Those who have met Christophe Laurent, our Senior Lecturer Practical Arts & EHL Values Ambassador, certainly keep a fond memory of what he transmitted and the impact he had in their daily habits. Through a series of posts, he will share his knowledge of what is “Savoir-être”.

Guests, whether at a hotel, restaurant or even a more intimate event, will certainly expect to be treated with courtesy and respect. Etiquette (or should one say etiquettes?) attempts to codify such a treatment.

A good understanding of proper etiquette is therefore essential for workers in the hospitality industry or anyone willing to be the perfect host. But where does “Etiquette” come from?

Etiquette exists in every culture, among the Ming, the Berbers, the Scots or the Maasai. The origin of these rules of conduct is never very precise. As Alfred Franklin wrote in his book “La vie privée d'autrefois” or “The privacy of the past”, many mistakenly believe that etiquette was created from scratch by king Louis XIV of France. We can however find many other roots to these rather complex procedures.

During the reign of Charles VII, for example, detailed codes of etiquette and precedence, were already strictly observed. Moreover, certain ceremonies like the raising of the king already existed under Henry II, and became more detailed and stricter under Louis XIV. Louis XIV was practically an etiquette fanatic, as he found some sort of pleasure and comfort in it.