Chapter 1

Question 1

What is the role of hospitality professionals?

Answer 1

To provide service that meets the ever-changing needs and demands of guests. “Guests are not always right - but they are always guests.”

Question 2

What factors differentiates one hotel from another?

Answer 2

1.Property Location
2.Variety and Quality of Food Service
3.Special Features and Amenities
4.Active Online Presence

Question 3

The hospitality industry is apart of what larger enterprise?

Answer 3

The travel and tourism industry.

Question 4

What is the common goal for the vast group of businesses in the travel and tourism industry?

Answer 4

Providing necessary or desired products and services to travellers.

Question 5

What two sections does the hospitality industry consist of from the travel and tourism industry?

Answer 5

The hospitality industry consists of:
1.Lodging Operations
2.Food and Beverage Operations

Question 6

What is the difference between lodging operations and lodging properties?

Answer 6

Lodging operations offer overnight accommodation to their guests. Lodging properties provide food and beverage service, recreational activities and more, but not accommodation.

Question 7

What organisation addresses travel and tourism issues, particularly those affecting the hospitality industry in the United States?

Answer 7

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).

Question 8

Which association do most countries national trade associations normally work together through?

Answer 8

The International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA).

Question 9

How are hotels or inns classified?

Answer 9

A hotel or inn may be defined as an establishment whose primary business is providing lodging facilities for the general public, and that furnishes one or more of the following services:
-Food and Beverage Service
-Room Attendant Service (House Keeping)
-Concierge
-Bell and Door Attendant Service (Uniformed Service)
-Laundry or Dry Cleaning
-Use of Furniture and Fixtures

Question 10

What differentiates a hotel from an inn?

Answer 10

Hotels have 50 to 2000 rooms, and sometimes more. Inns usually average 5 to 50 rooms and provide a higher level of personalised service.

Question 11

In what four size categories are hotels typically grouped?

Answer 11

-Under 150 rooms
-150 to 299 rooms
-300 to 600 rooms
-More than 600 rooms

Question 12

Why are hotels categorised according to their size ?

Answer 12

The size categories enable hotels of similar size to compare operating procedures and statical results.

Question 13

What are the two most important marketing challenges a hospitality encounters?

Answer 13

“Who stays at our property?” and “Who else can we attract?”

Question 14

Define target market?

Answer 14

Target markets are distinctly defined groups of travellers that the hotel seeks to retain or attract as guests.

Question 15

Define the process of market segmentation?

Answer 15

To identify smaller, distinct groups or segments within larger target markets, and to develop products and services aimed specifically at satisfying these market segments.

Question 16

What are the 12 most common types of properties based on target markets?

Answer 16

1.Comercial Hotels
2.Airport Hotels
3.Suite Hotels
4.Extended-Stay Hotels
5.Residential Hotels
6.Resort Hotels
7.Lifestyle Hotels
8.Bed-and-Breakfast Hotels
9.Vacation Ownership and Condominium Hotels
10.Casino Hotels
11.Conference Centre Hotels
12.Convention Hotels

Question 17

How did hotels and inns come about?

Answer 17

The very first inns and hotels were usually located in the towns and villages they primarily served. It was not until the age of railroads that the hotel business began to expand. Railroads connected the country, and railroad stations were generally located near the centre of each town. Travelers getting off trains usually needed a place to stay. As more people traveled, the demand for hotels grew.

Question 18

Define Commercial Hotels?

Answer 18

Commercial hotels form the largest group of hotel types. They primarily cater to business travelers as well as many tour groups, individual tourists and small conference groups. In the past, commercial hotels were referred to as transient hotels because of the relatively short length of time guests stayed in them compared with other hotels.

Question 19

Define Airport Hotels?

Answer 19

Airport hotels are popular because of their proximity to major travel centres. Typical target markets include business clientele, airline passengers with overnight travel layovers or cancelled flights, and airline personnel. Hotel-owned courtesy vans often transport guests between the hotel and the air-port.

Question 20

Define Suite Hotels?

Answer 20

These hotels feature guestrooms with a living room or parlor area and a separate bedroom. In exchange for more complete living quarters, suite hotels generally have fewer and more limited public areas and guest services than other hotels. Suite hotels appeal to people who are relocating and transform suites into temporary living quarters, frequent travelers who want a home away from home, vacationing families who would like privacy and convenience as well as professionals and executives who would like to work or entertain in a area outside the bedroom.

