The meaning of the word hospitality

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis, chevalier de Jaucourt describes hospitality in the Encyclopédie as the virtue of a great soul that cares for the whole universe through the ties of humanity.^[4] Hospitality is also the way people treat others, that is, the service of welcoming and receiving guests for example in hotels. Hospitality plays a fundamental role to augment or decrease the volume of sales of an organization.

Hospitality ethics is a discipline that studies this usage of hospitality.

Etymology[edit]

Derives from the Latin hospes,^[5] meaning «host», «guest», or «stranger». Hospes is formed from hostis, which means «stranger» or «enemy» (the latter being where terms like «hostile» derive). By metonymy, the Latin word hospital means a guest-chamber, guest’s lodging, an inn.^[6] Hospes/hostis is thus the root for the English words host, hospitality, hospice, hostel and hotel.

Historical practice[edit]

In ancient cultures, hospitality involved welcoming the stranger and offering him food, shelter, and safety.^[7]

Global concepts[edit]

Ancient Greece[edit]

In Ancient Greece, hospitality was a right, with the host being expected to make sure the needs of his guests were met. Conversely, the guest was expected to abide by a set code of behaviour. The ancient Greek term xenia, or theoxenia when a god was involved, expressed this ritualized guest-friendship relation. This ritualized relationship was codified in the Homeric epics, and especially in the Odyssey.^[8] In Greek society, a person’s ability to abide by the laws of hospitality determined nobility and social standing. The ancient Greeks, since the time of Homer, believed that the goddess of hospitality and hearth was Hestia, one of the original six Olympians.

India and Nepal[edit]

In India and Nepal hospitality is based on the principle Atithi Devo Bhava, meaning «the guest is God». This principle is shown in a number of stories where a guest is revealed to be a god who rewards the provider of hospitality. From this stems the Indian or Nepal practice of graciousness towards guests at home and in all social situations. The Tirukkuṛaḷ, an ancient Indian work on ethics and morality, explains the ethics of hospitality through its verses 81 through 90, dedicating a separate chapter on it (chapter 9).^[9][10]

Judaism[edit]

Judaism praises hospitality to strangers and guests based largely on the examples of Abraham and Lot in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 18:1–8 and 19:1–8). In Hebrew, the practice is called hachnasat orchim, meaning «welcoming guests». Besides other expectations, hosts are expected to provide nourishment, comfort, and entertainment for their guests,^[11] and at the end of the visit, hosts customarily escort their guests out of their home, wishing them a safe journey.^[12]

Abraham set the pace as providing 3 things:

• Achila («feeding»)
• Shtiya («drinking»)
• Linah («lodging»)

The initial letters of these Hebrew words spell Aishel (Genesis, 21:33).

Christianity[edit]

In Christianity, hospitality is a virtue, which is a reminder of sympathy for strangers and a rule to welcome visitors.^[13] This is a virtue found in the Old Testament, with, for example, the custom of the foot washing of visitors or the kiss of peace.^[14][15] It was taught by Jesus in the New Testament. Indeed, Jesus said that those who had welcomed a stranger had welcomed him.^[16] Some Western countries have developed a host culture for immigrants, based on the Bible.^[17]

John Paul II writes: «Welcoming our brothers and sisters with care and willingness must not be limited to extraordinary occasions but must become for all believers a habit of service in their daily lives.»^[18]

Individuals are also treated as favored guests in the liberal Catholic tradition. Honored guests receive first parlance, religious clergy second parlance, and very important persons third parlance. Clergy and followers of Christ received parlance, and some may have turned away from hospitality, welcoming and serving, since active service requires detachment from material goods, family connections, and physical comforts. Hospitality is a meeting of minds, it is an openness to the familiar and meet to discuss and question the mystery of self, social events, experiences, nature and to God. Any guest should never made to feel or see that they are causing undue extra labor by their intrusion or presence.^[19]

It is always polite to ask about religious convictions. John Paul II said: «Only those who have opened their hearts to Christ can offer a hospitality that is never formal or superficial but identified by ‘gentleness’ and ‘reverence’.»^[20] In reference to Biblical scripture as a sign of politeness to always come to the defense and aid to those who give an account of hope and those interested (see 1 Pet. 3:15).

