Handout english for tourism

Yosefina Rosdiana Su., S.S., M.Pd

 Travel and tourism has become an important
part of how we live today. It is a common trend
that today, most people travel regularly both
for work and leisure. In this case, world tourism
attracts many visitors from overseas, who arrive
to visit friends and relatives, for business and
pleasure.
 Nowadays, world tourism providing travel
services, transport, and other amenities to help
people connecting with other parts of this
worldwide. By the tourism activities, the world
has shrunk because now, everything has
become much quicker and easier to access.

As one of the oldest and hugest industry,
world tourism is a source of foreign
income for many countries, in which, the
countries are making a good chunk of
foreign money by the help and the
existence of tourism
 Some countries such as, France, Egypt,
Greece, Lebanon, Israel, UK, India, Spain,
Italy, and Thailand ad some other island
nations such as, Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives,
Philippines, etc, are the countries for
which tourism plays a very great role in
increasing the GDP (Gross Domestic
Product).

 Tourism brings in large amount of income in
payment for goods and other services available,
contributing about 5% to the worldwide Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). It also creates
opportunities for employment in services
industries associated with tourism.
 In UK, for example, as a very popular tourist
destination for overseas visitors, the sixth most
popular in the world, it attracting millions of
tourists from around the world, particularly the
USA, the Republic of Ireland, France and
Germany. Whatever the reason for travel, or the
type of tourism, the travel and tourism sector
makes a major contribution, both directly and
indirectly, to the UK economy in terms of GDP
and employment.

 Travel and tourism is now considered as
one of the largest sectors in the world in
terms of generating jobs and income. It
is a dynamic and vibrant sector which
makes a major contribution to the world
economy.
 Tourism makes a big contribution to
employment in the world society . This
can be direct, indirect or induced
employment and can be referred to as
tourism-related employment.

Tourism-related employment refers to
employment in industries which largely
depend on tourism, such as, jobs in the
industries of accommodation; restaurants;
bars, public houses and night clubs; activities
of travel agencies, tour operators and tourist
information centers; libraries, archives,
museums and other cultural activities;
sporting and other recreational activities.

 Direct Employment:
In UK, for example, tourism contributes to the direct
employment of around 1.4 million people (around
4.3% of the UK workforce) in a variety of different
jobs. Direct jobs are those created by travel and
tourism organizations themselves and can include
jobs in hotels, in visitor attractions and with transport
providers.
 Indirect employment
These are jobs that are created to supply the goods
and services purchased by travel and tourism
organizations to meet the needs of visitors. Indirect
tourism employment is responsible for creating
around 2.65 million jobs. The jobs can include
suppliers to hotels, visitor attractions and transport
providers.

 Induced employment:
These are jobs that are created to provide
services and facilities to those people directly
employed in the travel and tourism sector.
These jobs can include shop assistants, taxi
drivers and construction workers.

 The private, or commercial sector, is made up of many
travel and tourism organizations of different sizes, from
very large international companies to small- and medium-
sized independent businesses. Private sector
organizations are owned and controlled by private
individuals, or shareholders in the case of limited
companies.
 The main aim of private sector organizations is to make a
profit. They achieve this by selling a range of products and
services to tourists, from theme park tickets, to hotel
rooms, to food, drink and souvenirs.
 Private sector organizations in the travel and tourism
sector can include accommodation providers, transport
companies, tour operators and travel agents, and some
visitor attractions. Many well-known tourism brands are
part of the private sector including Thomas Cook, Virgin
Atlantic Airways, Holiday Inn and the Merlin
Entertainments Group.

 The public, or non-commercial sector, also includes a
variety of different travel and tourism organizations.
Public sector organizations are funded, and
sometimes owned, by central and local government.
 The main aim of public sector organizations is often
to provide a service, rather than make a profit. Public
sector organizations in the travel and tourism sector
can include a range of support organizations, such as
National Tourist Boards, funded by central
government, and Regional Tourist Boards and
Tourism Information Centers, usually funded by local
and country councils.
 Some visitor attractions, such as museums, parks and
gardens are also in the public sector.

