The Meaning of “Ambience” in Famous Hotels in Geneva

General Managers' Point of View

Abstract

This paper examines the question of ambience in tourism. Some researchers argue that ambience is a key concept in tourism. According to MacCannell (1987), tourists pursue feeling, style, and ambience, and Briton (1991) suggested that the special ambience of a hotel is an indispensable commodity for tourists. But the expression “special ambieance of a hotel” is vague and one aim of this paper is to clarify its meaning.
A case study was made of famous urban hotels in Geneva, where the hotel industry is regarded as very important, to demonstrate what the ambience of a hotel actually means. The following points were noted: each hotel's brochure composed of photographs and text and the general manager's comments about the ambience of the hotel. The brochures were collected in the reception areas of hotels in Geneva. The comments were gathered by sending out open questionnaires. Responses to questions like, “What is the atmosphere in your hotel?” and “Is the atmosphere important for your hotel?” were studied.
In analyzing the brochures collected in each hotel, two trends emerged. First, there is a close relationship between the word “ambience” and the words “warm” and “relaxed.” Another point is that the word “ambience” is most often used in the description of restaurants, cafes, and bars. In the hotel brochures, ambience was exclusively used to mean a warm and relaxed atmosphere of a hotel's restaurants, cafes, and bars.
On the other hand, the general managers' comments were more original and diverse. For example, the general manager of the Hotel Beau Rivage, the most famous hotel in Geneva, insisted that a refined, peaceful, and elegant atmosphere is created by the hotel's history, architecture, and personnel. In the Beau Rivage, the ambience symbolically represents the history and landscape of Geneva. The general manager of the Hotel Noga Hilton, the largest modern hotel in Geneva, stated that the hotel's ambience is created by people assembled in hotel's theater or people crossing the entrance hall. The Noga Hilton strives to create the dynamics of a small town atmosphere. The general manager of the Hotel De La Cigogne, the only member of the celebrated international “Relais et Chateaux” association of hotels in Geneva, said that it is the visitors themselves who feel the ambience of the hotel: in the discovery of a new decoration, or the recollection of an antecedent stay. In La Cigogne, the image of a charming Swiss house is presented to visitors.
The wide range of comments by the different general managers illustrates that every hotel uses the discourse of ambience to constitute and diffuse to the public its original social and spatial territory: the Beau Rivage is a symbolic and legendary palace; the Noga Hilton is a vivid and crowded town; and the La Cigogne is a warm and friendly home.