Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #35

ASIA PACIFIC OUTBOUND
WELCOMING
THE JAPANESE VISITOR
Tips for how to make Japanese travellers feel at home around the world
Japanese people have long
been among the greatest
travellers from Asia. They know
the world and love visiting new
places. But much as this is the
case, their customs and habits
are very different to those of
“westerners”, and while many
accept our western lifestyle
while travelling, following are
a few tips to make them feel a
little bit more at home in your
hotel.
LANGUAGE
If possible, ensure all in-room
documents are also available
in Japanese. If possible,
invoices should be produced
in Japanese in order to avoid
confusion and bad feelings if
the visitor believes he or she
has been wrongly charged for
something.
HOT WATER
Japanese tourists love their
instant cup noodles, miso soup
and green tea, so it is essential
to provide them with adequate
facilities for this (electric kettle
etc.).
CLOTHES DRYING
Don’t be surprised if Japanese
travellers dry their swimming
trunks and towels on the
terrace. Japanese people
generally prefer to dry clothes
outside, for sanitary reasons.
SECURITY
In Japan, travellers are not used
to locking doors and hiding
valuables in a safe. The result
can be a “bad surprise” if
they leave cash and valuables
lying around in a western
property. If a theft takes
place, management should
take immediate action, and a
Japanese speaking interpreter
may be required to help the
victim explain to the police
what happened. Likewise, for
lost items, it is important that
when found, if the guest has
departed, the tour operator be
contacted in order to ascertain
how to remit the items.
EMERGENCIES
Ensure you have a Japanese
speaking doctor on call in
case of health or medical
issues. Failing this a competent
interpreter will be required.
ROBOTS
Japanese love high-tech.
A Japanese speaking robot is a
definite plus!
THE CLIENT IS KING
This tends to be even more the
case with Japanese customers,
who may appear to be overly
demanding with staff at times.
This is due to the country’s
status-oriented society,
where hotel staff are always
extremely subservient and
polite. Hotel management and
staff members should thus pay
particular attention to the way
they address Japanese guests.
If something goes wrong, and
the customer is upset for any
reason, management should
be extremely apologetic, and
the offering of a gift of some
kind can always help