What does Hospitality mean to you?
ANCA CHIRILA • September 8, 2023
What hospitality means to you depends on your goals.
According to Dr. Kevin Murphy, “The hospitality industry is for those individuals that have a ‘guest-centric’ attitude and a genuine desire to be of service to people under their care. Whether it is for a moment or a week.”
Hospitality impacts the lives of millions daily. One of the primary goals of the hospitality industry is to provide unique, memorable, positive experiences. The Tourism industry is the largest industry in the world with significant benefit and costs to a region. Hotels vary significantly in size, quality, purpose, chain affiliation and ownership. The complexity of the operation and leadership vary as well. Careers are available in traditional operations positions (Rooms, F&B, Events, Sales) but also in Finance, Human Resources, Revenue Management, Training, Asset Management and corporate support positions. Food and Beverage is made up of a wide variety of restaurant types from QSR, Fast Casual, Fine Dining and Ethnic.
Hospitality managers need to have strong people skills. Tourists often have high expectations and they look for extraordinary experiences. That requires problem-solving skills and working with staff to ensure that everything would be perfect. Hospitality managers need to have strong leadership skills and attention to detail. Hospitality management can involve working long hours, including nights and/or weekends, working during celebrations and holiday days. It is not a 9am-6pm job, requires always your attention and your involvement. When you are working in a hotel, you cannot stay in your backoffice. You need to be always in contact with the guests because in this way you can make turners to become returners by knowing theirs expectations and desires. Guest satisfaction refers to the experience your guests have in your establishment, represented by the fulfilment of your guest's wishes, expectations, and needs, or the pleasure derived from this. Guest satisfaction is also measured by the service offered in your hotel in comparison to the competition.
For me, the day starts at reception and at the breakfast area. In this way i can feel if our guests are satisfied, i can talk with them and sharing ideas.
It s about passion.
Thank you for reading,
Anca C.
De unde stim care este alegerea potrivita pentru hotelul nostru?
Managementul veniturilor hoteliere este o tool inovator, este disciplina care implica integrarea si utilizarea canalelor de vanzare, distributie, cat si strategii si preturi dinamice orientate spre piata pentru a obtine cel mai înalt nivel de profituri posibile pentru hotel. Din punct de vedere al preturilor, aceasta implica identificarea si aplicarea optimului pentru a te asigura ca cererea indeplineste vanzarea la momentul potrivit, pentru fiecare camera, pentru fiecare canal și pentru fiecare zi din an. Bottom rate Bottom rate este rata minima de vanzare, care poate fi aplicata strategic în timpul unei perioade mai scazute din punct de vedere al cererii, cu scopul de a stimula rata de materializare a solicitarilor. Acest lucru impacteaza pozitiv reputatia hotelului (imbunatatirea calitatii / pretului si prin urmare, scorul global online) si cross-selling (prin vanzarea de servicii auxiliare). 2. Starting price Starting price este rata initiala care este setata pentru fiecare tip de camera pentru urmatoarele 365 de zile din an. Alegerea acestei rate se bazeaza pe o analiza a datelor istorice verificate concomitent cu perioada prognozata, cu tendinte ale pietei cat si cu viitoarele evenimente. Cu cat este mai mare numarul de camere nevandute la o anumita data a anului precedent, cu atat pretul de pornire pentru aceeasi data este mai mic in anul curent. Cu un pret de pornire corect exista 60% probabilitatea de a obtine un succes de performanta. 3. Forecasting Prognoza este una orientata mereu spre viitor, analiza ce ne ajuta sa prezicem viitoarele venituri si astfel, optimizam si maximizam cererea pentru hotelul nostru. Activitatea unui manager de venituri este foarte importanta deorece previziunile sale, bazate pe date istorice arhivate anterior faciliteaza proiectia rezultatelor viitoare. Prin analiza incrucisata a istoricului si date prognozate, managerul de venituri este capabil sa actualizeze dinamica tarifelor de pornire, inventarierea si implementarea strategica a unei decizii adecvate privind distributia pe diferite canale, oferte, conditii de vanzare etc. Cu un plan foarte bine stabilit si cu o setare corecta a tarifelor, putem ajunge ca previziunile de la inceput de an sa nu fie reale doar pe hartie. Anca C.
The magic of Crete I want to share with you some words about my stay at Domes Of Elounda, Autograph Collection . I was searching a location for our summer vacation. We had in plan Marbella, Capri or Crete. After long searching, we decided to give a change for Crete, Elounda Bay. After this, was time to find the perfect hotel. I knew that this is not an easy task, i have high expectations because of my job:) We choose Domes Of Elounda, Autograph Collection. First of all, views are amazing and we know already how important it is the location for a hotel. It's one of the most important KPIs. I felt from the beginning the employee involvement. Employee involvement is the active participation of employees in activities and decisions that affect their work and the company's objectives . It is not a goal or a tool, but a philosophy of management and leadership . It creates an environment where people have an impact and more control over their work and workplace . The hotel operates during the season, between may-octomber but you don’t feel this. All the staff is so familiar with everything and i am not talking only about front line departments. Even the bellboy, the housekeeping team, they knew the story of the hotel, they were so passionate of what they were doing. I was surprised to see that they are working with so much pleasure, they are talking about the hotel like their home. Feels like family there. I was talking with some of them and most of them, are working there since the opening, in 2011. So they keep the team also in the peak off season, of course they don't have same sallary but the Management take care of them during winters. This is absolutely great, because it's not about how beautiful the hotel is, is about how beautiful your experience is. And the experience is made by them, by this people. Food was excelent, they have all inclusive but also five a la carte restaurants. Rooms super clean, nice furnished, the housekeepers made a great job, each time we found a little gift, chocolate or something to drink. I left happy but half of my heart was wondering why in Romania we have this delay in everything. I had also the answer but i will tell you in another post. Hospitality it s not about doing things, it s not only about delivering services for the guests, it s about delivering moments and experiences that are for a lifetime. Thank you for reading, Anca C.
