Fluent Essays

Objectives:  Describe issues related to international hotel development and design.   -You will write a one page summary of a current article or issue you have researched, read, or listened (cite the reference where you obtain the information by providing the website link or source on the top of your writing) -Must be related to at least one of the concepts based on Power point lecture. -These international issues must be hospitality related and reflect to the objectives of the week. -You must provide your  personal comments (six lines or more) -Assignments will be graded based on the following: Reflection to weekly learning objectives-50% Length of article summary at least six lines or more 25% Length of personal comments at least six lines or more 25% Chapter 7 Hotel Development and Design * HOTEL DEVELOPMENT PLAN International hotel products vary, and each type of hotel product serves a certain level of consumer demand. International tourists bring their own cultural expectations to the demand for provision of lodging facilities, quality, and service. * HOTEL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Cont’d) Since the early 1990s, international hotel companies have noticed that growth at the high end of the hotel segment slowed down worldwide, but demand for two-star and three-star midscale hotels has been on the rise in many countries with emerging economies. * HOTEL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Cont’d) A conceptual plan for hotel and resort development normally includes seven phases: (1) establish need (2) feasibility analysis (3) statement of scope (4) project construction (5) commissioning report (6) facility testing (7) evaluation report. * HOTEL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Cont’d) The phases of establishing need and feasibility analysis are defined as the first planning process. In the second interface between feasibility analysis and statement of scope, the scope of the operation and the size of the property are clearly defined. * PROJECT CONSTRUCTION Constructing hotels in foreign countries can be a very complex task. Resources and supplies need to be carefully planned. Planning has to be established for the control of production, procurement scheduling, supplier appraisals, cost control, contractual agreements, and construction quality control. * COMMISSIONING This commissioning program is characterized by the preparation and implementation of training procedures for hotel management and in-house staff. These commissioning procedures are designed to train the management and staff how to use technological equipment and to explain design features and the plans that complement hotel functions and operational facilities. * FACILITY TESTING When the hotel management and staff complete the commissioning procedures, the new property goes into an operation known as soft opening, which is to test all the functions of the new hotel. If functional problems are detected during the soft opening period, they can be corrected before the property is officially open for business. * EVALUATION The final phase is to evaluate the entire new property. A final inspection of the quality of the work is made, and supplies are checked against specifications. * INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Infrastructure consists of all the underground and surface development construction of a place. Roads Water Power Communications Sewage Solid Waste Disposal * HOTEL DESIGN Hotel design is influenced by many factors: the functions of the hotel and the local cultural and physical environment. Hotel functions reflect various travel markets targeted by hotel companies. If hotels are planned to serve the upscale travel market, the design must be luxurious and sophisticated. * HOTEL DESIGN (Cont’d) Hotel design is also dictated by the local cultural environment. It is recognized that most international tourists like to experience different cultures when they visit foreign countries. Hotels featuring unique local traditional architecture can become tourist attractions themselves and thus, increase business. * HOTEL DESIGN (Cont’d) Hotel building is usually subject to zoning requirements in many countries, especially in the developed countries. These countries have strict planning regulatory controls that require beach areas, sensitive coastlines, and hillsides to be kept free from obscuring hotel development. * HOTEL DESIGN (Cont’d) The interior design of hotels often reflects the local cultural traditions or cultural themes from other countries. Many European hotels currently attract travelers with new and elaborate interior designs. * Land Costs Unit density of hotels is normally determined by the land and building costs. If the land is very expensive, hotel design usually results in a high-rise building, such as the high-density multistory hotels in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Honolulu, Miami, and Hong Kong. * Environmental Hazards The selection of a construction site has to take into consideration potential environmental hazards ranging from storms, hurricanes, flooding, and earthquakes to rock or mud slides. These potential environmental hazards can cause varying degrees of damage to the physical structure of the hotel, threaten guest and employee safety, and cause substantial investment losses for the investors. * Hillsides Many hotels and resorts are built on scenic sites to get the best view of mountains or lakes. Hotels constructed on hillsides are subject to several environmental hazards. * Earthquakes When building hotels in geologically active regions, developers must take earthquake hazards into account. The massive destruction of the Japanese city Kobe by earthquake in January 1995 claimed more than 6,000 lives and destroyed thousands of structures. Many hotels were destroyed in the earthquake. * Construction Cost and Quality Building a new hotel in any country requires substantial capital investment. Construction costs for hotels of similar type and size vary significantly between the developed and the developing countries. But even among developing countries, construction costs vary considerably. * THE TREND OF ECORESORT DEVELOPMENT Resort development requires sites with outstanding and unique natural features, such as beachfront, remote islands, riversides, lakesides, or mountains. * THE TREND OF ECORESORT DEVELOPMENT (Cont’d) Resort hotels do not just offer guests luxurious lodging facilities and food services, but also rely on magnificent physical surroundings to create a relaxing and tranquil vacation environment, and provide a wide range of outdoor recreational activities to keep guests at the resort longer. * THE TREND OF ECORESORT DEVELOPMENT (Cont’d) Due to the heavy demand for spectacular physical attributes, the integration of the physical environment and resort development has been highly emphasized by the international hospitality industry, and highly regulated by many national governments. * THE TREND OF ECORESORT DEVELOPMENT (Cont’d) New names for such integrated development have recently appeared in the research literature and industry journals: ecolodge, ecotel, ecohotel, ecoresort, green hotel, green resort, green room, and green suite. The development of environmentally sensitive hotels and resorts thus responds to the fast-growing ecotourism markets, and the general public’s awareness of environmental preservation and sustainability. *