i Cultural Diversity and Indicated Intercultural Implications in the Hotel Working Environment in the United Kingdom: Underpinning the Employee’s Perspective Dr Eirini Daskalaki daskalaki.eir@gmail.com Paper published at The Market Journal of International Business ISSN 2547-9202 Daskalaki, E. 2020. Cultural diversity and indicated intercultural implications in the hotel working environment in the United Kingdom: Underpinning the employee’s perspective. The Market Journal of International Business, 1(1), pp. 91-107. Abstract Purpose – The study aims to investigate the presence of cultural diversity in selected global hotel brands in the United Kingdom, as well as the contribution of cultural diversity and how it impacts the operation of hotels. The presence of intercultural service encounters is discussed, alongside the intercultural characteristics of the hotel industry, finding that intercultural elements are more than well-established for internal affairs and internal and external customers of hotels. Methodology – A combination of data collection instruments and analysis approaches has been used involving semi-structured interviews with hotel management staff from different cultures and public space observations during check in and check out in the reception area and during dining at the café-bar and restaurant. Thematic analysis has been applied to interviews, public space observations and job advertisements using interpretive (hermeneutic) phenomenology. Findings – A global workforce in selected global hotels is seen as a competitive advantage under diversity management practices and contributes to overcoming intercultural challenges. Both British and non-British hotel staff acknowledge that provision of training and language support from their organisations would enhance their intercultural understanding and awareness. Although cultural diversity is highly valued, the participating hotels have not connected this value with the expansion of the intercultural skills of hotel staff in terms of learning and development and managing diversity adequately. Research limitations – The study has a normative character. Some of the arguments and interpretations should be established more firmly with cross-cultural research and examination of the international customer’s viewpoint.