About Hotels

3.1 The Different Room Types

When it comes to hotels, there are a number of different room types that you need to be aware of, with each one tending to have its very own rate. It is also worth noting that the variety of rooms that may be available at any given time also depends on the type of hotel that you are working at, since not every single one will have every type of room

available.

Single Rooms

As the name suggests, a single room is assigned to just one individual. However, it is common for hotels to still have more than one bed in the room with the one person having to pay a supplement in order to book the room for themselves.

Double Rooms

A double room will tend to refer to a room that contains a double bed and is set up for a couple.

Twin Rooms

A twin room is still for two people, but the way in which the room is organised is different to that of a double room. In this instance, it will tend to have two single beds and it is designed for two individuals that are travelling together and wish to share the same room in order to reduce the costs.

Family Rooms

A family room will tend to have a double bed as well as a single bed, although larger rooms may have more than one single bed. As the name suggests, this is set up for families to be able to stay together in the one room, and it is especially ideal for those that have young children that should not be separated from their parents.

Junior Suite

A junior suite is a room that is ranked above a double room, as it contains a bed as well as another room that is often a sitting room of some description. However, some hotels will have the two rooms as one, but it still qualifies as a junior suite. You may also find that this is set up for a single individual rather than a couple.

Suite

A suite will contain at least one bedroom as well as another room, such as a sitting room. It is larger than a junior suite, with more space available, and it will often be the best option for more than one person or a group of people. You will also often find that some hotels will refer to their rooms using alternative terms that describe the actual standard of service and product that a guest can expect when they stay in the rooms. In this instance, you will often notice terms such as standard or deluxe being used, and the rates charged will be reflected in the terms that the hotel has applied to the room. The variety of rooms that are available at a hotel will differ greatly according to size and even the type of guests that they are typically focusing on. However, being aware of the different types of rooms will undoubtedly be useful to any individual seeking a career in hotel management as they will tend to encounter every type throughout their career.

FACT

On average the UK hotel has 16.2 rooms each

Source: Hotelindustry.co.uk

3.2 More About the Rates

While it is impossible to provide exact information on the rates, due to them changing according to the hotel you are working at, we can still provide basic points to take into consideration when dealing with prices. The actual rate is linked to several factors, and we need to look at the qualifying list to help you to learn the process as to how the price that is charged is actually worked out.

1. The Location

First, the actual location of the hotel plays a part in the rate, because it has to be linked to what similar hotels are charging in the same area. For example, a hotel in central London will tend to charge different rates to a similar room in a hotel in a smaller city elsewhere in the UK.

2. The Rating of the Hotel

Next, the rating of the hotel also has an impact on the rates that can be charged. It is impossible for a 3-star hotel to ever believe that it can charge the same for a room as a 5-star hotel in the same area. You have to remember that the star rating system means that different levels of products and services are being provided by the hotel, and the higher the star rating, the more luxurious it is regarded as being. People expect to get what they paid for when it comes to the hotel they have booked a room with, so the rating system is an indication of what they will receive for the rate that has been charged.

3. The Services on Offer

We have to mention the services aspect again, as this does play a role in the rates. If only basic services are available through a hotel, then people would rightfully expect to pay just a basic rate for the room. However, guests are intelligent enough to understand that they need to pay more money to receive a more personal touch.

4. The Type of Room

Finally, the type of room will also have an impact on the price that can be charged. It makes sense that the better quality the room, the higher the price. The same can be said with the difference between a twin room to that of a suite. That is why a hotel will have a range of tariffs that have to be consulted during the booking process.

3.3 The Type of Staff Required to Run a Hotel

For staff, the numbers required to run a hotel is linked to the size, but generally speaking, there are certain people that any hotel will need in order to provide an adequate level of service to your guests. First, any hotel needs to have general housekeeping staff, as they are the people that will keep the hotel looking spotless and make sure that all of the rooms are clean and ready for new guests. Without them, the hotel would simply fall apart, as a dirty hotel is one that will be empty as nobody will want to stay there. They are also responsible for keeping the public areas clean.

Obviously, a hotel will also require reception staff that deal with the needs of guests as well as checking people into the hotel and also checking them out. They are more than just reception staff, though, as they are the individuals that must be able to offer a warm welcome as the guest enters the hotel for the first time. They will also deal with bookings via the telephone and must be able to deal with any questions that a guest may have about the hotel or the surrounding area. We also need to mention the concierge service that is often available at a number of hotels. This may be a single individual or, in the case of larger hotels, there will be a team of staff that are dedicated to carrying out various tasks to help improve the stay of the guests. It is worth noting that smaller hotels may not have this service available simply due to them not being able to afford this type of specialised staff.

Another staff member that will often be included are night staff, although this may be missing from smaller hotels that do not have the same staff numbers. Night staff are there to make sure that the hotel runs smoothly throughout the evening and can deal with any issues that the guests may have in the early hours. There are also further staff members that make sure that the hotel runs smoothly. You have kitchen staff, waiters for the restaurant, larger hotels may have doormen, the idea of staff taking your bags

to your room still exists, bar staff, and even security.

