Hospitality. Who does in better? Ireland or America? Gary is on hand to take us through the differences.

Having come from a hospitality background, it is always interesting to see how other countries differ from Ireland.

In many ways, hospitality remains the same. We offer a service to the public and try to be unique in the best ways to stand out from the crowd.

I have lived in many countries over the years and it often comes as a shock that some hospitality norms are acceptable and others, depending on where you're living, are not.

So, what is the difference between Irish hospitality and hospitality in America?

When I moved to Boston, I started as a Front Desk Manager in a well-known hotel in the Back Bay area, close to the famous Newbury Street. When I started, I didn't really think there would be any major differences between Irish and American hospitality. I worked in Trump International Doonbeg for several years and all our American guests seemed delighted to experience Irish hospitality. It’s what we are famous for.

But quickly I started noticing differences whilst working in Boston.

Tipping

The tipping culture in America is something that was initially something I had to get use to here. Anything below 20% can be insulting to most bartenders and wait staff. Irish Hospitality is incredibly poor when it comes to tipping those in the service industry. In the US, it’s basically compulsory to look after those taking care of you. From when your taxi arrives to the hotel to when you get to the front desk, you could have tipped anywhere from 5$-10$.

Food and drink options

Another aspect in Food and Beverage aside from tipping is learning that condiments are everything here. Ranch sauce is golden – uniquely American, we love it. Also, there are so many different forms of whole milk – cream, creamer, half & half. In Ireland, this would just be whole milk.

Hospitality tax

One of the bigger things that we do not have in Ireland is multiple bands of tax associated with hospitality. In Massachusetts there could be up to five bands of tax associated with your stay, even with concert tickets for shows and performances. What may seem to be a bargain or cheap to the eye, could have amounted a lot more due to city taxes, service taxes, and much more. In Ireland however, we do not have this amount in such a large quantity.

Pet friendliness

America has come in leaps and bounds in terms of being pet friendly. Boston is famous for its greenery for dogs to run wild and often they need a place to stay after their day of exploration. I was amazed at how dog friendly American hotels are. They are treated as one of the guests with an abundance of treats and amenities available for them during their stay, and I am not just saying our property but all over Boston. It rains a lot more back home so that might be why Ireland isn't as pet friendly. The last thing Housekeeping would need is muddy paws on carpets and sheets. From a former Housekeeping worker I completely understand.

Different language

Wording can also be confusing for both cultures. Remembering elevator is the lift, jello is jelly and jelly is jam, trash is rubbish. Those kind of things. In the beginning I felt so weird saying these things differently but to not sound too weird to guests you have to speak some of their vocabulary.

Hotel unions

One thing I thought was amazing was how many hotels in America are unionised. Basically, departments and their workers are protected by a union so they are not overworked or treated unfairly. I found this difficult to get used to as, in Ireland, we are not protected by a union. Perhaps that's why, in the US, people work in their jobs in hospitality for many years, some thirty five years plus. And back home there's a worker shortage in hospitality – we could learn a thing or two from our American neighbours.

Having worked in Hospitality here in Boston I can honestly say we do a lot of things right in Ireland. We’re known all over the world for what we do best, and that’s being Irish. It’s in our nature to be hospitable and it is something to be so proud of.

Regardless of where you are in America and if you’re reading this you may agree on some or all aspects, Boston is but a dot on the map of the US and different states will show their hospitality skills in different ways.

Very diplomatic, we can see how you've excelled in hospitality, Gary! If you'd like to find out for yourself, why not spend a summer in the States with a pre-arranged hospitality job on our famous J1 program. Or did what Gary did and head over on a USA graduate visa