Various forms of hotel trade.

Різноманітність форм готельного підприємництва

Learn the key words and word-combinations.

accommodation market ринок житла
hotel chain мережа готелів
staff turnover плинність кадрів
сonsortium консорціум
pricing mechanism механізм ціноутворення
a performance-reward system система оплати праці за її
результатами
meeting facilities приміщення для проведення засідань
іntangibles нематеріальні активи
joint-stock company акціонерне товариство
Shareholders акціонери
multinational corporation транснаціональна корпорація
subsidiary дочірнє підприємство
Assets активи
Entrepreneur підприємець
ambience обстановка
high-tech corporation високотехнологічна корпорація
bulk purchasing оптова закупівля
to charge set fees стягувати встановлену плату

I Read the article and see what types of hotel make up the accommodation market.
Complete the table with information from the article.
Chain Independent Consortium
Ownership
Character
Advantages
Disadvantages

Success in the hotel trade: a question of size?

The structure of the accommodation market

Accommodation is at the heart of tourism, and hotels are at the heart of

accommodation. However, obviously not all hotels are the same, the most
fundamental difference from a travel trade point of view lying in who owns the hotel.
These, broadly speaking, can be part of a large group or can be independent.
 Increasingly, hotels form part of large corporations. Room totals for giants like
Intercontinental, Hilton, and Accor run into the hundreds of thousands, and
operations on this scale mean economic efficiency through shared costs, bulk
purchasing, and the centralization of functions such as marketing and promotion.
The major corporations do not own all of the properties they put their name to.
Instead, various formulas are used, including:
- Acquisition
The company owns and manages the property.
- Management contracts
Investors such as insurance companies own properties and contract a hotel
group to operate them.
- Franchising
The hotel group (the franchisor) allows another company (the franchisee) to
use its name in return for an agreed payment.
A close look at the structure of the hospitality trade reveals that both luxury
and budget hotels are often only different brands in the same corporation. This is the
case with Accor, the owners of the budget hotel chains Formule 1 and Etap, of the
mid-range Mercure chain, and of top-end Sofitel, among others.
The attractions of such brands to the consumer are various, but boil down to
clients knowing exactly what they are buying into: hotels within a given brand cost
more or less the same and look and feel very similar wherever they are. For many
travelers, be they hardened business executives or timorous first-timers, this is
genuinely comforting.
Independent hotels are privately owned and are managed as a small / family
business. This means that each hotel feels unique, in contrast to the sometimes
‘identikit’ air of chain hotels. Independents can also offer the clients a more personal
experience; staff turnover is generally lower than in chain hotels, and so repeat
guests quickly become ‘part of the family’. On the downside, the independent hotel
cannot easily access the obvious benefits of bulk purchasing, and often there is no
one to share the burden of marketing costs, although an independent with a well-
executed website could receive just as much ‘air time’ as a major chain.
In order to overcome the drawbacks of being independent, hotels can team up
with each other, either on a small scale as a local initiative or through a consortium.
Best Western, for example, works by charging individual hotels set fees plus a
percentage of room sales profits. In return for this, member hotels gain the use of an
internationally recognized name, together with powerful, worldwide promotion.

IІ Use the missing sentences a-k to complete the text about the largest
hotel chains. There is one extra sentence you do not need to use.
a Almost all hotel chains of the world, regardless of their rating, experiencing
constant pressure of hard competition, are looking for any opportunities to
increase their potential.
b According to the international research company MKG Hospitality the
InterContinental Hotel Group holds the world leader by the number of rooms.
c The 4th place network is popular not only thanks to luxurious hotels, but also
because of the scandalous tricks of Paris Hilton, the former heiress of the hotel
empire.
d The Accor Group has nearly 500 thousand rooms and is growing by 3.7% per year.
e Today, the owners of Choice Hotels are betting on the interests of each client and
introducing such novelties as, for example, organic breakfasts.
f After acquiring Microtel Inns Suites and a residence network for Hawthorn Suites
(two previously owned by Global Hyatt), the Wyndham Hotel Group added a
total of about 400 new assets (out of more than 29,000 rooms) and was ranked
second in the world by the number of rooms.
g In 2007, the chain launched the innovative hotel brand Hyatt Palace, where
everything was created based on the results of surveys conducted among the
demanding tourists.
h The Four Seasons hotel group has been among the 100 best companies to work
for in America every year since 1998.
i Despite the disappearance of 20 hotels that did not meet the new standards, the
network of Starwood Hotels Resorts was firmly settled in the 8th position.
j In the world there are more than 300 hotel chains that went beyond national
boundaries.
k So many hotel chains efficiently solve the problem of territorial
expansion of activities.

