Full-Service Hotels
Another way to classify hotels is by the degree of service offered: full-service, economy, extended-stay, and all-suite hotels.
Full-service hotels offer a wide range of facilities, services, and amenities, including many that were mentioned under the luxury hotel category: multiple food and beverage outlets including bars, lounges, and restaurants; both formal and casual dining; and meeting, convention, and catering services. Business features might include a business center, secretarial services, fax, in-room computer hook-ups, and so on..
Most of the major North American cities have hotel chain representation such as Doubletree, Four Seasons, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, Marriott, Omni, Ramada, Radisson, Ritz-Carlton, Loew's, Le Meridian, Sheraton, and Westin. Some of these chains are positioning themselves as basic full-service properties. An example of this strategy is Marriott's Courtyard hotels, which have small lobbies and very limited food and beverage offerings. The resulting savings are passed on to the guests in the form of more competitive rates. Thus, the full-service market may also be subdivided into upscale and midpriced hotels.
Economy/Budget Hotels
An economy or budget hotel offers clean, reasonably sized and furnished rooms without the frills of full-service hotels. Chains like Travelodge, Motel 6, Days Inn, and La Quinta became popular by focusing on selling beds, but not meals or meetings. This enabled them to offer rates at about 30 percent lower than the midpriced hotels. The average rate for an economy hotel is about $30 to $50 per night.
More recent entrants to this market sector are Promus' Hampton Inns, Marriott’s Fairfield, and Choice'?, Comfort Inns. These properties do not have restaurants or offer substantial food and beverages, but they do offer guests a continental breakfast in the lobby.
Another example of a relatively new budget concept is Microtel. In 1989, despite credit crunch and a weak economy, a group of entrepreneurs developed a new budget concept called Microtel. Success criteria were developed: The group wanted an economy hotel product, the downside risk had to be limited, and the product would have to demonstrate a competitive advantage over other national budget chains. The result of several months of careful planning and construction was the ninety-nine-room Microtel in Rochester, New York, at a total cost of $2,798,000 or $28,263 per room. The land cost $266,000; construction, interest, taxes, furniture, and equipment cost $2,164,000. The room rates began at $29, and the occupancy was 89.4 percent in the first year. The franchise was sold a year later for a 117 percent return on investment (ROI). This is a remarkable success story that illustrates that entrepreneurs can thrive even in a weak economy.
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After enjoying a wave of growth for most of the 1990s, the economy hotel segment may be close to the saturation point. There are about 20,000 properties in this segment with many markets. The economic law of supply and demand rules; if an area has too many similar properties, then price wars usually break out as they try to attract guests. Some will attempt to differentiate themselves and stress value rather than discounting. This adds to the fascination of the business.
Casino Hotels
The casino industry is now coming into the financial mainstream to the point that, as a significant segment of the entertainment industry, it is reshaping the U.S. economy. The entertainment sector has become a very important engine for the U.S. economic growth. As a matter of fact, since the recovery of the economy in 1991, entertainment and recreation have provided the biggest boost to consumer spending, thus creating tremendous prosperity in the industry. The fastest-growing sector of the entertainment field is gaming [1, 103-104].
(to be continued)
Vocabulary notes
in-room computer hook-up подключение к компьютерной сети прямо в номере
upscale (Am. E.) высококачественный и дорогостоящий
upmarket (Br. E.) предназначенный для состоятельных лиц
frills (pi) роскошь, вычурность; излишества, ненужные украшения
hotel chain сеть отелей (обычно широко известной фирмы)
outlet место отпуска (напитков, продуктов); торговая точка
midpriced по умеренным ценам (от «middle price»)
per night зд. за сутки (плата за номер в США и в ряде других стран взимается за ночь, приравниваемую к суткам)
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entrant тот, кто входит куда-либо, т.е. вступает в какую-либо организацию
crunch экон. кризисная ситуация
continental breakfast легкий завтрак («континентальный», т.е. европейский завтрак в отличие от плотного «островного», т.е. британского)
downside risk зд. риск, связанный с неустранимыми (неизбежными по сути) недостатками
competitive advantage конкурентное преимущество; выгодное отличие от чего-либо
competitive конкурентоспособный; соперничающий, конкурентный
interest зд. проценты (на капитал)
franchise «франчайзинг» — специальный вид лицензирования, когда компания — владелец известной торговой марки предоставляет другой компании право ставить эту торговую марку на свою продукцию, но при этом получает право контроля за качеством и внешним видом продукции компании-«франчайзера»
return on investment экон. прибыль на инвестированный капитал
to thrive преуспевать, процветать
saturation point точка насыщения
property зд. отель, гостиница
to stress value rather than discounting зд. делать упор не столько на скидки, предоставляемые клиентам, сколько на качество предлагаемых им услуг.
fascination привлекательность, притягательность
to reshape преобразовывать; видоизменять
consumer spending (-s) экономические потребительские расходы
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mainstream основное направление, главная линия, господствующая тенденция, «мейнстрим»
gaining легальный бизнес, занимающийся азартными играми; игорный бизнес
Vocabulary focus
4. Match each word or phrase on the left with the correct equivalent on the right:
1) luxury a) цена за номер (в гостинице, отеле)
2) supply and demand b) роскошь, роскошный
3) discount c) плотная (сытная еда)
4) entertainment and d) многокомнатный номер
recreation
5) substantial food e) развлечения и приятный досуг
6) prosperity f) еда и напитки
7) suite g) процветание
8) room rate h) спрос и предложение
9) food and beverages i) официальный и неофициальный
10) formal and casual j) скидка
11) similar k) сходный, похожий
5. Match each word on the left with the correct definition on the right:
a) tremendous a) a shop or place where a particular product is sold
b) entrepreneur b) large objects like beds, tables, chairs, etc which you put in a room or house so that you can live in it
c) lounge c) an entrance hall just inside the main door to a hotel, theater, or other large building
d) outlet d) a period of 365 or 366 days divided into 12 month
e) year e) a person who uses money to start businesses and make business deals.
f)lobby f) a public comfortable room in a place such as a
hotel, university, or hospital where people can sit and
relax
g) furniture g) very great in size, amount, or degree [7], [8]
6. Match the synonyms:
1) degree
2) entertainment
3) economy
4) businessperson
5) alike
6) signature
7) formal
8) development
9) price
10) thrive
11) significant
a) entrepreneur
b) recreation
c) budget
d) level
e) official
f) growth
g) rate
h) important
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i) prosper
j) similar
k) upscale
7. Match the antonyms:
1) north
2) slow
3) upscale
4) demand
5) prosperity
6) casual
7) similar
8) weak
9) spend
10) war
a) different
b) earn
c) south
d) poverty
e) supply
f) strong
g) formal
h) peace
i) fast
j) midpriced
Comprehension
8. Answer the questions on the texts:
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