How do Egyptian hotel management students feel about studying alcohol service?

•Most students supported alcohol service classes.•Most students rejected alcohol service laboratories.•Attitudes toward service classes and laboratories do not differ by gender.•Attitudes toward service laboratories differ by religious affiliation.•Attitudes toward service laboratories are associated with religiosity.

Drinking and handling of alcohol are prohibited by Islam, therefore, hotel management students in Egypt, mostly Muslims, are faced with a controversial issue. Students in three Egyptian schools of tourism and hotels were surveyed to investigate their perceptions of studying alcoholic beverages service, focusing on issues of gender, religious affiliation, religiosity, and drinking history. The findings indicate that service classes were supported by the majority while service laboratories, involving handling of alcohol, were opposed. Moreover, students' preferences in training opportunities were associated with their perceptions of the service laboratory. Religion and culture largely form the students' perceptions of alcohol.

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