English for Students Majoring in Hospitality Industry

УО «БЕЛОРУССКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»

 

Н.М.Падалко

Профессионально ориентированный английский для студентов, изучающих индустрию гостеприимства

English for Students Majoring in Hospitality Industry

Учебно-методическое пособие

По английскому языку

для студентов факультета

Высшая школа туризма

Минск: БГЭУ, 2010

Рецензент: Новик Н.А. заведующая кафедрой профессионально ориентированной английской речи Учреждения образования «Белорусский государственный экономический университет».

 

 

Рекомендовано кафедрой профессионально ориентированной английской речи УО «Белорусский государственный экономический университет»

 

 

Падалко Н.М.

Профессионально ориентированный английский для студентов, изучающих индустрию гостеприимства/ Н.М.Падалко. -БГЭУ, 2010. –72c.

 

Данное учебно-методическое пособие направлено на развитие и совершенствование навыков говорения, чтения и перевода по профессиональной тематике факультетаВысшая школа туризма. Пособие предназначено для студентов 3-4 курсов ФВШТ очной и заочной форм обучения. Может быть использовано в качестве основного или дополнительного материала.

Contents

PART I.

Unit I. The Hotel Business…………………………………………. 4

Unit II. The Restaurant Business …………………………………… 13

Unit III. Career in Hospitality ……………………………………… 21

Self-Check Test …………………………………………………….. 31

Additional texts for Reading and Discussing ………………………. 33

PART II. WORK IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Unit IV. Front Office ……………………………………………….. 38

Unit V. The Back of the House …………………………………….. 49

Unit VI. Technology in Hospitality …………………………………. 59

Self-Check Test ……………………………………………………… 66

Additional texts for Reading and Discussing ……………………….. 68

 

PART I

UNIT I. The Hotel Industry

Read and Learn

Read the text; find in it the English equivalents of the following topical words and phrases:

Приемлемая цена; предоставление места в гостинице; не подходят под определение; конкретные потребности; целевой рынок; местоположение; право собственности; в соответствии с; вероятнее всего находятся в живописных и экзотических местах; предполагаемая продолжительность проживания; гостиница для продолжительного проживания; гостиница для проезжающих; уровень услуг; услуги общественного питания; услуга доставки питания в номер; услуги прачечной; предполагается, что гости готовят себе сами; вблизи автомагистрали; на каждую комнату одно парковочное место; частная компания; международная цепь отелей; высокая степень риска; циклический характер спроса; огромные капиталовложения; манипуляции с недвижимостью; прибыль от продаж; выгода от налогообложения,

 

Text 1

Task 1. Find in the text answers to these questions

1. What is the definition of a hotel?

2. Why do other types of establishments which also provide accommodation services not come under the definition of a hotel?

3. How can hotels be classified?

4. What do hotels differ in?

5. Why is the hotel business characterized by a high degree of risk?

 

Task 2. Sum up what you’ve learned from the text about

a) commercial, tourist and resort properties;

b) residential hotels and transient hotels;

c) city centre hotels, suburban hotels, resort hotels;

d) full-service hotels, budget hotels, and self-catering hotels;

e) hotel forms of ownership: private, a local group, an international group.

Read and Discuss

Text 2

THE GOLDEN BAY STAR HOTEL

The Golden Bay Star Hotel was developed by a group of investors in the late 1970s to be the premier luxury property of its type in the Bay Area. The location in downtown was chosen for its proximity to the financial district and art gallery community.

In its early years of operation, the Golden Bay Star enjoyed modest success. But the ownership felt that better performance was possible. They decided that name recognition was what they lacked. By 1982 the ownership decided to affiliate the hotel with a national luxury manage­ment company. The hotel and management company signed an agreement that was renewable every five years.

For the next few years, the Star (as it is called) experienced record revenue performance. The boom in the financial markets was reflected in strong transient and group demand at high rates. The art market was experiencing strong interest from individual and institutional inventors from across the world. Auctions and other meetings were traditionally held at the Star. All parties involved were satisfied with the arrangement.

By the late 1980s, accelerated hotel construction in the vicinity of the hotel began to manifest itself. Properties of all product types and sizes began to pop up all around the Star. Newly developed hotel concepts (the extended stay and all suite) started to vie for the traditional business of the Star.

After several years of declining performance, the hotel owners began to get nervous. They needed to know why they were in this situation and how it would be remedied. The ownership sent a representative, Tom Anderson, to the hotel to monitor the situation. Tom met with the hotel's general manager, Shelly Burns. Shelly had been at the hotel for 10 years. She had been on board for the period of exceptional performance; so naturally as the leader, she had been lauded. She was not used to being in the position of having to explain poor performance.

Shelly Burns was a "hands on" general manager. She involved her­self in all aspects of operations and sales. She was so involved in sales and marketing, she saw no need for a change. They had never needed to advertise, and the sales office seemed to run itself. After all, she could make those decisions if need be, so why incur the extra salary costs?

The senior sales person at the Star, Frank Nevins, had been on staff since the opening of the property. He had long enjoyed a healthy relation­ship with the local financial community. His contacts were renowned, and he spent a great deal of time cultivating those relationships.

Tom asked Shelly to take a good look at the current state of the hotel. He needed to report back to the owners and wanted a solid plan from the hotel as to how it would improve performance. The owners were in the fifth year of their current management contract and needed to act quickly. He gave her one week to come up with a plan.

