Author Archives: blogger

There are Some Great Weekly Hotels in Los Angeles

Posted on by

Travelers who need weekly hotels in Los Angeles can find some excellent choices. Besides some of the big chains that have big prices, there are many privately owned properties that have good value.

People come to this area for many reasons. There are many dozens of things in Southern California that draw tourists from all over the world. Some will come here to visit famous amusement parks for a family vacation. Others will opt to visit because of the amount of museums and artwork here. For some, a trip here will be a look-see to help decide if they want to relocate here permanently. Extended stay hotels in Los Angeles often can help them save money over other types of lodging.

Other travelers arrive because of business needs. They may be trainers who work with corporations or new hires coming from other areas. Some will be on a temporary assignment of some kind, perhaps an audit or to assist with personnel changes. Many who arrive because they have landed a new position are not residents of California. They need to learn their way around and find a permanent home of some kind. They may be selling a home elsewhere and have to wait for it to close to be able to purchase another home. People in this position will use weekly rentals in Los Angeles all the time.

These types of hotels usually have all the same features that the big chains offer. They will have king or queen beds. There are often services like cable or satellite TV, free movie rental, wireless Internet and sometimes a DVD player. There will be some nice added features like a refrigerator and microwave so people can opt to eat in the unit instead of having restaurant food all the time. This is another way that using this type of lodging can help travelers conserve cash. Most will also have things like an ironing board and iron, hair dryer and direct dial phone.

Almost every one will have free parking, often in a lot that has security cameras. These may also provide wake-up calls for those who want them. There is usually a swimming pool, some vending machines so people don’t have to travel far for snacks or sodas and possibly a fax or copy machine. Some places offer free coffee or tea in the mornings, sometimes with pastries or muffins.

People can expect the same level of service from these hotels as they would other types. These offer daily maid service to make the beds and refill towels. The bathroom will get cleaned and the carpet vacuumed. Some have on-site laundry services for people who would like to clean their clothing. Many weekly hotels in Los Angeles offer discounts to some groups like seniors or corporate travelers.

For more information on the weekly hotels in Los Angeles, please visit our website.

How You Can Improve Room Service Performance

Posted on by

When room service was introduced to the public, this was viewed as one of the most convenient features of a hotel or any type of lodging. There are some people though who are reluctant to avail of such service because there are additional charges that are added to their expenditures. However, if you show your customers that you only provide quality room service, there is no doubt that they will avail of this every time they stay at your hotel. So how do you improve room service performance?

The best method of enhancing room service performance is to monitor this regularly. If you have the data that you need, you will know where you are lacking and where you should improve on. Luxury and full service hotels always have room service provided for the guests. Most women who travel alone appreciate this kind of hotel feature and for your company, this can drive increasing profits while attracting more clients. Hotel room service can also support higher daily rates for the rooms. Many misinterpret room service as food delivery but the former is not only for serving food to the guests. It aims to make the customers feel special and comfortable while staying at the hotel. This may include services like professional servers, setting the table and even sell desserts for the guests.

One of the main goals of providing room service is to be able to offer this as fast as possible. Guests do not like to wait for their food, staff member or for any kind of help they require. Thus, they should be attended to immediately. Otherwise, they will most likely not return to the hotel. Aside from the response time, there are also other things that you should monitor to improve room service performance. Some companies choose to measure all the aspects that might affect the efficiency of their room service, making them more effective. This is particularly because they are able to perform a complete hotel performance appraisal.

Room service is not only about giving food or serving towels and other things to the customers. This may also refer to dining room service. In this case, you should also keep track of the restaurant service specifically if you have a restraint within the building. Both dining and hotel room services should provide support for client calls 24/7. To cut down the response time made for housekeeping and kitchen, you might want to maintain a pantry or storeroom on each of the floors. The storage section should contain essentials such as fresh water, flowers, towels and others. This will allow the employees to quickly attend to the guests without having to rush to the main storage room for the requirements of the customers.

To make your room service performance more efficient, personnel should be professional particularly in answering phone calls. Check the name of the customer and clarify the things or orders that he or she needs. More than often, suggestive selling practices are utilized. It is also helpful to inform the client about the waiting time for the delivery.