Christ expanded the meaning of brother and neighbor to include the stranger, that he or she be treated like a follower with and for hospitality and mutual help, if the believer in Christ or who may be a messenger of God either needed help, circumstances made it difficult to interpret and being uncertain of whether an individual is a believer in Christ and God.^[21][19]

Pashtun[edit]

One of the main principles of Pashtunwali is Melmastia. This is the display of hospitality and profound respect to all visitors (regardless of race, religion, national affiliation or economic status) without any hope of remuneration or favour. Pashtuns will go to great lengths to show their hospitality.^[22][23][24]

Islam[edit]

Islam highly recommends to say to one another peace be upon you Assalamu Alaikum, as Muhammad had said, Muslims are obliged to treat their guest with kindness and peace, even prisoners (in war), as Muhammad had said in authentic sources and verses from the Quran.^{[citation needed]}

Abu Aziz ibn Umair reported: «I was among the prisoners of war on the day of the battle of Badr. Muhammad had said, ‘I enjoin you to treat the captives well.’ After I accepted Islam, I was among the Ansar (Inhabitants of Madinah) and when the time of lunch or dinner arrived, I would feed dates to the prisoners for I had been fed bread due to the command of Muhammad.»^[25]

Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.^{[Quran 16:125]}

Good hospitality is crucial in Islam even in business. According to another report, Muhammad passed by a pile of food in the market. He put his hand inside it and felt dampness, although the surface was dry. He said:

«O owner of the food, what is this?»

The man said, «It was damaged by rain, O Messenger of God.»

He said, «Why did you not put the rain-damaged food on top so that people could see it! Whoever cheats us is not one of us.»

(Saheeh Muslim)

Celtic cultures[edit]

Celtic societies also valued the concept of hospitality, especially in terms of protection. A host who granted a person’s request for refuge was expected not only to provide food and shelter for his/her guest, but to make sure they did not come to harm while under their care.^[26]

Current usage[edit]

In the West today hospitality is rarely a matter of protection and survival and is more associated with etiquette and entertainment. However, it still involves showing respect for one’s guests, providing for their needs, and treating them as equals. Cultures and subcultures vary in the extent to which one is expected to show hospitality to strangers, as opposed to personal friends or members of one’s ingroup.

Anthropology of hospitality[edit]

Jacques Derrida offers a model to understand hospitality that divides unconditional hospitality from conditional hospitality. Over the centuries, philosophers have devoted considerable attention to the problem of hospitality. To Derrida, there is an implicit hostility in hospitality, as it requires treating a person as a stranger, distancing them from oneself; Derrida labels this intrinsic conflict with the portmanteau «hostipitality».^[27] However, hospitality offers a paradoxical situation (like language), since the inclusion of those who are welcomed in the sacred law of hospitality implies that others will be rejected. Julia Kristeva alerts readers to the dangers of «perverse hospitality», which consists of taking advantage of the vulnerability of aliens to dispossess them.^[28] Hospitality serves to reduce the tension in the process of host–guest encounters, producing a liminal zone that combines curiosity about others and fear of strangers.^[29] In general terms, the meaning of hospitality centres on the belief that strangers should be assisted and protected while traveling.^[30] However, not all voices are in agreement with this concept. Anthony Pagden describes how the concept of hospitality was historically manipulated to legitimate the conquest of the Americas by imposing the right of free transit, which was conducive to the formation of the modern nation state. This suggests that hospitality is a political institution, which can be ideologically deformed to oppress others.^[31]

See also[edit]

• Asylum (antiquity)
• Bread and salt
• Hospitality service
• Hospitality management studies
• Hospitality law
• Hospitium
• Hotel manager
• Maître d’hôtel
• Nanawatai
• Reciprocal altruism
• Reciprocity (social psychology)
• Reciprocity (cultural anthropology)
• Sanctuary

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Danny Meyer (2006) Setting the Table : The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
• Christine Jaszay (2006). Ethical Decision-Making in the Hospitality Industry
• Karen Lieberman & Bruce Nissen (2006). Ethics in the Hospitality And Tourism Industry
• Rosaleen Duffy and Mick Smith. The Ethics of Tourism Development
• Conrad Lashley and Alison Morrison. In Search of Hospitality
• Hospitality: A Social Lens by Conrad Lashley and Alison Morrison
• The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg
• Customer Service and the Luxury Guest by Paul Ruffino
• Fustel de Coulanges. The Ancient City: Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome
• Bolchazy. Hospitality in Antiquity: Livy’s Concept of Its Humanizing Force
• Jacques Derrida (2000). Of Hospitality. Trans. Rachel Bowlby. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
• James A. W. Heffernan (2014). Hospitality and Treachery in Western Literature. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
• Steve Reece (1993). The Stranger’s Welcome: Oral Theory and the Aesthetics of the Homeric Hospitality Scene. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
• Mireille Rosello (2001). Postcolonial Hospitality. The Immigrant as Guest. Stanford University Press.
• Clifford J. Routes (1999). Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• John B. Switzer (2007). «Hospitality» in Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
• Immanuel Velikovsky (1982). Mankind in Amnesia. Garden City, New York: Doubleday.
• Christian Hänggi (2009). Hospitality in the Age of Media Representation. New York/Dresden: Atropos Press.
• Thomas Claviez, ed. (2013). The Conditions of Hospitality: Ethics, Politics, and Aesthetics on the Threshold of the Possible. Bronx: Fordham University Press.