 

Notes

1. to vie for smth. - соперничать за что-л.

2. to remedy - исправлять (напр., положение вещей)

3. to laud - прославлять, хвалить, превозносить

4. renewable – возобновляемый

5. to pop up – неожиданно появляться

6. solid plan – основательный план

 

Task 1. Answer the following questions

1. Where was the Golden Bay Star Hotel located? Why was that location chosen?

2. How did the ownership decide to improve the hotel performance?

3. What was the boom in the financial markets reflected in?

4. Why did the Star face a strong competition in the late 1980s?

5. What did the hotel owners need to know?

6. How did the hotel’s general manager Shelly Burns and senior sales person Frank Nevis perform their duties?

7. What does “the sales office seems to run itself” mean?

8. What did Ton Anderson ask Shelly to do?

 

Read and Translate

Text 3

THE LODGING INDUSTRY

The most important concept of accommodations in relation to tourism is that these businesses are an essential part of the wide array of tourism suppliers. A traveller is in a particular destination area because he or she had a certain motivation, either for business or pleasure. In order to prosper, the accommodations manager must recognize the integral relationship that exists between accommodations and the volume of tourists attracted to the area. Success of the accommodations will thus depend upon the effectiveness of the tourism marketing program conducted on behalf of that destination. The extent of the lodging industry’s financial support for its local convention and visitor’s bureau, chamber of commerce, area and /or regional tourism promotion organization will determine such marketing success.

The lodging industry is made up of hotels, motels, condos, tourist courts, sporting and recreational camps, inns, etc., that is, establishments engaged primarily in providing lodging or lodging and meals to the general public.

Since the mid – 1970 the world lodging industry has been experiencing the greatest building boom in its history. It is projected that the additions to the supply of overall rooms available will level off and that occupancy rates will increase. Room rates are expected to continue to rise about 3-4 percent a year.

A dramatic marketing innovation is the introduction of “yield management” to the lodging industry. By using computerized systems similar to programs employed by airlines, hotels and motels will be able to monitor guest-room inventories and measure them against demand on a day-to-day, or even hour-by-hour, basis.

The lodging industry has practiced market segmentation in recent years. Many of the big chains offer products at almost every price level – full-service luxury hotels, luxury all-suite hotels, moderately priced full-service hotels, moderately priced all-suites, moderately priced limited service, and economy or budget motels. The two fastest growing segments of the industry are all-suites and economy segments.

Between 1960 and 1990, the trend in the lodging industry has been away from independently owned and operated properties toward chain and franchise affiliations. There are also referral groups or voluntary membership associations. The trend towards consolidation and acquisition will continue because chains have the potential for improvement in productivity and the advantages that accrue to large size. Chains can most effectively use training programs, employee selection programs, major equipment such as computers, and research. They can experiment with different layouts, prices, advertising, equipment, and so on, and what works well in one property can be employed chain wide.

One reason for the popularity of the referral groups is that members who are independent operators achieve the marketing benefits of chains of chains without chain membership.

Franchising is also well known in the lodging industry and has made a rapid penetration into the marketplace. Franchisees have the advantage that they receive the knowledge, advice, and assistance of a proven operator. Franchising also spreads the costs of promotion, advertising, and reservation systems over all outlets, making the unit cost much lower. If the franchiser has an excellent reputation and image, the franchisee benefits greatly. Most of the companies with franchise operations also operate company-owned units. Industry predictions are that as the industry grows and matures, there will be less franchising, which will give the chains more control over their properties and operations so that they can maintain the desired quality control. Increased competitiveness and improved properties will necessitate having the ability to make these improvements.

A trend in the lodging industry appears to be that more large properties will be operated under management contracts. Investors, such as insurance companies, frequently purchase hotel properties and turn them over to chains or independents to manage, a process that has advantages to both parties. The owner has the financial resources and the manager has the reputation and experience to manage the property profitably.

A discussion of the lodging industry would not be complete without mentioning the burgeoning bed and breakfast (B&B) segment. It is the fastest growing segment of the accommodations industry and provides both luxury and economy accommodations.

Notes

array – множество

volume – объём, большое количество, масштабы

extent – пределы, размер, величина

be engaged in – занятые в

chamber of commerce – торгово-промышленная палата

lodging industry – гостиничный бизнес

occupancy rate – количество гостей на единицу площади (процент занятости)

yield management – управление прибылью

monitor - контролировать

measure against demand – соразмерять с учётом спроса

all-suite hotels – апартаментный отель

acquisition – приобретение, поглощение

accrue – увеличиваться, накапливаться

layout – компоновка, схема, план

referral group – ассоциация независимых гостиниц

mature - развиваться, доводить до совершенства

profitability – прибыльность, рентабельность

burgeoning segment – растущий сегмент

Read and Learn

Read the text, find in it the English equivalents of the following topical words and phrases:

Ресторан высшей категории; ресторан, специализирующийся на приготовлении одного-двух блюд; горячее блюдо; изысканный ресторан; ресторан с непринужденной обстановкой; столик на колесиках; упрощенная версия; самообслуживание; восстанавливать силы и энергию; распространение концепции; обильная пища; приправлена пикантным соусом; кулинарное мастерство; посещение ресторана; пища (кормление); позиционирование и концепция; жизнеспособность; микрорайон; конкурентоспособное преимущество.

