comparison of English speakers between Spain and Latin America on 2017. Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2017
Within the peninsula we also find discrepancies in the level of competence in the English
language, depending on the autonomous community. The Basque country leads the
ranking with a typical level of Nordic country, 62.57%, while Extremadura is the last of the
list with 53.11%.
Comparison of English speakers between Spain’s autonomous communities on 2017. Source: EF English Proficiency Index
2017
Finally, studying the level of English language according to ages between Spain and the
rest of the world, Spain excedes the world average in almost all ages. The highest
comprises the ages between 18 and 20 years old, with 59.56% compared to 56.50% of
the world average. Only the percentage of the English level in people older than 40 years
is lower (and almost the same), with 49.18% and 49.34% respectively.

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Comparison of English speakers according to ages between Spain and worldwide on 2017. Source: EF English Proficiency
Index 2017

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1. English in tourism industry
At this very moment in the world, many commercial, cultural and technological
transactions are taking place between different countries of the five continents. All of them
have something in common, they are made in the official language of business: English.
Hundreds of thousands of doubts are consulted in various sources of information such as
the Internet, operation manuals and maintenance of specialized equipment. Again, the
English language is found as a point of union and reference. Obviously, the need to speak
and understand correctly the language of technology and world-class business is
increasingly essential and urgent (Alonso Alonso, 2006).
Position Language First language Second language Total
1 English 378.2 million 743.5 million 1.12 billion
2 Mandarin
Chinese
908.7 million 198.4 million 1.10 billion
3 Hindustani 329.1 million 368.3 million 697.4 million
4 Spanish 442.3 million 70.6 million 512.9 million
5 Arabic 290 million 132 million 422 million
6 French 76.7 million 208.1 million 284.9 million
7 Malay 77 million 204 million 281 million
8 Russian 153.9 million 110.4 million 264.3 million
9 Bengali 242.6 million 19.2 million 261.8 million
10 Portuguese 222.7 million 13.8 million 236.5 million
List of languages by the total number of speakers by SIL International: https://www.ethnologue.com/language/eng
The list published by SIL International shows that English is the fourth language known as
the mother tongue of the world and the first known as second language doubling in
speakers to the second position, which would be the Hindustani language. English is also
in first place in the global set of speakers.
English is the international language in diplomacy, business, science, technology, finance,
IT, literature, pharmaceutical, aviation, engineering, cinematography and, above all,
tourism.
Today more than ever it is essential to learn the English language. Each day English is
used more in almost all areas of knowledge and human development. 75% of the
specialized scientific literature is in English. It can practically be said that it is the language
of the current world. It is the international language of the era of globalization.
Competence in English can no longer be treated as a luxury, but as a necessity and an
obligation. It is the tool that allows communication with people from other countries within
the globalized world in which we live (González Barcala and González Díaz, 1995).
English is the language of telecommunications with 80% of the information stored
electronically. Of the estimated total of 40 million Internet users, 80% are currently
communicating in this language.
Unquestionably, English has become the global language of communication par
excellence. It is the most used language in the world. (Vilchez Navamuel, 2015)
With regard to the field of tourism, English has proved to be an essential tool. Nowadays,
any hotel receptionist or tourist guide must be able to speak English to be able to
communicate with guests. This fact also covers other content provided by the different
existing news media: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.
English for tourism is therefore a basic tool in any field of tourism, whether tourist
information, accommodation or transport companies or promotion of tourist destinations.

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It is a language that in this sector will be used in written form and also orally, since the
tourism sector is based on a direct oral communication from employee to client in order to
meet the needs of the last one.
Thus, in the next sections we will try to study the use of English in an industry such as the
hotel and in the city of Ourense, which does not stand out for its large influx of consumers,
but which nevertheless, may have interesting data and information (Valera Méndez,
2007).

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2. Methodology
I decided that I would base my study on the first 15 Online websites’ reviews from each
hotel retrieved on May 31, 2018; and different types of questionnaires designed for hotel
managers, employees and tourists that were sent to the five best located hotels in
Ourense. More detailed information about the positive and negative comments studied
can be found in the Appendix (page 63 onwards).
All the hotels analysed follow the type of tourism which predominates in the city: it is all
about thermal tourism, cultural tourism and business tourism. Some guests are also
interested in gastronomy tourism and sports tourism, but these last two types are not as
popular as the previous ones in Ourense. First of all, we will classify the hotels in the city
according to their types and we will grade them according to the number of stars they
have. The result obtained has been the following:
Hotels
1 star
Irixo*
Mabú*
Miño*
San Marcos*
Zarampallo*
Severino*
2 stars Altiana** Puente Romano**
3 stars None
4 stars
NH Ourense****
Francisco II****
GH San Martín****
Princess****
Carrís Cardenal
Quevedo****
Eurostars
Auriense****
5 stars None
Classification of Ourense hotels according to their stars: Self-elaboration
The hotels I have selected in order to carry out an analysis of the reviews and comments
about them are the following:
- NH Ourense****
- Francisco II****
- GH San Martín****
- Princess****
- Carrís Cardenal Quevedo****
- Eurostars Auriense****
- Altiana**
- Irixo*
- Mabú*
- Miño*
The objective of this study is to get to know more thoroughly the level of English that is
offered to foreign guests in the most relevant hotels in the city, as well as the guests’
satisfaction, which will be reflected in their ratings on websites

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2.1. Review websites
TripAdvisor and Booking were the websites selected to check statistics from ten of the
most visited hotels in Ourense.
These two platforms are both referents in hospitality and gastronomy and in the provision
of leisure and entertainment for tourism services given the wide possibilities that their
users offer based on their experiences. They store a huge amount of images and
comments on their webpages and, in the position of entrepreneur, it offers the possibility
to professionally promote their business, and provide all kinds of content, also generated
by users.
Today, TripAdvisor and Booking are the two travel portals with the most registered users
in the world, with an overwhelming amount of data and comments uploaded daily by
visitors. Nowadays, these two social networks can be considered an essential tool to
analyse.
Rank Website Estimated visits Average time on website Average page views
1 Booking.com 108 Million 6’33” 4,87
2 TripAdvisor.com 48,5 Million 3’59” 3,71
3 Hotels.com 29,3 Million 3’25” 3,56
4 Expedia.com 24,3 Million 6’18” 5,58
5 Agoda.com 22,6 Million 8’12” 6
6 Priceline.com 17,9 Million 6’33” 8,02
7 Hotelurbano.com 17,1 Million 4’28” 3,78
8 Kayak.com 13,3 Million 1’34” 1,89
9 Ctrip.com 12,5 Million 6’08” 6,04
10 Makemytrip.com 11,4 Million 8’02” 9,31
Worldwide statistics for the ten most popular travel booking websites on May 2017, from: http://www.skift.com
Hotels Spanish English Portuguese Italian French German Others
NH Ourense**** 579 38 10 11 10 5 1
Francisco II**** 302 21 9 7 4 0 2
GH San Martín**** 200 12 13 4 1 1 1
Princess**** 118 16 6 3 0 0 1
Carris C. Quevedo**** 217 30 6 4 3 2 1
Eurostars Auriense**** 334 16 18 3 9 1 6
Altiana** 74 8 1 0 0 0 0
Irixo* 60 9 1 3 3 1 0
Mabú* 33 2 2 1 0 0 1
Miño* 171 20 9 7 1 2 2
Total 2.088 172 75 43 31 12 15
English speakers’ comments on main Ourense hotels based on the website: http://www.tripadvisor.com

