Managing Diversity in Hotels in Lebanon Research Paper

Managing Diversity in Hotels in Lebanon - Research Paper Example Diversity in the workplaces has been beneficial because the diverse groups possess more tools, heuristics, perspectives, insights and knowledge when it comes to problem solving than homogeneous groups. The owners of these hotels also have different nationalities and possess diverse cultural backgrounds, therefore, integrate diverse people into the workforce. As diversity increases in the hotel industry, managers have seen an increasing number of matters concerning the management of diverse workplaces. This has prompted them to adopt strategies and methods that will help them in managing diversity (Groschl 225). This paper is concerned with the strategies, aspects and enhancements that are being utilized in managing diversity in the hotel industry of Lebanon. Diversity can be explained as the varying individual differences that organizations are faced with ranging from the visible differences such as age, sex, and ethnicity to the invisible differences such as social class, sexual orientation, culture, religion, educational background, skills, personality, and experience. Diversity management involves the handling and comprehension of these individual differences that the employees and the clients possess in an effort to achieve the desired goals of the hotel industry. Diversity management not only recognizes that every individual is unique and has a particular vital role in the organization but also includes the achievement of the organization’s goals as a tool to foster the advancement of the individual (Heres and Benschop 437). In simpler terms, it involves proper management of diverse human resources to ensure that the best outcomes for the business are realized. Lebanon for a long time has valued its tourism industry immensely as it provides a sizeable source of revenue to the country’s economy. Cultural tourism has always been a part of Lebanon’s broad tourism industry with many Europeans finding their way into the culturally diverse country. The hotels feature diverse workforces like their diverse customer base. In the advertisements the hotels showcase mountain ski resorts, discos, and well preserved churches among other features that attract tourists from different places in the world. They offer international cuisines and a wide variety of beverages to the customers’ preferences. The hotels are also strategically located near bars, restaurants, pubs and even churches such as the Maronite Catholic Cathedral, which are amenities exclusively meant to serve the tourists since Lebanon’s population is largely composed of Muslims (Beirut Hotel 2013). Managing cultural diversity is important for the line managers, expatriate managers and the Human Resource professionals in order to create effective programs that will help the hotel meet its goals. They must possess relevant information on the different cultures and ethnicities that will help provide a base on the activities that should be done to increase the efficiency of the diverse workforce. It is important for the managers to attend trainings and workshops to assist in managing the diverse workforce. Many hotel managers are required to take such trainings in order to effectively manage diverse workforces. Take the example of The Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Beirut. This hotel recruits employees from across the globe and receives a diverse customer base. In order to manage and serve the employees and the customers, the managers have undergone training on how to manage a culturally diverse hotel. In order to successfully manage a diverse workforce, some strategies such as adopting recruitment and training programs, and corporate diversity programs can be used.