Text 1

Read and Discuss

Text 2

Take a Break at a World Famous Restaurant - “McDonald’s”

Thinking about shopping and preparing food for the family is about the last thing mothers want to do on holidays and particularly on motoring holidays. Holidays should mean holidays from the kitchen, too. But mothers are always concerned that their family is eating the right food. McDonald’s shares that view. “Our menu is based on the selections from four to five basic food groups recommended to maintain good health” says Peter Riechie, chairman and managing director of Mc Donald’s Australia. McDonald’s doesn’t claim that its menu provides every single nutrient needed for a healthy diet. However, a sample meal of a Big Mac, French Fries and a Shake contains foods sources of riboflavin, calcium, thiamine, niacin, zinc, vitamins A, B12, C, D and protein.

The company puts a lot of work, research, money and top-level planning into producing good tasting food that is also nutritious. Its claims are backed up by research carried out at the University of New South Wales which reveals that McDonald’s menu contains an important range of nutrients at levels which make significant contributions to daily dietary requirements.

Peter Ritchie says: “Only 100 per cent pure Australian beef is used in our beef patties. They contain no additives or extenders, no preservatives and no flavor enhancers. Unlike many hamburger shops, no oil or fat is added to the grill to cook the patties and the grill is scraped clean after each batch of patties is cooked. Our Filet-O-Fish is made from whole fillets of premium fish, not shredded or minced. McDonald’s orange juice has no preservatives and no added sugar and our lettuce is farm grown and freshly chopped. We use Australian –grown wheat flavor in our buns, which are baked locally and delivered fresh several times a week.”

McDonald’s recommends variety and moderation to keep fit and healthy. It’s not only food quality about which McDonald’s has a ‘no shortcuts’ policy. Cleanliness features prominently in the company’s operations.

Surveys show that Cleanliness is the first thing customers notice when they enter a restaurant. That’s why the customers and travelers especially, can count on clean restrooms, often with nappy-changing and disabled facilities.

McDonald’s also emphasizes that its family restaurants are designed for family budgets. A family of four can eat well at less than $20. And that’s particularly important when on holiday budget.

Service is another key to the Company’s success. Friendly and fast is what everyone is all about in the Service stakes. No one wants to wait for ages to be served, particularly when they are road weary and have more kilometers to cover.

While McDonald’s places great importance on quality, service, cleanliness and value, the overall aim is to make sure the customers relax and enjoy their McDonald’s experience. For the holiday motorists McDonald’s restaurants provide many components of what might be regarded as an enjoyable experience. Many of the restaurants provide playgrounds or play areas with special safety surfaces that enable children to expend a lot of energy they’d otherwise save up until their parents were mobile again. Parking is also a plus at McDonald’s with many restaurants situated on major highways featuring coach parking and parking spaces for cars towing caravans or trailers. Its drive-through service means motorists in a hurry can simply choose order and then pick up their meal without leaving their car.

McDonald’s operates 260 stores Australia-wide with each restaurant offering the same consistent Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value.

 

Notes

1. nutrient – питательное вещество

2. riboflavin – витамин B2

3. be backed up by – поддерживаться, финансироваться

4. contribution – вклад

5. extenders – начинка

6. preservatives – консерванты

7. flavour enhancers – усилители цвета

8. shred – шинковать, измельчать

9. moderation – умеренность, сдержанность

10. count on – полагаться

11. service stake – сервисная стойка

12. value – ценность, стоимость

 

Read and Translate

Text 3

THE FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY

Eating and drinking places are big business. While much of this activity is local, eating and drinking are favourite pastimes of travellers, and the food industry will face difficult times without the tourist market. Travellers contribute about $ 73 billion to food service sales each year, whether for a coffee shop breakfast, a dinner on an airline, a sandwich from a bus station vending machine, or a ten-course dinner on a cruise ship. Travellers, including foreign visitors, spend more money on food than anything else except transportation, and travellers account for about one-third of the total sales in the food service industry.

The food service industry consists of restaurants, travel food service, and vending and contract institutional food service. Local restaurants are made up of establishments that include fast-food units, coffee shops, specialty restaurants, family restaurants, cafeterias, and full-service restaurants with carefully orchestrated “atmosphere”. Travel food service consists of food operations in hotels and motels, roadside service to automobile travelers, and all food service on airplanes, trains, and ships. Institutional food service in companies, hospitals, schools and so on, is not considered part of the tourism industry.

Over the past two decades, the food and beverage business has grown at a phenomenal rate. This has been especially true for the fast-food segment, with the franchising portion in this segment becoming the dominant growth sector. This remarkable increase has been gained at the expense of other food service operations and supermarkets. Franchisees control approximately three-fourths of the fast-food outlets, whose hamburgers, chickens, steaks, and pizzas dominate the fast-food business. Advantages of franchising accrue to both sides. The franchisee gets the start-up help, advice from experienced management, buying power, advertising and low unit costs from spreading fixed costs over large numbers of units. The franchiser has the advantage of a lower capital investment, rapid growth, and royalty income.

Fast-food chains have enjoyed great success in part because they limit their menus, which give them greater purchasing power, less waste, and more portion control, and, of importance to the consumer, lower operating costs. They are leaders in labour productivity in the restaurant industry.

