Hospitality

Whether you’re staying in a 5-star hotel including more exclusive like  hotels  sheffield or a backpacker hostel, there are many things you can do to help keep yourself and your belongings safe. These tips are particularly helpful if you’re traveling solo as you won’t have someone to watch out for you.

1. Never leave the “Please Clean” sign on your door. This signals that your room is empty and is telltale sign for someone who might be waiting for the perfect moment to burglar your room. Instead, call the front desk and let them know your room is ready for a cleaning.

2. Ask for a room close to the elevator. While this may be noisier than one at the end of the hall, if you do find yourself in trouble, it’s more likely someone will hear you if you need help.

3. Women… NEVER let a man in your room. Even if you’ve called room service and you’re fairly certain that he’s trustworthy. Keep the door open and conduct your business near the hallway. If a service person must get in the room, in the case of having to fix the air conditioning or television, keep the door open at all times. If you haven’t called someone, yet someone’s knocking, check with the front desk to confirm it’s someone from the hotel.

4. Carry a rubber doorstop. In many developing countries, there is no deadbolt or chain lock to provide added  protection from a potential intruder. Because most doors open inward, simply slip the doorstop underneath the door so that no one can get in while you’re sleeping or in the shower.

5. Ensure your privacy. Most hotel staff are trained not to say your room number out loud. If they do say it while you’re checking in and there are others in the lobby, ask for another room. You never know who might be listening and taking note that you are traveling on your own.

6. Keep your key safe. In less modern hotels, the room key is often on a keychain that may include your hotel name and room number. Simply slip the key off and carry it in a safe place so that, in the event that you lose it or someone picks it up, they don’t know where to find you. Always make use of car hire Bilbao Airport or any other location to ease your transportation.

Hints to help your hotel stay go smoothly

Once you have your on-line hotel reservation, follow these steps to avoid problems and to have a pleasant stay.

These tips add to what you learned in Hotel Savings Strategies,  if you go vacation to whitby on the north-east coast of England you can make online book at whitby holiday cottages

• Print out your confirmation and receipt (if prepaid) and take these with you to your hotel.At some point during your travels, you may need to prove that you made a reservation that somehow became “lost” in a computer system.
• Soon after booking online, call your hotel or resort and confirm that it received your reservation and that all is well.
• Give your hotel any special requests you may have, such as a nonsmoking room or king bed. You are never absolutely guaranteed these, but it helps to request (or reconfirm) these directly with your hotel in advance of arrival.The more in advance you make these requests, the more likely they will be honored.However, wait until check in to ask for any free upgrades. (See below)
• Ask the hotel what parking costs, if traveling to a large city.Parking rates can be astronomically high, and cheaper rates may be in unsafe areas.You simply do not need a car in Manhattan or in downtown areas of cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, or Washington, DC.

The following hints may also enhance your travel experience.

• Sign up for your hotel chain’s frequent guest program, especially if you are staying at a top rated hotel.You may get a free upgrade, express check out, and other perks.
• Avoid checking in during the late evening.Hotels overbook, so you’ll want to avoid this major hassle, especially late at night. Try to show up before everyone else has.An exception is Las Vegas, where guests arrive and depart at all hours.
• When checking in at better hotels, dress appropriately for your destination and age.You do not have to wear a business suit when arriving at a top hotel in New York, but you should wear something more upscale than what you wore while camping at the Grand Canyon.Like it or not, hotel desk clerks and those who guard the doors of the best clubs and restaurants are more likely to do favors for you if they think that you belong.
• If you have an American Express or airline frequent traveler credit card, use it when you check in. This tells the hotel that you probably travel frequently, and it would be wise to treat you well.
• Especially when arriving at first-class and deluxe hotels, do not ask for free upgrades, unless you hold top status in the hotel’s frequent guest program.Check in clerks are quite jaded when it comes to these requests. After all, using Hotwire.com or Priceline.com Hotels, you are paying the rock bottom rates at these hotels.INSTEAD, politely ask how much it costs to upgrade to a “lake front,” “partial ocean view,” or whatever type of room you wish. You may be surprised at how little it costs—and how often you are upgraded for free.