 The voluntary sector, sometimes known as the third or
charitable sector, includes organizations that are not
part of government (public sector), and do not exist to
make a profit (private sector).
 They are independent organizations that aim to
provide a particular service, or to promote a particular
cause or viewpoint. Voluntary sector organizations are
often funded through memberships, donations, grants
and the sale of goods and services at events or
through gift shops and cafes.
 Members of voluntary organizations often volunteer
themselves to keep organizations open and meet the
needs of tourists and visitors.
 Examples of voluntary organizations within the travel
and tourism sector include the National Trust, the
Youth Hostel Association and Tourism Concern. Many
local recreational clubs and historic railway trusts are
voluntary organizations too.

As we have seen, different organizations have a
range of different roles, aims and objectives.
The different roles of travel and tourism
organizations can include:
 Supplying products and services: The role of
many private, public and voluntary sector
organizations is to provide a range of goods and
services to meet the needs of tourists and
travellers. This could include saleable products
and services such as hotel rooms, souvenirs,
travel, holiday packages or free (complimentary)
services, such as tourist information and advice.

 Regulation:
Many public sector organizations are set up in order
to regulate the quality of a service provided to
tourists and travellers, for example the Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA), which regulates air travel in the UK,
or the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which ensures
that world rail travel is safe and well maintained.
 Making a profit:
The primary role of most private sector
organizations is to make a profit from the sale of
their goods and services to tourists, for example
Alton Towers, Virgin Trains, Thomas Cook, and
Hilton Hotels all provide a range of different
products and services for sale to tourists and
travellers.

Promotion:
A major role of many public travel and tourism organizations is to
promote a particular destination as an attractive location for tourists to
visit. Tourist information centers and Regional Tourist Boards promote
the different features of their local area to attract a range of different
tourist and travellers types. For example, the role of Visit Britain is
primarily to promote the UK as a major tourism destination overseas.
They produce publicity material and organize events that are designed
to attract inbound tourists to the UK.
Supporting members:
The role of some organisations is to support the interests of their
members. One of the key roles of ABTA – The Travel Foundation is to
represent the interests of its members; it supports over 5000 travel
agents and more than 900 tour operators and represents their voice
when dealing with government and Europe.

1. Hotel
2. Motel
3. All Suites

A hotel usually offers guests a full range of
accommodations and services, which may include
reservations, suites, public dining and banquet
facilities, lounge and entertainment areas, room
service, cable television, personal computers,
business services, meeting rooms, specialty
shops, personal services, valet, laundry, hair
care, swimming pool and other recreational
activities, gaming/casino operations, ground
transportation to and from an airport, and
concierge services. The size of the property can
range from 20 to more than 2,000 rooms. Hotels
are found in center-city, suburban, and airport
locations.

Motels offer guests a limited range of
services, which may include reservations,
vending machines, swimming pools, and
cable television. The size of these properties
averages from 10 to 50 units. Motels are
usually in suburban highway and airport
locations. Guests typically stay overnight or
for a few days. Motels may be located near a
freestanding restaurant.

The all-suites concept was developed in the 1980s
as a separate marketing concept. These hotels offer
guests a wide range of services that may include
reservations, living room and separate bedroom,
kitchenette, optional public dining room and room
service, cable television, videocassette players and
recorders, specialty shops, personal services, valet
and laundry, swimming pool, and ground
transportation to and from an airport. The size of
the operation can range from 50 to more than 100
units. This type of property is usually found in
center-city, suburban, and airport locations. The
length of guest stay can be overnight, several days,
or long term. Although this type of hotel may seem
new, many downtown, center-city hotels have
offered accommodations with in-room kitchenette
and sitting room since the early 1900s.

Limited-service hotels appeared in the mid-1980s.
The concept of limited service was developed for a
specific segment of the market: business and cost-
conscious travelers. The range of accommodations
and services may include reservations, minimal
public dining and meeting facilities, cable television,
personal computers, personal services (valet and
laundry), and ground transportation to and from an
airport. The size of the property can range from 100
to more than 200 rooms. Limited-service hotels are
found in center-city, suburban, and airport
locations. They are usually located near restaurants
for guest convenience. Guest stays can be overnight
or long term. These properties sometimes specialize
in catering to the business traveler and offer special
business technology centers.

