Texts for additional reading

The Scheme of Working Out the Text

 

1. Read the text and entitle it.

2. Translate the text using a dictionary.

3. Into what parts could the text be split? Characterize each.

4. Make up a short plan of the text.

5. Write in brief summary of the text.

6. Retell the text keeping close to it.

7. Give some comments of your own on the given text.

 

Text 1

A room rate is the price the hotel charges for overnight accommodation. The room rate range is the range of values between the minimum and maximum rates.

Room rate schedules may reflect variations in the number of guests assigned to the room, service level, room location and may cover billing arrangements for meals. Under the American Plan (AP), room charges include the cost of the guestroom and three meals per day. Under Modified American Plan (MAP) the daily rate includes charges for the guestroom and two meals per day (typically breakfast and dinner). Sometimes, the phrase full pension is used in place of American Plan, and semi-pension in place of Modified American Plan. Under the European Plan, meals are priced separately from guestrooms. Resorts frequently use either the American Plan or the Modified American Plan. Most non-resort hotels set their rates according to the European Plan.

 

So, there are some modern terms you should know:

 

- European Plan (EP): the rate quoted for the room only. No meals are included;

- Modified American Plan (MAP): the rate includes American breakfast and lunch or dinner. Synonymous with “half-pension” or “part-board”;

- American Plan (AP) or Full American Plan (FAP): includes American breakfast, luncheon and dinner. Synonymous with “full-board”;

- Bed and Breakfast (B&B): includes the room and breakfast, often with a surcharge for English (or American) breakfast;

- American Breakfast, or English breakfast, or full breakfast includes fruit juice, cereals, eggs, coffee or tea;

- English Breakfast: similar to American breakfast, but with a cooked dish such as bacon and eggs, kippers, baked beans on toasts etc.;

- Continental Breakfast: includes only coffee or tea and breakfast type pastry, such as croissants;

- Service Charge – a percentage added to the bill as compensation to the hotel staff. When a service charge has been added to a hotel bill, tipping is not necessary, but it is customary to leave a small extra gratuity for particularly good service;

- Family Plan (FP): no charge for children when they occupy the same room as their parents. There may be an age limit;

- Tour Rates (TR): special rates available to groups of 15 persons or more.

 

Text 2

The people authorized by a hotel’s owner to represent his or her interests are called hotel management. In small properties one person may represent the hotel management. Management guides the operation of the hotel and regularly reports the general state of the hotel’s financial state to its owner.

The top executive of a property is usually called the general manager or managing director. The general manager of an independent hotel normally reports directly to the owner or to the owner’s representative. The general manager supervises all hotel divisions, either through a resident or assistant manager, or through division heads. Chain organizations usually have a district, area, or regional executive supervising the general managers located at the properties within his or her jurisdiction.

While the general manager is responsible for supervising all hotel divisions, he or she may delegate responsibility for specific divisions or departments to a resident manager or director of operations. To qualify for a department head position, an individual must thoroughly understand the functions, goals, and practices of a particular department.

 

 

Text 3

Defining what is “good” and “bad” service is not an easy matter. One person’s idea of good service in a restaurant, for example, may be thought of by somebody else as merely average. Whether a person is happy or unhappy with the service is essentially a personal experience; no two people have the same perception of what good or bad service men to them.

Although it is not always easy to define exactly what constitutes good service, we are all familiar with circumstances when the level of service we have received is either very good or very bad. The following examples give a flavor of what a good customer service approach is all about:

· In a restaurant – an example of good service would when the management remembers that an evening booking is for a couple’s first wedding anniversary and provides a complimentary bottle of champagne. Bad service is when you telephone in advance to make a booking, only to find when you arrive that the waiter has no record of the booking and all the tables are full.

· In a hotel – good service would be when the receptionist remembers the name of a guest’s child and provides a box of toys for her to play with. Bad service would be not attending to a broken shower in a guest’s room immediately.

Why do people complain?

