The hotel industry is one of the fastest growing areas. Being an essential part of tourism, this area annually brings several hundred million dollars to the state treasury.
The origin of the hotel business in Russia
The hotel industry in Russia 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”. Yamskie stations served for the quick transfer of urgent reports and mail, and were also a temporary shelter for officials and senior executives who traveled on matters of the Mongolian state.
These innovations in the territory of Russia turned out to be very useful and immediately took root, since the population density in some regions is so low that housing could sometimes be found after a few days' journey. "Pits" were organized at the distance of one horse track. There it was possible to 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. Under the roof of the inns, various trading operations took place.
Hotels of pre-revolutionary Russia
The history of the hotel industry continued in the 17-18 centuries, when the first roads began to appear. One of the main directions was the road from Moscow to Petersburg, the capital of the Russian state at that time. The first buildings on this road were track palaces located at the 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 original postmen.
Among the surviving historical documents, there is no mention of the development of the hotel industry in our modern sense, since travelers did not feel the need to stay long in one place. The only important thing was to give the horses food and rest.
When Tsar Peter the Great decided to build a city on the swamps, a decree was issued according to which the stone houses had to have a strictly defined look. After the death of the king, the construction and beautification of St. Petersburg stopped.
It was resumed only with the coming to power of Queen Elizabeth. It was from this time that active improvement of the city began, not only residents of other cities, but also foreigners began to come here in large numbers. Demand for housing increased. Houses for sale and rental, 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 reached our days. 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 restaurants 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 rooms rented out, there lived a man who participated in the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander the Second. It so happened that the newcomer liked the hostess of the rooms, 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 with these apartments for some time together with N.I. Krupskaya.
Another famous hotel that has become a tourist attraction is Oktyabrskaya. At first there was an entertainment zone, which was closed after the order of the leadership. One of the owners of the hotel was the terrorist Karakozov, who shot the king at the Summer Garden. After some time, one of the rooms discovered a large warehouse of explosives.
Among the rare guests were Chekhov, who sometimes came to St. Petersburg, and the artist Surikov.
Hotel business in modern Russia
The modern hotel industry in Russia goes global. Now it is one of the fastest growing industries, which is steadily bringing 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 hotels 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 stagnation in the Soviet period, when activities were strictly regulated and was subordinate to the state. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, industry has had to re-build domestic politics and study international business rules that the rest of the world has long owned. Hotel industry managers in a short period of time mastered the science of management and brought their business to a level worthy of competition.
However, international chains of hotels are actively coming into this area, many are already buying out existing establishments, thereby eliminating competitors. Domestic hotels lend themselves, as they do not have sufficient knowledge and experience in this complex business.
Currently, domestic business is experiencing an extreme shortage of highly qualified specialists. In Russia, there is no high-quality staff training from scratch. It is the work of unskilled specialists that most often leads to losses in the field of customer service.
Now the Russian hotel industry can offer accommodation for every taste, however, there is an acute shortage of two and three star hotels in the system. This reduces the potential flow of tourists with limited financial resources.
In Europe
The development of the hotel industry in Europe took a slightly different scenario. The first institutions providing accommodation services date back to the 5th century BC. Hotels provided travelers with short rest 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 gathering place for bandits and the dregs of society.
During the late Middle Ages, accommodation facilities began to be provided by religious institutions.
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.
World hotel industry
The global hotel industry is currently booming. In the world there are more than 400 thousand different hotels that 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 larger the flow of tourists in a particular area, the more hotels open.
The hotel industry 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 security. Hotels are trying to protect themselves from the terrorist threat, so the search of guests will be intensified. Hotel staff will most correctly suggest passing a few checks.
In the hotel industry, a new type of manager is emerging most quickly, which resolves issues related to employment, security, and cash flows as quickly as possible. A new type of staff must adapt to the rapidly changing world, as this directly affects the changes in the tourism industry.
