Qatar's Journey to Integrating Hospitality Into Healthcare Excellence.

The World of Welcome (WOW) program, launched by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar in 2011, represents a pioneering effort to integrate hospitality principles into healthcare. The program was designed to improve patient and staff experiences in a diverse, multicultural environment. The WOW program was developed to focus on key hospitality values, such as professionalism, empathy, and communication, offering training in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Hindi, and Malayalam. This approach fostered inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, addressing the unique opportunities of Qatar's demographic composition, where the vast majority of the population comprises expatriates from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The initiative expanded under the broader "World of Hospitality" (WOH) umbrella, offering additional programs focused on enhancing patient experience, managing communication, and leadership development. The WOW program has become a model for how healthcare systems, especially in multicultural settings, can integrate hospitality principles to foster a more inclusive, patient-centered, and professional environment, offering valuable insights for healthcare providers globally.