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NH Ourense****
Surprisingly, the NH Ourense Hotel is the only hotel in the city that periodically answers
the opinions of its customers on TripAdvisor and Booking. For any hotel it should be
something indispensable to respond to every positive and negative criticism of the guests
lodged in it.
The NH Ourense Hotel is located 550 meters from the center. These are the last 15
opinions posted on the websites on the 31st May, 2018:
-“The reception area is funky and modern, staff friendly and helpful (gave us lots of
tourist info) and helpful with the parking situation”
-“The hotel staff were all friendly, helpful and efficient”
-“Staff was very nice”
-“The reception staff could not have been more friendly and helpful”
-“Staff is very friendly”
-“The staff was very friendly and made my short stay enjoyable”
-“Everyone we interacted with had good English language skills”
-“The staff was very nice and the price was good”
-“Hotel staff friendly and efficient”
-“Service is excellent”
-“I found the staff very helpful”
-“We loved Ourense and the staff at the hotel were excellent”
-“The people there have a wonderfull hospitality”
-“Very friendly staff”
-“Staff superb”

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Average rating of 879 reviews from guests which have stayed in NH Ourense, from: http://www.booking.com
After analyzing the opinions, it can be seen that there does not seem to be any kind of
problem regarding the linguistic communication of the employees with English-speaking
guests. It would be a problem if the result were different because this is the referent in the
city of Ourense. The clients seem to be satisfied during their stay at the hotel and are not
dissatisfied by staff.
Final rating based on satisfaction from guests from the website: http://www.tripadvisor.com
Excellent
53%
Very good
34%
Good
10%
Bad
2%
Awful
1%
NH Ourense
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

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Francisco II****
The Francisco II Hotel is located 750 meters from the center. These are the last 15
opinions posted on the websites on the date of 31st May, 2018:
-“The lobby was very comfortable and the staff were extremely helpful”
-“Impressive foyer, friendly welcome & very comfortable”
-“Staff is friendly”
-“Staff friendly and helpful”
-“The staff were the usual friendly Spanish staff”
-“The staff are great and the Hotel is so well run”
-“The lobby was very comfortable and the staff were extremely helpful”
-“Nice staff”
-“I was impressed by the helpfulness of the staff”
-“I enjoyed an evening meal in the Bar with friendly staff who were happy to help
me by providing an English language menú”
-“We were greeted by a very pleasant receptionist at a vey elegant lobby”
-“The staff were very friendly and professional and always eager to help”
-“The staff are great”
-“Helpful staff who spoke good English”
-“Friendly staff”
-“Staff were friendly”

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Average rating of 1440 reviews from guests which have stayed in Francisco II, from: http://www.booking.com
The same as NH Ourense, hotel Francisco II is another hotel that is also a standard
example of a fine hotel in the city, is able to satisfy the needs of its foreign guests without
having problems with English.
Excellent
27%
Very good
47%
Good
19%
Bad
5%
Awful
2%
Francisco II
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

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GH San Martín****
The Gran Hotel San Martín is located 350 meters from the center. These are the last 15
opinions posted on the websites on the date of 31st May, 2018:
-“Melissa the Front of Desk, an Australian by birth but now calls Ourense home,
still has her Aussie accent was more than helpful and good to converse with in
English”
-“Very unfriendly reception. Not one smile!!”
-“The situation of the hotel was pretty good and the staff was really kind”
-“Antonio and Christine at reception were extremely helpful”
-“Communication problems as very few locals speak English”
-“The reception personnel were very helpful and nice also”
-“Try to avoid this hotel. It´s really dirty, dusty and the staff is grumpy”
-“Very attentive staff”
-“都很好” (Workers are very good)
-“Personale molto gentile e cortese” (Polite and courteous staff)
-“Der Empfang war sehr freundlich und die Mitarbeiter kompetent (The front desk
was very friendly and the staff was competent)
-“サービスとスタッフは問題ありません” (Service and staff are not a problem)
-“눇前台服务态度还可以。” (The front desk service attitude is OK)
-“Das Personal ist sehr hilfsbereit!” (The staff is very helpful!)
-“Personale disponibile ed efficiente" (Staff available and efficient)
Before commenting on the results of this hotel, its particular situation should be explained.
The GH San Martin has been undergoing a process of refurbishment for more than one
year, and despite the fact that the refurbishment should have ended about 6 months ago it
was still in progress during the time I analysed all the data available (May 31, 2018) as a
result of a disastrous planning. However, the hotel has never been closed in its entirety
and has always welcomed customers under controversial situations. This is the reason of
the discontent present in travel portals and of the strong criticism. The score of the staff is
in line with the rest of the scores because they cannot solve the problems created by their
managers.

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Average rating of 780 reviews from guests which have stayed in GH San Martín, from: http://www.booking.com
Anyway, the previous comments offer an improved situation of the hotel, which will be
ready to be fully available in all its facets. On the other hand, it is curious and relevant that
a customer is happy to talk to a receptionist with an Aussie accent and another one
complains that there are no employees able to speak English. This can be due to the fact
that the different employees may not be present at the same times.
Excellent
8%
Very good
33%
Good
38%
Bad
11%
Awful
10%
GH San Martín
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

27
Princess****
The Princess Hotel is located 350 meters from the center. These are the last 15 opinions
posted on the websites:
-“The reception staff were very helpful and pleasant”
-“Reception staff were wonderfully welcoming and informative and parking so
convenient”
-“The service was OK”
-“I arrived late in the evening and the hotel reception guy was pleasant and
efficient in checking me in”
-“Rooms are fine, staff are pleasant”
-“The staff are knowledgeable and very friendly”
-“The receptionist was very accommodating and maintained our reservation even
arriving late at night”
-“The reception we received was very friendly and the Cafeteria very good”
-“The woman at the reception desk was brusk and rude for no reason (we are
bilingual, and were with some Spanish cousins, and have no problem
communicating). She was in a bad mood”
-“The hotel staff is very friendly and helpful and will help you even if you have lost
a charger for your phone”
-“The assistance given to me by Jesus & Paloma without their help, it could have
been a communications 'nightmare'!”
-“Nice hotel with a good location and great staff!”
-“Helpful staff”
-“Very friendly staff and clean room”

28
Average rating of 649 reviews from guests which have stayed in Princess, from: http://www.booking.com
In this case, we have another hotel with good reviews except for a specific one in which
an aggressive behaviour towards a customer is reported. Those are situations that should
not be admissible in the position of an employee of a 4-star hotel. However, it seems to be
an isolated case.
Excellent
7%
Very good
29%
Good
39%
Bad
16%
Awful
9%
Princess
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