Question 21

Define Extended-Stay Hotels?

Answer 21

Extended-stay hotels are similar to suite hotels, but usually offer more complete kitchen amenities in the guestroom. Extended-stay hotels are designed for travelers who intend to stay five nights or longer and require reduced hotel services. These hotels usually do not provide food, beverage, uniformed services, or valet services.

Question 22

Define Residential Hotels?

Answer 22

Residential hotels provide long-term or permanent accommodations for people in urban or suburban areas.
The layout of a residential guest unit may closely resemble a suite hotel guestroom. These properties house residents who want and can afford daily, limited hotel services. Sometimes people who contract to live in residential hotels may be considered tenants by law.

Question 23

Define Resort Hotels?

Answer 23

Guests often choose resort hotels as their planned destination or vacation spot, setting resorts apart from other types of lodging operations. A resort is usually located in some exotic area away from crowded residential areas. The recreational facilities and breathtaking scenery typical of most resorts are not typical of most other hotels.

Question 24

Define Lifestyle Hotels?

Answer 24

Lifestyle hotels are intended to appeal to specific travelers who enjoy certain architecture, art, culture, special interest, and amenities. Guests appreciate these aspects of a lifestyle property and consider them important to their overall experience. Lifestyle brands reflect the interest of their guests.

Question 25

Define Bed-and-Breakfast Hotels?

Answer 25

B&Bs range from houses with a few rooms converted to overnight facilities, to small commercial buildings with twenty to thirty guestrooms. The owner of a B&B, the host or hostess, usually lives on the premises and is typically the property manager. Most B&B's offer only lodging and limited food service or, as the name implies, breakfast only.

Question 26

Define Vacation Ownership and Condominium Hotels?

Answer 26

Normally these units consist of a living room, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, and one or more bedrooms. Vacation ownership properties typically attract individual who purchase the ownership of accommodation for a specific period of time - usually one or two weeks a year. These owners then occupy the unit, usually a condominium, during that time. These hotels are sometimes referred to as timeshare or vacation-interval hotels.

Question 27

What is a popular feature of vacation ownership hotels?

Answer 27

Is the ability to trade ownership time with another owner in another location. Often, the management company can work with the owner to find someone willing to trade. This allows owners the opportunity to vary their vacations each year, without giving up the benefits of ownership.

Question 28

What is the difference between vacation ownership hotels and condominium hotels?

Answer 28

The difference between the two lies in the type of ownership involved. Units in condominium hotels have only one owner instead of multiple owners typical of vacation ownership hotels.

Question 29

What is benefit of owning a condominium unit?

Answer 29

An owner informs the management company of when he or she wants to occupy the unit. That way, the management company is free to rent the unit for the remainder of the year. When the management company rents the unit, a portion of the revenue goes to the owner. Vacation ownership and condominium owners receive the revenue from the rental of their units and pay the management company a fee for advertising, rental, housekeeping and maintenance services.

Question 30

Define Casino Hotels?

Answer 30

Casino hotels are hotels with gambling facilities. Although the guestrooms and food and beverage operations in casino hotels may be quite luxurious, their function is secondary to, and supportive of, casino operations. Casino hotels attract guests by promoting gaming and headliner entertainment.

Question 31

Define Conference Centres?

Answer 31

Conference centres offer overnight accommodations for meeting attendees. Because meetings are their focal point, conference centres typically place great emphasis on providing all the services and equipment necessary to ensure a meetings success. Conference centres are often located outside metropolitan areas and may provide extensive leisure facilities.

Question 32

Define Convention Hotels?

Answer 32

Convention hotels have a sufficient number of guestrooms to house a significant majority of attendees at most conventions. Convention hotels often have 50 000 square feet or more of exhibit hall space, plus ballrooms and an assortment of meeting rooms. Convention hotels are primarily directed toward business travelers with a common interest. A full line of business services is generally available.

Question 33

What is another way of classifying hotels?

Answer 33

Level of guest service, is a measure of the benefits provided to the guest. Some hotels provide more than one level of service and the level of service is usually reflected in a guest's room rate.

Question 34

What are intangible services for a hotel?

Answer 34

These services are not physical things, but rather actions, deeds, performances or efforts. Guests leave a hotel with only memories of their experiences. To counteract this, many hotels try to create an image of their services that is powerful, clear, and precise. The hotels service then becomes instantly a recognizable standard, almost like a tangible product. Therefore the hotel employees must sustain that image through their commitment to service.