Extended-stay properties were designed to offer
guests a home-away-from home atmosphere
over long stays precipitated by business, leisure,
or personal necessity. For example, a person may
have to attend to a business project for several
days or weeks; another may want to visit with
relatives whose home does not have adequate
accommodations for visitors; a third may be
accompanying a relative or friend receiving an
extended health treatment at a medical center
and require overnight accommodations. The
patient himself may appreciate the homelike
atmosphere of the extended-stay hotel in which
to recover between treatments.

 Perhaps no duty of the rooms division is more vital
that that of guest service. Guest satisfaction is
crucial in maintaining loyalty. Guest loyalty ensures
repeat business. With the wide range of hotel
choices in the market today, repeat business
ensures a steady revenue stream. All rooms
division employees, and others considered front of
house, must be aware of their impact of guest
satisfaction.

 A hotel that clearly defines its guest service
guidelines will be able to hold employees
accountable, which helps to manage and evaluate
them
 Many hotel chains have developed their own service
standards and although the name of these
programs differ, one theme is consistent amongst
them all: Guest service is paramount to hotel
success
 Guest interaction can be verbal or visual and rooms
division employees use both methods to
accomplish guest service

 It is a booking in advance for a space for a specified
period of time.
 E.g. Hotel ballroom, restaurant booking, airline seat,
a theatre seat, a hotel guestroom, a doctor’s
appointment.

 From a guest’s point of view, the most
important outcome of the reservations process
is having a guestroom ready and waiting when
the guest arrives.
 To achieve these outcomes, the hotel must
have efficient reservation procedures in place.
 Here are the reservation process activities:-

Conduct reservation inquiry.
· Determine room and rate availability.
· Create reservation record.
· Confirm reservation record.
· Maintain reservation record.
· Produce reservation reports.
· Research, plan, and monitor reservations.
Reservation Activities

• Guaranteed Reservation: Insures that the hotel
will hold a room for the guest until a specific
time of guest’s scheduled arrival date .
• The guest must provide us a method of
payment.
• If the guest does not show up or cancel
properly,
• the guest will be charged for one night
accommodation.
• If the hotel then fails to provide the room for a
guaranteed reservation, legal penalties can be
applied if the guest files a complaint.
• In order to guarantee a reservation, guests can
choose one of the following methods:

The reservation can be guaranteed by
• Prepayment
· Credit card
· Advance deposit
 Travel agent voucher/miscellaneous charge
order (MCO)
· Corporate (direct billing account)
Guaranteed Reservations

 Non-guaranteed Reservation: Insures that the
hotel agrees to hold a room for the guest
until a stated reservation cancellation hour
(Usually 6 p.m.) on the day of arrival.
 It is common for hotels planning on full
occupancy or nearing full occupancy to
accept only guaranteed reservation once a
specified number of expected arrivals is
achieved.

• Guests can communicate their reservation inquiries in
person, over the telephone, via mail, through facsimile,
telex, e-mail…
• While getting a reservation inquiry, the reservation staff
shall obtain the following guest-related information:
• Guest’s name, address and telephone number
• Company or travel agency name
• Date of arrival and departure
• Type and number of rooms requested

 Desired room rate
 Number of people in the group, if applicable
 Method of payment and/or guarantee
 Any other special requests
  Most of the above mentioned information is used to
create a reservation record.

• 1. Greet the caller. ( thank you for calling
Holiday inn. This is Mary speaking How can I
help you today?)
• 2. Identify caller’s need ( arrival date, departure
date, preference ....)
• 3. Provide an overview of the hotel’s feature (
number of restaurant, swimming pool )
• 4. Make a room recommendation and room
rate.
• 5. Ask for the sales ( Would you like me to book
the reservation for you?

• 6. Create a reservation record according to the
hotel procedures.
• 7. Thank the caller. Closing a call as warmly as
opening a call leaves the caller with a sense of
confidence that they have made the correct
decision.
• The reservation function is a sales process, if
the reservation staff is unenthusiastic, the
caller will not a have a positive impression of
the hotel and may decide to go elsewhere.

 Reservations can be made for individuals,
group, tours or conventions.
 An individual, not part of the a group is
referred as a FIT. ( free independent traveller)
 The customers make reservation by using
different sources.

• Central Reservation System
· Global Distribution System
· Intersell Agencies (for example flight
centre)
· Property Direct
· Internet
Sources of Reservations

 A central (or computerised) reservation
system that controls and maintains the
reservations for several hotels in one
location, and automatically redirects the
reservation to the required hotel.