Last Updated:
8 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

Hospitality refers to the relationship process between a guest and a host, and it also refers to the act or practice of being hospitable, that is, the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, with liberality and goodwill. Hospitality frequently refers to the hospitality industry jobs for hotels, restaurants, casinos, catering, resorts, clubs and any other service position that deals with tourists.

Hospitality is also known as the act of generously providing care and kindness to whoever is in need.

Meaning of Hospitality

For an in depth understanding of the term of hospitality, the starting point is the etymology of the word itself. The word hospitality derives from the Latin «hospes», which is formed from «hostis», which originally meant a ‘stranger’ and came to take on the meaning of the enemy or ‘hostile stranger’ (hostilis) + pets (polis, poles, potentia) to have power. Furthermore, the word «hostire» means equilize/compensate.

If you combined the above etymological analysis with the story of Telemachus and Nestor you can develop in your mind the Greek concept of sacred hospitality.

First of all, Telemachus is a complete stranger for Nestor, however he was hosted and treated more than warmly. In the Homeric ages, hospitality was under the protection of Zeus, the chief deity of the Greek pantheon. For that reason Zeus was also attributed with the title ‘Xenios Zeus’ (‘xenos’ means stranger). The semantic behind this was to highlight the fact that hospitality for Ancient Greeks was of the utmost importance. A stranger passing outside a Greek house, could be invited inside the house by the family. The host washed the stranger’s feet, offered him/her food and wine, and only after he/she was comfortable could be asked to tell his/her name.

After having welcomed Telemachus, Nestor asks his unknown guest to introduce himself to find out that he was the son of Odysseus. By that time, the man in front of him was a complete stranger, a «hostis» as described in the etymological analysis of hospitality at the beginning. Nonetheless, Telemachus was equilized with his host. Another meaning that is included in the etymology of hospitality. Note also that one of the Nestor’s sons slept on a bed close by Telemachus to take care that he should not suffer any harm. This means that hospitality for Ancient Greeks include also the idea of protection. Lastly, Nestor put a chariot and horses at Telemachus’ disposal so that he could travel the land route from Pylos to Sparta in two days, having as charioteer Nestor’s son Pisistratus. The last element of hospitality as can be realized is guidance.

Based on the story above and its current meaning, hospitality is about compensating/equalizing a stranger to the host, making him feel protected and taken care of, and at the end of his hosting, guiding him to his next destination.

Contemporary usage

Contemporary usage seems different from historical uses that lend it personal connotations. Today’s hospitality conjures images of throwing good parties, gracious hosts entertaining, etiquette, Martha Stewart or even talk shows, or, the hospitality services industry as it relates to the entertainment and tourism business. On the other hand, hospitality used to be, and still is, a serious duty, responsibility, or ethic. Hospitality ethics is a discipline that studies this usage of hospitality.

In the western context, with its dynamic tension between Athens and Jerusalem, two phases can be distinguished with a very progressive transition: a hospitality based on an individually felt sense of duty, and one based on «official» institutions for organized but anonymous social services: special places for particular types of «strangers» such as the poor, orphan(s), ill, alien, criminal, etc. Perhaps this progressive institutionalization can be aligned to the transition between Middle Ages and Renaissance (Ivan Illich, «The Rivers North of the Future»).

Biblical and Middle Eastern

In Middle Eastern Culture, it was considered a cultural norm to take care of the strangers and foreigners living among you. These norms are reflected in many Biblical commands and examples. [http://bible.gospelcom.net/passage/?search=Exodus%2022:21;23:9;%20Leviticus%2019:10,33,34;24:22;%20Deuteronomy%2010:18]

Perhaps the most extreme example is provided in Genesis. Lot provides hospitality to a group of angels (who he thinks are only men); when a mob tries to rape them, Lot goes so far as to offer his own daughters as a substitute, saying «Don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.» (Genesis 19:8, NIV).