International hotel chains

There are 307 683 different hotels in the world, with a volume of 11 333 199
units, the largest concentration of which affects Europe and North America. The
number of them grows in the world annually by 10-15%. At present, the
centralization and integration of management is characteristic for the development of
the world-wide hospitality industry. 1___________________________________ .
In general, the main characteristics of hotel chains are as follows:
- similarity in the territorial location;
- unity of style (architecture and interior);
- unity of signs and external information;
- a spacious and functional hall;
- unity and speed of customer registration;
- rooms designed for private travelers;
- buffet breakfast;
- availability of a conference room;
- flexible tariff system;
- unified management, marketing and communication services.
2___________________________________ . They account for more than 50% of
hotel rooms in the world.
The most famous are those hotel chains operating in many countries, but not limited
to the control of hotels in one country. Thus, Bass Hotels has hotels in 98 countries,
Best Western Int. in 84 countries, Accor in 81 countries, Starwood Hotels in 80
countries, Carlson Hospitality Worldwide in 57 countries.
3__________________________________ .

The largest international hotel chains - Choice Hotels International, Hilton

Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott
International, Wyndham Hotel Group and Best Western have teamed up to create a
single portal to search and book hotels.

Top 10 largest hotel chains in the world

InterContinental Hotel Group

4_____________________________________ .
Since 2004, this hotel network has become the largest in the world. To date, it owns
more than 600 thousand rooms in hotels throughout the world. Each year, their
number increases by 5.9%, mainly due to the true expansion of the Holiday Inn
Express, as well as the growing number of Crowned Plaza hotels and the emergence
of Staybridge Suites and Indigo boutique hotels in Europe.

Wyndham Hotel Group

This hotel chain has long been known mainly overseas. Then several Ramada brand
and Super 8 brands appeared in Portugal, the Netherlands, Hungary, the Czech
Republic and Russia. 5____________________________________ .

Marriott International
The company says it grows by 4.7% every year, and plans to build 800 hotels in the
near future and add another 125,000 to the existing 500,000. The group also promises
to invest heavily in already existing numerous brands that cover all niches of hotel
business from budget options for the poor tourists to luxury hotels for demanding
VIPs.

Hilton Hotels
6_____________________________________ . The company is well-known for its
innovations: one of its first owners introduced a system of "star rating", equipped wi-
fi hotels. However, the network began to suffer losses, and in 2007, the former
owners were forced to sell the hotel business to the Blackstone group. In 2008, the
network has increased by 300 new objects, and the company is growing mainly due
to US space. But the appearance of the Doubletree, Homewood Suites, Hilton Garden
Inn and Hampton Inn brand brands is evidence of a desire to start expansion into
other countries.

Accor Group
7_____________________________________ . Anniversary, the 800th hotel under
the brand Ibis opened not so long ago in Shanghai. Accor intends to continue the
global expansion of its brands Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman, Mercure, Suite Hotel, All
Seasons, Ibis, Etap, Motel 6, Formula 1 and is going to add 105 thousand new rooms
to the room total in the near future.

Choice Hotels
This American franchisor brings together about 4,000 hotel brands of Quality Inn,
Choice Hotels, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay
Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn and annually
increases assets by 4.5 %

The network was famous for the fact that in the middle of the last century, for the
first time began to install telephone numbers in the rooms and to make pools in
hotels, introduced a 24-hour work placement service, since the 80's first began to
work with global booking systems. 8____________________________________.
Now the company is going to bring several new brands to the market.

Best Western
Very well known in Europe, especially in France, the hotel chain has recently slowed
down its development by 1%. Despite this, the company continues its expansion to
the east, builds facilities in the UAE and China, and owns the largest number of
hotels, united by one brand (in the world more than 4 thousand hotels are called Best
Western). In 2008, the company opened its first 5-star hotel in the Czech capital,
Prague.

Starwood Hotels Resorts

Hotels of the corporation under such well-known brands as Sheraton Hotels Resorts,
Westin Hotels Resorts, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, W Hotel and Four
Points Hotels by Sheraton, Le Meridien, Aloft, can be found on all continents except
Australia. 9_____________________________________ .

Carlson
Hotel chain Carlson has 150 thousand rooms and over the last year increased by 2%.
The company managed to implement its plans for implementation in the Asia-Pacific
region, and now the company's attention is focused on the development of its hotels
in Europe.

Global Hyatt
Global Hyatt concentrates on the segment of the higher class, but, nevertheless, it was
among the top ten. 10_________________________.