Although the fast-food segment is the most rapidly growing segment, the high quality segment of the restaurant industry must not be overlooked. Much of this business is based on customers seeking a special or different experience in dining out. This demand has been most effectively satisfied by local entrepreneurs who emphasize special menus, varying atmospheres, and high-quality food and service. New concepts or trends include ethnic restaurants, especially those with an oriental or Mexican flavour, increased demand for health foods, fish, local produce and regional dishes and variety in portion sizes.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) is the most important trade association in the food service field.

Notes

vending machine – торговый автомат

a ten-course dinner – ужин из десяти блюд

account for – составлять

institutional food – организация питания в ведомственных учреждениях

at the expense of – за счет к-л

accrue to – доставаться

outlet – торговая точка

units – (зд.) точки общественного питания

purchasing power – покупательская способность

entrepreneur – предприниматель

Read and Learn

Read the text; find in it the English equivalents of the following topical words and phrases:

Места отдыха и развлечений; сложность; руководство; руководящие должности; головные офисы сети гостиниц; вести счет по ежедневным статьям расходов; расходы/издержки; нести расходы; вносить на счет; услуги прачечной; доставка питания в номер; истинная доброта в общении с гостем; профессиональная подготовка; бухгалтерия; связи с общественностью; сложность/запутанность; в крупных масштабах; инженерная служба; служба технического обслуживания; компетенция/знание дела; врожденные способности; ученик/подмастерье; обширный опыт в; плотник; квалифицированный, малоквалифицированный, неквалифицированный; драпировщик; официант/ка; горничная; выполнять работы; погрузка и разгрузка товара и оборудования; существенный; нанимать на работу; дополнительный заработок; посыльный/коридорный; номер-люкс; в своем распоряжении; бармен; частые возможности.

 

Text 1

Read and Discuss

Text 2

Notes

1. Retail Management – управление розничным предприятием

2. outgoing - общительный

3. fit for - соответствие

4. shift (day or night) – смена

5. Guest History Coordinator – координатор регистрации постояльцев

6. repeat guest – постоянный клиент

7. Kudos – похвала

8. tenure – срок пребывания в должности

9. time-consuming – отнимающий много времени, трудоемкий

10. Transient Sales Manager – менеджер по продажам индивидуальных заказов

11. penetration – проникновение

12. calling – призвание

13. interaction with – взаимодействие, диалог

14. alarm – аварийная ситуация, тревога, опасность

15. affect – влиять, затрагивать

16. outcome – результат, итог

17. gain – получать, добиваться

 

Read and Translate

Text 3

HOTEL CAREER MANAGEMENT

Recent school graduates may find themselves frustrated with a lack of a specific department's opportunities at their hotel of choice. If other departments are offering training or internship programs; job seekers would not hurt themselves by looking into them. The hotel industry is renowned for promoting from within. Quality employees are rewarded with new opportunities. A housekeeping supervisor or assistant front desk manager find the chances of gaining entrance into sales and catering much greater than what they would be outside of the hotel.

Perhaps most relevant to the room division is the experience gained dealing with guests and the operation of the front office. The front desk manager will bring customer rapport skills gained from guest interaction to the sales office, not to mention an in-depth knowledge of the rooms division as well. A sales manager can bring a wealth of knowledge on the intricacies of groups to the front desk.

Whether a hotel employee works for a major chain, or an inde­pendent, that worker must always be thinking about how best to enhance his/her career. Assuming that these workers enjoy what they do, what are the keys to their long-term success? The best ap­proach to fostering a career is to predetermine the career path as much as possible.

A good starting point is to sit down and map out long-term career goals. A list or a chart should be made detailing where they hope to see their careers one, five, and ten years down the road. Do they envision themselves as a general manager eventually? Do they want to rise through the ranks and lead a team as a director of rooms or food and beverage? Perhaps they are quite content with where they are currently and feel good about doing just that. No matter what the specific goals are, the yearly plans should reflect where they want to be and how to get there.

The one-year plan should really be a reflection of an employee's most recent job evaluation or review. A yearly plan should focus on those areas where the supervisor feels improvement is needed. It is most useful when set up as an "action plan" to act on right away. These action plans should list specifically what areas need to be worked on and the best ways of doing so.

The five-year plan should really be a blueprint of what the individ­ual wants his or her next position to be. If content in their careers, workers still need to prove themselves and management how they will stay productive there for many years. The employee will find that consistency over five years will put him or her in a position to dictate what the next position will be.

A good ongoing career management tool for hotel employees (and students interested in the hospitality field for that matter) is to consistently keep abreast of trade journals. Publications such as Hotel & Motel Management, Meetings and Conventions, and Events and Hotelsoffer a wide range of topics that are timely and rele­vant. Association newsletters from groups like the American Society of Association Executives and the Religious Conference Management Association can give people the meeting planner's point of view on the industry. Individuals interested in the food and beverage side of hotels should seek out Restaurant Business, Cuisine, and Hotel Restaurantmagazines for similar insight. Other magazines and newsletters can provide resources for research, career opportunities, and networking.

A ten-year plan is more of a rough outline than anything else. Hotel employee may have more or fewer options depending on the type and size company they work for. If they work for a chain, and they want to be promoted quickly, a good idea is to be open to relocation. Human resources managers at larger chains will have some type of career profile on all staff that other facilities may look at when they have openings. Often, these other facilities will look at employee profiles before the employees themselves ever know of another opportunity.