The obligations of both guests are stern. The bond is formed by eating salt under the roof, and is so strict that an Arab story tells of a thief who tasted something to see if it was sugar, and on realizing it was salt, put back all that he had taken and left.

Hospitality in Celtic Cultures

Celtic societies also valued the concept of hospitality, especially in terms of protection. A host who granted a person’s request for refuge was expected not only to provide food and shelter to his/her guest, but to make sure they did not come to harm while under their care.

A real-life example of this is rooted in the history of the Scottish Clan MacGregor, from the early seventeenth century. The chief of Clan Lamont arrived at the home of the MacGregor chief in Glenstrae, told him that he was fleeing from foes and requested refuge. The MacGregor welcomed his brother chief with no questions asked. Later that night, members of the MacGregor clan came looking for the Lamont chief, informing their chief that the Lamont had in fact killed his son and heir in a quarrel. Holding to the sacred law of hospitality, the MacGregor not only refused to hand over the Lamont to his clansmen, but the next morning escorted him to his ancestral lands. This act would later be repaid when, during the time that the MacGregors were outlawed, the Lamonts gave safe haven to many of their number [Charles MacKinnon, «Scottish Highlanders» (1984, Barnes & Noble Books); page 76] .

Cultural value or norm

Hospitality as a cultural norm or value is an established sociological phenomenon that people study and write papers about (see references, and Hospitality ethics). Some regions have become stereotyped as exhibiting a particular style of hospitality. Examples include:
*Minnesota nice
*Southern hospitality

ee also

*Backpacking (travel)
*CouchSurfing
*Hospitality Club
*Hostel
*Hospitality services, modern day hospitality networks.
*Hospitality ethics, Hospitality as a cultural norm, or behavioral standard.
*Motel

Further reading

«Of Hospitality» — Jacques Derrida, translated by Rachel Bowlby (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000).

References

* [http://muse.jhu.edu/cgi-bin/access.cgi?uri=/journals/substance/v033/33.2oscherwitz.pdf muse.jhu.edu]
* [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=210359 journals.cambridge.org]
* [http://www.hospitalityethics.com Hospitality ethics]
* [http://www.internationalhospitalityfair.in International Hospitality Fair]
* [http://www.hospitality-industry.com Hospitality-Industry.com] , raised by 2 former hotel school students in 1999, provides hospitality professionals and students access to a wide range of manually selected resources.
* [http://www.hftp.org/ HFTP] , Association of Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals.

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English hospitalite, from Old French hospitalité (modern French hospitalité), from Latin hospitālitās (“hospitality”), from hospitālis (“hospitable”), from hospes (“guest», «host”). Displaced native Old English cumlīþnes (literally “guest gentleness”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• (General American) IPA^(key): /hɑs.pɪˈtæl.ɪ.ti/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /hɒs.pɪˈtæl.ɪ.ti/
• Rhymes: -ælɪti

Noun[edit]

hospitality (countable and uncountable, plural hospitalities)

1. The act or service of welcoming, receiving, hosting, or entertaining guests; an appropriate attitude of openness, respect, and generosity toward guests.

   Please thank our hosts for their hospitality during the week that we stayed.

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 350:

     «Quarrels!» said Charles; «do not use so disagreeable a word. I am thinking of nothing but the thanks I owe Lord Avonleigh for his hospitality«—Lord Avonleigh bent to the very edge of the table—»and the favours I am about to ask.»

   • 1708, [Jonathan Swift], “The Metamorphosis of Baucis and Philemon, Burlesqu’d; from the 8th Book of Ovid”, in Baucis and Philemon; a Poem. […], London: […] H. Hills, […], published 1709, →OCLC, page 3:

     In Ancient Times, as Story tells, / The Saints would often leave their Cells, / And ſtrole about, but hide their Quality, / To try good Peoples Hoſpitality.

   Synonym: guestfriendship

2. (business) The business of providing catering, lodging and entertainment service; the industry which includes the operation of hotels, restaurants, and similar enterprises.

   After graduating from college, she found a job in hospitality.

3. The food, drink, and entertainment given to customers by a company or organization or provided to visitors by a private host.

Derived terms[edit]

• corporate hospitality
• Southern hospitality

[edit]

• host
• hospital
• hospitable

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• hospitality in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “hospitality”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• hospitality in MacMillan Dictionary (Macmillan Education Limited 2009–2020)