  Partial ocean view rooms, by the way, are often great values with views more interesting than just staring out to sea from a full ocean view room.

• If you must travel with valuables, take advantage of hotel secure storage facilities, instead of less secure room safes. Bell captains at better hotels can put large items, such as laptops, in locked storage while you are away.

There are many different logistics that go into planning a vacation. Airline tickets must be purchased, hotel reservations must be made, and an itinerary must be made. In truth, planning a vacation can be a lot of work for one person. That is why many people enlist the help of a travel agent to plan vacations for them. Finding the right travel agent can be as important as finding the right hair dresser or the right mechanic. If you are thinking about hiring a travel agent to plan your vacation, look around before settling on one; find one who you know you can trust to plan the perfect vacation for you.

Using a travel agent can provide you with a number of benefits you would otherwise miss out on if you were to plan your vacation on your own. The experience of travel agents has allowed them to create good relationships with other companies involved in travel. They can get special deals on airline fares, hotel reservations, and any other tickets or reservations you might need to things such as theme parks or restaurants you plan to visit during your stay. This allows them to get better bargains for you in areas where you would be paying full price on your own. But overall, the mere convenience of having a travel agent plan your vacation can be entirely worth it.

The best way to find a good travel agent is to do your research. You can talk to friends and family members who have used travel agents in the past. You can also use the internet to try to find the best agency or agent in your area. In some cases you will be able to read testimonials from other customers who have used a certain agency. Try searching for message boards that might give you some insight to good travel agents in your area. It is important to find a travel agent who understands your personal needs and desires when it comes to the type of vacation you are looking for. You should find a travel agent who is willing to get to know you, your likes and dislikes, so they can build a relationship with you and be able to better plan this vacation and vacations in the future. Read more…

Are you planning to study hotel management…or perhaps hospitality, tourism, business or a mix of one or more of these fields ?

With the myriad of choices out there, it is very easy to get lost or sidetracked into choosing the wrong institution. After all, education is big business these days…and hotel school marketers will go to great lengths to paint a rosy picture of their school and facilities.
When running a search on the internet for hotel and hospitality schools, one is presented with hundreds of options and adverts…breaking through the clutter can be quite difficult. Here are a few tips on some of the basics to look for when choosing a good hotel or tourism school:

1. Is the School recognized by official bodies?

It is vital that the hotel, hospitality or tourism school that you choose is recognized and accredited by the appropriate government bodies. This guarantees better recognition of your qualifications once you graduate. The best way to find out about this, especially in foreign markets is to check with the school directly on federal and local accreditations or run a search for official hotel school associations. A classic example is Switzerland, which is home to many hotel schools, but only a handful really measure up. For statistics on Swiss Hotel Schools, try the Swiss Hotel Schools Association

2. Course Levels and Options

Again, a keystone to your decision…what sort of options do you have for study? Are you interested in a Degree, Diploma, Professional Certification or just specialized, short-term courses? Not all schools have the same strengths when it comes to differing course options, therefore it is important to choose the institution with known prowess in the qualification levels you’re interested in. Time is also a crucial factor – degree studies can take from 3 to 4 years, diplomas upto 3 years and certifications from a few months to a year or more. It is important not to choose shorter courses, e.g. a Bachelors of Science in Hotel Management in 2 years, when this is not the standard…unless you’ve taken a closer look at the course structure and strength.

Speaking from experience, you’d be better off choosing the longer course – it usually pays off by giving you a better, stronger academic base to start with. If you are planning to study abroad, also check if the English language curriculum is well established and is not something that was recently conceived from another language.

