Developing and updating industry knowledge

WEB SCRIPT Tourism Sector
Sector: Common Compentecies
Qualification: Develop and Update Industry Knowledge
Unit of Competency: Developing and Updating Industry Knowledge
Module Title:
 Seek information on the industry
Learning Outcomes:  Update industry knowledge
 Develop and update local knowledge
Developer/s:  Promote products and services to customers

Michael John C. Garcia

TITLE DEVELOP AND UPDATE INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE
OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

 Update your knowledge about in the industry
 Develop the skill neededd in the indusry
 Identify the sources of information

INTRODUCTION

LESSON INTRODUCTION IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
“Hospitality” according to Oxford Dictionary it is defined as” the reception and
What is Hospitality and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers with liberality and goodwill.
Tourisnm The concept of a hotel has changed and now a hotel is “a public place that
provides boarding and lodging to bonafide customers on payment”.

“Tourism” is evident by its mass character of the travel undertaken in the past.
It involves all activities that take people away from their usual place of residence
for any reason. Common reasons include holidays, recreation, business, visiting

and experiencing new cultures and to visit family and friends.
“Tourism” is evident by its mass character of the travel undertaken in the past.
It involves all activities that take people away from their usual place of residence
for any reason

“Hospitality” according to Oxford Dictionary it is defined as” the reception and
entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers with liberality and goodwill.
The concept of a hotel has changed and now a hotel is “a public place that
provides boarding and lodging to bonafide customers on payment”.

Relationship between The Hospitality industry can be broadly defined as a collection of organizations
Tourism and Hospitality providing either all or combination of the following facilities:
a)Accommodation
b)Foods and Beverage
c) Transportation
d) Entertainment
e) Health Care
Tourism and Hospitality work hand in hand by providng service needed by their
customer

Hospitality Industry Some of the organizations that come under the hospitality industry are:
a) Hotels
b) Independent Restaurants
c) Airline Companies
d) Shipping Companies
e) Railways
f) Industrial Canteens
g) Amusement Parks

h) Shopping Malls
i) Hospitals/ nursing Homes
j) Call centers
k) Any possible organization engaged in customer service.

This are the qualities you need to develop to be a successful professionals in
hospitality industry:

a) Good Communication Skills- It is not restricted to speaking good English. It
is the ability to make people understand what you want to express, no matter
whatever your language or situation is.

Qualities of a successful Picture
porfesssional in b) Grooming- It means how you represent yourself in front of others depending
on the occasion, environment, place or situation. Take care that your hair is
hospitality industry trimmed, you are properly shaved, your uniform is clean and properly ironed,
your shoes polished, and that there are no broken or missing buttons, etc.

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c) Pleasing and Cheerful Personality- Your main job is to deal with people and
render services to them. In other words, you will earn money by selling services.

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d) Positive Attitude- This is the most important quality you need to develop to
be a successful professional. Positive attitude means your behavior, and the
ability to deal with people from your heart.
A positive attitude will not only make your customers happy, but will also give
you immense happiness.

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Hotel can be classified according of the following three broad categories:
a) Size( the number of rooms)
b) Location, clientele and facilities
c) Star Classifications

Classifiction of hotel Picture

Classification According to Size
Hotels are classified according to their as follows:
a) Small- sized hotel: A hotel with less than 100 rooms
b) Medium-sized hotel: A hotel with rooms between 100 to 300 in number
c) Large- sized hotel: A hotel with more than 300 rooms.

Under this category, hotels are classified as downtown hotel, transit hotel, resort,
motel and residential hotel.

Classification according 1. Downtown or Commercial Hotel
to location,clientele and Location: Heart of the city, i.e. in the busy business/ commercial area
facilities Clientele: Mostly businessmen and sometimes tourists

Facility: Modern facilities e.g. 24- hours coffee shop, specialty restaurants, 24-
hour room service, business centre, centrally AC rooms, discotheque, swimming

pool, shopping arcade, travel desk.
2. Transit Hotel
Location: Near the port of entry, e.g. seaport, airport and railway station
Clientele: Layover passengers, misconnection passengers, businessmen and
tourist
Facility: Modern facilities
Average duration of stay: Few hours to few days
Layover passengers are those whose flight has been delayed due to technical
fault of the aircraft or bad weather and they are accommodated in the hotel at the
cost of Airline Company.
Misconnection passengers are those who missed their connecting flight.
3. Resort Hotel
Location: Resort places like hill stations, sea beaches , forests, etc.
Clientele: Holiday makers, tourists and sometime businessmen
Facility: Moderate to modern facilities
Average duration of stay: Few weeks to
months

(Conti.) 4. Motel or Motor Hotel
Location: On Highways
Clientele: Motorists, tourists and sometimes businessmen
Facility: Moderate to modern facilities
Average duration of stay: Mostly overnight
5. Residential Hotel
Location: Anywhere in the city and in the suburb
Clientele: Students and small businessmen, who have to stay away from home
for a long period of time.
Facility: Basic facilities like accommodation and food.
Average duration of stay: few months to years
Feature: Rent paid monthly or quarterly

Other types of hotel 1. Independent Hotels
These hotels are on an ownership basis and do not have any affiliation or
contract with any other property.

