Unit 12 Resort Vacation

Guests go to resorts for leisure and recreation. They want a good climate – summer or winter – in which they can relax or engage in recreational activities. Due to the remoteness of many resorts, guests are a kind of “captured clientele”, who may be on the property for days at a time. This presents resort managers with some unique operating challenges. Another operating challenge concerns seasonality. Some resorts either do not operate year-round or have periods of very low occupancy. Both present challenges in attracting, training, and retaining competent staff.

Many guests travel considerable distances to resorts. Consequently, they tend to stay longer than at transient hotels. This presents a challenge to the food and beverage manager to provide quality menus that are varied and are presented and served in an attractive, attentive manner. To achieve this, resorts often use a cyclical menu that repeats itself every fourteen to twenty-one days. Also, they provide a wide variety and number of dishes to stimulate interest. Menus are now more health-conscious – lighter and low in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt, and calories.

The food needs to be presented in a variety of different ways. Buffets are popular because they give guests the opportunity to make choices from a display of foods. Barbecues, display cooking, poolside, specialty restaurants, and reciprocal dining arrangements with near-by hotels give guests more options.

With increased global competition, not only from other resorts but also from cruise lines, resort managers are challenged to both attract guests and to turn those guests into repeat business, which traditionally has been the foundation of the resorts viability.

In order to increase occupancies, resorts have diversified their marketing mix to include conventions, business meetings, sales meetings, incentive groups, sporting events, additional sporting and recreational facilities, spas, adventure tourism, ecotourism, etc.

Because guests are cocooned in the resort – they expect to be pampered. This requires an attentive, well-trained staff and that is a challenge in some remote areas.

There are a number of benefits in operating resorts. The guests are much more relaxed in comparison to those at transient hotels, and the resorts are located in scenically beautiful areas. This frequently enables staff to enjoy a better quality of life than do their transient hotel counterparts. Returning guests tend to treat associates like friends. This adds to the overall party-like atmosphere, which is prevalent at many of the established resorts.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do tourists go to resorts?

2. Do all resorts operate year-round?

3. What presents a challenge to the food and beverage manager?

4. How do resorts increase occupancies?

5. What are the benefits in operating resorts?

Ex. 2. Match the words in A with their definitions in B:

A	B
1. challenge	a. something that you can choose in a particular situation
2. buffet	b. done or used for enjoyment
3. occupancy	c. something that needs a lot of skill, energy and determination to deal with or achieve
4. benefit	d. the period of use of a place
5. recreational	e. a meal at which all the food is put on the table and people go and choose what they want
6. option	f. an advantage you get from a situation

Ex. 3. Complete the gaps with one of the words given below:

presented	challenge
considerable	tend
buffets

1. Returning guests ……… to treat associates like friends.

2. ……… are popular because they give guests the opportunity to make choices from a display of foods.

3. The food needs to be ……… in a variety of different ways.

4. Many guests travel ……… distances to resorts.

5. Another operating ……… concerns seasonality.

Ex. 4. Put the verbs in an appropriate tense and voice:

1. This frequently (enable) staff to enjoy a better quality of life than (do) their transient hotel counterparts.

2. In order to increase occupancies, resorts (diversify) their marketing mix to include conventions, business meetings, sales meetings and recreational facilities.

3. Resorts often (use) a cyclical menu that (repeat) itself every fourteen to twenty-one days.

4. There (be) a number of benefits in operating resorts.

5. This hotel (require) an attentive, well-trained staff.

Ex. 5. Translate the sentences into Russian paying attention to infinitive and gerund constructions:

1. Travel package includes buying a visa, if you go to the countries of Euro union.

2. If you consider changing or canceling your holiday after the invoice has been issued we will do our best to make the change. Any requests must be submitted in writing by the person who signed the contract.

3. If you have any queries regarding the confirmation, please do not hesitate to contact me.

4. We strongly recommend you take out insurance against loss of deposit or cancellation fees.