Hospitality

My wife and I have been married now for eight years and our next anniversary is a bit special. I know to most people the eight year anniversary is a bit meaningless, but we had got married exactly two years after we first started seeing each other, so our eight year anniversary was also our ten year anniversary of us being together. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have told you that no oone would be able to put up with me for just one year, yet here I was happily married with a wife who still loved me very much. I really wanted to show her just how important she was to me after all these years so I decided to plan a vacation for her to coincide with our anniversary.

I started off by looking on the internet to find a decent hotel on one of the islands that wouldn’t absolutely wipe my bank balance out! After a while I found a very nice four star resort with nice views of the sea and a decent pool. Nothing too fancy, but certainly good neough for anyone staying for a week. After that I started to try to find a cheap flight or two and it was quite hard at first, but in the end I found some flights to Caribbean which were affordable to me at last.

With everything all set I sat my wife down and told her that I had a bit of a surprise. I said that for our anniversary we would be staying in the Caribbean for a week, and I think she nearly had a heart attack!

The popular holiday island of Lanzarote is an ideal destination for a villa break – whatever the time of year.  As the sun shines on this small Canary Island for twelve months of the year – thanks to its semi tropical climate and location off the coast of Morocco.

Lanzarote is one of seven Canary Islands – the best known of which is Tenerife.  All of which are owned by Spain – despite the fact that they are situated much closer to Africa than Europe.  This also explains why the islands enjoy great weather all year round – making them ideal for both summer and winter sun seekers.

Lanzarote is located at the eastern end of the chain and is much more arid and unspoiled than the bigger islands.  Yet still manages to welcome around 1.4 million visitors every year.  The majority of whom fly in from countries such as the UK and Germany in Northern Europe.

Once on the island many visitors rent a vehicle as car hire in Lanzarote is very cheap.  Before heading off to explore the islands many attractions – which include breathtaking natural wonders such as the Fire Mountains of Timanfaya – scene of a series of huge eruptions during the 18^th century.  And the many creations of a local artist, Cesar Manrique, who is also famous for having helped to thwart over development on the island of his birth.

Many visitors to the island now book their own accommodation online – thanks to the growth of the internet.  Which has created demand for Lanzarote villas and apartments – especially in the main resorts of Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca. Whilst rural tourism also enjoys a growing popularity.

Holiday villas in Playa Blanca are the cheapest self catering option for those seeking a villa break on the island.  As there is a large supply of good value rental accommodation in this fast-growing resort, located at the southern end of the island.  Holiday apartments also offer great value for money – and there are hundreds of complexes located in the largest resort on the island, Puerto del Carmen. With prices starting from around €180 per week.

Whilst Lanzarote enjoys good weather al year round it still has distinct seasons – with spring often bringing a burst of colourful flowers to  the side of the islands volcanoes.  Whilst autumn offers calmer and mellower weather after the heat of the summer months.

In the internet, we certainly have some chances to get many kinds of information that we needed. All that we needed to do is just click the search engine and we would be able to get the information that we needed instantly. When we needed some information about some places that we would love to use as the perfect vacations destinations, we would be able to get some information about the places in the internet. It would be so important for us to have the perfect information about the place before we finally got there. 

OK guys, since there are so many excellent vacation destinations in the world, we should make up our mind and choose one of them. Actually, we could visit anywhere that we want. The most important thing is; do we have enough budgets for that? Perhaps, we should consider some places in Europe. Let’s say we had enough budgets to go to Europe. What country that we would love to visit? Italy would be a nice one and Venice would be the perfect destination. It has been named as the perfect place to be used as the vacation’s destination.

So, we would need some information about Venice. We could try to use the internet to get some information about Venice. One most excellent information that we should have is about the Cheap Hotels in Venice. With the cheap hotel’s rate, we would be able to shrink some expenses for the residential place during the holiday. We would need some information about the Hotels in Venice Italy. Perhaps, we should try to click Venicehotelsnear.com. In this site, we would have some chances to get some information about some excellent Venice hotels near st mark’s square. It would be nice to stay near St Mark’s Square. That would be the excellent place to enjoy the real Venice.

Traveling to Africa is generally a pricey affair. Travel Agents usually organize individual tours or group tours to Africa, which span from 7 – 14 days. All tours are inclusive of visa, lodging, meals, airport transfer, entrance fees to parks and places of historical interest. Some travel agents will not include the price of entrance fees to parks.

Since there are several logistics that need to be taken care of such as visa, tickets, transport, vaccinations and special situation such as traveling with a toddler or a handicapped before you travel, it is best to find a reputable travel agent who is flexible, helpful, obliging and patient to plan your holiday or tour.

Tips for choosing a good travel agent

You should evaluate a few travel agents before settling for one travel agent.

Choose a travel agent who will answer all your queries and concerns.

Choose a travel agent who has good reputation. Check the internet and blog pages for good feedback.

Choose a good tour operator to handle your safaris and excursions. In certain instances the travel agent does not function as tour operator.

Check the payment policies and the policy for cancellations.

Check the travel agents service levels, if you run into problems you should be able to contact your travel agent easily.

Choose a travel agent that gives you a complete travel solution, visa, boarding passes and tours.

Check if the travel agent is helpful and offer practical travel solutions.

Check with the travel agent about the reputation of the tour operators. Such as if they have a license to function as a tour operator in Africa, if their safari vehicles are safe and the accommodation that is offered are comfortable. Also check if the tour operator will provide a tour guide with a thorough knowledge of the locations that will be visited. Read more…

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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