Cultural Intelligence and Customer Satisfaction: A Quantitative Analysis of International Hotels in India

Purpose- The primary objective of the present study is to understand the relationship between Cultural Intelligence and Customer Satisfaction in the International Hospitality Industry. Methodology/approach- The Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and a self administered questionnaire on Customer Satisfaction is used. Data was retrieved from three internationally functioning hotels namely The Oberoi, The Taj Palace and ITC Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi, India. The respondents are employees working in international hotels as well as the international clientele visiting these hotels. The sample size is 300. Findings- The results indicate that there exists a positive relationship between Cultural Intelligence and Customer Satisfaction. Also, Cultural Intelligence enhances the overall productivity of employees. It suggests Cultural Intelligence can be enhanced through Cross Cultural Training. Research limitations - As the employees in the hotels work in shifts, it was an intricate task to retrieve data from the employees. Also, as the customers do not want to be disturbed during their stay with these hotels, to identify the clientele who would be cooperative was indeed very challenging. Practical Implications- The research suggests that in order to be successful in the international hospitality industry it is significantly important to be acquainted with Cultural Intelligence to satisfy and meet the culturally based expectations of the international clientele. Also, Cultural Intelligence can be engraved amongst the employees through cross cultural training programmes that attempt to address issues of cross cultural diversity in the hotels.