2. Management Contract Hotels
These types of hotels operate properties owned by individuals or partners. The
contract is earned between the owner and the operator usually as per the
contract.

3. Chains
There are many single-owned hotels, yet more and more hotels and motels are
now getting affiliated to each other.

4. Affiliation
Two or more operations belonging to some organizations. A Referral Chain is
made up of independently owned and operated hotel and motel and provides
shared advertisement, joint reservation system and standardized quality.
Another chain of operation is “Multi- Unit company” usually with a head office
and several operations across the country and abroad.

5. Franchise Hotels- The Concept
Franchise is a system in which the franchise owner grants another hotel the right
or privilege to merchandise a product of=r services for a specified return.

6. International Hotels
These hotels are situated in metropolitan cities and provide modern western style
luxury to their guests. They can also be called full service hotels.

7. Casino Hotels
The focus in this type of hotels s on gambling nad provision of casino.

8. Apartotel
It is apartment building also used as a residential hotel.

9. Auberge, Gasthof, Herberge
It is the counterpart of inn in various countries. It represents a smaller unit that
may have a complimentary bar, restaurant and bedrooms for travelers.

10. Boutique Hotels
In this hotel each room has distinct characteristics. It is a small but very
expensive hotel.

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Criteria according to 1. FIVE STAR - Properties that typify luxury across all areas of operation.
star rating Guests will enjoy an extensive range of facilities and comprehensive or highly
personalized services. Properties at this level will display excellent design quality
and attention to detail.
2. FOUR STAR - Properties which achieve a deluxe guest experience. A wide
range of facilities and superior design qualities are typically complemented by
service standards that reflect the varied and discerning needs of the guest.
3.THREE STAR - Properties that deliver a broad range of amenities that exceed
above-average accommodation needs. Good quality service, design and physical
attributes are typically fit for purpose to match guest expectations.
4.TWO STAR - Properties that focus on the needs of price conscious travellers.
Services and guest facilities are typically limited to keep room rates affordable
and competitive but may be available upon request or fee-based.
5. ONE STAR - Properties that offer budget facilities without compromising
cleanliness or guest security. Guests may access fee-based services or facilities
upon request.
6 HALF STAR - Half-star ratings indicate modest improvements in the quality
and condition of guest facilities.

Activity

LESSON THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
The hospitality industry can be divided into two general categories – commercial
Two categories in and non-commercial.
hospitality industry a) Commercial establishments operate for profit.
These include hotels, motels, convention centers, take-away premises, and
restaurants: licensed clubs seek to operate at a profit but their profits must be
ploughed back into the club for the benefit of the members and so are regarded
as ‘not for profit’ even though they seek to trade at a profit.

b) Non-commercial establishments do not seek to make a profit, some even
acting in a charitable capacity or in response to community need: these can
include some hospitals and canteens that operate in some workplaces and are
subsidized by the company or some other funding source.
These non-profit businesses do not aim to trade at a loss (indeed they will still

operate within strict budgetary controls) but their focus is more on providing a
service than showing a return on investment. They will still watch their income
and expenditure but their on-going viability does not rely on showing a profit.

Different sectors in The hospitality industry is often called the Tourism and Hospitality
tourism and hospitality Industry and comprises:
a) Restaurants and cafes
industry b) Hotels
c) Clubs
d) Meetings and events – MICE
e) Tours operators
f) Tours guides

Sub.topic Pictures
Restaurant A restaurant is an establishment where the predominant activity is the
production and service of food for consumption on the premises. Restaurants
may be based on:
1) national cuisine;
2) style and/or speed of service;
3) unique feature;
4) nominated activity

Sub.topic Pictures
Cafe A café can serve breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and supper and often coffee
and cake (or other snacks) in between.
The word café tends to denote a more casual, relaxed and informal environment
than may be expected in a restaurant. Patrons in a café often eat just a snack
rather than a full meal. Premises often call themselves ‘bar and café’ to highlight
the fact they serve alcohol.