Question 35

How do hotels maintain or implement quality assurance?

Answer 35

The intangible services that a hotel delivers tend to be less standardized than the tangible objects produced by a manufacturer. The consistent delivery of services is the result of a program of quality assurance. The ingredients of consistency are the standards that a lodging property develops. But while standards establish and define quality, only the hotels staff can make quality a reality.

Question 36

Define rating service for a hotel?

Answer 36

Private organizations and governments provide hotel evaluation and rating services for travelers.

Question 37

What are the four different levels of service for lodging properties?

Answer 37

1.World-class service 2.Upscale service 3.Mid-range service 4.Economy/limited service

Question 38

Define World-Class Service?

Answer 38

Hotels offering world-class service target top business executives, entertainment celebrities, high-ranking political figures,, and wealthy clientele as their primary markets. World-class hotels seldom have more than 400 guestrooms. Above all, world-class hotels stress personalized, sometimes customized guest services, and maintain a relatively high ratio of staff members to guests.

Question 39

What is Executive Floor?

Answer 39

In some hotels, certain floors are deigned to provide some of the hotels guests with world-class attention. Hotels offering executive floors provide non-standard guest room furnishings and additional guest services in these areas of the hotel.

Question 40

Define Upscale Service?

Answer 40

Hotels offering upscale service are patronized by travelers seeking exceptional service and accommodations, but not at the level of world-class hotels. The primary clients are business executives, high-level industry meeting attendees and leisure travelers. These hotels can range in size from 100 to 2000 guest rooms.

Question 41

Define Economy/Limited Service?

Answer 41

Hotels offering economy service appeal primarily to budget-minded travelers who want rooms with minimal amenities. These hotels provide clean, comfortable, inexpensive rooms and meet the basic needs of guests. The clientele may include families with children, bus tour groups, traveling business people, vacationers, retirees and groups of conventioneers.

Question 41

Define Mid-Range Service?

Answer 41

Hotels offering mid-range service appeal to the largest segment of the traveling public. Although the staffing level is adequate, the mid-range property does not try to provide elaborate services. Guests likely to stay at a mid-range hotel include business people, individual travelers and families. Mid-range hotels have roughly 150 to 299 rooms.

Question 42

What are the two basic equity structures for hotels?

Answer 42

1.Independent hotels 2.Chain hotel ownership

Question 43

Define Independent Hotels?

Answer 43

Independent hotels have no identifiable ownership or management affiliation with other properties. In other words, independent hotels have no relationship to other hotels regarding policies, procedures, marketing or financial obligation.

Question 44

Define Chain Hotels?

Answer 44

A chain is usually classified as operating under a management contract or as a franchise or referral group. Chain ownership usually imposes certain minimum standards, rules, policies and procedures to restrict affiliate activities. In general, the more centralized the organization, the stronger the control over the individual property. Chains with less dominant central organizations typically allow individual hotel managers to exercise more creativity and decision-making autonomy.

Question 45

Describe Management Contracts?

Answer 45

Management companies are organizations that operate properties owned by other entities. Under this type of contract, the owner or developer usually retains the financial and legal responsibility for the property. The management company usually operates the hotel and in return receives an agreed-upon fee from the from the owner or developer.

Question 46

Describe franchising in the hotel industry?

Answer 46

In the lodging industry, most organizations offering franchises have first established the quality of their product and expertise in operations by developing parent-company (franchisor-owned) hotels. Franchise organizations typically have established standards to which all franchised properties must adhere to. This standardization is what enables franchise chains to expand while maintaining a consistent, established product and level of service.

Question 47

Describe referral groups in the hotel industry?

Answer 47

Referral groups consist of independent hotels that have banded together for some common purpose. Referral groups require members to maintain certain operating standards, but do not need to be an exact replica of the others. Hotels within the group refer their guests to other affiliated properties.

Question 48

What are the main two benefits for belonging to a franchise or referral group?

Answer 48

Extensive reservation system and expanded advertising through pooled resources. These advantages are so important that lending institutions may often be reluctant to lend money to potential investors unless the investor has established an affiliation with a franchise or referral group.

Question 49

How are guests classified?

Answer 49

Classifying guests are typically most useful to a property's marketing function. Guests can be classified into the following four categories: 1.Business Travellers 2.Pleasure/Leisure Travelers 3.Group Travelers 4.International Travelers