Hospitality Industry Hotels Business Current And Future Trends

Posted on by

Hospitality has long been synonymous with the hotel industry. Any changes in trends of hotel business have wide scale implications on an otherwise diverse industry. What might be an opportunity for a traveler can be a matter of survival for hotels? It will not be an oversimplification to suggest that the emerging concepts in hotel industry reveal an atmosphere of stiff competition. Here is a look at a few major issues:

Is Green better?

Amid growing concern over environment friendly services, a majority of travelers now prefer Green and Eco lodgings. Recent surveys by trade associations such as Partnership Travel Industry Association and online retailers like Yahoo revealed that nearly seventy percent of the tourists are willing to pay extra when it comes to environmental friendly lodgings. These surveys further revealed that these guests will pay anywhere from nine to ten percent premium on the already advertised prices.

What can be stated as a welcome relief for the educated traveler might pose real challenges for the hotel business. To better understand the scenario, it should be noted that hotels are presently facing severe shortages in occupancy rates which are at their lowest since 1971. Such a crisis and lack of funds can definitely hamper any efforts to install appliances that comply with the LEEDS standards (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design). Some experts agree that a trade off may lead hotels into removing free amenities that include little bottles of shampoos, jams and free basket of fruits; all of which are the hallmark of these eco lodgings.

Where are the Workers gone?

The hotel industry gives employment at a very large proportion of part time workers, who after gaining substantial experience, leave for other lucrative jobs at restaurants and outdoors. Low wages in the hotel industry is one of the primary reasons for low retention rates.

Hotel industry Gurus are already thinking of ways to attract and retain qualified workers by increasing the pay scales and by reducing the long working hours. The top management is now devising constructive methods that will retain the existing workers by sponsoring education and creating attractive career paths.

Mega Hotels

The rising cost of construction and a struggling real estate has prompted hoteliers to deploy the pre-fabricated and cost effective solution in the construction of new hotels. In fact they are fighting back by producing highly efficient designs that utilize a greater proportion of space for revenue generating purpose. Future trends in the hotel construction will seek to maximize the use of building areas by constructing a multi purpose facility that will include Casinos, shopping outlets and Theatres. The stand alone hotel concept is likely to vanish as the new properties will be constructed as a mixed use development to provide guests with facilities such as Church, Hospitals and Theme Parks. Such a variety will ensure that guests remain at one spot which will help generate revenue for the entire hotel complex.

The evolution of savvy traveller

The evolution of internet has given rise to a phenomenon where travelers are becoming ever more demanding. Industry professionals suggest that an increase in a trend, to review properties online, will make travelers less forgiving as they are able to post their travel experiences. Such an overemphasis on web may even lead to stiff competition and price reduction strategies where only large players may be able to survive.

To ward of such threats, the small business owner is now turning towards opening a boutique establishment as an alternate to 70,s style motels. Such niche properties are popping up everywhere by advertising a more personalized “home away from home” kind of experience. The introduction of such boutique properties has also given rise to the popular and widely accepted theme of modern hostels. These hostels are keen to provide a clean and safe environment for budget conscious travelers. Their goal is to wipe out the myths associated with cheap motels and dingy guesthouses.

Whatever may be the case, one thing is for sure that constant remodeling of the hotel industry has made it more functional and practical not only for the guests but also for the hotel owners.

Sofitel Luxury Hotels Opens First Abu Dhabi Hotel

Posted on by

Sofitel Luxury Hotels has opened its first Abu Dhabi hotel and its second property in the United Arab Emirates.

The Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche is located on the seafront on the eastern tip of Abu Dhabis Corniche and tourists staying at the new property will have access to Saadiyat Island and Yas Island.

The latest addition to the already reputable collection of luxury Abu Dhabi hotels is part of the new Capital Plaza Complex and the building boasts contemporary architecture and design.

The chief executive of Sofitel Worldwide, Robert Gaymer-Jones, commented: I am particularly happy to be welcoming this new flagship hotel to our network.

The Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche is a precious asset for the brand both in the Middle East and internationally.

In addition to its strategic location in Abu Dhabi, its design based on contemporary art with some well-known French artists has ensured that this establishment is totally in line with the country strategic positioning.