Sub.topic Pictures
Hotel Hotels cover an extremely wide range of premises from a local hotel to an
international standard five-star premise featuring a large range of facilities
including, for example, 24-hour room service. Hotels may have a rating system
applied to them using one star up to five stars: the more stars, the better the
quality, the more services and facilities available (and usually the more expensive
they are for guests to stay in).

Sub.topic Pictures
Fast food outlet Fast food is pre-prepared and kept on display ready for immediate sale: other
food is ‘cooked to order’ with an emphasis on speed.
Sub.topic Pictures
Canteen Canteens usually operate in a workplace setting such as a mine or building site,
factory or some other work location. Meals and drinks are usually reasonably
priced. Patrons select their food and beverages as they move through a race
system, paying at cash register at the end of the race.

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Sub.topic Casinos usually have a number of departments, similar to those of five star
Casinos hotels, but the main difference is they have a large gaming department employing
staff with specialist skills. These include croupiers, gaming machine attendants,

Sub.topic pit supervisors, cashiers and a large security staff: all Picturescasinos have a
Convention center strong emphasis on security especially the use of CCTV. All these employees
must be specially licensed in order to carry out their duties – it is illegal for
Sub.topic unlicensed staff to work in these areas.
Licensed clubs Pictures
Convention centers can offer a variety of services, though they vary according to
Sub.topic the size and the capacity of the center. Larger centers employ one shift to set up
Night clubs and resort the tables and the bars for a function, and then another shift takes over to run
the actual service. Once the function is finished and guests have gone, another
Activity shift arrives to clean up the room and re-set for the next shift/function.
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Clubs cater for members and their guests. Clubs are generally not open to the
public in the same way hotels are: if a person is not a member of the club they
have to be signed in as a guest in order to be legally on the premises/served.
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Night clubs
There are many different areas of work in a nightclub – bar, restaurant, front
desk, security and entertainment. Most nightclubs are stand-alone businesses
operating only as nightclubs, while some hotels feature a nightclub within their
premises.
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Resorts
Resorts can offer a wide range of services including food and beverage,
accommodation, functions/conferences, nightclubs, sporting activities,
entertainment and leisure activities.
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LESSON OTHER AREAS IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Departments and Departments and Establishment
Establishment in Each department within a hospitality establishment plays its own unique role in
hospitality ndustry the overall running of the business, and in many instances this role will be
integrated with other departments in order to provide a ‘seamless service’ to

customers/guests.

Food and beverage Areas of employment in hospitality industry:
department a) Hospitals – and nursing and retirement homes
b) Accommodation providers – such as guest houses, B & Bs, back-packer
Kitchen and catering accommodation
department c) Sporting facilities/venues – where food and beverages are served
d)Large and small catering companies – who provide off-site catering and
sub-contracted catering services to other businesses
e) Executive apartments – where housekeeping services and cleaning are
provided
f) Defense forces – featuring the full range of services: cooking, housekeeping,
laundry, food and beverage service
g) Caravan parks – with limited food, retail shops, cleaning
h) Airlines, railways, bus depots and cruise liners – with varying degrees of
food and beverages, housekeeping/cabin service.
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Food and Beverage tasks include:
Preparing and providing food items – providing basic food preparation for
different foods for various food outlets within the venue from a main kitchen
and/or related preparation/kitchen areas
Organizing and servicing banquets, functions, and conferences – providing
waiting and other duties for special and large events
Providing room service – providing service for an in-room dining service,
and/or the service of beverages to a guest room
Providing mini-bar service – re-stocking liquor, soft drink and snacks in the
in-room guest mini-bar, and completing supporting documentation to support
charges to the guest account
Calculating accounts and daily takings – performing cashier functions for
payments received
Purchasing and distributing stock to various departments – ensuring the
venue never runs out of stock, is never overstocked and individual departments
(housekeeping, bars, kitchen) are issued with sufficient and appropriate stock to
ensure they can perform their allocated duties
Undertaking daily cellar tasks – working the cellar area of a venue
(maintenance of kegs, lines, gas cylinders, together with other bulk delivery
systems such as bulk wine, post-mix and draught cider and stout) to ensure all
bulk beverages are available as and when required
Making retail sales in bottle shop – undertaking recommendations of products,
up-selling and sales related activities to optimize sales of retail products.
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The kitchen prepares food for guests and staff. Food prepared is mainly

consumed on the premises but may be consumed off the premises where
takeaway facilities are in place. The one property may have many kitchens, with
one kitchen being nominated as its main kitchen – smaller kitchens may service
smaller rooms such as function rooms, bistros or breakfast rooms. Safe food
handling practices are expected to be implemented at all times.