• The majority of hotel groups belong to one or more
Central Reservation Systems
•  A central reservation system is composed of a central
reservation office, member hotels connected together via
communication devices, and potential guests.
• It exchanges room availability information with members
hotel.
•  Central Reservation Office [CRO] offers its services via
a 24-hours toll free telephone number(s) [Green Numbers].

 On return, central reservation offices charges a fee for
the utilization of its services which might take the form
of a flat fee and a variable fee, or a flat percentage of
potential room revenue, actual room revenue, and/or
Rooms Division gross profit…

•Computerized system by which reservation-related
information is stored and retrieved for multiple
organizations.
• Global Distribution Systems [GDS] System
including several Central Reservation Offices
connected to each other.
• Selling hotel rooms is accomplished by connecting
the hotel reservation system with the GDS system.
• GDSs have become a powerful force in hotel
reservation.
Global Distribution Systems

 Inters ell Agencies are special types of
central reservation offices contracting to
handle reservation for more than one
Product Line [ex: Handle at the same time
Airline Tickets, Car Rental, Hotel
Reservation…]  “ One Call Does it All
Approach “!

 Even though many of the five-star hotels rely heavily on
central reservation offices and intersell agencies, some
potential guests still find it convenient, and personal to call
directly the hotel to communicate a reservation inquiry.

Property direct reservations are made in a several
ways
· Telephone
· Mail
· Property-to-property
· FAX
· E-mail
Property Direct Reservations

 Types of groups
Tour groups
Conference/convention
Charity groups (fund raising)
Flight crews
School groups
Sporting groups

 After receiving a reservation request, the hotel might
accept it, as it is, if there is room availability.
 If not, the reservation department should suggest alternative
room types, dates, and/or rates, to the potential guest.
 If, however, the potential guest insists on his/her previous
request, the hotel should suggest an alternative hotel.
 That's one of the main reasons why we need to maintain
good relation-ships with nearby competing Hotels

 The reservation department should always compare
historical reservation volumes against actual arrivals.
 The main reason is to cope with overbooking, which a
situation occurring when the total number of rooms
reserved for a certain period of time exceeds the total
number of rooms available for sale, for the same period
of time.

 In order to cope with the overbooking problem, some
statistical and historical data should be stored and
processed by the hotel and should be continuously
updated. Such data should include:
 Number of rooms reserved for a specific date
 Number of rooms occupied by stayovers (for a certain
specific date)
 Forecasted no-shows percentage
 Forecasted understays percentage
 Forecasted overstays percentage
 Forecasted cancellation percentage
 Number of out of order rooms for a specific date

 Business
 Pleasure
 Education
 Family
 Religious
 Special events (e.g.Olympic Games)

 F.I.T. – free/fully independent traveller
 Group
 Corporate
 Government
 Package

$ Location (CBD, Country)
$ Hotel Rating (Star/Flag/Crown)
Room attributes/aspects
Hotel facilities
$ Competition
$ Time of year
$ Intended client

 Rack
 Corporate
 Government
 Airline (delayed flights, crew, package)
 Travel Agents (package, familiarisation, group,
F.I.T.)
 Groups/conference
 Packages (honeymoon, weekend, midweek)

• Know your product
• Know your guest
• Match the guest to the best alternative
• Be aware you are part of the sales team
• Always sell the product before the price

 Assist with marketing strategies
 Ensure future reservations are more efficient
 Ensure a quicker check-in
 Ensure guest’s needs are met
 Assist with check-out

 Reservation forms
 Registration cards
 Guest folios on check-out
History can be stored and maintained:
 Manually
 Computerised

 Room release time (6pm is standard)
 Guaranteed reservation
 Check-in time
 Acceptable MOP
 Parking facilities
 Hotel facilities and services

 Retrieve original reservation
 Note date and time cancellation received
 Record contact name of person cancelling
 Update manual and computer records
 File cancelled reservation
 Apply cancellation fee as per hotel policy
 Thank caller

 Retrieve original reservation
 Note date and time amendment received
 Record contact name of person amending
 Update manual and computer records
 File amended reservation
 Thank caller

