At the customs-house

The moment a traveller crosses the border his luggage is taken to the customs-house by porters. Every country has its own customs regulations, which stipulate what articles are liable to duty and what are duty-free. Sometimes an article which falls under customs restrictions and is liable to duty is allowed in duty-free if the traveller does not exceed a certain fixed quota. These are listed in a duty-free quota list. Customs restrictions also include a prohibited articles list. This is a list of items which may not be brought into a country or taken out of it. An official paper (from the proper authorities) giving permission to take items, which fall under special customs restrictions, in or out of a country is known as an import or export licence.

If the traveller has any item which comes under customs restrictions he is asked to declare it. That is, he is asked to name the item, stating its value and other particulars. The declaration is made either orally or in writing on a special form. The practice seems to vary in different countries. Upon payment of duty the traveller is given a receipt. A£a rule personal effects are duty-free.

It sometimes happens that a passenger's luggage is carefully gone through in order to prevent smuggling.

The formalities^ the customs^house usually take some time. Only after passing through the customs(Only when one's luggage has been cleared by the customs) does one realize that the journey is drawing to an end(or beginning, as the case might be).

HOTEL

Nowadays people travel on business and as tourists much more than in the past. Accommodations as well as rates vary from hotel to hotel There are deluxe hotels, the most luxurious and more expensive. There are resort hotels used for entertain­ment or recreation. There are also a lot of motels which grew with the development of highways in America. They provide accommodation with parking space near the guests' rooms. There are hotel chains, consisting of several hotels controlled by one company having its own trademark, or logo.

Most hotels offer single and double rooms, for one and two people respectively. Of course rollaways (collapsible beds on rollers) can be placed in a room for other family members. If a guest requires more than one room, some hotels have fine suites consisting of several rooms.

In the lobby there is a registration, or front desk where guests check in and check out, pick up and deposit keys, and so on. The check-in procedure takes a few minutes. The guest is given a registration card to fill out: the name and address, the passport number for foreign nationals. The desk clerk, or re­ceptionist, enters the guest's room number, the room rate, and the arrival and departure dates into the computer.

When the formalities are over, the bellman shows the guest to their rooms and assists them with their baggage. He shows them where the light switches are and explains the use of the room appliances, such as the television set, cooking facilities, if any, and the air conditioning. He can also run errands for you. For each service rendered the bell-man will expect a tip.

Service is supposed to begin at the door. So another em­ployee who is important during the reception procedure is the doorman. He is stationed at the entrance to the hotel and assists the guests in and out of taxis and cars, calls for cabs, etc. Very often guests will ask him for directions to restaurants, night­clubs, cafes, shops, or other hotels.

If any information is required, it can be received at the ho­tel's information desk which is supervised by 9. concierge. Con­cierges are always ready to help the guests. They can make res­ervations for theatres or flights, arrange sightseeing tours, mail letters and, in general, provide all kinds of useful information.

A hotel bill can be paid in several ways. Besides cash, credit cards are universally accepted. In fact, many hotels require their guests to produce a credit card when registering. Other­wise, a cash deposit is required. The guests may also pay with traveler's checks when checking out.

Hospitality is of great importance for a hotel. Hospitality is not an abstraction - it is a clean room, a comfortable bed, a hot shower, a good meal, a courteous doorman and - last but not least - a good profit!