3. Recognition by the market and peers

While goodwill may not be a tangible asset, it does add value to the balance sheet…and so will graduating from a well-recognized university or school. You may not have the budget to go to Cornell or the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, but do try and ask around (perhaps a friend or relative who has studied hospitality or works in the hotel / tourism industry) and see what names come up more often than others.

 
4. Affiliations
The School or University you choose can really help you network, raise your ‘value’ and find jobs and options for further studies if they have strong affiliations with other companies in and outside the industry. A classic example is a hotel school partly or fully owned by a tourism company, which also owns hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Your chances of finding a good job placement with this school is definitely enhanced due to the schools strong affiliations.

5. Student Strength and Diversity

Most hotel and hospitality schools proudly advertise the fact that they feature students and alumni from all over the world. Try and find out the exact figures, though. Check how many international students are enrolled on current courses that you’re interested in…being in an international crowd will not only make learning fun, but also give you a superb network that will most likely last a lifetime.

The hospitality industry is all about people, and studying with the best from diverse backgrounds will foster your creativity and inter-personal skills. Also important to check is the total number of students in the school or university, and how many students are included in each class / batch. There is a big difference in learning in a class comprised of 20 or 50 students!

6. Staff / Teacher / Educator Strength and Competency

This is probably the hardest thing to check before you enroll on a course or join a school…but can also be one of the most crucial. You need to know the quality of the product you are paying for…after all, good hospitality education doesn’t come cheap these days, with costs running to $25,000 per semester (or more) in some schools.

There are important questions to be asked – is the educator strength sufficient for the number of students in the school, are the teachers specialists in their field with relevant industry experience, are the teachers from diverse backgrounds, etc. Being taught by a strong educator with 20 years experience in the industry vs. someone who’s just graduated, with absolutely no experience (and it hurts to say this, but was probably hired by the school because he/she represented a cost savings on payroll) is an experience that is poles apart. Read more…

choosing one of hotel is not always an easy decision, One factor that is probably the most important to all of us is cost and the other is service. Hotels range in cost from quite reasonable to very expensive. Before you choose a hotel you must make sure you can afford it and do you really need the accommodations you are paying for. The reason for your stay may influence the location of the hotel you choose and how much you will be willing to stay there. In this article I will highlight for you some of the different kind of hotels that are available and the type of experience you can expect when you stay.

below this step to choose a Hotel :

First, their are budget hotels all across this great nation of ours. Some may independently owned while others may be part of larger chains. Many large chains that have many upscale properties may also have budget divisions. A budget hotel can be an older property but may also be a newer property that is part of a chain. Just because it is budget you should have a room that is clean and livable. Don’t expect fine linens and expensive amenities. The TV will have limited stations and expect to pay for phone calls. Most will not have room service and you will probably be bringing your own baggage to your room. The trend today is they will probably serve a continental breakfast in the lobby. This can save you time and money and is very convenient if you are traveling for business. I always suggest if you are traveling to a city you are not familiar with check a site Trip Advisor to see what other guests have said about a particular property. You may be pleasantly surprised that for a small amount of money uou can have a pleasant stay.

Secondly, there are the group of moderate hotels. They may be independent hotels that have strong roots in a city or be a part of large hotel chains such as Marriott or Hilton. You can expect these rooms to be a little more unscaled. The TV will most likely have cable. You can expect to find internet service in your room. There will be room service as well as a bell man. There are probably some restaurants and bars at these hotels. Other services such as health clubs and beauty salons may also be available. The linens and decorations in your room will be of a higher quality.The amenities such as shampoo and soap will be a more expensive. The hotel property will be larger and probably have a pool.

Third, there are the upscale luxury hotels. They are usually in larger cities and could be privately owned or part of a large chain. The accommodations will be quite lovely and of better quality. The amenities will be the finest. You will have numerous cable stations and internet connection. The linens and towels are high quality. The hotel will will most likely have fine restaurants and bars. There will be a concierge that will be happy to cater to all of your needs. But be prepared to pay the price for all of this extra service.

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