29
Carrís Cardenal Quevedo****
The Carrís Cardenal Quevedo Hotel is located 550 meters from the center. These are the
last 15 opinions posted on the websites:
-“Friendly and welcoming staff”
-“The hospitality and service was outstanding. There was someone helping at the
counter all night and all day, and the staff even spoke English”
-“The ladies of the Front Desk are very resourceful and helpful”
-“The staff are very efficient and pleasant”
-“The personnel at the reception is kind and cordial”
-“Staff are friendly, helpful and professional"
-“The staff at reception was very polite and spoke very good english!”
-“The reception service was fine if somewhat brusque...”
-“From the moment I walked through the reception after a nightmare journey you
were met with a courteous smile”
-“Great location, clean, modern, great service at the reception desk and they have
their own parking”
-“Florey the receptionist speaks fluent English and checked us in very quickly
-“Staff was super friendly”
-“The personnel at the front desk were very helpful and the buffet breakfast was
very good and varied”
-“The front desk was friendly, quick and receptive. The bar staff was warm and
able to give us food which was decent but not spectacular”
-“Friendly and efficient staff”
-“Stayed here for one night and was very impressed by the standard and
cleanliness of the room, friendliness of the staff and the overall location”

30
Average rating of 575 reviews from guests which have stayed in Cardenal Quevedo, from: http://www.booking.com
The latest reviews show that this hotel is also doing a good job in terms of customer
service with foreign guests, as we have found positive assessment of their employees and
there are no communication problems.
Excellent
45%
Very good
41%
Good
10%
Bad
2%
Awful
2%
Carrís Cardenal Quevedo
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

31
Eurostars Auriense****
The Eurostars Auriense Hotel is located 5 kilometers from the center. These are the last
15 opinions posted on the websites:
-“The staff was friendly but not much help as this hotel caters to the needs
of a near -by oil refinery and not for vacationing families nor couples”
-“Reception was perfunctory, bordering on they couldn't care less”
-“The reception was great. Super happy and friendly staff”
-“The staff make a difference!”
-“The restaurant is good and the hotel's staff are very nice”
-“Good and quick service at the front desk and clean”
-“The Staff is kind and polite”
-“Staff was helpful, let us store luggage”
-“Beautiful location and friendly staff”
-“The reception staff were very helpful and there was always one person at the
desk who could speak English”
-“Helpful and efficient staff”
-“The personnel at the front desk very professional”
-“Helpful friendly staff”
-“Very helpful staff”

32
Average rating of 1,939 reviews from guests which have stayed in Eurostars Auriense, from: http://www.booking.com
This hotel presents, in general, good feelings regarding the use of the English language.
However, some criticism can be observed about the lack of help or the slowness of its
workers.
Excellent
47%
Very good
30%
Good
8%
Bad
3%
Awful
12%
Eurostars Auriense
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

33
Altiana**
The Altiana Hotel is located 450 meters from the center. These are the last 15 opinions
-“The desk staff were friendly and helpful”
-“Nice small hotel with great staff”
-“Staff friendly and helpful”
-“Staff had been very nice, friendly, and helped with map and recommendations”
-“Person at the reception extremely pleasant”
-“Nice employees in this hotel”
-“Unfriendly personnel who serves the breakfast, personnel at the reception
could not speak English or help with tips what to see in Ourense”
-“Staff very friendly and helpful to acccomodat us with our bycicles”
-“Staff speaks Spanish only, which wasn't a problem for me but for that price
and city you would expect them speaking at least some English”
-“Very friendly front of house staff and gentleman in charge of breakfast also very
friendly”
-“The staff were very helpful and efficient and courteous, and everything ran very
well”
-“The personal was really friendly”
-“Kind receptionist”
-“Freundliches Personal, keine Englischkenntnisse (Friendly staff, no
knowledge of English)”
-“Ontzettend vriendelijk personeel (Incredibly friendly staff)”

34
Average rating of 861 reviews from guests which have stayed in Altiana, from: http://www.booking.com
The problem of hotels with less than 4 stars in Ourense is not having employees who
speak English. The fact that Ourense is not a city that is too busy internationally (Portugal
is the main country from which foreign visitors come), makes it adapt and conform to the
national level, where the use of English is not a priority, that is the reason why some
negative comments about the language come up.
Excellent
14%
Very good
41%
Good
32%
Bad
6%
Awful
7%
Altiana
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

35
Irixo*
The Irixo Hotel is located 750 meters from the center. These are the last 15 opinions
-“Thanks to Juan for his friendly and kind hospitality”
-“Staff is very helpful”
-“The staff were very friendly and pointed us in the right direction when we were
looking for places”
-“The staff was friendly and informative”
-“Helpful receptionists”
-“The hotel manager speaks excellent English and was extremely helpful with
advice about sightseeing, restaurants, etc.”
-“Excellent location, very nice staff”
-“Helpful stuff”
-“The staff spoke little to no English which I don't mind at all, but for other
foreigners it could be a downside”
-“staff were excellent”
-“Freundliches Personal (Friendly staff)”
-“Os recepcionistas foram muito gentis (The receptionists were very kind)”
-“Personale molto gentile (Very kind staff)”
-“Il personale è molto gentile e disponibile (The staff is very kind and helpful)”
-“Personale disponibilissimo” (Very helpful staff)”

36
Average rating of 517 reviews from guests which have stayed in Irixo, from: http://www.booking.com
As stated in the review of the Altiana Hotel, the employee’s inability to speak English is a
problem. However, you can see different positive reviews of some foreigners who do not
think this is a problem.
Excellent
22%
Very good
47%
Good
20%
Bad
1%
Awful
10%
Irixo
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

37
Mabú*
The Mabú Hotel is located 2 kilometers from the center. These are the last 15 opinions
posted on the websites
-“Best part of this Hotel are the people working there. They are very professional
and even helped me with a major car problem to find help”
-“Staff helpful but not much english spoken”
-“Staff especially welcoming”
-“Challenge since I do not speak Spanish But they sorted me out”
-“The staff are very kind and the room and bathroom are good”
-“Staff is really nice and helpful, best part of our experience in this hotel for sure”
-“Staff and owner were very hospitable”
-“The staff were so lovely and helpful with anything I needed!”
-“Very clean and comfortable good location, staff very friendly and helpful food also
very good”
-“Staff is welcoming”
-“‫מאוד‬ ‫חמוד‬ ‫”צוות‬ (A very gentle team)
-“Schönes Bad, hilfsbereites Personal, guter Ausblick” (Nice bathroom, helpful
staff, good view)
-“負責提供早餐的老先生很可愛喔，很熱情為我解釋早餐種類，很努力讓我明白是什
麼東西” (The old gentleman who was responsible for providing the breakfast was
very polite and very eager to explain the type of breakfast for me and tried very
hard to let me know what it was)
-“Personale molto gentile e cortese” (Very kind and polite staff)

38
Average rating of 715 reviews from guests which have stayed in Mabú, from: http://www.booking.com
The situation is the same as in the Irixo Hotel, where lack of English skills causes some
negative comments, although other customers do not seem to have any problem with it.
Excellent
10%
Very good
32%
Good
44%
Bad
13%
Awful
1%
Mabú
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

39
Miño*
The Miño Hotel is located 450 meters from the center. These are the last 15 opinions
-“The staff are friendly and helpful”
-“The staff is great and very helpful”
-“Very helpful staff”
-“All the staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful”
-“Check in service was excellent but waitress serving breakfast in the
morning was rude and impolite”
-“Very friendly and kind front desk in the center of city. When I had problems the
front staff was very kind and helpful for me”
-“Plenty of bars and restaurants, and the lady on the desk were very helpful when I
came to choosing somewhere to try authentic Galician food”
-“All staff from the reception and housekeeping of are very friendly and helpful”
-“The staff is helpful and friendly”
-“The staff was exceptional in every way”
-“Very friendly and helpfull staff”
-“Nice employees”
-“Comfortable, spotless, friendly and welcoming staff”
-“The staff are a delight. Very helpful and very kind”
-“Never, anywhere, have we experienced better service from staff. Everyone was
so sweet that we're reluctant to single out any one individual, but Jose, in
particular, went so far above and beyond anything we expected that we have
mention him specifically. Our compliments to everyone on the staff of Hotel Miño
for a job exceptionally well done!”

