The hotel industry is one of the most dynamically developing areas. Being an essential part of tourism, this area annually brings several hundred million dollars to the state treasury.
The birth of the hotel business in Russia
The Russian hotel industry dates back to the 13th century, when the first inns began to appear, that is, after the establishment of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Russia. It was the inns that became the prototype of modern hotels. The Tatar-Mongols called these peculiar stations "pits" from the word "pits". Pit stations served for the rapid transmission of urgent reports and mail, and were also temporary shelters for officials and senior leaders who traveled on the affairs of the Mongolian state.
These innovations on the territory of Russia turned out to be very useful and immediately took root, since the densityThe population in some regions is so small that housing could sometimes be found after several days of travel. "Pits" were organized at a distance of one horse path. There you could rest, change clothes and feed the horses. In the 15th century, such road stations became commonplace throughout Russia and served not only as a haven for travelers. Various trade operations were also carried out under the roof of the inns.
Hotels of pre-revolutionary Russia
The history of the hotel industry continued in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the first roads began to appear. One of the main directions was the road from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian state at that time. The first buildings on this road were the travel palaces, located at a distance of a day's journey. This made it possible to deliver urgent messages in two days. It was the work of one hundred and twenty couriers who served as a kind of postmen.
Among the surviving historical documents, there is no mention of the development of the hotel industry in our modern sense, as travelers did not feel the need to stay in one place for a long time. It was only important to give food and rest to the horses.
When Tsar Peter the Great decided to build a city on swamps, a decree was issued according to which stone houses had to have a strictly defined look. After the death of the tsar, the construction and improvement of St. Petersburg stopped.
It was resumed only with the coming to power of Queen Elizabeth. It was from that time that the active improvement of the city began, people began to come here inin large numbers, not only residents of other cities, but also foreigners. The demand for housing increased. Houses for the sale of apartments and rentals, as well as inns and taverns, began to be built.
The European Hotel, located on Nevsky Prospekt in the very center of the city, has survived to this day. It was built in 1875 and at first it was a two-story building, on the ground floor of which there was a dining and common area. On the second floor there were separate rooms in which guests could live. There were also small separate rooms for servants. In the history of the hotel industry there are taverns with the names "Yellow" and "Red Zucchini".
Hotels of revolutionary Russia
One of the famous hotels located on Nevsky Prospekt was "San Remo". These were furnished rooms that left their mark on history. In one of the rented rooms, lived a man who participated in the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II. It so happened that the mistress of the rooms liked the newly arrived guest, and by coincidence, she got him a job in one of the secret services of St. Petersburg, the Third Department.
In 1905, V. I. Lenin lived in this apartment for some time together with N. I. Krupskaya.
Another famous hotel that has turned into a tourist attraction is the Oktyabrskaya. At first there was an entertainment area, which was closed afterleadership orders. One of the owners of the hotel was the terrorist Karakozov, who shot at the king near the Summer Garden. After some time, a large warehouse of explosives was found in one of the rooms.
Among the rare guests were Chekhov, who sometimes came to St. Petersburg, and the artist Surikov.
Hotel business in modern Russia
Modern hotel industry in Russia goes global. Now it is one of the most dynamically developing industries, which consistently brings a lot of money to the state budget. The development of the hotel industry in Russia is associated with an increase in the number of hotels and inns of various kinds. The overall tourist flow is increasing. Despite the rapid development, the Russian hospitality industry is far from being as developed as, say, in Europe or the USA. This is due to the stagnation during the Soviet period, when activities were strictly regulated and were under the jurisdiction of the state. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the industry has had to rebuild domestic politics and learn international business rules that the rest of the world has long owned. Hospitality industry managers have mastered the science of management in a short space of time and brought their business to a level worthy of competition.
However, international hotel chains are actively entering this area, many are buying out already functioning establishments, thereby eliminating competitors. Domestic hotels give in, as they do not have sufficient knowledge and experience in this complex matter.
CurrentlyCurrently, domestic business is experiencing an extreme shortage of highly qualified specialists. In Russia, there is no high-quality training of personnel from scratch. It is the work of unskilled professionals that most often leads to losses in customer service.
Now the Russian hotel industry can offer places to stay for every taste, but there is an acute shortage of two and three star hotels in the system. This reduces the possible flow of tourists with limited financial resources.
In Europe
The development of the hotel industry in Europe followed a slightly different scenario. The first establishments providing accommodation services date back to the 5th century BC. Hotels provided travelers with short breaks and horse care services, which was a priority for the population.
In the Middle Ages, inns were located not only in the city, but also outside the city, but were designed mainly for people who drink alcohol. By the middle of the 15th century, taverns were considered a place for bandits and social outcasts.
During the late Middle Ages, religious institutions began to provide accommodation services.
A big breakthrough in the development of the hotel industry in Europe occurred due to the introduction of modern technologies. Now people wanted to enjoy the benefits of civilization, such as, for example, the telephone. Only large enterprises could afford to establish a telephone connection, and hotels were one of them.
Global hotel industry
CurrentlyThe global hotel industry is booming. There are more than 400 thousand different hotels in the world, which offer guests more than 14 million rooms of varying degrees of comfort.
The trend of the hotel industry is designed to expand the segment. The greater the flow of tourists in a certain area, the more hotels open.
