Working in the Socially Diverse Hospitality Industry小论文.doc

Working in the Socially Diverse Hospitality Industry 系别：外国语言文学系专业：涉外酒店管理0901姓名：张小青学号：09404122AbstractPeople have been making a living by providing rooms for travelers ever since the first lodging houses were built to accommodate travelers in ancient times. Today, hotels offer far more than just a room for travel increased. Motels, resort hotels, and convention hotels have been developed to cater to the varied needs of todays traveling public. At the same time, hotel chains have established themselves as the dominant force in the industry.Key words: travel, hotels, industryMotels in the United States evolved from the roadside tourist cabins and tourist courts that were first introduced in the early 1990s in response to the increase in travel. As the automobile began to replace the train as the primary means of travel in the United States, there was an increased demand for roadside accommodations. The first motels began to appear in the 1920s and were usually one-storey buildings, with an average of twenty-five units or rooms.The next step in the development of the motel industry was the move away from highway locations into the downtown sections of large cities. With the increase in air travel, motor hotels also began to move out to the airports.A resort hotel is one that people visit for relaxation, recreation, and entertainment. The idea of the resort hotel was born in the 18th and 19th century Europe. Splendid hotels were built along the French Riviera in the Swiss Alps, and at various mineral springs throughout the continent. The resort hotel in the United States developed with the expansion of the railroads in the second half of the nineteenth century. All catered exclusively to the rich and to the upper middle class. Families stayed for two or three months and returned to the same hotels year after year.With the rise in mass tourism, resorts hotels have been established in greet numbers at destinations throughout the world. Some of these luxury resort hotels have survived, but today they are heavily outnumbered by resort hotels that cater to ordinary people who stay from days to weeks. With increased leisure time and higher wages, many people now take at least one vacation away from home each year. The jet airport has opened up areas of the world that were previously inaccessible to the vacationer. Resort hotel construction boomed in tropical area such as the Caribbean and Hawaii.A convention hotel is one that caters to large group gatherings. The rise of convention hotels has been one of the developments in the hotel industry, and conventioneers now account for almost 20 percent of all hotel guests. Many downtown hotels saw occupancy levels drop during the 1950s and early 1960s as motels captured a larger segment of the market. In response, some hotels began to add facilities for conventions or other group gatherings as a means of survival. At first, conventions were scheduled for off-peak periods, but as the volume of convention business increased, they began to be scheduled year-round.The business of large hotels that cater exclusively to convention groups began going up in the major cities in the later 1960s. They all feature a wide variety of restaurants, banquet rooms, meeting rooms, and convention and exhibition halls. Resort hotels, motels and airport hotels have also begun to offer convention facilities.The arrival of the jet age led to the second major hotel building period of the twentieth century, lasting from 1958 to 1974. In the early part of this period, the hotel chains major goals in planning new properties were economy, efficiency, and standardization of design. A Sheraton hotel in Miami, for example, might be almost identical to one nearly 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. By the late 1960s, however, there was a reaction against this uniformity of design and new hotel architecture was born. The opening of the Hyatt marked a return to the grandeur of the old luxury hotels. Scenic elevators, fountains, waterfalls, trees, huge sculptures, and bars and cafes are included in the lobby so that it was no longer just a place for registration and checkout; it also became the main eating, drinking, and meeting area. The success of the Atlanta Hyatt Regency led to the building of similar atrium hotels in cities and combine commercial, office, and hotel facilities with sports and recreational facilities.The small country inn is a type of lodging place that has survived by offering increased service and facilities. In fact, many turn away from such modern conveniences as in-room television, radios, and telephones. Instead, they offer the attraction of old world charm and coziness in a scenic or historic setting. Guests might expect to find working fireplaces in their rooms, handmade quilts on their beds, and antique furniture throughout the inn. Many of the inns are direct descendants of the old inns and taverns that flourished along stagecoach routes 200 years ago. The smaller country inns, sometimes with as few as three or four rooms, are usually run by friendly couples who pride themselves on the comfort and cleanliness of their accommodations and the quality of the food that they serve.Some of the larger chain hotels (e.g. Holiday Inns) use the name inn. Motor inns, however, should not be confused with country inns. The chains use the name to suggest a feeling of warmth and friendliness, though their properties quite different from the more intimate country inns.There are many important competitive advantages that the hotel chains have over the individually operated hotels. The first is the resources and money on advertising and public-relations professionals at chains headquarters, who prepare publicity campaigns for the chain as a whole.A second advantage comes from the standardization of equipment and operating procedures. The chains publish detailed manuals that specify standardized procedures to be followed even in such tasks as making beds and setting tables. Even when the different hotels in the chain are not tightly controlled by a central office, it is customary to have an inspection system in order to guarantee the overall standards.The most important and most obvious advantage is the increased efficiency in making and controlling reservations. Still another advantage for the chains is in increased sales potential for convention.As it is now a commonly accepted idea that conventions should combine business and pleasure, the practice of changing locations every year is very attractive to many sponsoring groups. In this way, the sponsoring group can hold its meeting in one location one year and another the next, while at the time with the assurance of very similar service and costs.Chains management also increases the efficiency of the total organization in other ways. For example, it permits very large bulk purchases for many kinds of equipment and supplies. The accounting and auditing systems of the chains can be centralized. A centralized personnel office for managerial and technical positions throughout the chain also provides an advantage in securing competent people. In the different hotels, management trainees can obtain experience in all the wide variety of skills that go into the operation of a hotel. Later, when they have gained the necessary expertise in several areas, these same people may return to the headquarters to direct and train others.Today, there comes very intensified competition in the hotel industry. After decades of mixed fortunes they would now face a decade when there is slow expansion, or even no growth, but with growing competition. The increased competition could rise from up-market self catering, time sharing, home entertainment and other areas, as well as from producers of a whole variety of consumer products and services. Hoteliers must ensure that they obtain their share of market. In order to do so, they should listen to the market more intense competition.References1. James J E. Sharing risks and decision making: Recent trends in the negotiation of management contractsJ.The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 1988a, 29(1):4255.2. James J E. Recent trends in the negotiation of hotel management contracts: Terms and terminationJ.The Cornell Hotel