All people are individuals and so the reasons why they complain are many and varied. Some of the most common reasons can be broadly categorized into:

· Bad products or service – to the customer, there is a strong link between quality of products and quality of service. If the customer has a poor service in getting advice on buying, the quality of the product itself tends to be put in doubt. Poor service is one of the main reasons why people complain.

· Waiting – people hate waiting around for attention and wasting their valuable time. The longer the wait the more likely customers are to complain.

· Being patronized – nothing is guaranteed to turn frustration into fury quicker than a patronizing tone of voice on the part of the member of staff dealing with a customer. It is wise to assume that the customer has some knowledge of the product or service being bought and staff should be trained not to take a “we know best” attitude.

 

Text 4

As government dictates the smoking policies of food service facilities, a war has emerged in many communities. Lawsuits are being filed, restaurateurs are fighting back, but the writing is clear in society today. Those who smoke will have to do it elsewhere.

While Australia, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States are leading the world with laws banning smoking in pubic places, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia may have desires to limit smoking, but the smokers are not complying.

Workplaces and restaurants are the public venues that expose the greatest number of people to environmental tobacco smoke.

Because of their prolonged exposure, staff in bars and dining rooms is most at risk. The statistic is that there is 50 percents increase in lung cancer risk among food service workers.

The debate will continue, no doubt, but food services are under attack and the future appears to be that smokers will be lighting up only enclosed, separate rooms designated for smoking if at all. Time will tell, but the hospitality industry does have a responsibility to accommodate the nonsmoker as well as the smoker, as has been seen in hotels with both smoking and nonsmoking rooms.

Text 5

 

“One man’s meat is another man’s poison”. It is of course true that individuals do vary in their likes and dislikes, and no social group is believed to eat everything of potential nutritional value available to it. Nor is it merely that some exotic tribes eat foods which would revolt the average European or American; equally some foods which are commonplace to us are avoided in other cultures. Apart from the well-known avoidance of beef by most Indians and pork by Jews, Muslims and other religious groups in the Middle East, chicken and eggs are avoided in much Africa and parts of South-East Asia. Dogs, on the other hand, are prized meat in much of sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia; camel is eaten in the Middle East; Horseflesh eating has historically been centered in central Asia, and was introduced in the 19th century with some success into France but with little in Britain or America. The Chinese do not eat milk or dairy products, fish is avoided by many cultures, insects are eaten in others, and that is nothing to say of the vegetable kingdom.

People very generally have strong feelings not just about how the foods should be eaten, but also about how the foods they choose should be prepared for eating. Ways of cooking became the mythology and sense the identity of nation, social classes and religious groups. People take sides, and exaggerate differences.

 

Airport hotel

A hotel located near a public airport. Airport hotels vary in size and service level.

A la carte

French phrase which means that each menu item is charged for separately (i.e., there no package deals for a complete meal).

American Plan

Billing arrangements, which room charges, include the guestroom and three meals.

American service

Method of service in which food is cooked in the kitchen, portioned onto individual plates by the cook, and served by the waiter.

Appetizer

Food or drink served to wet the appetite before the main course.

Banquet service

American, French, or Russian styles of service, or a combination of these services, organized so that every table is served at the same time.

Bed and Breakfast

A small lodging operation whose owner usually lives on the premises and serves a breakfast for guests.

Book

To sell or to reserve rooms ahead of time.

Casino hotel

A hotel with gambling facilities.

Chain hotel

A hotel owned by or affiliated with other properties.

Children’s menu

Special menu designed and printed to children under the age of 12.

Commercial hotel

A property, usually located in a downtown or business district, that caters primarily to business clients. Also called a transient hotel.

Concierge

An employee, whose basic task is to serve as guest’s liaison with both hotel and non-hotel attractions, facilities, services, activities.

Conference center

A property specially designed to handle group meetings. Conference centers are often located outside metropolitan areas and may provide extensive leisure facilities.

 

Continental breakfast

A small meal served in the morning that usually includes a beverage, rolls, butter, and jam or marmalade.