 Housekeeping
To enable accurate staff rostering
Budgeting, planning for refurbishment, ordering of
supplies
 Food and Beverage
As above

 Maintenance
To enable accurate staff rostering
Budgeting, planning for refurbishment, ordering of
supplies
 Concierge/Porters/Front Desk
As above

 Occupancy
 Arrivals
 Cancellations
 Special requests
 V.I.P.S
 Black lists
 Market Segments
 Guest history

 Prepared on a regular basis for:
 rostering
 budgets
 maximising occupancy
 planning refurbishment
 ordering

 Housekeeping
Cots/rollaways/special linen/vases/flowers/baby
sitters/early and late arrivals and departures
 Room Service
Champagne/fruit baskets/flowers/VIP mini bars
 Porter/ Concierge
Theatre bookings/restaurant bookings/hire cars/early
arrivals/late departures/wheelchair access/luggage
storage/red carpet

 Food and Beverage
Dietary, Group meals, Children, Cultural
Requirements, Seating, Groups departing early
 Functions
Dietary, AV Equipment, Meal break times, Business
Services

 ETA/ETD
 Rooming list ready
 Rooms Assigned
 Staffing requirements
 Porter/Concierge (Luggage collection times)
 Food and Beverage
 Functions department
 Hospitality room/area

 “Bad” debts (previous accounts remain unsettled)
 Malicious damage to hotel property
 Theft of hotel property
 Verbal/physical assault of staff members

• In the reservation department, the widely used
management reservation reports include:
• Reservation transaction report
• Commission agent report
• Turnaway report (sometimes called the refusal report)
• revenue forecast report

• 4 main common problems that might be encountered:
• 1) Errors in a reservation record:
a. Record a wrong arrival or departure date
b. Misspell the guest’s name or reverse it
c. Reserve for the caller instead of the guest

 2) Misunderstandings due to industry jargon:
 Confirmed versus guaranteed reservation
 Double room versus 2 beds
 Connecting rooms versus adjacent rooms

 3. Miscommunications with external reservation systems:
 Book a guest in the wrong hotel
 Book a guest in the wrong city [ex: Novotel, Melbourne
versus Novotel, Sydney]

 4. Online reservation system failures:
 Fail to update central reservation system concerning
room availability or to communicate rate changes in real
time
 Delays in communicating reservation requests
 Communication Equipment used may become
technologically obsolete or inoperatable

 Verbal communication allows for gaining insight
into a guest
 These conversations may not be lengthy, but the
aware employees can glean much about a guest’s
personality in the course of a conversation
 The most important verbal tools in ensuring guest
satisfaction are perhaps the simplest and can often
be overlooked by rooms division employees who
are deeply involved in other tasks

 The basic rules for verbal communication are:
◦ Use an appropriate greeting
◦ Personalise the conversation (use the customers
name)
◦ Thank the guest
◦ Listen
◦ Avoid jargon

 Use an appropriate greeting: employees should
greet every guest appropriately whether in person
or over the phone.
 They should identify the time of day: “Good
morning/afternoon/evening”.
 When greeting a guest over the phone, an
employee should also include their name and
department: “Good morning, front desk, this is
John, how may I help you?” This reassures the
guest that they have reached the appropriate
department

 Personalise the conversation: this helps to set a
relaxed tone in the conversation, however using an
appropriate title (i.e., Mr. or Ms.) is important
 During check-in or checkout, the guest account
will let the employee know the guest’s name
 Many phone systems will identify the guest’s name
and room number,
 Guests greeted by name are subtly reminded that
the hotel values their business

 Thank the guest: thanking the guest in a sincere
manner is also very important
 Employees may conduct a variety of guest services
in a day, and each of these transaction should be
completed with a “thank you”
 Thanking a guest for staying at a hotel also implies
that the hotel appreciates their business

 Listening: this is the only way a receiver can hear
the message that the transmitter is sending, so
employees can listen for subtle hints and signals a
guest gives out during communication
 The employee creates a comfort level when they
listen, and letting the guest initiate the tone of the
conversation also puts him/her at ease

 Failure to listen properly can cause problems
 The seven common listening errors are:
◦ Failure to concentrate
◦ Listening too hard
◦ Lagging behind the conversation
◦ Focusing too much on delivery or appearance
◦ Omitting
◦ Adding