This profile will outline salary, performance history, experi­ence within the company, education, management suggestions or career path, and relocatability. It is a good idea for all professionals to review their profiles from time to time to ensure accuracy and make changes to reflect where they want to be.

Notes

frustrated – расстроенный, недовольный

internship program – учебная практика, стажировка, интернатура

relevant – значимый, существенный

deal with – заниматься, иметь дело с

rapport – взаимопонимание, согласие

intricacy – сложность, запутанность

enhance – совершенствовать, повышать

foster a career – улучшать

predetermine – предопределять, решать заранее

map out – планировать

list – список

chart – схема, план

envision – предвидеть

keep abreast of – держать в курсе

evaluation – оценивание

insight – взгляд

rough – черновой, приблизительный

relocation – перемещение

accuracy – аккуратность, точность

profile – профиль программы

Self-Check Test

TYPES OF ROOM SERVICE

The range of food service found in hotels and restaurant today is extensive. In the first category, there are restaurants offering the highest grade of service with a full `a la carte menu. This includes dishes served by the waiter from a trolley in the dining room, and is known as gueridon service. The gueridon waiter must always be skilled, for he has to carry) out procedures such as filleting, carving and cooling specialty dishes at the table.

A second, less complicated, type of service is silver service where the menu can be either `a la carte or table d'hote. In this system, the food is prepared in the kitchen and then put on to silver flats and presented to the guests in the dining-room.

A third form of table service, used mainly with a table d' hote menu, is plateservice. Here, the waiter receives the meal already plated from the service hotplate and only has to place it in front of the' guest and make sure that the cor­rect cover is laid and the necessary accompaniments are on the table. Plate service is often offered where there is a rapid turnover and service of the meal and is, therefore, labour-saving in such tasks as washing-up.

In a fourth type of service, called self-service, acustomer collects a tray from the service counter, chooses his dishes and selects the appropriate cutlery for the meal.

Today, with ever-increasing needs for economy, many es­tablishments usually prefer a variety of types of service.

Tourist hotels, for example, frequently offer a combination of self-service and plate-service for breakfast and another combination of self-service and silver service for lunch­eon.

 

 

THE GUEST ROOM PAYMENT

There are three ways a guest room can be paid for. The first, and most common, is by credit card. The credit card is obtained at the time of booking and is used as a guarantee for some forms of reservations. Most hotel com­puter systems can check to ensure that each card is valid and that a sufficient amount of credit is available on the card. This is called obtaining a card approval. Based on the number of nights needed on the reservation and the rate that it was booked at, the computer can calculate the approval based simply on the anticipated revenue.

The second method of payment is cash. Guests choosing not to use a credit card may provide a cash deposit prior to or at the time of check-in. Cash payments should be collected prior to assigning the guest room. For security and fraud concerns, the hotel will require the full room rate, taxes, and what is referred to as anticipated usage amount. This usage amount is the cash deposit required to cover estimated use of hotel facilities and servic­es (e.g., in-room phones, in-room movies, room service, etc.). Guests wish­ing to "sign" these and other services to their room must provide additional cash. Guests choosing not to do this may face their phones and movies being turned off, room service will require a payment at the time of delivery, and so on.

Checks, which are simply a form of cash payment, can be verified in a man­ner similar to credit cards. Funds to cover personal checks can be verified through the issuing banks. Traveler's checks and certified checks do not need approvals because they are issued in exchange for payment at the time of issuance.

The third method of payment is less reliant on the front desk, but is a valid method of payment. Direct billing allows an individual or group to pay for goods/services incurred during a stay or function at a later date. Within a hotel, guests and groups are routinely extended credit. Each time a guest checks in with a credit card as a method of payment, the hotel provides goods/services under the assumption that the credit card company will reim­burse it at a later date.

Groups with direct billing privileges may have their attendees' room charges included on their bill. This may be in addition to planned banquet or outlet/ancillary charges. The individual with direct billing may only be billed their outstanding guest account. Extending direct billing privileges requires that the hotel impose proper credit guidelines. The credit approval process must be strictly adhered to in order to ensure that no credit is extended to an individual or organization unable to pay, called a credit risk.

PART II

UNIT IV. The Front Office

Read and Learn

Text1

THE FRONT DESK

Regardless of the numbers of workers, hotel employment itself falls into two broad categories that are traditionally referred to as front of the house and back of the house.

Jobs in the front of the house include management, the various jobs at the check-in desk (the front desk), accounting, sales and promotion, baggage handling, car attendants, and special services. It should be noted that some front-of-the-house employees — those in accounting or sales and promotion, have little or no contact with the public.

Jobs in the back of the house include food and beverage preparation and service, housekeeping, laundry and valet service, engineering, and maintenance. Some of the employees in this group — restaurant or room-service waiters and chambermaids, for example — have frequent, although rather limited, contact with guests.

The front desk is the term that designates the counter where the guests register, pick up their keys and mail, request information, deposit their valuables, and pay their bills. It is also called the reception area. In a small hotel or motel, all of these different functions may be handled by one or two people, but a large hotel assigns several people to clearly defined jobs at the front desk. The front desk is located in the lobby of the hotel. The lobby is the public entrance area that gives access to the guest rooms, restaurants, bars, shops, and other facilities in the hotel. In a commercial or resort hotel, the lobby is often a large space that contains lounging, reading and writing areas. It is often used as a meeting place by the guests and the general public.

