Founders of the Hotel Industry

CHAPTER FOCUS POINTS

• Historical overview of the hotel industry

• Hotel classification system

• Trends that foster growth and employment in the hotel industry

• Career development

O P E N I N G D I L E M M A

A hospitality career fair is scheduled at the end of the week at your college or university. Your recent review of this chapter has enticed you to explore the career opportunities in limited-service and full-service hotels. Your instructor has asked you to prepare a list of possible questions to ask the recruiter. What would you include in that list?

The mere mention of the word hotel conjures up exciting images: a busy lobby filled with international dignitaries, celebrities, community leaders, attendees of conventions and large receptions, businesspersons, and family vacationers. The excitement that you feel in a hotel lobby is something you will have forever in your career. Savor it and enjoy it. It is the beginning of understanding the concept of providing hospitality to guests. As you begin to grasp the principles of a well-operated hotel, you will discover the important role the front office plays in keeping this excitement intact.

The front office is the nerve center of a hotel property. Communication and accounting are two of the most important functions of a front desk operation. Effective communications— with guests, employees, and other departments of the hotel—are paramount in projecting a hospitable image. Answering guest inquiries about hotel services and other guests, marketing and sales department requests for information on guest room availability, and housekeeping department inquiries concerning guest reservations are but a few of the routine tasks performed almost constantly by a hotel front desk in its role as communications hub. Accounting procedures, involving charges to registered and non-registered hotel guest accounts, are also very important in the hospitality field. Itemized charges are necessary to show a breakdown of charges if a guest questions a bill. Services for which fees are charged are available 24 hours a day in a hotel property.

Moreover, because guests may want to settle their accounts at any time of the day, accounts must be current and accurate at all times. Keeping this data organized is a top priority of good front office management.

Founders of the Hotel Industry

A history of the founders of the hotel industry provides an opportunity to reflect upon our heritage. Learning about the founding giants such as Statler, Hilton, Marriott, Wilson, and Schultz, to name a few, allows a student of the hotel industry to discover the interesting lineage of hoteliers. The insights afforded by the efforts of these innovators who carved out the modern hotel industry may help future professionals with their own career planning.