Convenience service

Uses ready-prepared and ready-to-eat foods to which the consumer gives final production.

Counter service

Method of service in which guests sit at a counter, behind which the waitress or waiter stands. Service is usually faster than at the tables.

Economy/limited service

A level of service emphasizing clean, comfortable, inexpensive rooms that meet the most basic needs of guests. Economy or limited service hotels appeal primarily to budget-minded travelers.

Entrée

French term for main course of meal. It is usually the most expensive item of the meal.

European plan

A billing arrangement under which meals are priced separately from rooms.

Du juor

French for the menu of the day. The term refers to a menu composed of special dishes offered on that day.

English service

Style of service in which a host helps to apportion food onto plates that are then distribute to other guests by the waiter. Such service is usually done only at private parties or other special events.

Family rate

A special room rate for parents and children in the same room.

Franchising

A method of distribution whereby one entity that has developed a particular pattern or format for doing business – the franchiser – grants to other entities – franchisees – the right to conduct such a business provided they follow the established pattern.

Free independent traveler

A guest coming to the hotel as an individual and not as a part of the group. Also called a transient guest.

French service

Elaborate service in which the kitchen does only part of the work. The final preparation and apportioning is done at the table in the dining room.

Front office

A department of the room division that is the most visible department in a hotel, with the greatest amount of guest contact. Traditional front office functions include reservations, registrations, room and rate assignment, room status, maintenance and settlement of guest’s accounts, and creation of guest history records.

Functions of management

Management’s job to establish goals, plans, and organize, staff, lead, and control so as to reach them.

Goal

A definition of the purpose of a department or division that directs the actions of employees and the functions of the department or division toward the organization’s mission.

Gueridon

In French service, a side table, usually on wheels, at which the waiter prepares food at tableside.

Hotel

A general term used to describe motels, motor hotels, inns, suite hotels, conference centers, and other operations providing lodging facilities, various services, and conveniences to the traveling public.

Hors d’oeuvres

French for bite-sized morsels often picked up by the fingers and eaten as appetizers.

Independent hotel

A hotel with no ownership or management affiliation with other properties.

Labor cost

The cost of all employees who comprise the workforce of an operation/property.

Limited menu

Menu that offers only about six or twelve entrees, to save on labor costs and food waste. Usually only the most popular items are included.

Management contract

An agreement between the owner/developer of a property and a professional hotel management company. The owner/developer usually retains the financial and legal responsibility for the property, and the management company receives an agreed-upon fee for operating the hotel.

 

Market

Region in which an establishment’s products and those of its competitors are sold.

Market segmentation

The process of defining or identifying smaller, distinct group or segments within larger markets – corporate business travelers, for instance, as a segment of business travelers.

Marketing

Process of determining who the customers are and what they want.

Market research

Study or process of learning who the customers are, what they want, and how to meet their needs.

Mid-range service

A modest but sufficient level of service that appeals to the largest segment of the traveling public.

A mid-range property may offer uniformed service, airport limousine service, and food and beverage room service; a specialty restaurant, coffee shop, and lounge; and special rates for certain guests.

Menu analysis

Process of collecting data about menu sales in order to make decisions as to which items to keep and which to replace.

Merchandising

Presentation of factors that entice people to buy. A marketing term that describes sales promotion. It is a comprehensive managerial function that may include market research, product development, advertising and selling.

Modified American plan

A billing arrangement under which the daily rate includes charges for the guestroom and two meals – typically breakfast and dinner. Also called semi-pension.

Motel

A lodging facility that caters primarily to guests arriving by automobile.

Organization

Arrangement of people in jobs designed to accomplish the goals of the operation/property.

Organization chart

A schematic representation of the relationships among positions within an organization, showing where each position fits into the overall organization and illustrating the divisions of responsibility and lines of authority.

Overbooking

Accepting more reservations than there are available rooms.

Package plan rate

A special room rate for a room as a part of a combination of events or activities.

Promotional rate

A special room rate offered to promote future business.

Rechaud

French for chafing dish mounted on a rolling cart, or gueridon, used to prepare special dishes and keep food warm.

