Module 12: Characteristics of the Hospitality Industry

Lesson Summary

Hospitality is the act of kindness in welcoming and looking after the basic needs of customers or strangers, mainly in relation to food, drink and accommodation.
Five key characteristics:
Product/Service
Communication
Relationships
Cultural diversity
Labor

There are two main business sectors in the hospitality industry:
Accommodation - To provide accommodation (and usually food and drink) to people who for whatever reason are away from home.
Food and beverage - To provide food and beverage to local, commuting, transient customers and tourists.

Careers in Hospitality
Positions can vary from back-of-house to front-of-house, and are at varying levels within the hospitality industry.
Shift work is very common in the food and beverage and accommodation sectors.
Staff can be required to work on weekends or special days, such as Christmas and Easter, etc.

Main types of hotel accommodation:
City center hotels
Suburban hotels
Airport hotels
Commercial hotels
Resort hotels
Convention hotels

Specialized Hotels:
Ice hotels
Cave hotels
Capsule hotels
Treetop hotels
Underwater hotels

Hotel rating systems can generally be classified into two different categories: official and commercial
Two examples of commercially-oriented hotel rating systems are developed by the Mobil Travel Guide (re-branded as Forbes Travel Guide in 2009) and the American Automobile Association (AAA).