 Avoid jargon: employees should avoid using
industry jargon when the communicate with guests
 Using hotel terms in conversation may not convey
the intended message

 Communicating visually is as important as
communicating verbally, as visual communication
can reinforce what is being said verbally
 The complete delivery of guest service can be
accomplished by incorporating both means
 The rules for effective visual communication are:
◦ Communicate with a smile
◦ Be aware of body language
◦ Observe the grooming standards

 Communicate with a smile: a genuine smile that
accompanies a greeting or thank you reinforces the
message
 Smiling at guests helps create a comfortable
atmosphere
 Be aware of body language: observing guest body
language is like listening with eyes, it can give the
employee clues on how to communicate with the
guest

 Common body language signals include the
following:
◦ Crossed arms may indicate a defensive posture
◦ A guest who leans across the front desk during
conversation may be aggressive
◦ Strong and consistent eye contact may indicate confidence
◦ Strong firm handshakes may also indicate confidence
◦ Red eyes may indicate fatigue

 Observe appropriate grooming standards: hotel
employees are viewed as an extension of the hotel
so a guest’s perception of an employee can
contribute to the guest’s overall perception of the
hotel
 The first and often most long lasting perception a
guest makes on an employee is the employee’s
appearance, so most hotels have instituted
grooming standards

 Guest service continues with basic duties
 A front office employee must have a good working
knowledge of phone etiquette, and the common
expectation in most hotels is that a phone must be
answered within three rings
 Employees must also have a good knowledge of
hotel facilities, outlets, activities and an awareness
of their surroundings to assist them with answering
the many questions guests may have

 Service received from employees is one part of the
guest experience, and in addition, many physical
aspects of the hotel must function well to ensure
the guest receives the whole product
 At some point, one or both of these parts may
break down
 Resolving a conflict to a guest’s satisfaction can
“turn” around an unhappy guest and make him/her
a satisfied guest

 The resolution is best accomplished by adhering to
the visual and verbal rules of guest service
 It is assumed that if the employee is fully trained,
the following rules should be followed to meet or
exceed a guest’s expectations
◦ Listen first
◦ Summarise
◦ Make no excuses
◦ Resolve the problem
◦ Document the conflict

 Training, experience, personality and other things
contribute to an individual employee’s ability to
satisfy a guest
 Hotel management must support that effort
 One way management supports an employee’s
ability to satisfy a guest is by integrating
empowerment in all duties
 Empowerment is defined as the ability and
authority to satisfy guest complaints/requests
within preset parameters

 Employees learn to implement empowerment
techniques in how they communicate and that
certain phrases and words should be avoided
 There are other ways of communicating the same
message (see next slide)

Phrases to Avoid Phrases to Use Instead
“I don’t know.” “That is a good question, let me find
out for you.”
“We can’t do that.” “Well, I haven’t encountered this
before, let me research it and find a
resolution that you are happy with.”
“You have to.” or “This is hotel
policy”
“Next time, here is how you can
avoid this situation.” or “I think the
best way to handle this would be…”
“No.” “We are not able to reduce your rate
but I am able to upgrade your room”
“That’s not my job.” “The person who handles that is
(name). Please let me get him/her.”

 The diversity of guests makes it vital that all hotel
employees appreciate the differences in people
 Most reputable hotels will put their employees
through diversity training, which teaches
employees that they mast understand and
appreciate the differences in people
 Helping the employees overcome stereotypes such
as racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and others helps
to create a comfortable environment

 A hotel by nature is a “home away from home” to
international guests
 Using good customer service skills helps to put
these visitors at ease
 Hotels should share a list of all multilingual staff
with front office managers
 Where appropriate, extra collateral should be
provided in the guest’s native tongue
 Verbal communication will be difficult and
nonverbal communication can be difficult due to
cultural differences

 Managers should become involved in guest
complaints only after an empowered desk agents
attempted to resolve the issue first
 A manager who involves themselves before the
guest agent has a chance to resolve an issue
defeats the purpose behind empowerment
 Some guests may simply prefer to address to a
manager
 Managers must lead by example by showing that
complaints are not a burden, but an opportunity to
improve service

 All complaints should be investigated, evaluated,
and responded to
 If the Front Office Manager is unable to resolve the
situation, it should be passed along to a more
senior manager
 The escalation of an issue can and often should go
all the way to the general manager