The hospitality industry at the global level is forming some new rules that should bring hotels to a new level of service. Much attention is paid to safety. Hotels are trying to protect themselves from the terrorist threat, so the screening of guests will be intensified. Hotel staff will promptly offer to pass several checks as correctly as possible.
In the hotel industry, a new type of manager is most rapidly emerging, who as quickly as possible resolves issues related to employment, security, and cash flows. A new type of staff must adapt to the rapidly occurring changes in the world, as this directly affects the changes in the tourism industry.
Features of the hotel business
Each service industry has its own clear and unspoken rules that must be followed to ensure the stable operation of a company or organization. Managers must have knowledge in many areas in order to properly manage their business. When providing hotel services, several important factors must be taken into account:
- Nonsimultaneity. This factor is essential in providingservices. This is especially true for food at the hotel. Most often, dishes are prepared at the wrong time for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If a guest arrives at the hotel at night, it goes without saying that he may need to order a dish. And the hotel should provide the guest with this service.
- Providing urgent services. When choosing a place of residence, we pay great attention to the promptness of solving issues and problems that may arise during our stay at the hotel. It is the duty of the staff to resolve the problems as soon as possible. Sometimes even within minutes. This adds a few points to the hotel.
- Staff activity. Unlike industrial production, where automatic execution of certain actions has been established, hotel activities require the direct and constant presence of staff, living people who can resolve any issue that arises immediately and in the shortest possible way. However, there is one problem here. Unlike machines, which perform their actions equally well or badly, a group of people cannot work as a single organism. That is why the hotel industry has adopted certain standards that help maintain the required level of guest service.
- Seasonal demand. It is on this point that the main activity of any hotel is built. Depending on the season, the management sets prices for accommodation. More than half of people prefer to travel and relax during the summer months. In winter, the main load falls on business people traveling on business. Such a contingentguests are settled in hotels mainly in the middle of the week. This also has an impact on pricing.
An important feature is also the speed of service. For example, the speed of registration and check-in to the room. In standard hotel complexes in Russia, registration of a guest takes from ten to fifteen minutes. At the same time, the largest European hotel chains register and check in their clients within a minute. Experts in the tourism industry strongly recommend the introduction of new technologies that will greatly facilitate and speed up the work of staff.
Services in the hotel industry
All hotels, regardless of popularity, have their own hotel industry. Hotel service includes a whole range of different services, which, in turn, can be divided into main and secondary, auxiliary.
Even a child can list the basic list of services. This is a quick check-in, assistance in settling, providing meals at any time of the day, as well as the availability of the necessary things in the purchased rooms.
Additional services not only on a global scale, but also in the hotel industry in Russia, include:
- transfer - a service that major chain hotels provide free of charge; hotels below the rank may charge a fee for meeting guests at the airport or train station;
- food delivery to the room; some hotels automatically include this option in the total bill for the payment foraccommodation;
- dry cleaning;
- if the client arrived in his own car, you can order a car wash service and car delivery by the set time;
- call a taxi.
Also, additional free services necessarily include calling an ambulance and using a hotel first-aid kit, delivering and sending urgent letters and personal correspondence personally to the guest. Many guests, especially those who need to get up early, ask the hotel staff for a wake-up call. This service must also be included in the general list of services.
The service cannot be complete without meeting the special wishes of the guest. The staff working in the hotel must have maximum communication skills in order to resolve the issue. This is a feature of the hotel industry. The main rule taught to the attendants is to fully concentrate on the guest as an individual. He is obliged to offer a full package of services that can be used to solve all pressing issues. This is called professional competence.
Maintenance staff
Most vacancies in the hospitality industry do not require special education or skills that are required to work in the hospitality industry. We are talking about the category of people who, day after day, keep order in the common halls and rooms. This is the main percentage of a large hotel team.
Leading positions and managerial positions, whose work is directly related to communication, of course, must haverelevant education, preferably in the field of psychology and management, as well as being resistant to stressful situations, polite and friendly. The day-to-day operation of a hotel complex in itself requires employees to have negotiation skills. This has a great impact on the overall look and "face" of the hotel, which positions itself as a place of relaxation. Often it is required to find out the true needs of the guest, but this must be done carefully, loyally and unobtrusively, as people checking into a hotel can be very scrupulous. It is necessary to completely exclude the possibility of accidentally offending or hurting the client or his relatives.
The duties of the attendants are clearly stated in the charter of the hotel or in the employment contract. Before signing documents and becoming a full member of the hotel staff, you must carefully read the documents provided and make sure that you have every opportunity to fulfill them. This opens up additional prospects in the hotel industry. They will allow you to work in this area for as long as you like.
Trends and developments
Specialists say that the hotel industry of any country brings to the treasury most of the income. The industry has great potential. In recent years, there has been a tendency to combine the hotel and entertainment sectors. This contributes to the influx and service of people who are associated, for example, with the field of gambling.
Also, great attention is paid to the development of service and entertainment. Increasingly, when building large entertainment shopping centers, hotels are also being arranged. And vice versa. Large chain hotels in resort countries are trying to offer their guests something more than just a comfortable stay. Especially a lot of attention is paid to children, who can be left in the entertainment center at the hotel and go to solve work issues.
Specialists see huge potential in the Russian hotel industry and call on the government and investors to provide all possible assistance and invest in this area. Then, analysts say, the level of service for travelers will rise several times, and this will bring popularity and, accordingly, new super-profits.