However, this list of staff also misses out your role in the running of a hotel, the management. In larger hotels, you will find that each department has its own head that then has to discuss matters with the hotel manager who then refers it further up the chain to senior management. As you can see, running a hotel in the correct manner does take a number of staff to cover every single department, and that is something that a hotel manager has to be able to control in order to make sure that the hotel runs as smoothly as possible. You must remember that this is directly related to the experience that the guests will have, so making sure that there is adequate staff to deal with every aspect and that they can all do their job to the best of their ability is certainly extremely important.

3.4 The Classification and Ratings of Hotels

We also need to spend some time looking at the classification and ratings process of hotels as this has a direct impact on so many aspects of the business in general. By these terms, we mean the way in which hotels are given star ratings that equate to the standards of products and services that you should expect to receive when you stay there.

Ratings

Hotels will generally start at
2-star ratings, which are seen as being very basic, although there should still
be certain levels of cleanliness and adequate accommodation. However, with
these hotels, guests will not expect to pay a lot of money for their room as
they are seen as being above hostels, but not by much. If we move to 3-star
hotels, then they are often regarded as offering mid-range service and you will
tend to find that this is the most popular type of hotel around the world. The
reason for that is simply because it offers a clean hotel, comfortable
accommodation, uniformed staff, and room service, yet they are not overly fussy
and provide too many services that could irritate some people.

There is also a tendency for them to provide adequate levels of staff. Offering just a slightly more luxurious service and product are 4-star hotels. The difference in the rates between the two can be quite substantial, but even though the exact ins and outs of what can be called 4-star as opposed to 3-star can vary around the world, it is generally accepted that a 4-star will have slightly more services and be a more polished product. Finally, there is 5-star, where luxury is essential. They target a completely different market due to the costs involved in staying there, so it will be more a case of turning to successful individuals that have the money to spend on luxury. Their product and level of service should be perfect with everything that they do and there will also often be upmarket restaurants, valet services, and a general feeling of every need being catered for.

Classifications

With classifications, some will use certain criteria to place a hotel in a particular grouping to help management to then compare it to hotels of a similar size and standard. For example, the number of rooms available will have to be taken into consideration in order to determine if a hotel is small, medium-sized, or a large hotel.

Next, the target market can also be used for the classification process, as different hotels tend to focus on a particular type of guest. For example, a large section of the market will focus on the business traveller and are often located in the middle of the city. Alternatively, you also have airport hotels that focus on a different type of traveller and it does tend to involve them being located in a different area.

On top of this, you also have boutique hotels, casino hotels, resort hotels, and finally those that are also attached to conference halls with the sole purpose of accommodating people that are in the area due to a conference. We also need to mention that the ratings system that we described above is yet another part of the classification criteria and as we stated earlier this determines the kinds of services that are provided as well as the rates that can be charged. Finally with the classification process, some people will use the owners to determine the type of hotel that is on offer. For example, there are a number of large groups that own a huge number of different hotels around the world, such as Holiday Inn or Hilton, just as two examples.

With these hotels there is a tendency for them to follow a set pattern when it comes to the interior and what is on offer whereas you then have independent hotels that will often try to do things slightly differently in order to offer a different experience. The entire aim of this classification process is to help a hotel manager to determine the exact market that they need to be aiming for. This has a knock on impact with the type of marketing that has to be used to target those individuals as well as even how much can be charged.

3.5 Key Brands

During the section that focused on the classification process of hotels, we mentioned the idea of brand names running a number of hotels around the world. Knowing these brands is certainly going to be an advantage for the individual that is seeking a career in hotel management as there is no doubt that they do offer a fantastic opportunity to climb the career ladder within the one company and also work in different parts of the world. It is worth noting that these brands do not always focus on the luxury side of the market as there are a number of brands that have turned their attention to the budget or business traveller as they understand that this market is huge.

A number of the brands that you should be aware of include:

*Carlson - responsible for the Radisson name.

*Starwood Hotels - responsible for the Sheraton name.

*Best Western - tend to focus on budget and business travellers.

*Accor - also responsible for names such as Novotel, Ibis, and F1

*Marriott - responsible for mainly luxury hotels.

*Hilton - perhaps the most famous name in the hotel industry.

*Intercontinental hotels - responsible for the Holiday Inn name.

As you can see, there are a number of major brands included in this list and it does show you how just a handful of names have come to completely dominate the industry. However, our earlier point that spoke about the possibility of building a career within just the one company is certainly something that can become a reality.

Summary of Module

This module has been designed to explain the different types of hotel rooms, how rates are worked out, and also even how the ratings are calculated within the hotel industry. You have seen the big name brands that tend to dominate the industry, and there is no doubt that those names can help you to really build an impressive career within the hospitality industry. By having a better understanding of rooms and ratings it allows you to see how rates are worked out and also what is expected in a hotel by its guests.