When guests of the new hotel first arrive to their holidays in Abu Dhabi, they will be greeted in the lobby which features beautiful paintings from Pierre Soulages, a French artist known as the painter of black, as well as lithographs from Jean Cocteau and sculptures inspired by Brancusi.

The luxury hotel has 282 rooms and suites with modern dcor, furnishings and amenities, plus facilities including the Club Millesime Lounge, three gourmet restaurants with a wide choice of international and regional cuisine, three elegant bars, and 2,600-square-metres of meeting space.

During Abu Dhabi holidays at the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche guests can walk across the bridge and head to Saadiyat Island, an up and coming world class leisure, residential, business and tourism hub. The natural island spans 27-square-kilometres of land, and development is being carried out in different stages until 2020.

The island is home to iconic landmarks; marinas with berths for up to 1,000 boats; two championship golf courses; civic and leisure facilities; over three million square-metres of office space; sea-view residential apartments and villas; luxury hotels; and tourist attractions such as the Guggenheim and the Louvre museums, the Zayed National Museum and the Manarat Al Saadiyat visitor centre.

Holidaymakers can also reach Yas Island from the new hotel in Abu Dhabi where they can visit Yas Marina, Yas Marina Circuit, and Ferrari World.

Information Technology In Hospitality Industry

Posted on by

Traditionally, hotels were largely dependent on cards and paperwork at the front desk to keep in touch with old and current customers. They were largely at the mercy of the desires of vacationers to arrive, and on their own efforts and staff to be ready for potential surges or long droughts of occupancy. Luckily, such inconvenience and old-fashioned methods are long since past, thanks to advances in information technology.

The first area in which information technology became important was in regards to billing. Old-fashioned paper-based book-keeping was time consuming and inefficient, and was not able to quickly tell a hotel owner what the situation of their hotel was. Luckily, advances in modern record keeping allow for a hotel owner to keep track of what they have on hand, how much of it they have, and how much it costs. Accounting is complicated, but advanced accounting software, especially that tailored to the unique needs of the hospitality industry, helps to enable hotel owners to make smart decisions. Services and products that are no longer used can be quickly cut off to save money, while those who show demand can be increased in quantity or modified so as to reduce the heavy usage.

Most hotels are familiar with booking rooms and reservations over the phone, but information technology has expanded well beyond that. Hotels can now work with various online travel companies and booking services to have their rooms booked online, with no need to employ expensive staff. This also allows a hotel to advertise their open rooms and special deals directly to persons who would be most likely to purchase them, instead of wasting lots of money advertising in an unfocused manner. High quality information technology thus allows for better arrangement and management of bookings in order to allow a hotel to better maximize occupancy, and to know in advance when large groups or lean times are approaching. This allows a hotel manager to make plans regarding temporary staff, good times to renovate or expand, or other concerns, because he/she can determine the state of their hotel currently and for the next few months with only a few clicks on the computer.

The advances in information technology extend well beyond booking, however. The internet is essential for vacationers who wish to contact those back home, and for those traveling on business to get in touch with the office. Therefore, wireless internet has become a very common and very useful service for hotels to provide. Many business minded persons even require that a hotel offer internet services so that they can keep working while on the road. Luckily, such services are easy to provide, as all that is required is a wireless router and various devices to ensure the entire hotel is filled with the network. Modern advances in wireless internet also allow for the wireless internet provided for hotel visitors to be used to network the hotel itself. Security cameras, door locks, and other devices essential to hotel security and safety can be wired into the network, so that staff are alerted whenever a door is propped open, a fire alarm goes off or suspicious activity occurs. Though the hotel guests are wholly unaware of it, this sort of added safety and security keeps them safe, and in the event of a problem they will most certainly appreciate the benefits of such a system.

As advanced as it is, information technology in the hospitality industry is still going forward. Intelligent booking systems enable rapid and efficient guest feedback, along with the ability to predict who is likely to use the hotel again and inform them via e-mail or text messages when good deals arrive. Hotels with room service or other guest services can offer their menus online, allowing for quick updates, high-quality photos, and other ways to allow guests to see and order services before they even arrive. There are also advances in terms of payroll and inventory which make information technology a valuable asset for saving money and maximizing profits. The unique nature of the hospitality industry makes it a great place for new and emerging information technology, and forward-thinking hotel owners and managers are always looking for smart equipment and software to invest in.