For the convenience of guests, the front desk is almost always located near the hotel's main entrance. In a large hotel, it is divided into sections. One section is the registration desk, where guests register or sign in.A second section is the area where the guests pick up their keys, mail and messages. This part of the counter has a rack behind it with pigeonholes for each guest room in the hotel. The third section is an information desk, where the guests can ask for information or make local travel arrangements. The fourth section is the cashier's desk. The cashiers not only receive payment from the guests, but also cash checks, make change, and exchange foreign currency. Some hotels also offer a transportation desk, where the guests may get advice or help with their travel plans.

Connected with the front desk, but normally out of sight of the public, are other offices with support functions. One office, for example, is often set aside to handle reservations. The cashier's counter is usually connected to the hotel's accounting office, of which it is the public part. The hotel's telephone switchboard is also usually located near the front desk.

Many hotels have one or more assistant managers stationed either behind the front desk or at a desk in the lobby. Their jobs may include greeting important guests, sorting out problems with reservations, or handling routine complaints.

The employee who checks in arriving guests and assigns them to their rooms is the room clerk. When the guest arrives, the room clerk checks his reservations or the availability of the accommodation, the guest fills in a registration card with his name, home address and any other required information. The room clerk fills in the room number and the rate the guest will pay. All of these steps, which take only a few moments in a smoothly functioning system, make up the check-in, or registration procedure.

The primary job of front-desk personnel is to take care of the check-in and check-out procedures and to provide helpful information to the guests in order that their stay in the hotel may be comfortable and convenient.

In the eyes of most customers, the front-desk employees are the representatives of the hotel. Their ability to work smoothly is an important factor in the success of the hotel.

 

Read and Discuss

ABOUT MY JOB

Very shortly after graduating from college, I stopped by a hotel and applied for a front desk agent position. I figured I could work some hours in a stress-free environment while I looked for a "real job." Who would've guessed that a front desk position could be the start of a life-long passion? I quickly learned that the front desk is the heart of the operation in a limited-service hotel. And I loved every minute of it.

What started as a part-time job suddenly turned into a full-time career. With my college years behind me, I decided that I was enjoying the hotel business. Because I was working at the "the heart of the hotel," I soon became a master of fielding complaints ("opportunities" is how the corporate people referred to them). I found myself actually enjoying the art of turning the situation around in favor of my organization. To go from the beginning of the conversation, where you might be apologizing to the guest for whatever might have happened, to the end, where the guest is actu­ally thanking you for your help in resolving it, I had found my dream job. I knew I wanted to grow and get promoted to higher levels of responsibility, so I planted a couple of seeds in the mind of my manager. Low and behold, three months later I was promoted to front office manager at the same location.

I was now responsible for finding the perfect front desk can­didates. Interviewing; hiring, training, supervising; I never thought 1 could make a whole week's work of this. During my time as front office manager, I interviewed what seemed like a thousand people claiming to be my perfect candidate. I had to figure out what I wanted at the front desk; who I wanted representing our hotel. I was determined to have the best front desk staff in the city. This delight­ed my general manager immensely.

The year quickly passed, and I received yet another career opportunity, which of course meant another geographical move. My experience had finally paid off — I was becoming a general manager. I am now ultimately responsible for all goings-on in my hotel. Immediately after beginning my new position, I had to go through the tedious yearly budget process, I am responsible for controlling expenses while driving revenues to increase our gross operating profit and average daily rate. I have to make a conscious effort to take a few moments out of each day to stroll around the hotel and talk to the guests and employees. After getting acclimated into my new position, I came to a conclusion. In order to eliminate the "juggling of hats" that many of us are still doing, I must, with the help of my key staff, reduce the turnover of employees at our hotel. So, my time as a general manager for the most part has been consumed with creating and implementing the best incentive plan any of my employees has ever experienced, an incentive plan that rewards and motivates, one that makes our employees want to come to work each day. Our corporate executives believe that the guest shouldbe number one. But I think differently. At our hotel, the guest is number two. In many opinions, the employee is number one.

I truly believe that we need to take good care of our employees. Train them to deliver great service, motivate them to feel that this is more than just a job, recognize them for their great deeds, compen­sate them for a job well done, and retain them to create a consistent staff. If we take care of our employees, they will in turn take good care of our guests. They will stay with us again, and we will constantly build new clientele thanks to word of mouth. Our employees are happy, our guests are happy; our revenues are increasing — so the executives at our corpo­rate office are happy — and all this makes me extremely happy. This is something they don't talk about in college. This is something you can learn about only through experiences. This is what is known as job security.

Notes

apply for – подавать заявление о приеме на работу

environment – атмосфера, обстановка

limited-service hotel – гостиница, предоставляющая ограниченное количество услуг

part-time job – работа неполный рабочий день

in favour of – в пользу

field complaints – анализировать жалобы

low and behold – будучи замеченным

hire – нанимать

supervise – контролировать

determined – решительно настроенный

ultimately – в конечном счете

goings-on – дела, действия

tedious – утомительный, длительный

gross operating profit – валовой операционный доход

average daily rate – среднесуточный дебит

stroll around – бродить

juggling of hats – жонглирование шляпами

turnover – текучесть рабочей силы

incentive plan – система поощрительных вознаграждений

reward – поощрять

retain – сохранять

consistent staff – постоянный штат работников

word of mouth – изустная реклама (приемами повседневного общения)

job security – гарантия занятости, обеспеченность работой

 

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Registration

Once a guest has arrived and has made it to the front desk, the registration process begins. It is at this point where most guests have begun to create an impression of the hotel in their minds. The front desk personnel must continue to focus on guest satisfaction. Hotels that create a warm and inviting atmosphere around the front office area ensure that the registration process goes smoothly. Getting people into guest rooms quickly, efficiently, and accurately is the pri­mary responsibility of the front desk. The mechanics of checking guests in is fairly self-explanatory. In summary, checking guests in entails processing indi­vidual reservations, assigning the proper guest rooms by ensuring that room preferences are maintained, and obtaining a method of payment.

