An analysis of needs in using English of front office hotel staff in Nakhon Ratchasima province

Abstract

The objective of the research is to identify the problems and needs in developing the English communication skills in the workplace of front office hotel staff in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The sample of the study are 420 front office hotel staff in management and operational level, selected by using the area random sampling. The data collection approach employed in this study was mix method both questionnaire and interview. The collected data were then analyzed and compared by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The findings were as follows: 1. Four English language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are essential for all staff and listening is considered as the most important, followed by speaking. 2. The main problems of using English in the workplace are writing and reading due to lack of confidence, unfamiliarity with the grammatical structure and vocabulary. 3. All staff are desirable to develop English communication skills, especially, speaking and listening in different situation, duties and responsibilities.