Vocabulary tasks

I Give the English equivalents for:

Мережа готелів; акціонери; транснаціональна корпорація; дочірня компанія;
активи; підприємці; високотехнологічна корпорація; середній сімейний бізнес;
ринок засобів розміщення; політика оцінювання номерів; засоби для
проведення зустрічей; матеріальні / нематеріальні активи; купівля оптом;
обстановка (оточення, атмосфера); річниця весілля; економічний рушій;
об’єднання (компаній); акціонерна компанія; відкрита акціонерна компанія;
незалежні готелі; консорціум; система оплати за результатами праці; мережа
готелів середнього рівня; брати визначену плату; механізм оцінювання;
плинність кадрів; гості, що приходять не вперше; придбання.

II Match the phrases from the article about the structure of the
accommodation market 1-10 with their meanings a-j.
1 run into a) a fixed amount of money for the service
2 broadly speaking b) to reach a particular level or amount
3 boil down to c) clients who come more than once
4 timorous d) workers leaving a job and being replaced
5 identikit air e) have something as a main or basic part
6 staff turnover f) feeling of being the same
7 repeat guests g) in general
8 air time h) nervous and easily frightened
9 set fees i) number of visits to a website
10 overcome drawbacks j) succeed in dealing with problems

ІІІ Answer the questions:

1 What makes the InterContinental Hotel Group the world leader?
2 What hotel group was ranked second in the world by the number of rooms and
why?
3 How does Marriott International plan to grow in the near future?
4 Which company is well-known for its innovations?
5 What group has nearly 500 thousand rooms grows by 3.7% per year?
6 What hotel brands does the company Choice Hotels, which is the American
franchisor, bring together?
7 What company continues its expansion to the east, and builds facilities in the
UAE and China?
8 What hotel corporation can be found on all continents except Australia?
9 How does the hotel chain Carlson develop and where?
10 What is the target market of the hotel chain Global Hyatt?

VI Make a presentation for the Top 5 largest hotel chains in the world.

Business correspondence. Structure of a business letter.

 Ділова кореспонденція. Структура ділового листа

Learn the key words and word-combinations

enclosures вкладення
contraction скорочення
snail mail звичайна пошта
voicemail голосова пошта
overload перевантаження
transmit передавати
deluge наводняти, затоплення
prioritize розставити пріоритети
leave a blank line залишити порожній рядок
indent відступ
on the left-hand side of the page з лівого боку сторінки
layout макет
I Complete the text using the appropriate prepositions through, at, to, upon, of, in.
Some prepositions can be used more than once.

Effective communication policies ensure that vital information flows … the company
to all the various members … the staff. Developments … IT and telecommunications
have changed the way people communicate, making it possible to contact people …
any time through email, voicemail and mobile phones. This has sometimes led … an
information overload, where business people spend more time reading and listening
… messages than acting … them.

II Match the pairs.

voice message
cell mail
text phone
mobile machine
fax phone
paper technology
information mail
snail work

III Read the text about formal business communication to find out:
1 When do we usually write business letters?
2 What is important for writing business letters?
3 You shouldn’t use contractions (e.g. I’ll or we’d), shouldn’t you?
4 What is the standard format of a business letter?
5 What should you avoid when writing business letters?
6 What is the difference between a formal and semi-formal business letters?
7 When do you write a very formal business letter?

Formal business communication

For formal business communication, people usually write letters – not emails.
This means that there is a written record which can be kept for reference.
We usually write letters in these situations:
- to apply for a job
- to offer a service
- to confirm an agreement
- to tell people about developments
- to complain about poor service or products , etc.

It is important that a formal letter is written with correct language and spelling and
has an appropriate style. You shouldn’t write contractions (e.g. I’ll or we’d). The way
a letter is written reveals a lot about the person who is writing it and it also sends a
message about the organization that he or she is working for. Therefore, before
sending your letter it is highly recommended to make sure that the information,
layout, style and spelling are all correct.

When writing a business letter, you should follow the standard format. The letter
below shows where the following different components should appear on the page:

A letterhead / address of writer

B name and address of recipient
C date
D opening
E subject line (in bold)
F body of the letter
G closing
H signature
I name of sender
J what is enclosed

Sample letter

A 24 north Street
Fulwell
London SW60 2CD
B Mrs Rebecca Delaney
Hanworth Market Research Consultants
Hanworth House
Blakeney Street
Norwich №1 4AB

C 15th January, 201_

D Dear Mrs Delaney

E Graduate recruitment and trainee scheme

F I obtained your name from our University Careers Service. I am looking for
employment opportunities in market research and I understand that your firm has
a policy of recruiting and training new graduates.