Each day, based on the arrivals report that is generated, the front desk knows how many guests are due to check in. Each individual reservation is known in advance, so the front desk should be able to manage what rooms are available. Coordinating the available rooms with each guest's room pref­erences is an important task. Room preferences, as reviewed earlier, are defined as the individual guest's choice in room type.

The process of matching room preferences to available rooms is called blocking. Blocking is a process where a specific room is reserved for a specif­ic guest. Blocking a room to match an arriving guest's room preferences con­tributes greatly to guest satisfaction levels. The process of blocking these rooms each day mayfall to a front office employee called a room’s controller. The rooms controller uses the arrivals report and compares it to the hotel's room inventory. The rooms controller must factor in room preferences as well as projected arrival times. Special requests such as cribs and rollaway beds are also blocked in advance as needed. The blocking of rooms applies to transient and group guests.

Most hotels assign a priority level to which rooms are blocked first. Guests who are members of a hotel's guest loyalty program, VIPs as designated by management, and those who are paying premium rates are usually given top priority. Communication with the housekeeping depart­ment ensures that all arriving guests are blocked into rooms that achieve a Vacant/Ready status prior to their arrival.

Unexpected early arrivals or incorrect documentation of room prefer­ences may require the rooms controller to change the existing blocks. This process, called "blowing the block" can create problems. The rooms controller must ensure that one block isn't created at the detriment of another arriving guest. It is for this reason that the rooms controller works closely with the front desk, housekeeping, and reservations department.

As the guest approaches the front desk, he/she should be greeted warmly, further emphasizing guest satisfaction. This is accomplished by implementing the 10x10 rule, which has two parts. The first part states that a guest's perception of an entire stay is, in large measure, instilled in the first 10 minutes upon arrival. The other part states that the front desk must greet a guest feet before he/she approaches the desk. An employee who begins a conversation with a guest at least 10 feet away creates a favorable impression. This makes the guest feel welcome by encouraging his/her approach.

Notes

guest satisfaction – удовлетворенность потребителя (зд. гостя)

smoothly – ровно, гладко

primary responsibility – первостепенная обязанность

check in – регистрировать

entail – влечет за собой

assign – отводить, предназначать

obtain – получать

in advance – заблаговременно, заранее

be due to – быть должным (зд. должны)

available – имеющийся в распоряжении

specific (room) – конкретная

reserve – бронировать

room controller – инспектор по бронированию

hotel’s room inventory – реестр комнат гостиницы

factor – факторизовать, разлагать на

projected arrival times – планируемые прибытия

crib – коляска

rollaway bed – раскладушка

transient guest – транзитный (случайный) гость

group guest – гость с предварительным бронированием

guest loyalty program – программам поддержки постоянного гостя

premium rates – премиальная ставка, дополнительный тариф

housekeeping department – административно-хозяйственная служба

Vacant/Ready status – статус комнаты готовой к обслуживанию

blocking – объединение

“blowing the block” – сгорание блока

create problems – создавать проблемы

at the detriment – в ущерб, во вред

instill – вселять, формировать

guest’s perception – впечатление (восприятие) гостя

Read and Learn

Text 1

FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE

Food and beverage service is a major factor in hotel operation. In some large hotels, the income derived from this source actually exceeds income from room rentals. The food and beverage income in many hotels is increased by pro­viding service for banquets and conventions.

Virtually every modern hotel offers some form of food and bever­age service. In some, facilities are available only for a continental breakfast — that is, a light meal of bread or rolls and coffee, while others have a small coffee shop or restaurant on the premises. Because of the large proportion of income contributed by a hotel's bars and restaurants, the food and-beverage manager is a key member of the management staff. He has the overall responsibility for planning the food and drink operation and purchasing the hun­dreds of items that are necessary for the restaurants and bars. Because food can spoil quickly, ordering supplies is a daily rou­tine. In a very large establishment, two people may be assigned to this task: one to order food and the other to order wines and spirits. The purchase and care of some items, such as table linens, or napery, or aprons for the kitchen help, must be closely coordinated with the housekeeping department. The food and beverage manager's staff may also include a store­keeper, who stores and issues food, beverages, and restaurant and kitchen supplies.

The kitchen itself is a separate kingdom within the hotel. The head cook, who is almost always called by the French word chef,is the boss of this area. The chef is responsible for planning the menus (the food that is being served on a particular day), and for supervising the work of the other chefs and cooks. In very large or elaborate setups, the head cook is called the ex­ecutive chef, and his responsibilities are largely those of a man­ager. He plans, purchases and frequently coordinates the operation of several restaurants.