40
Average rating of 2,182 reviews from guests which have stayed in Miño, from: http://www.booking.com
The Miño Hotel had a few guests from other countries but they did not complain about the
employees’ English. They simply acknowledge the Miño staff for being friendly and
helpful. There is only one review in which the waitress was presented as rude and
aggressive.
Excellent
15%
Very good
43%
Good
34%
Bad
7%
Awful
1%
Miño
Excellent
Very good
Good
Bad
Awful

41
2.2. Questionnaires
In order to complement the information about the use of English by hotel staff provided by
websites’ reviews, three different questionnaires were created in order to obtain the
opinion of three different social groups as hotel managers, hotel employees and foreign
hotel guests, through the 5 most visited hotels in Ourense.
The selected hotels are the following:
- NH Ourense****
- Francisco II****
- GH San Martín****
- Princess****
- Carrís Cardenal Quevedo****
The main topic I wanted to get information about in the questionnaires was the good or
bad use of English in each hotel, from the point of view of hotel managers and hotel
employees.
Questionnaires were based on our interest to get specific information about certain points
related to the use of English in some hotels in Ourense. Moreover, questionnaires for
hotel managers and for hotel employees were written in Spanish, with an option in English
in case there were foreign workers. As questionnaires for guests were made specifically
for foreign guests, I decided to write this type of survey only in English. Only a few hotel
managers decided to answer the last question, which consisted of an optional general
self-criticism about the answers filled on the questionnaire (Venison, 2005).
The following table shows how the questionnaires were distributed in the hotels and the
amount of them and also the number of questionnaires that were correctly filled.
Questionnaires distributed Questionnaires filled
NH Ourense
1 from the hotel manager
5from employees
33 from foreign guests
Francisco II
1 for hotel managers 1 from the hotel manager
4 from employees
GH San Martín 10 for employees
6 from employees
Princess
50 for foreign guests
6 from employees
Carrís Cardenal Quevedo
5 from employees
Self-elaboration
A total of 305 questionnaires were distributed and 185 questionnaires were filled. The
results will be discussed taking the percentages obtained as a base.

42
Each questionnaire can be found in the Appendix (page 75 onwards).
2.3. Questionnaires’ results
After reviewing all the questionnaires and studying them meticulously, here are the
results:
2.3.1. NH Ourense
The manager of the NH Ourense hotel is between 30 and 39 years old, she has a
University Master and her country of origin is Spain.
She has rated the English level of the hotel employees as very good.
She has rated her level of English as decent.
She has an English certificate from a language school.
She has attended English classes before and would not like to attend English classes
again.
She gives an essential importance to the use and command of English in the field of
hospitality.
She has pointed out that the hotel has a policy on the use of language skills by
employees.
The hotel manager believes that there are no problems with the hotel employees when it
comes to expressing themselves in English. However, she indicates that they would need
a language course even if they end up solving their problems.
She agrees that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence the client's
perception of the level of service and hospitality, as well as the hotel's evaluation of the
hotel by hotel search engines.
The hotel manager wanted to leave a comment on this topic:
“Although it is not the most spoken language, it is the most international, and that is why
the sector should take it as something key (without underestimating the knowledge and
the use of more languages). It facilitates communication with the foreign client, especially
Europeans, with a great command of English”.
With regard to questionnaires for employees, in the NH Ourense hotel, 5 questionnaires
were filled: 3 receptionists (2 between 30 and 39 years old, 1 between 18 and 23 years
old) and 2 waiters (between 40 and 49 years old), 2 receptionists (between 30 and 39
years old) and the remaining receptionist (between 18 and 23 years old). As for the official
degree, the 2 waiters have Secondary Education, a receptionist has the O-Level with a
training cycle of higher degree, another receptionist has a University degree and the last
one has a Master. They are all Spanish of origin.

43
60% of the above-mentioned respondents rate the overall hotel level as decent, while the
remaining 40% rate a very good level of English.
The two waiters describe their own level of English as poor, two other receptionists point
to a decent level and the remaining one describes his English as very good.
The two waiters and two of the receptionists do not have an English certificate. The
remaining receptionist does have a certificate.
All employees have attended English classes before.
The receptionists would be interested in attending English classes. On the contrary, the
waiters are not interested at all.
80% of the results of this hotel point to the use of English in hospitality as an essential
element, the remaining 20% points out that it is very important.
The receptionists point out that there are few misunderstandings regarding the use of
English, however, the waiters point out that sometimes there are misunderstandings.
20% of employees have not been able to communicate at any time with a foreign client,
however, the other 80% have never had this problem.
40% of employees point out that foreign guests very often adjust to the language of the
city, while the remaining 60% say that they tend to adjust with certain frequency.
None of the employees have previously worked with employees who only used English
Four of the five employees agree that English proficiency in hotel employees can
influence the client's perception of the level of service and hospitality. The remaining
employee thinks it is indifferent.
Four of the five employees agree that proficiency in English in hotel employees can
influence the hotel's evaluation of the hotel by hotel web searchers. The remaining
With regard to questionnaires for hotel guests, in the NH Ourense hotel, 33 questionnaires
were filled (15 guests over 60 years, 13 guests between 50 and 59 years, 2 guests
between 30 and 39 years old and the remaining 3 between 24 and 29 years). As for the
country of origin, 13 were English guests, 9 were Portuguese guests, 7 were Italian
guests, 3 were German guests and 1 was a French guest.

44
Self-elaboration
Self-elaboration
53.4% of respondents rated the hotel's general level of English as excellent, 33.7% rated
the level of English as very good, 10.5% rated the level of English as decent and the
remaining 2.4% rated their level of English as poor.
49.2% of respondents describe their own level of English as excellent, 19.7% mark their
level of English as very good, 23.5% describe their level of English as decent and the
remaining 7.6% describe their level of English as poor.
92.9% of guests do not have an English certificate, 4.7% have a certificate and the
remaining 2.4% have an external certificate.
15
13
2
3
NH OURENSE — 33 QUESTIONNAIRES
> 60 years
50-59 years
30-39 years
24-29 years
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
English
Portuguese
Italian
German
French
NH OURENSE — NACIONALITIES

