Hospitality, Hotel Business, Rooms Division, Tourism, and Cruising Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the hospitality, hotel management, rooms division, tourism, and cruising lecture notes.

Hospitality

The business of providing guests with lodging, food, beverages, entertainment, and other services.

Hospitality industry

The collection of businesses that provide services and experiences to travelers, guests, and customers.

Guest

A person who receives hospitality services.

Service

An intangible activity or benefit provided to a customer.

Intangibility

A characteristic of services meaning they cannot be physically touched or possessed like a product.

Inseparability

The characteristic that production and consumption of a service often happen at the same time.

Heterogeneity

The idea that services can vary from one employee, customer, or situation to another.

Perishability

The fact that a service cannot be stored for later use. Example: An unsold hotel room tonight cannot be sold tomorrow as tonight's room.

Front of the house

Areas and employees that directly interact with guests.

Back of the house

Areas and employees that generally operate behind the scenes and have little or no direct guest contact.

Corporate philosophy

The fundamental beliefs and principles that guide an organization's decisions and behavior.

Mission

A statement describing an organization's purpose and what it seeks to accomplish.

Goal

A specific result an organization or person wants to achieve.

Objective

A measurable result or target used to accomplish a goal.

Empowerment

Giving employees the authority, information, and resources to make appropriate decisions.

Quality

The degree to which a product or service meets or exceeds customer expectations.

Customer satisfaction

The customer's assessment of how well a product or service met their expectations.

Service quality

How well the delivery of a service meets customer expectations.

Commercial hotel

A hotel primarily serving business and other travelers who need short-term accommodations.

Resort

A lodging property designed primarily for leisure and recreation.

Motel

A lodging property historically designed to serve motorists, often with convenient vehicle access.

Boutique hotel

A relatively small hotel characterized by distinctive design, atmosphere, and personalized service.

Full-service hotel

A hotel offering a broad range of services, often including restaurants, room service, meeting facilities, and other amenities.

Limited-service hotel

A hotel offering fewer services and amenities, generally at a lower price.

Economy hotel

A hotel offering basic accommodations at relatively low rates.

Luxury hotel

A property providing high-end accommodations, amenities, and personalized service.

Independent hotel

A hotel that is not affiliated with a chain or franchise organization.

Chain hotel

A hotel operating as part of a group of properties under common ownership, management, or branding.

Franchise

A business arrangement in which one party receives the right to use another company's brand, systems, and trademarks.

Franchisor

The company that owns the brand and grants franchise rights.

Franchisee

The individual or company that purchases the right to operate under the franchisor's brand.

Management contract

An agreement in which a management company operates a hotel on behalf of the owner.

Management company

A company hired to operate a hotel or other hospitality property.

Hotel owner

The individual or organization that owns the hotel property.

Real estate investment trust (REIT)

A company that owns or finances income-producing real estate and allows investors to participate in that investment.

Condominium hotel

A property in which individual units are owned separately but operated as part of a hotel.

Timeshare

A form of shared ownership or usage in which people purchase the right to use a property for a specified period.

Star rating

A classification system used to indicate a property's level of facilities and services.

Rack rate

The hotel's published standard room rate before discounts.

Average Daily Rate (ADR)

The average amount paid for each occupied room. Formula: $ADR = \text{Room Revenue} \div \text{Rooms Sold}$

Occupancy

The percentage of available rooms that are occupied. Formula: \text{Occupancy} = \text{Rooms Sold} \div \text{Rooms Available} \times 100

Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR)

A measure of how much room revenue is generated per available room. Formula: $RevPAR = \text{Room Revenue} \div \text{Available Rooms}$ or $RevPAR = ADR \times \text{Occupancy Rate}$

Yield management

Adjusting prices and availability to maximize revenue from limited hotel inventory.

Revenue management

Using data about demand, pricing, and inventory to maximize revenue.

Overbooking

Accepting more reservations than the number of rooms available because some guests are expected not to arrive.

No-show

A guest who has a reservation but does not arrive and does not cancel.

Walk-in

A guest who arrives without a reservation.

Rooms division

The hotel division responsible for guest accommodations and related services.

Front office

The department responsible for reservations, registration, guest accounts, information, and check-in/check-out.

Front desk

The primary guest-contact point in the hotel's front office.

Guest cycle

The stages a guest experiences from making a reservation through departure. Four major stages: 1. Pre-arrival 2. Arrival 3. Occupancy 4. Departure

Pre-arrival

The period before the guest arrives at the hotel.

Arrival

The stage when the guest checks into the hotel.

Occupancy (Stage)

The period during which the guest stays at the hotel.

Departure

The stage when the guest checks out and leaves.

Housekeeping

The department responsible for cleanliness, appearance, and maintenance of guest rooms and public areas.

Out of order

A room that cannot be sold because it requires maintenance or repairs.

Out of service

A room temporarily unavailable for sale, usually for a shorter period or less serious reason than out of order.

Concierge

An employee who assists guests with information, transportation, reservations, entertainment, and other arrangements.

Bell attendant

An employee who assists guests with luggage and transportation and may escort them to their rooms.

Guest account

A record of charges and payments associated with a guest's stay.

Folio

The record of a guest's financial transactions during their stay.

Walked guest

A guest who has a reservation but cannot be accommodated because the hotel lacks an available room.

Guaranteed reservation

A reservation backed by a payment method or other guarantee, with the room generally held for the guest.

Forecasting

Using historical and current information to predict future demand.

Tourist

A person who travels away from their usual environment and stays at least one night at the destination.

Domestic tourism

Travel within one's own country.

International tourism

Travel between different countries.

Inbound tourism

Visitors traveling into a particular country or destination.

Outbound tourism

Residents traveling outside their own country.

Tour operator

A company that creates and sells travel packages, often combining transportation, accommodations, and activities.

Consolidator

A company that purchases large quantities of travel inventory and resells it, often at negotiated prices.

Destination Management Company (DMC)

A local company that organizes services and experiences for visitors and groups within a destination.

National Office of Tourism (NOT)

An organization responsible for promoting a country as a tourism destination.

Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)

An organization that promotes a destination and helps attract visitors, meetings, conventions, and events.

Multiplier effect

The additional economic activity created when money spent by tourists circulates through the economy. Simple example: Tourist spends $100 → hotel earns money → employees/businesses spend some of that money → other businesses receive income.

Ecotourism

Responsible travel to natural areas that emphasizes conservation and benefits local communities.

Sustainable tourism

Tourism developed and managed so that environmental, economic, and social needs can continue to be met over the long term.

Overtourism

A situation in which the number or behavior of visitors negatively affects a destination, its residents, or resources.

Hub-and-spoke system

A transportation network in which passengers travel through a central hub to reach different destinations.

Port of call

A destination where a cruise ship stops during its itinerary.

Home port

The port where a cruise ship begins or ends its itinerary.

Embarkation

The process of passengers boarding the cruise ship.

Disembarkation

The process of passengers leaving the cruise ship.

Shore excursion

An organized activity or tour that cruise passengers take while the ship is visiting a port.

Onboard revenue

Money generated from passengers while they are on the ship, beyond the basic cruise fare.

Expedition cruise

A cruise focused on exploration, nature, remote destinations, or educational experiences.

Crossing

A cruise primarily focused on traveling from one major geographic point to another rather than visiting numerous ports.

Cruise director

The person responsible for overseeing entertainment, activities, and the passenger experience onboard.

Marine department

The part of the cruise operation responsible for navigation, engineering, and safe operation of the vessel.