A cruise ship is the ultimate in hospitality right? Food, amenities, activities, they are all part of being on a cruise ship, especially a Carnival cruise ship. They call them
Fun Ships for hospitality’s sakes. The now tragic story of the Cost Concordia the cruise ship run aground on the Italian coast killing 13.
To add insult to tragedy, the Captain of the ship Francesco Schettino – the captain, the one that is fabled to go down with it, apparently “tripped” into a life boat. Really? The idea of a captain of one of the largest moving hospitality destinations would bail out on his guests is not a hospitable gesture. Does it cut to the culture of a ship, a company or is it just the immediate reaction to survive, albeit unprofessional, but understandable.
Perhaps the answers to the Captain’s behavior are in the hiring process. Is hospitality a core tenant of the responsibilities of every member of the ship’s crew, from the ship’s restaurant managers to the captain? Captain Schettino’s is now facing charges of manslaughter for not taking care of his guests.