Ne-am planificat sa deschidem portile unei noi proprietati in luna decembrie a acestui an. O sa fie o proprietate clasificata la cinci stele. Ne straduim sa oferim oaspetilor nostri experiente frumoase si, bineinteles, un raport calitate-pret corect. Asadar, vorbind despre preturi, de unde incepem fara date istorice? Care sunt pilonii preturilor dinamice? Ce înseamna starting price? Ce inseamna buttom rate? Ce inseamna rate rack? Preturile dinamice reprezinta o cale complexa, dar profitabila, catre o rentabilitate mai mare a hotelului. Imi aduc aminte cand am luat prima data contact cu acest concept de revenue management, acum 12 ani. Cumva mi se parea incredibil de util dar totodata, aveam teama ca nu il voi putea intelege. Astfel am luat decizia de o face un curs de 6 luni despre managementul veniturilor, curs pe care l-am sustinut in cadrul ESSEC Business School, Franta. Cursul se numeste The Fundamentals of Revenue Management: The Cornerstone of Revenue Strategy. Cu o capacitate fixa, un produs extrem de disponibil si costuri fixe ridicate, hotelurile sunt un candidat natural pentru aplicarea gestionarii veniturilor. Dezvoltate initial de companiile aeriene in anii 1970, aceste tehnici bazate pe analiza ajuta la prezicerea comportamentului consumatorilor la nivelul pietei hotelului, astfel incat hotelul sa poata vinde fiecare camera in fiecare noapte la pretul optim. Odata cu cresterea moderna a costurilor de achizitie si a complexitatii distributiei, tehnicile de gestionare a veniturilor au fost adoptate din ce in ce mai mult atat de companiile hoteliere mici, cat si de cele mari, facand o intelegere globala a segmentarii, prognozei si preturilor o cerinta esentiala pentru profesionistii din domeniul ospitalitatii de astazi. Asadar, atunci cand cream tarifele unei noi proprietati trebuie sa luam in calcul mai multe aspecte. Este foarte important sa stim de unde plecam, acel bottom rate care este direct proportional cu CostPar-ul. Astfel vom sti ca daca ajungem sa vindem mai jos de acest tarif, proprietatea noastra va fi in pierdere. Ulterior trecem la tarifele dinamice, de la starting price, sales rate, equilibrium rate, resistance rate si rack rate-ul pe care il aplicam de 2/3 ori in plin sezon, atunci cand este cererea foarte mare. Fiecare dintre acestea are o marja de calcul, plecand de la tariful cel mai mic. Desigur, ulterior se adauga ofertele pe care le vaneaza toata lumea. Fie ca vorbim de cele last minute sau early booking, toate trebuie realizate pe categorii de pret si vandute intr-o anumita perioada. Poate parea complicat dar cu o strategie foarte bine pusa la punct si atent organizata, cu siguranta ajungem sa aplicam corect acest concept de Revenue Management, care inseamna sa vindem camera potrivita, la momentul oportun, clientului perfect la tariful potrivit. Referitor la clientul potrivit, aici este o ampla discutie, profilul clientului nostru este baza vanzarilor unei proprietati, dar acest subiect il voi prezenta intr-o postare ulterioara. Anca C.
In today’s social media and crowd-sourcing era, it’s hard to know if certain properties are really worthy of the ratings they claim. What is a five-star hotel? What is the meaning / definition of a 5 Star Hotel in the hospitality industry? A 5 Star Hotel is a hotel that provides a luxury service through all its means of operation. Luxury (*****) A 5 Star Hotel is geared towards catering to guests at the highest level. Therefore everything from the exterior of the hotel down to the tableware should display excellent quality and high attention to detail. The service staff is meant to be highly trained and the attention should be focussed on providing the guest with the best experience possible. Exceptional levels of proactive service and customer care are essential. Staff working in the food outlets must demonstrate excellent levels of food, beverage and wine product knowledge and service skills. The restaurant menu must boast an extensive range of dishes of outstanding quality, presented in immaculate menus. All outlets must have staffing levels with well-structured and dedicated teams with depth in management levels. This enables them to provide services that exceed the norm. Such as valet parking, escort to bedrooms, proactive table service in bars and lounges and at breakfast, ‘concierge’ service, 24-hour reception, 24-hour room service, full afternoon tea. Room service when ordered, is delivered and cleared in a highly professional and efficient manner. The Room size, layout allow a delivery method that ensures the highest guest dining experience for room service.The significant majority of bedrooms is very spacious, allowing generous ease of use for movement, comfort, dining and relaxation. Beds and headboards are of excellent quality. Spacious, luxurious and numerous toilet facilities and with refinements such as individual hand towels, high quality toiletries and accessories, serviced very regularly during the day. The hotel must boast additional facilities e.g. secondary dining, leisure, business centre, spa, etc. All of the facilities are included in the price and guests can expect a personalised treatment and service. The hotel must have at least one restaurant, open to residents and non-residents for all meals seven days a week. ***The hotel must have at least one permanent luxury suite available (comprising three separate rooms – bedroom, lounge and bathroom).*** All areas of operation should meet the Five Star level of quality for cleanliness, maintenance, hospitality, and for the quality of physical facilities and delivery of services. These hotels show excellence, which make them worthy of the five star classification. Not easy, no? Dolce vita at Lake Garda, my stay at the exclusive 5-star Quellenhof Luxury Resort. Check them out🤍 Anca C.