Chapter 6: Accommodations
Overview
We all need to find shelter while traveling. This is equally true of seasoned luxury travelers, campground veterans, and burgeoning explorers. Accommodations are thus an essential part of a traveler’s journey. From luxurious hotels and resorts to smaller motels and even RVs and camping sites, there are many options to choose from. Each accommodation type appeals to a different type of traveler.
This chapter examines various types of accommodations. Each type of accommodation includes unique features, benefits, and drawbacks. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the role of accommodations in the greater hospitality and tourism field. This includes how accommodations contribute to the overall experience of a traveler.
The chapter accepts a focus on career pathways and success in movement through each step of one’s professional career. The chapter investigates management techniques and topics including career paths, departmental responsibilities and communication, hotel brands/flags, processes at the operations level, and stakeholders peripheral to operations such as hotel owners and hospitality consultants. Even staffing, PCI compliance, POS/PMS,front office staff training, real estate cap rates, and budgeting are covered for those learners who may be interested in hotel ownership one day.
By the end of this chapter, you will have a better understanding of the different types of accommodations available and how to choose the best option for your specific needs and preferences, whether you are a traveler or industry professional building a career.
Objectives
- Learners will define key terminologies and concepts in the lodging industry.
- Learners will create career pathways based on individual skill sets, traits, opportunities, and organizational charts.
- Learners will correctly compute lodging industry math.
- Learners will accurately interpret budgets, POs, and staffing documents.
- Learners will recognize line items on daily checklists (i.e. responsibilities by department).
- Learners will identify trends in the accommodations industries.
Key Terms
- Accommodations
- Star Rating
- Diamond Rating
- Chain Scales
- ISO 14001
- Smith Travel Research (STR)
- Competetive Analysis (Comp Set)
- Occupancy
- Average Daily Rate (ADR)
- Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR)
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Greenwashing
- Hotel Metrics
- Hotel Organizational Structures
Attributions
- Chapter opening image: Hotel by Bill Kasman is released under CC0 1.0
Facilities or establishments providing lodging, shelter, or housing for travelers or guests, including hotels, motels, resorts, and vacation rentals.
A type of lodging establishment typically located along highways or main roads, offering basic accommodations and amenities primarily for transient travelers and motorists.
A broad term that encompasses a variety of motorized or towable vehicles designed for recreational travel and leisure activities.
A form of accommodation and recreation where individuals or groups stay outdoors in temporary shelters, typically tents, for leisure and enjoyment.
The process of recruiting, hiring, training, and managing personnel or employees to perform various roles and responsibilities within hospitality and tourism establishments.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance refers to adherence to security standards and practices established by the PCI Security Standards Council to protect credit card data and prevent fraud in payment card transactions.
Point-of-sale (POS) systems and property management systems (PMS) are software solutions used in hospitality establishments for managing transactions, reservations, guest services, and administrative functions.
The front office department in hospitality establishments is responsible for guest-facing operations, including reception, reservations, check-in, check-out, and guest services.
Capitalization rates, or cap rates, are a measure used to evaluate the rate of return on real estate investments, calculated by dividing the property's net operating income by its purchase price or value.
The process of planning, estimating, and allocating financial resources or budgets for various expenses, projects, or operations within hospitality and tourism businesses.