45
Self-elaboration
68.6% have not attended English classes before.
53.1% of guests would be interested in attending English classes. On the other hand, the
remaining 46.9% would not be interested, either because of the influence of English in
their country of origin or because their level of English complies with the level required.
A 75.3% result indicates the use of English in hospitality as essential, 17.9% indicates
great importance and the remaining 6.8% indicates a medium importance.
A 93.6% result indicates that they have never had communication problems during their
stay and the remaining 6.4% indicate that they have almost never had communication
problems.
13.7% of the guests at some point in their life have not been able to communicate at any
time in a hotel, however, the other 86.3% have never had this problem.
21.7% of the guests acknowledge that on some occasions they had prepared a dialogue
in the local language of the country they were visiting, the other 78.3% have never done
so.
43.9% admit having a translator on their smartphone. 94.9% of guests agree that the
mastery of English in the hotel staff can influence your perception of the level of service
and hospitality as a customer. The remaining 5.1% think it is indifferent
92.3% of guests agree that the mastery of English in the hotel staff can influence your
assessment of the hotel on web search engines. The remaining 7.7% think it is indifferent.
2.3.2. GH San Martín
The manager of the GH San Martín hotel is between 40 and 49 years old, has a University
degree and his country of origin is Spain.
He has rated the English level of the hotel employees as very good.
53,40%
33,70%
10,50%
2,40%
NH OURENSE — Hotel's general level of English
Excellent Very good Decent Poor

46
He has rated his level of English as decent.
He does not have any English certificate from a language school.
He has attended English classes before and he would like to attend English classes
again.
He gives an essential importance to the use and command of English in the field of
hospitality.
He has pointed out that the hotel has a policy on the use of language skills by employees.
comes to expressing themselves in English. However, he indicates that they would need a
language course even if they end up solving their problems.
He agrees that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence the client's perception
of the level of service and hospitality, as well as the hotel's evaluation of the hotel by hotel
search engines.
“Language training (not only in English) is basic for a job in the hotel sector, and not just
for employees who face the public. Logically, English is indispensable in many sectors,
but in ours it is an important tool of work”.
With regard to questionnaires for employees, in the GH San Martín, 6 questionnaires were
filled (3 receptionists, 1 head of reception and 2 waiters, among which 2 waiters and 2
receptionists between 30 and 39 years old, a receptionist between 24 and 29 years old
and the remaining between 18 and 23 years). As for the official degree, the 2 waiters have
Secondary Education, 2 receptionists have the O-Level with a higher education training
cycle, another receptionist has a University degree and the last one has a Master. They
are all Spaniards of origin except the head of reception, who is Australian.
66.6% of respondents rate the hotel's general level of English as decent, while the
remaining 33.3% indicate a very good level of English.
The two waiters and a receptionist say the level of English is poor, two other receptionists
point to a decent level and the rest describe it as very good.
The two waiters and two of the receptionists do not have an English certificate. The two
remaining receptionists have a certificate.
All employees except a receptionist would be interested in attending English classes. The
only employee who has rejected the option is the only receptionist who has indicated his
level of English is very good.
A 66.6% of results indicates the use of English in hospitality is essential, the remaining
33.4% indicates it is of a great importance.
Five of the six employees point out that there have been few misunderstandings about the
use of English, however the remaining employee admits that he almost always has
misunderstandings.
50% of employees have not been able to communicate with a foreign client at any time,
however the other 50% have never had this problem.

47
16.6% of employees point out that foreign guests very often adjust to the language of the
city, 50% say that they adjust with a certain frequency, while the remaining 33.4% reply
that guests adjust infrequently
Five of the six employees agree that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence
the client's perception of the level of service and hospitality. The remaining employee
thinks it is indifferent.
Five of the six employees agree that proficiency in English in hotel employees can
With regard to questionnaires for hotel guests, in the GH San Martín, 34 questionnaires
country of origin, 13 were Portuguese guests, 12 were English guests, 4 were Italian
guests, 2 were German guests, 2 were French guests and 1 was a Japanese guest.
Self-elaboration
11
16
5
2
GH SAN MARTÍN — 34 QUESTIONNAIRES
> 60 years
50-59 years
30-39 years
24-29 years

48
Self-elaboration
53.1% of respondents rated the hotel's general level as excellent, 43.5% rated the level as
very good and the remaining 3.4% rated it as decent.
For 31.2% of respondents say their level of English is excellent, 23% say their level is very
good, 26.3% say their level is decent, 7.6% say their level is poor and the remaining
11.9% describe themselves as disastrous.
96.3% of guests do not have an English certificate and the remaining 3.7% have a
certificate.
Self-elaboration
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Portuguese
English
Italian
German
French
Japanese
GH SAN MARTÍN — NACIONALITIES
53,10%
43,50%
3,40%
GH SAN MARTÍN — Hotel's general level of English
Excellent Very good Decent

49
their country of origin or because their level of English is good enough.
A 71.7% result indicates the use of English in hospitality as essential, 23% indicates great
importance and the remaining 5.3% indicates a medium importance.
problems.
18.6% of the guests at some point in their life have not been able to communicate in a
hotel, however, the other 81.4% have never had this problem.
24.9% of the guests acknowledge that on some occasions they had prepared a dialogue
in the local language of the country they were visiting, the other 75.1% have never done
so.
37.5% admit having a translator on their smartphone.
perception as a customer at the level of service and hospitality. The remaining 11.4%
think it is indifferent.
90.8% of guests agree that staff’s mastery of English on the hotel staff can influence your
2.3.3. Francisco II
The manager of the Francisco II hotel is between 40 and 49 years old, he has a University
Degree and his country of origin is Spain.
He has rated the level of English of the hotel employees as decent.
He has also rated his English level as very decent.
He does not have an English certificate from a language school.
He has attended English classes before and would like to attend English classes again.
hospitality.
He has pointed out that the hotel does not have a policy on the use of language skills by
employees.
comes to expressing themselves in English. However, he indicates that they would need a
He believes that the English proficiency of hotel employees does not have to influence the
client's perception of the level of service and hospitality, as well as the customer's
evaluation of the hotel in hotel search engines.
With regard to questionnaires for employees, in the Francisco II hotel, 4 questionnaires
were filled (4 receptionists, of which 2 of them between 40 and 49 years and the
remaining 2 between 30 and 39 years). As for the official degree, a receptionist has the O-

50
Level with a higher education training cycle and the 3 remaining have a Master. They are
all Spanish of origin.
75% of respondents rate the overall hotel level of English as decent, while the remaining
25% estimate the hotel staff has a very good level of English.
Two receptionists mark their own level of English as poor and the other two described
their level of English as decent.
Two receptionists have an English certificate. The remaining two do not have a certificate.
All the receptionists would be interested in attending English classes.
All receptionists point to the use of English in hospitality as essential.
Two of the receptionists point out that there have been few misunderstandings about the
use of English, however, the two remaining receptionists point out that sometimes there
are misunderstandings.
50% of employees say that foreign guests often adjust to the language of the city, while
the remaining 50% say that they tend to adjust with certain frequency.
All employees agree that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence the client's
perception of the level of service and hospitality.
All employees agree that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence the hotel's
evaluation of the hotel by hotel web searchers.
With regard to questionnaires for hotel guests, in the Francisco II hotel, 27 questionnaires
country of origin, 10 were English guests, 7 were Portuguese guests, 4 were Italian
guests, 4 were French guests, 1 was a guest from Holland and 1 was a Russian guest.

