Hotel Organization

What is absolutely essential is the core – a well-equipped room with all the facilities expected by the customer. Then it is the circle around this room such as meeting facilities, banquet facilities, bar and relaxation areas which from the 1^st around the core. Then we expect the quality of service, the ambience and intangibles. The customer goes from the outside ring into the core because he expects the core to be there. The staff starts at the intangible and the advantage of the hotel is it does have an intangible element around the core.

The most important thing for staff is attitude. Attitude assumes you have the right tools behind you. There must be the right check-in system at reception and room service must have the right back-up. The human touch – particularly in the hotel business, that is one place computers will never take over. Pricing must be a local strategy in terms of what the hotel is. There is a price for a product and the customer must pay that in order for the quality of service to be maintained. The cost will pass through the system through different pricing mechanisms. The government and society should realise travel and tourism is such a powerful economic driver. It has to be taken into serious planning consideration in all countries.

Questions:

1. What is the core?

2. What is the circle around?

3. How do you understand the role of the hotel staff?

4. How do you understand the price policy?

5. What is the role of tourism and travel in each state?

6. Summarize the text.

Hotel classification

Part I

Placing a hotel in a particular grouping is not easy. Because of the industry’s diversity, many hotels do not fit into any single well-defined category. Nonetheless, they are based on hotel size, level of service, ownership and affiliation, and target market.

Independent hotels don’t have any relationship to other hotels regarding polices, procedures, or financial obligations. A typical example of an independent property is a family-owned-and-operated hotel that is not required conforming any corporate policy or procedure.

Chain hotels usually impose certain minimum standards, rules, policies, and procedures to restrict affiliate activities. A chain is usually classified as operating under a management contract or a franchise or referral group.

Belonging to franchise or referral group provides several benefits: a more extensive reservation system, expanded advertising, providing central purchasing services and reducing expenses to the individual hotels as items are purchased in larger quantities.

Pat II

Through marketing research, tools, and strategies, lodging properties seek to identify target markets - distinctly defined groups of people that the hotel hopes to retain or attract as guests. The most common types of properties based on target markets include commercial, airport, suite, residential, resort, bed and breakfast, time share, casino, conference center, and convention hotels.

Commercial hotels, usually located in downtown or business districts, are the largest group of hotels and cater primarily to business travelers, but many tour groups, individual tourists and small conference groups find these hotels attractive.

Extended stay hotels are similar to suite hotels, but usually offer kitchen amenities in the room, which suite hotels usually do not. They are designed for travelers who intend to stay 5 days or longer and require reduced hotel service.

Questions:

1. Why is it difficult to classify hotels?

2. What is the difference between individual and chain hotels?

3. What are target markets?

4. What are commercial hotels?

5. What do extended stay hotels provide?

6. Summarize the text.