Depending on the size of the establishment, several assistant chefs report to the chef. These include a sauce chef, a salad chef, a vegetable chef, and so on. Under the chefs are the cooks who actually cook the food and then place it on the plate for the wait­ers to pick up. Under the cooks' supervision are the kitchen helperswho peel potatoes, cut up vegetables, and bring food from the storeroom to the kitchen. The kitchen staff also includes dishwashers, even in a kitchen equipped with electrical appliances, since pots and pans usually need special attention, and someone must load and unload the machines.

In the restaurant, as well as in the kitchen, there are also different kinds of jobs. The person who seats the guests is called a captainor maitre d' (short for maitre d'hotel), or a hostess, if a woman. In restaurants with a very formal style of service, the captain also lakes the guests' orders. The meals are served by waiters or wait­resses. Inless formal restaurants, the waiters and waitresses take orders and serve the meals. Most restaurants also employ busboys, who pour water, clear and set tables, and perform other similar chores.

In an elaborate restaurant, there is often an employee called the wine steward, or sommelier, who takes orders for wine and sometimes for other alcoholic drinks.

Finally, there are cashiers who receive payment or signed bills from the guests. When the guest puts his restaurant bill on his ho­ld account, this information must be passed along to the account­ing office as quickly as possible.

Read and Discuss

Text 2

Make a note of the use of the word "commis" = an ap­prentice or trainee waiter.

WAITER FOR A WEEK

I was to be a commis waiter for a week at the restaurant. There are 50 waiters. Commis waiters and waiters work as a team. The waiter is the front man, taking orders, chatting to the customers. The commis, rather less glamorously, runs to the kitchen to bring up the orders and assist in serving them at the table. Although the commis will actu­ally do more physical work, they share the tips equally. All in all this is fair, as it must be pointed out that the sen­ior waiter is actually responsible for keeping a running ac­count of the bills and if he makes a mistake, or under­charges, the fault is rectified through his wage packet. It's an important working relationship.

I reported for work at 11am. That may sound like a re­laxed time to start the day, but the hours, I was soon to learn, are hell. The last client at lunchtime may not leave until half past three, or later, and the evening shift starts at 6pm. The hours, it was generally agreed, are the worst thing about waitering.

The commis takes the orders from the table down to the kitchen. He places the order for hot food under the noseof the sous-c hef who is shouting out orders to the cooks, while orders for cold dishes and salad go to a separate counter, and desserts are from yet another area. The kitchen is two flights of stairs away from the restaurant. The commis then comes up to see if any more orders have been taken while the previous one is being prepared. At the same time, dishes have to be cleared or put on the table, glasses refilled, ashtrays emptied, and somehow there always seems to be a new table with six or eight new orders to be filled — two flights away in the kitchen.

Hell, I rather imagine, is like the kitchen of that restaurant. Yelling chefs, endless banging of pots and crockery, steaming, casseroles, hissing frying pans, men with red shining faces, and trays with loads heavy enough to break your wrists. And running. Always running. Up and down, down and up. And since everyone is running, and always with loaded trays, you need the co-ordination of a gymnast to stay out of trouble. I spent as much time as possible in the dining room itself.

I noticed that wearing a uniform somehow transformed me into a role. It wasn't play-acting. Customers become sir or madam. Deference, a quality I usually lack, became the order of the day. I became very sensitive about the way I was treated. I hated being summoned by the click of the finger or the bend of the index finger. It was hurtful if conversation deliberately stopped as I served the meal, and yet unkind if it continued as if I didn't exist. I began to notice if people said please and thank you, and then whether they looked at me when they said it.

Notes

glamorously – энергично, активно

assist – помогать

share – делить

tips – чаевые

senior waiter – старший официант

undercharge – брать низкую цену (недосчитать)

fault – недостаток, недочет

rectify – исправлять

wage packet – недельная зарплата

shift – смена

sous-chef – помощник шеф-повара

two flights of stairs – два пролета по лестнице

yelling chefs – орущие повара

banging of pots and crockery – грохот горшков и посуды

steaming casseroles – бурлящие кастрюли

hissing frying pans – шипящие сковородки

deference – почтение

order of the day – неотъемлемая часть работы, повестка дня

summon by the click of the fingers – подзывать щелчком пальцев

 

Read and Translate

Text 3

PROVIDING MEALS AND DRINKS

Providing meals and drinks in the guests' rooms is another service extended by most hotels. Room service is ordered by telephone from a menu that is placed in each room. The menu itself is some cases is the same as the one for the dining room, but more often it is simplified to make for easier preparation and service. Special employees take the orders and special waiters carry them to the rooms. To cut down on orders for ice and soft drinks, many hotels nowadays have machines on each floor to dispense these items.

Room service in most hotels closes down at the same time the kitchen does, normally ten o'clock and midnight. Some hotels, however, are prepared to provide sandwiches even during the late-night hours. Some luxury hotels have small kitchens or pantries on each floor that are used either for warming food or for preparing breakfasts. More room service orders are for breakfast than for any other meal. In some hotels, the guest can order breakfast before he goes to bed by filling in a slip which he leaves outside his door. The meal is then served at the time the guest has specified. Even in hotels with more than one restaurant, there is usually just one central kitchen. The special types of food served in the various restaurants are normally prepared by different chefs and cooks rather than in separate kitchens. Like the housekeeping department, the food and beverage department needs additional space for storage of the many items that must be kep