51
Self-elaboration
Self-elaboration
the level of English as very good, 31.5% rated the level of English as decent, 11.4% rated
it as poor and the remaining 7.1% rated it as disastrous.
33.4% of respondents say their own level of English is excellent, 21.3% say their level is
very good, 26.7% say their level is decent, 10.6% say their level is poor and the remaining
8% describe their level of English as disastrous.
89.1% of guests do not have an English certificate, the remaining 4.7% have a certificate.
11
7
5
3
FRANCISCO II — 27 QUESTIONNAIRES
> 60 years
50-59 years
30-39 years
24-29 years
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
English
Portuguese
Italian
French
Holland
Russian
FRANCISCO II — NACIONALITIES

52
Self-elaboration
A 79 % result indicate the use of English in hospitality as essential, 13.3% indicates great
importance and the remaining 7.7% indicates a moderate importance.
stay, a 12.4% result indicates that they have had communication problems sometimes
during their stay and the remaining 25.1% indicates that they have almost always had
communication problems.
25.5% of the guests acknowledge that on some occasion they have prepared a dialogue
in a country they have visited, the other 74.5% have never done so.
perception as a customer at the level of service and hospitality. The remaining 7.6% think
it is indifferent.
2.3.4. Princess
The manager of the Princess hotel is between 30 and 39 years old, has a university
master's degree and his country of origin is Spain.
23,10%
26,90%
31,50%
11,40%
7,10%
FRANCISCO II — Hotel's general level of English
Excellent Very good Decent Poor Disastrous

53
He has rated the English level of the hotel employees as very good.
He has also rated his level of English as very good.
He has an English certificate from a language school.
He has attended English classes before and would not like to attend English classes
again.
hospitality.
He has pointed out that the hotel has a policy on the use of language skills by employees.
comes to expressing themselves in English and that they are fully trained for their
position.
He agrees that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence the client's perception
of the level of service and hospitality, as well as the hotel's evaluation of the hotel by hotel
search engines.
With regard to questionnaires for employees, in the Princess hotel, 6 questionnaires were
filled (4 receptionists and 2 waiters, of which 2 waiters and 2 receptionists between 30 and
39 years old, a receptionist between 24 and 29 years old and the remaining one between
18 and 23 years old). As for the official degree, the 2 waiters have Secondary Education,
2 receptionists have the O-Level with a higher education training cycle, another
receptionist has a University degree and the last one has a Master. They are all Spanish
of origin.
66.6% of respondents rate the hotel's general level of English as decent, while the
remaining 33.3% indicate they have a very good level of English.
The two waiters and a receptionist mark the proper level of English as poor, two other
receptionists point to a decent level and the rest is described as very good.
The two waiters and two of the receptionists do not have an English certificate. The two
remaining receptionists have a certificate.
All employees except a receptionist would be interested in attending English classes. The
only employee who has rejected the option is the only receptionist who has indicated his
level of English is very good.
A 66.6% of results indicates the use of English in hospitality as essential, the remaining
33.4% indicates a great importance.
Five of the six employees point out that there are few misunderstandings about the use of
English, however the remaining employee admits that he almost always has
misunderstandings.
however the other 50% have never had this problem.
16.6% of employees point out that foreign guests very often adjust to the language of the
city, 50% say that they are usually adjusted with a certain frequency, while the remaining
33.4% reply that guests adjust with infrequently.

54
Five of the six employees agree that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence
the client's perception of the level of service and hospitality. The remaining employee
thinks it is indifferent.
Five of the six employees agree that proficiency in English in hotel employees can
With regard to questionnaires for hotel guests, in the Princess hotel, 29 questionnaires
country of origin, 16 were English guests, 8 were Portuguese guests, 4 were Italian guests
and 1 was an Holland guest.
Self-elaboration
8
14
4
3
PRINCESS — 29 QUESTIONNAIRES
> 60 years
50-59 years
30-39 years
24-29 years

55
Self-elaboration
the level as very good and the remaining 11.8% rated it as decent.
54.8% of respondents say their own level of English is excellent, 17.5% say their level of
English is very good, 18.2% say their level of English is decent, 7.3% say their level of
English is poor and the remaining 2.2% describe their level of English is disastrous.
certificate.
Self-elaboration
67% have not attended English classes before.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
English
Portuguese
Italian
Holland
PRINCESS — NACIONALITIES
40,60%
47,60%
11,80%
PRINCESS — Hotel's general level of English

56
great importance and the remaining 8.3% indicates a moderate importance.
problems.
33.4% of the guests acknowledge that on some occasion they have prepared a dialogue
90.2% of guests agree that the mastery of English on the hotel staff can influence your
perception as a customer at the level of service and hospitality. The remaining 9.8% think
it is indifferent.
2.3.5. Carrís Cardenal Quevedo
The manager of the Carris Cardenal Quevedo hotel is between 30 and 39 years old, has a
University Master's degree and his country of origin is Spain.
She has rated the level of English of the hotel employees as decent.
She has also rated her level of English as decent.
She does not have any English certificate from a language school.
She has attended English classes before and would like to attend English classes again.
She gives an essential importance to the use and command of English in the field of
hospitality.
He noted that the hotel does not have a policy on the use of language skills by
employees.
comes to expressing themselves in English. However, it indicates that they would need a
She agrees that English proficiency in hotel employees can influence the client's
perception of the level of service and hospitality, as well as the hotel's evaluation of the
hotel by hotel search engines.
“It is necessary for companies to train their workers in the field of languages (among
others). The promotion of learning not only improves the service offered but also
strengthens the worker, as well as his relationship with the company”.

57
With regard to questionnaires for employees, in the Carris Cardenal Quevedo hotel, 5
questionnaires were filled (4 receptionists and 1 waiter, among which the waiter between
50 and 59 years, 2 receptionists between 30 and 39 years and the remaining 2
receptionists between 24 and 29 years old). As for the official degree, the waiter has
Secondary Education, a receptionist has the O-Level with a training cycle of higher
degree, another receptionist has a University degree and the two remaining have a
Master. They are all Spanish of origin.
20% of respondents rate the hotel's overall level of English as decent, while the remaining
80% rate a very good level of English.
The waiter and two receptionists rate their own level of English as decent and the two
remaining receptionists rate their level of English as very good.
The waiter and a receptionist do not have an English certificate. The three remaining
receptionists have a certificate.
The waiter and a receptionist would be interested in attending English classes. On the
contrary, the three remaining receptionists would not be interested, since they have
previously indicated their level of English was very good.
80% of the results point to the use of English in hospitality as an essential element, the
remaining 20% points out that it is very important.
All employees point out that there are seldom any misunderstandings with the use of
English.
20% of employees say that foreign guests often adjust to the language of the city, 60%
say that they tend to adjust with certain frequency and the remaining 20% answer that the
guests adjust infrequently.
Four of the five employees agree that English proficiency in hotel employees can
influence the client's perception of the level of service and hospitality. The remaining
Four of the five employees agree that proficiency in English in hotel employees can
With regard to questionnaires for hotel guests, in the Carrís Cardenal Quevedo hotel, 31
questionnaires were filled (12 guests over 60 years, 13 guests between 50 and 59 years,
3 guests between 30 and 39 years old and the remaining 3 between 24 and 29 years). As
for the country of origin, 15 were English guests, 6 were Portuguese guests, 4 were Italian
guests, 3 were French guests, 2 were German guests and 1 was a Japanese guest.