Referral group

A group of independent hotels that have banded together for their common goal. Hotels within the group refer their departing guests or those guests who cannot accommodate to other properties in the referral group.

Retail

Markets that purchase from the wholesalers or brokers and then sell to users.

Residential hotel

A hotel whose guest quarters generally include a sitting room, bedroom, and kitchenette for permanent and semi-permanent guests.

Resort hotels

A hotel that provides scenery and activities unavailable at most other properties, and whose guests are typically vacationers. Resort hotels are planned destinations for their guests.

Revenue center

A hotel division or department that sells goods or services to guests and thereby directly generates revenue for the hotel. The front office, food and beverage outlets, room service, and retail stores are typical hotel revenue centers.

Room division

The division of a hotel that includes the front office, reservations, telephone switchboard, housekeeping, and uniformed service departments and functions. The room division plays an essential role in providing the services guests expect during a hotel stay.

Room rate

The price a hotel charges for overnight accommodation.

Room status

A code or description indicating the occupancy and housekeeping status of a room, which is based on a physical check.

Russian service

Serving system in which the waiter or waitress picks up large platters of food in the kitchen and brings them to the table, where he or she divides the food among the dishes.

Salad

Consists typically of chilled ingredients placed on an under liner and topped with a dressing and garnish.

Security

Prevention of access to valuables by those unauthorized to use or obtain them.

Strategy

The general program according to which a department or division plans to achieve its goals.

Suite hotel

A hotel whose guest rooms have separate bedroom and living room or parlor areas, and sometimes a kitchenette.

Support center

A hotel division or department that does not generate revenue directly, but supports the hotel’s revenue centers. Support centers include the housekeeping, accounting, engineering and maintenance, and human resources divisions.

Table d’haute

Complete meal, usually including desert and beverage, offered for a single fixed price. The opposite of a la carte.

Tactics

The day-to-day operating procedures that implement successful strategies.

Target markets

Distinctly defined groupings of potential buyers (market segments) at which sellers aim or target their marketing efforts.

Time-share hotel

A group of condominium units whose owners associate and hire a management company to operate their units as a hotel. The condominium units normally contain bedrooms, living rooms, dining area, and kitchen.

Tour group

A group of people who have had their accommodations, transportation, and related activities arranged for them.

Travel Management Company

A large travel agency with significant room rate negotiating power.

 

Tray service

Serving method in which dishes are assembled onto trays so that a complete meal can be taken to a person at once. This method is typical of hospitals, for example.

Uniformed service

A department within the room division including perking attendants, door attendants, porters, limousine drivers, and bell persons.

World-class service

A level of guest service that stresses personal attention. Hotels offering world-class service provide upscale restaurants and lounges, exquisite décor, concierge services, opulent rooms, and abundant amenities.

 

Contents

Part 1

Unit 1. Hospitality industry …………………………….…..

Unit 2. Hotel definition ………………………………….…

Unit 3. Hotel classification (size, levels of service) …….…

Unit 4. Hotel classification (ownership and affiliation)…...

Unit 5. Hotel classification (target market) …………….….

Unit 6. Reasons for traveling ……………………………....

Unit 7. Hotel organization (classifying functional areas).…

Unit 8. Hotel organization (room division) …………….….

Unit 9. Hotel organization (other divisions) …………….…

Unit 10. Hotel staff …………………………………….…..

Unit 11. Hotel staff (continuation) …………………….…..

Part II

Unit 1. Food service industry ……………………….………

Unit 2. Menu definition …………………………….……….

Unit 3. Menu types ………………………………….………

Unit 4. Menu planning and estimating ………….……….

Unit 5. Types of service (seated service) …………….……...

Unit 6. Types of service (self-service) ……………….……..

Unit 7. Restaurant …………………………………………...

Unit 8. Eating out establishment staff ………………….

Texts for additional reading…………………………………

Glossary ……………………………….……………………

Keys for self control ……………………………………

Reference list………………………………………………..