The true hospitality experience goes beyond providing food and drink, it is providing attention and warmth. Hospitality etiquette represents a set of rules and behaviors that aim to show respect and appreciation towards guests. Among the hospitality behaviors are a warm welcome, elegant hospitality methods, providing comfort and caring for the host. This etiquette contributes to building strong social relationships and enhancing the positive impression of the host. Let us learn about the rules of hospitality and some important tips to provide a distinctive hospitality experience through this report.
The concept of hospitality
Hospitality is the beautiful art of giving others a sense of care and welcome. The concept of hospitality includes a set of values and principles such as kindness, flexibility and respect. Hospitality aims to create a comfortable environment for guests, whether in public places or at home. It also represents aspects of different cultures as it reflects different traditions and customs towards receiving guests.
Hospitality Etiquette Trends
Two hospitality trends represent your own style in honoring the guest, which are:
- The first trend is that the host is interested in providing ideal meals, paying attention to the appearance of the house and decorations, and hiding private details. This trend is the most widespread in Arab culture.
- The second trend is where the host places a table with some cups of tea and hospitality methods that make everyone feel comfortable instead of standing in the kitchen to prepare meals. This trend is more concerned with sitting with guests, but it is less common in our Arab countries.
The Art of Providing Hospitality
Hospitality is a language that hearts speak without words. Our Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, commanded us to honor the guest well, so it is one of the qualities that we must have. The art of hospitality means creating a suitable space in which your guests feel comfortable, cared for, and well-received. This may be through:
- Listening well to guests' conversations.
- Speaking in a fun and warm way.
- Making the atmosphere more flexible and avoiding formality.
- Serving delicious food dishes.
- Feeling happy when guests visit.
Etiquette and rules of hospitality
Types of hospitality vary. Hospitality may be formal on an occasion or hospitality to visit relatives and friends. Whatever the reason for hospitality, there are some rules and etiquette that we must have and follow:
- No matter the nature of the occasion, the space of the house must be suitable for guests.
- Invitations must be presented well in advance of the visit.
- There are some special occasions where guests are invited in sufficient time, and gifts and sweets are prepared that can be presented during the visit.
- Invite the elderly and important people and allocate special places for them.
- Individuals who are not compatible with each other cannot be invited.
- When serving drinks, it is not preferable to be rude, but rather serve with hospitality.
- Avoid acting in a strange way that makes the guest feel bored or uncomfortable.
Hospitality Tips for Guests
Hospitality for guests is an art that requires attention to detail and small touches that add warmth and comfort to the guest experience. Through a set of simple tips, the hospitality experience can be improved and made unforgettable:
- Prepare the appropriate place in the house to host guests and make them feel comfortable as if they were in their home.
- Welcome the guest and receive him well by meeting him with a smile and shaking his hand in a welcoming manner and do not forget to ask about his health kindly.
- Hospitality can be presented at the beginning with a drink suitable for the guest's age and inclinations, and it is preferable to ask him.
- It is preferable to offer glasses of water and place them on the guest's table.
- Speak nicely and tell fun and entertaining stories for entertainment.
- Exchange dialogues away from interfering in personal matters.
- Offering simple gifts in case of a visit on an occasion such as birthdays or graduation celebrations.
- Saying goodbye to the guest in a proper manner This step comes at the end of the visit as one of the basics of hospitality etiquette. Thank him for his visit, show respect and invite him to visit again.
Home visit etiquette
Home hospitality etiquette varies between the style of the guest and the style of the host. We will start talking about the etiquette of visiting the guest:
- The guest must make an appointment in advance for the visit.
- When visiting, a simple gift or sweet must be taken according to the occasion of the visit.
- It is necessary to take into account the times of sleep, food, lunch and dinner. It is preferable to avoid these times unless he has been invited to lunch.
- Adhere to the seating area designated by the host, and do not wander around the house without permission.
- Start appropriate conversations away from personal matters.
As for the etiquette of visiting the host:
- Welcome guests with a warm welcome and in a proper manner.
- Offer drinks, then serve sweets. It is preferable to start with cold drinks and then hot drinks.
- If the guest brings sweets, they must be opened and thanked.
- Start appropriate conversations with the guests as well.
- If the invitation is for food, the appropriate time must be specified for the guests to arrive.
- Serve food half an hour after the guests visit and start serving juices.
Etiquette of receiving guests
Receiving guests gives a distinctive and positive character to the guest at the beginning of the visit, so make sure that this character is distinctive from the first moment through:
- First, welcome your guests at the door of the house and accept gifts.
- If the invitation is formal, it is not preferable to open gifts, but if it is informal, you can open them.
- Serve juices at the beginning.
- It is preferable to prepare food before the day of hospitality with enough time to avoid spending a long time in the kitchen and leaving the guests.
- After the meal, it is preferable to serve tea or coffee in a place other than the dining table.
Etiquette of farewelling guests
Farewelling guests must be in the same way and welcome that you provided at the reception, describing how special the time was in talking to the guests:
- Deliver the guests to the door of the house.
- If the guests have children and they did not attend, you can send them some pieces of candy.
- Say goodbye to your guests with appropriate phrases, thank them for a visit, and emphasize your eagerness to receive them next time.
Some Hadiths about honoring the guest
In Islam, honoring the guest is considered one of the basic values that the religion urges, and the Arab people follow these values in providing hospitality.
- Abu Hurairah narrates that the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: (Whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent, and whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him honor his neighbor, and whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him honor his guest).
- Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: (A man from the Ansar had a guest spend the night with him, and he had nothing but his food and the food of his children, so he said to his wife: Put the children to sleep, put out the lamp, and bring to the guest what you have, he said: Then this verse was revealed (And they give others preference over themselves, even though they were in need).
Conclusion
In the end, hospitality etiquette is a language for expressing noble human morals and values, and it is also a beautiful art of showing respect, appreciation, and interest toward your guests by providing a comfortable environment for them, presenting hospitality traditions, and following gentle behaviors to strengthen social relations. Practicing this etiquette enhances communication between families, relatives, friends, and loved ones, so it is considered a true value that we respect and preserve in our Arab society.