58
Self-elaboration
Self-elaboration
42.1% of respondents rated the hotel's general level as excellent, 40.3% rated the level as
very good and the remaining 17.6% rated it as decent.
56.2% of respondents say their own level of English is excellent, 18.6% mark their level of
English is very good, 3% say their level of English is decent and the remaining 12.2%
describe their level of English is poor.
certificate.
12
13
3
3
C. C. QUEVEDO— 31 QUESTIONNAIRES
> 60 years
50-59 years
30-39 years
24-29 years
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
English
Portuguese
Italian
French
German
Japanese
C. C. QUEVEDO — NACIONALITIES

59
Self-elaboration
great importance and the remaining 4.1% indicates a medium importance.
problems.
30.2% of the guests acknowledge that on some occasions they have prepared a dialogue
perception as a customer at the level of service and hospitality. The remaining 10.5%
think it is indifferent.
42,10%
40,30%
17,60%
C. C. QUEVEDO — Hotel's general level of English

60
3. Conclusions
3.1. Websites’ reviews conclusions
First of all, it is evident that there is a clear difference between hotels according to their
stars. As you can see in the study conducted on TripAdvisor and Booking, the fact that the
level of English varies a lot is noticeable at a glance. It is clear that there are hardly any
complaints about lack of professionalism in nearly all the hotels (there can be an
occasional complaint, although it is infrequent). However, in 4-star hotels such as NH
Ourense or Carris Cardenal Quevedo (there are no complaints about lack of
communication due to lack of English skills, while at hotels such as Altiana (2 stars), Irixo
or Mabú (1 star), some complaints about lack of understanding appear occasionally.
After this reflection, it can be shown that in Ourense 4-star hotels’ staff have a better
command of English and, therefore they are more prepared to deal with foreign public
than hotels with fewer stars. The latter are hotels whose target public is the national guest,
and are more concerned with the quality of the cuisine than with the quality of the
accommodation.
All comments extracted from TripAdvisor and Booking have been written by foreign
guests. In almost all cases it has been impossible to find comments specifically exposing
the high or low level of English in the chosen hotels. However, we have tried to highlight
the guests’ positive or negative comments about the good or bad communication of the
receptionist or hotel employee. This has been taken into account in such a way that a
guest’s comments that the staff has been helpful and friendly means that they have been
able to communicate in English correctly, and, on the contrary, a comment that denotes
lack of kindness or help serves as an example of bad communication between the
employee and the guest.
There is only one small exception among all the hotels, the GH San Martín. It has been a
problem to study the situation of the hotel due to their poor planning in the refurbishment
works, a situation that has put its employees in trouble for more than a year. However, it
has been interesting to have chosen this hotel to show the negative impact of a poorly
planned refurbishment on their guests’ comments and ratings.
3.2. General conclusions
English is synonymous with progress in all areas of work, and this is something that
should be present in the field of the hotel industry. It is the tourist language par
excellence, the language guests normally use to communicate and the language in which
they expect to be addressed. In countries such as Spain, where the tourism sector is the
basis of the country's economy, the use of English should not be overlooked, its use and
mastery should no longer be a virtue, but a requirement in daily life. It should also be
remembered that Spain is the third country most visited by foreigners for the third
consecutive year and the figures keep rising every year.

61
Based on what we have seen in the previous sections, we can draw some conclusions
about tourism in Ourense:
- There are visitors from several different countries, for example, France, Germany,
United Kingdom, Italy, etc., although Portugal always dominates due to the
proximity.
- The most frequent average age of guests according to the questionnaires
collected is between 50 and 59 years, followed by an interval between 40 and 49
years.
- There is a variable number of complaints about lack of English knowledge
depending on the number of stars that the hotel has, for example four-star hotels
tend to have more international guests than hotels with fewer stars, in which
Portuguese guests predominate as international guests.
- There is a certain controversy between the answers of the questionnaires of the
employees of the hotels and the answers of the managers. We can take this as an
indication that usually employees tend to have English knowledge and/or a
certificate, however a good number of guests do not tend to have English basic
education and a very low percentage of them have an English certificate. However
almost everyone is aware of the importance of the English language in the tourism
world nowadays.
- The promotion of tourism in Ourense may not be the most appropriate or the most
attractive due to lack of innovation in the city, for example.
Based on the deficiencies observed, I would propose the following measures to promote
the improvement of English in the touristic sector of the city:
- As we have mentioned above, there have been some discrepances about the
English level in the hotels between employees and managers, so there should be
a minimum level of English required for employees, as at the moment employees
can be hired with an inexistent or low level of English.
- The importance of English for the development of tourism in Ourense should be
more focused if we want tourism to grow.
- As in the tourism of the city there is a predominance of guests between 50 and 59
years, followed by guests between 40 and 49, it would be effective to promote
different activities to develop other types of tourism in the city focused on a
younger public.
Perhaps the city of Ourense should consider offering a series of novel tourist attractions
with the aim of trying to increase the number of young visitors, which is very scarce; as
well as exploiting new types of tourism in the region, such as adventure tourism,
agrotourism or ecotourism, among others.
As a personal valuation, the low level of English in hotels of 1 or 2 stars in a city like
Ourense was expectable, however, I imagined that the 4-star hotels had a fairly advanced
command of English, at least as regards the position of receptionist. During my stay at the
GH San Martín, I could see firsthand that this was not the case, and that some
receptionists were unable to understand the guest and had other communication
problems. It is essential to have staff with a good level of English who can make foreign
guests feel at home from the beginning.

62
4. Bibliography
Alenda Pastor, Sonia (2018). Application of cognitive linguistics to learning and translation
from English into Spanish of verbs with particles from the field of hospitality and tourism.
Oberta of Catalonia University. Barcelona.
Alonso Alonso, Ana (2006). Intercultural competence in the teaching of English within the
tourist context n. 16, p. 17-26. Alcalá University. Madrid. ISSN 1989-0796.
Bárcena, Elena and Varela Méndez, Raquel (2004). English for the Tourist Industry.
University Editorial Ramón Areces. Madrid. ISBN: 9788480046442.
Becker, Elizabeth (2013). Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism.
ISBN: 9781439161005.
Caso García, Estrella (2000). Computing for tourism professionals. Editorial Anaya
Multimedia. Madrid. ISBN: 84-415-0966-2.
Crystal, David (2004). The Stories of English. Editorial The Overlook Press. United
Kingdom. ISBN: 9781585677191.
Diez, Mª Pilar; Place, Rebecca and Fernández Olga (2012). Plurilingualism Promoting co-
operation between communities, people and nations. Deusto University. Bilbao. ISBN:
978-84-9830-356-8.
EF English Proficiency Index: http://www.ef.com.es/epi/regions/europe/spain
González Barcala, Marta and González Díaz, Miguel (1995). Choice of the organizational
form of the hotel chains for the structural organization of the hotel sector. Aguilar Editorial
third edition.
Harven Group (2017). “How many people know English in Spain?”. English Academy.
Canary Islands: https://harven.es/cuanta-gente-sabe-ingles-en-espana
Lynch, Jack (2010). The Evolution of ‘Proper’ English, from Shakespeare to South Park.
Editorial Walter Books. ISBN: 0802777694.
Online hotel reservations. Booking: https://www.booking.com
Peter J. Venison (2005). 100 Tips for Hoteliers: What every successful hotel professional
needs to know and do. ISBN: 9780595367269.
Read reviews, compare prices and book. TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com
Romero-Royo, Margarita (2015). Importance of English for customer service. Jaén
University. Jaen.
SIL International (2017). Ethnologue, language reference. United States:
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/eng
Soler, Pablo (2017). Spain, the country with the worst level of English in the European
Union. Cambridge University Press.