I hope to graduate from Fulwell University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business

Studies in June 201_. I am particularly interested in statistical analysis, and this
is the subject of a special project I have worked on as part of my degree course. I
enclose my curriculum vitae, which includes information about my project work
and previous work experience. I would very much appreciate it if you could
consider me for your scheme.

G Yours sincerely,

H ………………..

I Kirsty Wainwright

J Enc: Curriculum Vitae

Language styles of business letters

Business letters are usually quite formal in style. However, their formality may vary.
This can be:
- very formal: when you don’t know the person you are writing to
- formal: when you know the name but you don’t know the person
- semi-formal: when you know the person.
Whatever the style, try to use verbs in the active and not in the passive form as this
will make your letter more dynamic.
You should also avoid writing sentences that are too long and that include
complicated or unnecessary language.
There are certain conventions concerning the correct way to address people and to
close your letter which are as follows:

Opening
Very formal:
- Dear Sir or Madam
- Dear Sir
Formal:
- Mr. / Mrs. / Ms Williams
Semi-formal:
- Dear Ann Herridge

Closing
Very formal:
- Yours faithfully (British English)
- Yours truly (US English)
Formal:
- Yours sincerely (British English)
- Sincerely (US English)
Semi-formal:
- Best regards
- Best wishes

Useful phrases for writing business letters

Referring to the last contact:

- With reference to your letter of 14th January…
- Thank you for your letter of 14th January.
- Following our talk at the exhibition on…

Referring to the subject (if not given in a subject line):

- Regarding your request for a new price list…
- Re: New price list.

Explaining why you are writing:

- I am writing to ask you… / to inform you… / to confirm
- I am interested in applying for… / ordering… / learning about…
Requesting action:
- Could you please?
- I would appreciate it if you could…
- I would be grateful if you would…
Referring to enclosures
 - I am enclosing my …
- Enclosed is a copy of …
Polite ending:
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- Thank you for your help in this matter.

IV Complete the notes on writing business letters using the necessary

words.
Tips on writing business letters
1 Any letter starts with the position of the person you are writing to and / or name
of the company written on the … side of the page.
2 Below is written the … of the person or company you are writing to.
3 Greeting: on the left-hand side of the page (leave a blank line before or after the
…).
4 Your address: on the … side of the page.
5 Date: below your ... , leaving a blank line in between.
6 Paragraphing: you can indent or write in blocked paragraphs leaving a blank line
in between the paragraphs. When using blocked paragraphs, everything begins on
the left-hand side of the page, except your … and the ….
7 Signing off: on the … side of the page, followed by a comma.
8 Your signature and your full name are clearly written underneath. Whenever
possible, include your job … below your name.

Types of business letters.

Essential phrases and clichés for writing inquiry letters

 We read your advertisement in…

 With regard to your advertisement in…of…, we would ask you …
 We have heard of your products from …
 We have seen your current catalogue showing …
 We are interested in buying (importing, etc,) …
 Please inform us (let us know) as soon as possible …
 Would you please inform us if it is possible to deliver …
 Please let us know what quantities you are able to deliver till …
 Would you kindly quote your prices and terms of delivery (terms of
payment, etc) for …
 We would like to have further details about …
 Please send us samples of (your catalogues, leaflets, etc.)
 If your prices are competitive (the samples meet the standards,
your equipment complies with our requirements, etc.) we may be able
to let you have regular orders.
 We look forward to your early reply.
 Your prompt answer would be appreciated.

Sample Inquiry Letter

Galych Furniture Ltd.

88 Zelena Street
Lviv
Ukraine

25th February, 2018

Dear Sirs,

We read your advertisement in the “Lviv Express” of 19th December.

We are writing to tell you that we are interested in buying your furniture for the
Suputnyk Hotel. Would you kindly send us your catalogues and the price-list.
If your furniture meets our requirements, we will be able to place a large order for
your furniture.
Your early reply would be appreciated.

Yours faithfully,
………………
Ivan Kravchuk
Assistant Manager

Sample Reply to the Request

Ref: Inquiry Letter of 14th June, 2018

Dear Sirs,

Thank you very much for your interest shown in our hotel. We are in a position to
host the conference to be held from 27-30th November this year.

Enclosed you will find our hotel brochure and the room rates.

Inside the brochure you will find our hotel facilities, such as fitness room, air-
conditioned conference rooms, simultaneous translating/interpreter’s booths, seminar
rooms, single and double rooms and suites, all air-conditioned with en-suite facilities,
swimming pool, sauna, restaurants and bars; multy-storey car park (240 cars).

Price for 100 delegates (full board + conference facilities) for 3 days – $74,000

I hope to welcome you in our hotel.