Features of the hotel business
Each service industry has its own public and unwritten rules that must be followed to ensure the stable operation of the 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:
- Inconsistency. This factor is essential in the provision of services. This is especially true of food in the hotel. Most often, dishes are not prepared at the scheduled time for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If a guest arrives at the hotel at night, then it goes without saying that he may have a need to order a meal. And the hotel should provide the guest with this service.
- The provision of urgent services. When choosing a place of residence, we pay great attention to the efficiency of resolving issues and problems that may arise during our stay at the hotel. The staff is obliged to urgently solve the problems. Sometimes even in a matter of minutes. This adds a few points to the hotel.
- The activity of the staff. In contrast to industrial production, where the automatic execution of certain actions is established, hotel activities require the direct and minute presence of staff, living people who can solve any question that arises immediately and in the shortest possible way. However, there is one problem. Unlike machines that perform their actions equally well or poorly, a group of people cannot work as a single organism. That is why certain standards have been adopted in the hotel industry that help maintain the necessary level of guest service.
- Seasonal demand. It is at this point that the main activity of any hotel is built. Depending on the season, management sets accommodation prices. More than half of people prefer to travel and relax in the summer months. In winter, the main burden falls on business people traveling on business issues. Such a contingent of guests is accommodated in hotels mainly in the middle of the week. It also affects pricing.
An important feature is also the speed of service. For example, the speed of registration and check-in. In standard hotel complexes in Russia, guest registration takes from ten to fifteen minutes. At the same time, the largest European hotel chains process and populate their customers within a minute. Tourism experts strongly recommend the introduction of new technologies that will greatly facilitate and accelerate 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 various services, which, in turn, can be divided into primary and secondary, auxiliary.
Even a child can list the main list of services. This is a quick check-in, assistance in checking in, providing meals at any time of the day, as well as the availability of necessary things in the purchased rooms.
Additional services not only globally, but also in the hotel industry in Russia include:
- transfer - a service that large chain hotels provide for free; lower-ranking hotels 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 accommodation;
- dry cleaning;
- if the client arrived in his own car, you can order a car wash and car delivery service by the set time;
- taxi call.
Additional free services also include calling an ambulance and using a hotel first-aid kit, delivering and sending urgent letters and personal correspondence in person to the guest. Many guests, especially those who need to get up early, ask hotel staff for a wake-up call. This service should also be included in the general list of services.
The service cannot be complete without satisfying the special wishes of the guest. The staff working at the hotel should have the maximum communication skills to solve the issue. This is a feature of the hotel industry. The main rule taught by attendants is to focus on the guest as an individual. He is required to offer a complete package of services that can be used to solve all pressing issues. This is called professional competency.
Service staff
Most vacancies in the hospitality industry do not require special education or skills that are necessary for working in the hospitality industry. It's about the category of people who day after day keep order in the common rooms and rooms. This is the main percentage of a large hotel team.
Leading positions and positions of managers whose work is directly related to communication, of course, must have the appropriate education, preferably in the field of psychology and management, as well as be resistant to stressful situations, polite and friendly. The daily work of the hotel complex in itself requires employees to have negotiation skills. This has a great influence on the general appearance and the “face” of the hotel, which positions itself as a place of rest. Often it is required to find out the true needs of the guest, but you need to do this carefully, loyally and unobtrusively, as people who check into the hotel can be very scrupulous. It is necessary to completely exclude the possibility of accidentally offending or offending a client or his relatives.
The duties of the staff are clearly stated in the charter of the hotel or in the employment contract. Before signing the documents and becoming a full member of the hotel staff, you must carefully read the documents provided and make sure that you have all the options for their implementation. 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 Development
Experts say that the hotel industry of any country brings to the treasury most of the revenue. The industry has impressive potential. In recent years, there has been a trend towards the unification of the hotel and entertainment sectors. This contributes to the influx and service of persons who are associated, for example, with the field of gambling.
They also pay great attention to the development of service and entertainment. More and more often during the construction of 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 much attention is paid to children, who can be left in the entertainment center at the hotel and go to solve work issues.
Experts see the huge potential in the hotel industry in Russia and urge the government and investors to provide all kinds of 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 superprofits.