 The guest service philosophy of a hotel should be
communicated to constantly and consistently
 This communication should begin with the first day
of employee orientation where all new employees
should be given the hotel’s service philosophy
 A hotel’s guest service message can be
summarised succinctly in the hotel’s service
mission statement, which serves as the rule and/or
goal of the guest service philosophy

 The mission statement should be posted in all
service break areas, in the cafeteria and the change
rooms
 Managers exhibiting ownership of the service
mission motivate their employees by example
 Guest service training continues beyond orientation
and introduction of the service mission statement,
and should be constant
 Larger hotel chains have complete divisions at a
corporate level dedicated to creating and
implementing guest service programs

 Smaller chains and independent hotels can take
advantages of other resources such as:
◦ On-the-job training
◦ Role playing
◦ Commercial videos
◦ Guest speakers
◦ Continuing education/distance learning

 Motivating employees to embody the service
mission statement in their day-to-day duties helps
ensure guest satisfaction
 A good way to motivate is through guest feedback,
and most hotels have some version of a comment
card in the guest rooms
 These cards encourage guests to rate and/or rank
the services received during his/her stay
 They also solicit the names of employees that have
impacted the guest’s stay

 Employees or departments that are mentioned
should be rewarded or recognised in some way
 The employees can be proud of these rewards and
a healthy competition can ensue to see which
employees can get the most rewards

 Composite of industries and entities, both
public and private
 Involved in the planning, development,
marketing, sales & promotion, evaluation of
destinations, products and services
 Caters to the needs of travelers, both foreign
and domestic

 Basically a tour guide is an individual, who,
either as an employee or affiliate of a duly
licensed travel & tour agency, GUIDE tourist,
both foreign and domestic, for a fee,
commission or any lawful form of
remuneration.

 Free Lance – not permanently
connected with any travel
agency and paid per trip.
 Staff Guide – permanently
connected with a travel agency,
receives monthly salary.

 Local guide – a person competent enough to
guide in a certain locality or area.
 Escort – person who accompanies a group of
tourists from the point of origin to the
destination, and back to the origin. Usually
handles group’s check in and check out.
 Specialist – person who specializes in a
certain field such as botany, architecture,
culture, etc.
 Linguist – person who speaks fluently two or
more foreign languages.

 Love of country
 Pleasing personality
 Must have a genuine interest in people
 Resourcefulness
 Trustworthy
 Tactfulness
 Good sense of leadership
 Good communication skills

 Good health
 Punctual
 Responsible, sensible and dedicated
 Confident
 Good sense of humor
 Analytical mindset ( above-normal perception)

 Pre – tour:
◦ Study your tour assignment
◦ Be aware of the composition of the group
◦ Review itinerary/trip plans
◦ Be reminded of cash advances, vouchers needed
◦ Know your vehicle to be used, plate number and
name of driver or coordinator.

 Be punctual
 Make sure you have complete name of guests,
cash advances, or tour vouchers
 Check your transport amenities
 Meet and greet the group
 Discuss itinerary and check other concerns

 Deliver commentaries
 Announce inclusions of the tour and what to
expect
 End your day/tour by thanking the guests
 Announce the next day’s itinerary/program and
give instructions

 Gather all collected vouchers
 Prepare tour guide’s report
 Submit tour report to immediately after the
tour
 Accomplish financial report with receipts,
vouchers and other assignments
 Liquidate ( if necessary)

 Ambassador
 Front liner in the tourism industry
 Watchdog of the tour operator
 Go-between or link between various
suppliers and the tour operator/guest
 Lecturer of the clients/guests/tourists
 Timekeeper
 Shepherd – looks after the well-being of the
flock/group, makes sure that the flock moves
in unison/together from one place to another
without losing a single sheep.

 One of the most attractive jobs in the travel
industry
 Requires a lot of values and ethics
 Represents the country and the people
 Good paying job
 Flexible time – but no time limit

 Service – oriented
 Physically demanding
 Gives a better understanding of the different
cultures
 Helps develop a well-rounded personality
 Not an 8-5 job.

Handout english for tourism

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Handout english for tourism

Similar to Handout english for tourism (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Handout english for tourism

Editor's Notes