Yours faithfully,
………………..
Paul Williams
Assistant Manager

Sample Letter of Offer

Electron Ltd
10 Victoria Street
Manchester
England
25th November, 2018

Dear Sirs,

Thank you very much for your enquiry of 4th November, 2018. We were pleased to
learn your interest in our computers.

The high quality of our computers is well known all over the world. We deliver our
goods on CIF terms. The price covers packing and transportation costs. We can give
you a 5 per cent discount.

I enclose a detailed quotation, specifications and delivery terms. This model will
meet most of your requirements. We would appreciate if we get the order from you as
soon as possible.

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,
………………..
Peter Williams
Sales Director

Essential phrases and clichés for writing letters of confirmation

 Thank you very much for your order No… of (dated)…
 As requested we enclose (are enclosing) the copy of your order, duly signed, as an
 acknowledgement …
 We confirm that delivery will be made by…
 We hope that you will have a good turnover, and that we will be
dealing with your company in the future…
 Delivery will be made in accordance with your instructions…

Sample Letter of Confirmation

Ref: Your booking of 24th March, 2018

Dear Mr. Romanko,

We are writing to confirm your booking for 2 nights at the Opera Hotel.
We have reserved for your officials two double rooms for 15th -17th April.
I can confirm the room rates will be $75 per person per night, and you will have to
pay a 50% deposit within 3 days after you have received the confirmation.

We look forward to welcoming you on 15th April.

Best regards,
……………
Oleg Shevchuk
Reservations Manager

Essential phrases and clichés for writing letters of complaint

 We would like (have) to remind you that…

 We wish to draw your attention to the fact that…
 We are disappointed to find that the quality of the equipment (goods)
you supplied does not meet the requirements of…
 To prove our statement we enclose (are enclosing)
 The delay in delivery is causing us great inconvenience, as…-
 We find it necessary to note…
 We are returning… and would ask you to replace
 So far we have received no reply…
 Four containers in the consignment were found to be damaged.-
 We duly informed you about the breakdown of the equipment
 At present your failure to … greatly worries us
 When we examined the goods, it turned out that…
 When we installed the equipment, we found that it was faulty...
Sample Letter of Complaint

Bed Linen Dealers Ltd.

142 South Road
Sheffield S20 4HL
England
18th March, 2018

Ref: Order No.165 of 12th January, 2018

Dear Sirs,

We are writing to thank you for the delivery of bath towels, which we ordered on
12th January, 2018. At the same time we would like to draw your attention to the
following.

After examination of the towels we discovered 20 ones to be damaged due to

inappropriate packing.

We are returning the defective towels, and would ask you to replace them with new
ones at the expense of your company.

We would appreciate your prompt reply.

Yours faithfully,

……………….

Oleg Kunatenko

Assistant Manager

Essential phrases and clichés for writing a reply to the complaint

 We have carefully studied your claims…

 Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention…
 We are very sorry to hear that…
 We apologize for…
 Please accept our apologies for…
 Please be assured that we will…
 We would ask you to return the faulty equipment at your
convenience, carriage forward.
 We regret that we cannot exchange… since…
 We regret to inform you that we cannot accept your claim because …
Sample Reply to the Complaint

Mr William Miller
34 Riverside
London
Great Britain
18th April, 2019

Dear Mr. Miller,

Thank you for your letter of 13th May this year.

We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your recent stay with us: the hotel was
reasonably comfortable but the food lacked variety and the menu did not include the
vegetarian dishes.
Please, accept our apologies for the poor service in our hotel.
We can assure you this will never happen again.
We value your custom highly and would like to enclose a voucher for two meals in
our hotel restaurant during your next staying with us.

Sincerely yours,
……………..
Mary Williams
Assistant Manager

Sample Letters of Invitation

Dear Sirs,
We are writing to tell you that we have completed the construction of a new hall and
conference rooms, and we are pleased to invite you to the grand opening of a new
complex at the Globe Hotel.
The grand opening is to be held on 25th May, 2019 at 15.00 noon.
A light buffet lunch will be served before the ceremony.
Please, confirm your acceptance.

Yours faithfully,
……………….
Ivan Kunatenko
Assistant Manager

Sample Reply to the Invitation

Ivan Kravchuk
175 Zelena Street
Lviv, 79074
Ukrane

25th November, 2019

Dear Mr. Kravchuk,

I was pleased to receive your invitation to attend the conference on “The prospects
for the economic development of the Lviv region”. I’ll be very happy to come to
Ukraine and to participate in the conference.
I have sent a formal acceptance and look forward to meeting you soon.

Yours sincerely,
……………….
Robert Wilson
Managing Director