Unit 7 the functions and departments of a hotel

1. Read and translate the following international words:

monopoly general resource

superior detail report

center business specialty

speciality elegant artistic

hospitality theater chief

controller product create

time corporate comment

gracious chorus regional major

2. Read and translate the following groups of words derived from a common root:

1) person — persona — personal — impersonal — personally — personality — personification — personify — personalize — personnel;

2) special — specialty — specialist — specialize — specially — espe­cially;

3) center — centre — central — centralize — decentralize;

4) count — countable — account — accountant;

5) execute — executive — executable — executor;

6) image — imagine — imagination — imaginative — imaginary;

7) value — valuable — devaluation — evaluate — evaluation;

8) hospital — hospitality — hospitalize — hospitable.

Reading

3. Read the text and translate it. While reading try to find answers to these questions:

1 .What is a modern large hotel made up of?

2. What is the main responsibility of a general manager (GM)?

3. Why may some hotels be awe-inspiring?

The functions and departments of a hotel

The primary function of a hotel is to provide lodging accommoda­tion. A large hotel is run by a general manager (GM) and an executive committee comprised of the key executives who head major departments: rooms division director, food and beverage director, marketing and sales director, human resources director, chief accountant or controller, and chief engineer or facility manager. These executives generally have a re­gional or corporate counterpart with whom they have a reporting rela­tionship, although the general manager is their immediate superior.

A hotel is made up of several businesses or revenue centers and cost centers. A few thousand products and services are sold every day. Each area of specialty requires dedication and a quality commitment for each department to get little things right all the time. Furthermore, hotels need the cooperation of a large and diverse group of people to do it. Godfrey Bier, the general manager of the elegant 800-room General Ei-senhower Hotel calls it a business of details. Another wise comment comes from Matthew Fox: «If you ignore the little stuff, it will become big stuff».

Hotels are places of glamour that may be awe-inspiring. Even the ex­perienced hotel person is impressed by the refined dignity of a beautiful hotel like a Ritz-Carlton or the artistic splendor of a Hyatt. The atmos­phere of a hotel is stimulating to a hospitality student. Let us step into an imaginary hotel to feel the excitement and become a part of the rush that is similar to show business, for a hotel is live theater and the GM is the director of the cast of players.

Hotels, whether they are chain-affiliated or independent properties, all exist to serve and enrich society, and at the same time make a profit for the owners. Frequently, hotels are just like pieces of property on a Monopoly board. They often make or lose more money with equity ap­preciation or depreciation than via operations.

Hotels have been described as people palaces. Some are certainly pa­latial, and others are more functional. Hotels are meant to provide all the comforts of home to those away from home. A gracious feeling of warmth and welcome is a hotel's most valuable asset. Hotels have person­alities that are created by the combined chorus of effort, interest, and sincerity on the part of every member of the staff [1, 120—121].