63
Spanish Statistical Office, INE (2011). Press release: Learning activities of the adult
population. Updated on November 29, 2012: http://www.ine.es/prensa/np751.pdf
Spanish Statistical Office, INE (2016). Press release: Survey on the participation of
the adult population in learning activities:
http://www.ine.es/en/prensa/eada_2016_en.pdf
Terán Mantecón, Carlos (2008). The tourism experience: a sociological study on the
tourism-residential process. Barcelona: Icaria Editorial.
Tourism Institute of Spain. TURESPAÑA: http://www.tourspain.es/en-us
Valera Méndez, Raquel (2007). Towards a characterization of English for specific
purposes (Tourism). ISSN: 1130-0531.
Vilchez Navamuel, Carlos (2015). “English, the Universal Language”. From the oficial
Carlos Vilchez Navamuel Blog: http://www.carlosvilcheznavamuel.com/el-ingles-el-idioma-
universal
Vogeler Ruiz, Carlos and Hernández Armand, Enrique (2002). The Tourist Market:
structure, operations and production processes. Editorial Center of Studies Ramón
Areces. Madrid. ISBN: 84-8004-435-7.

64
5. Appendix
5.1. Positive comments on Ourense hotels found
on websites
Name of the establishment NH Ourense****
Date 24th May 2018
Ranking of popularity on social media 1º
Comment “The reception area is funky and modern,
staff friendly and helpful (gave us lots of
tourist info) and helpful with the parking
situation”
Webpage http://www.tripadvisor.com
Nationality French
Date 11st May 2018
Comment “The hotel staff were all friendly, helpful
and efficient”
Nationality Italian
Date 20th May 2018
Comment “Staff was very nice”
Nationality Italian
Date 18th May 2018
Comment “The reception staff could not have been
more friendly and helpful”
Webpage http://www.booking.com
Nationality British
Date 12nd May 2018
Comment “Service is excellent”
Nationality Portuguese
Name of the establishment Hotel Francisco II****
Date 20th May 2018

65
Comment “Impressive foyer, friendly welcome &
very comfortable”
Nationality British
Date 19th May 2018
Comment “The lobby was very comfortable and the
staff were extremely helpful”
Nationality French
Date 19th May 2018
Comment “I enjoyed an evening meal in the Bar with
friendly staff who were happy to help me
by providing an English language menu”
Nationality British
Date 18th May 2018
Comment “The staff were very friendly and
professional and always eager to help”
Nationality German
Date 15th May 2018
Comment “Helpful staff who spoke good English”
Nationality British
Name of the establishment Gran Hotel San Martín****
Date 23rd May 2018
Comment “Antonio and Christine at reception were
extremely helpful´”
Nationality British
Date 15th May 2018
Comment “Melissa the Front of Desk, an Australian

66
by birth but now calls Ourense home, still
has her Aussie accent was more than
helpful and good to converse with in
English”
Nationality Australian
Date 13rd May 2018
Comment “Workers are very good”
Nationality Chinese
Date 13rd May 2018
Comment “The front desk was very friendly and the
staff was competent”
Nationality German
Date 12nd May 2018
Comment “Service and staff are not a problem”
Nationality Japanese
Name of the establishment Hotel Princess****
Date 21st May 2018
Comment “I arrived late in the evening and the hotel
reception guy was pleasant and efficient
in checking me in”
Nationality British
Date 18th May 2018
Comment “The staff are knowledgeable and very
friendly”
Nationality Italian
Date 17th May 2018

67
Comment “The receptionist was very
accommodating and maintained our
reservation even arriving late at night”
Nationality French
Date 14th May 2018
Comment “The hotel staff is very friendly and helpful
and will help you even if you have lost a
charger for your pone”
Nationality Italian
Date 5th May 2018
Comment “The assistance given to me by Jesus &
Paloma without their help, it could have
been a communications ‘nightmare’!”
Nationality German
Name of the establishment Hotel Carrís Cardenal Quevedo****
Date 29th May 2018
Comment “The hospitality and service was
outstanding. There was someone helping
at the counter all night and all day, and
the staff even spoke English”
Nationality British
Date 25th May 2018
Comment “The staff at reception was very polite and
spoke very good english!”
Nationality British
Date 23rd May 2018
Comment “Florey the receptionist speaks fluent
English and checked us in very quickly”

68
Nationality British
Date 22nd May 2018
Comment “From the moment I walked through the
reception after a nightmare journey you
were met with a courteous smile”
Nationality Italian
Date 12nd May 2018
Comment “The personnel at the front desk were
very helpful and the buffet breakfast was
very good and varied”
Nationality French
Name of the establishment Hotel Eurostars Auriense****
Date 23rd May 2018
Comment “The reception was great. Super happy
and friendly staff”
Nationality British
Date 21st May 2018
Comment “The staff make a difference!”
Nationality Italian
Date 19th May 2018
Comment “The Staff is kind and polite”
Nationality German
Date 18th May 2018
Comment “The reception staff were very helpful and
there was always one person at the desk
who could speak English”

69
Nationality Australian
Date 7th May 2018
Comment “The personnel at the front desk very
professional.”
Nationality French
Name of the establishment Hotel Altiana**
Date 21st May 2018
Comment “Staff had been very nice, friendly, and
helped with map and recommendations.”
Nationality British
Date 21st May 2018
Comment “Nice employees in this hotel”
Nationality French
Date 20th May 2018
Comment “Very friendly front of house staff and
gentleman in charge of breakfast also
very friendly”
Date 17th May 2018
Comment “The staff were very helpful and efficient
and courteous, and everything ran very
well.”
Nationality British
Date 13rd May 2018
Comment “Incredibly friendly staff”

70
Nationality German
Name of the establishment Hotel Irixo*
Date 25th May 2018
Comment “The hotel manager speaks excellent
English and was extremely helpful with
advice about sightseeing, restaurants etc”
Nationality British
Date 24th May 2018
Comment “Friendly staff”
Nationality German
Date 21st May 2018
Comment “The receptionists were very kind”
Date 18th May 2018
Comment “Very kind staff”
Nationality Italian
Date 7th May 2018
Comment “The staff is very kind and helpful”
Nationality Italian
Name of the establishment Hotel Mabú*
Date 25th May 2018
Comment “Best part of this Hotel are the people
working there. They are very professional
and even helped me with a major car
problem to find help”

71
Nationality British
Date 19th May 2018
Comment “A very gentle team”
Nationality Hebrew
Date 18th May 2018
Comment “Nice bathroom, helpful staff, good view”
Nationality German
Date 11st May 2018
Comment “The old gentleman who was responsible
for providing the breakfast was very cute
and very eager to explain the type of
breakfast for me and tried very hard to let
me know what it was”
Nationality Japanese
Date 9th May 2018
Comment “Very kind and polite staff”
Nationality Italian
Name of the establishment Hotel Miño*
Date 27th May 2018
Comment “Very friendly and kind front desk in the
center of city. When I had problems the
front staff was very kind and helpful for
me”
Nationality British
Name of the establishment Hotel Miño*
Date 22nd May 2018

English in the hotel industry in the city of ourense

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