Text3 The Bases of Hospitality Industry

One of the fastest growing sectors of the economy of our time is the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry alone is a multi-billion dollar and growing enterprise. The hospitality industry is diverse enough for people to work in different areas of interest and still be employed within the hospitality industry. Hospitality management involves the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of human and material resources within the lodging, restaurant, travel and tourism, institutional management, recreational management and meeting and convention planning industries. All of these separate yet related segments of the hospitality industry are interrelated to deliver kind and generous services to guests. The hospitality industry is one of the oldest businesses in history. The present hospitality industry is extraordinarily healthy and viable. The scope of the hospitality industry comprises of a range of businesses that provide services and facilities such as accommodation, food and beverage, entertainment, gaming and related products. The term “hospitality” has become accepted over the years as a generic word, which describes the well being of services and facilities related to tourists and travellers. The accommodation sector represents a vital part of the hospitality industry since the provision of accommodation, food and beverage is essential for anyone spending time away from home. Guests are the customers of the hospitality industry; they pay for the services and facilities provided by the accommodation establishments. Each guest is different, differences such as age, gender, cultural background and their reasons for traveling. Guests may be local residents, domestic or international guests. They may stay for an hour or longer!

These are the pillars on which the concept of Hospitality stands.

Housekeeping:

Housekeeping is more than just how to use a mop and broom. This department is responsible for cleaning and maintaining hotel premises which include public area, guest rooms, lobby, swimming pool area etc. generally this department is not visible to the guest. It works for guest satisfaction working round the clock to keep the environment clean and hygiene. This department works to give pleasant look of the hotel to the guest.

Front Desk:

A front office is the area of a business where clients and employees interact. It is the most important department of the hotel. The main function of this department is to give warm welcome to the guests. This is the first department where guest comes in contact with. It generates the maximum revenue for the hotel as it sells room to the guests.
Food & Beverage: It is a department which serves food and beverage to the guest in a very attractive and pleasing manner, which creates good impression on the guest. The food and beverage division is responsible for all of the dining rooms, restaurant - bars, bars, the galleys (kitchens), clean up and provisions.

Engineering:

This department provides the day to day basic utility services, electricity, hot water, air-conditioning and other services and is responsible for repair and maintenance of the equipment, furniture and fixtures in the hotel.

Health/ sports/ recreation:

The main purpose and motive of this department is to provide health and recreation to the people. With the increasing need to concentrate on the health issues, many hotels have come up with health gyms, spas, swimming pools, sports areas like billiards, golf etc. The aim is to provide a healthy environment both to the guests and the employees.

Safety/ security:

The security of guests, employees, personal property and the hotel itself is the foremost concern for the hotel. In the past, most security precautions concentrated on the prevention of theft from guests and the hotel. However, today such violent crimes as murder and rape have become a problem for some hotels. Unfortunately, crime rates in most major’s cities are rising. Hence today security department also concentrate on these additional criminal activities too.

Although there are many more departments working backend to keep the hotels running, these are majorly the departments that cluster under the hospitality.

Hospitality affects the customer satisfaction levels. Better the quality of services, more satisfied the customer feels.

A good hospitality management can also affect a country's image as it tells the quality of a service of a country. Globally, we need to share best practices for training and retention and make industry sponsored educational programs more readily available to employees at every organizational level.

Hospitality Industry captures major tourists and business markets by ensuring that the tourists get physically energized, mentally rejuvenated, culturally enriched, spiritually elevated and ULTIMATELY feel it from within.

When a company is looking for a place to relocate or to grow its business, many variables are considered. One such variable is quality of life. Quality of life is measured primarily by three factors: housing cost, education quality and cultural amenities. The hospitality industry underpins those cultural amenities that other businesses find attractive. The hospitality industry plays a significant, supporting role in these business dealings. Companies in the industry help enable others to do business hence fuels the economic growth.

1. What does hospitality management involve?

2. Why is hospitality industry one of the oldest businesses in history?

3. What does the accommodation sector represent?

4. What are the pillars on which the concepts of Hospitality stand?

5. What is housekeeping?

6. What is Front Desk?