Basic duties include:

Ordering of food from suppliers
Storing of food according to its individual requirements – using dry goods
store, refrigeration and/or freezers
Preparing food – ready for cooking/further processing
Cooking food – according to the requirements of individual menu items
Plating of food – placing of food onto plates to the standards, and in the
quantities, required by the venue.

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Front Office is also referred to as ‘Reception’.

Front office department Front Office tasks include:
Taking guest reservations – processing requests for bookings face-to-face, via
telephone, through email, from the fax, and/or from agents; processing changes
to bookings and cancellations
Checking guests in and out – welcoming guests on arrival; farewell and settling
accounts on their departure and
Organizing portering services – arranging for guest luggage to be taken to or
brought down from the rooms (and stored, where necessary)

Giving information to guests on internal and external products, services
and options – performing concierge functions
Processing correspondence and messages – receiving and distributing mail,
faxes, emails, messages delivered in person, flowers, tickets
Preparing guest accounts – ensuring all items are charged for at the correct
price, and ensuring any deposits are deducted
Auditing/cashiering role – reconciling accounts, accepting payment for
accounts, exchanging foreign currency (where applicable) and travelers’ cheques;
performing Night Auditor functions on a daily basis.

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Housekeeping (also referred to as ‘Rooms Division’) tasks include:

Housekeeping Servicing the accommodation rooms, hallways, offices, public areas, toilets
department and whatever else is deemed appropriate – including cleaning guest rooms and
other areas, and replenishing in-room guest and other supplies as required
Managing the laundry requirements and dry-cleaning for guests – taking,
processing and returning laundry and dry cleaning items for guests and
processing house items (sheets, pillow cases, towels, uniforms)
Performing linen room functions – repairing house and guest items
Monitoring and maintaining room accessories and facilities – ensuring they
are all working as expected and have not been damaged or stolen

Relationship between Portering duties – moving garbage and dirty linen; taking items to and from
other industry rooms as required.
Hospitality businesses could not function without purchasing services and
products from other businesses outside the industry: these are known as
‘support services’ and or ‘suppliers’.

These businesses may include:
Food suppliers – supplying dry goods, meat, poultry, vegetables, dairy, bakeries
Beverage suppliers – supplying beer, wine and spirit wholesalers and soft drink
suppliers such as dairy products, juices and waters
Linen suppliers – providing bedding supplies, towels and tablecloths
Laundry companies – laundering bedding items, towels, tablecloths and
napkins
Florists – supplying fresh flowers for the establishment, for decorations, dining
tables and functions
Entertainment agents – supplying and booking acts, bands, presenters,
celebrities
Cleaning companies – providing either subcontracted cleaning services and/or
supplying cleaning materials and products/agents
Uniform suppliers – selling staff uniforms
Stationery shops – providing administration and guest supply needs such as
paper, pens, files and envelopes
Security companies – providing in-house or after hours security including
static guards and loss prevention officers
Equipment suppliers – enabling the purchase of new equipment including
tables and chairs, refrigeration equipment, reticulation systems, air
conditioning, systems and telecommunications

Activity

LESSON SOURCES OF INFORMATION IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
There are many sources of information that can assist you – some of these are
What are the sorces of generic in nature and others are specific to the industry.
information

Written material
There is much written material that can be used to obtain and update industry
knowledge and information:
1. Reference books – on all manner of subjects such as travel options,
destinations and attractions, cooking, mixing cocktails, housekeeping,
management and all operational topics
2. Guidebooks – numerous guidebooks exist on every major tourist
destination/country. While these are often read by tourists to help them obtain a
‘feel’ for the country they are visiting, they can also be useful to staff working in
those countries as a reference and resource. Many guidebooks are available
online as free downloads, or can be purchased online. For professionals in the
tourist industry it is always worthwhile to get an idea of what tourists expect
when they visit us, so obtaining a few of these guides and browsing through them
can be a very educational and rewarding experience.
3. Trade magazines – which may be purchased from newsagents or obtained via
subscription.
4. Newspapers – many large circulation newspapers feature some aspect of the
hospitality and/or travel and tourism industries on a regular/weekly basis –
these features can included food, travel and attractions reviews; industry
movements (of staff between different employers), travel articles about
destinations and issues of interest. Find out the days these features appear and
take the time to read them
5. Libraries – public libraries and training institute libraries are a great source of
material you do not have to pay for. If you have not yet visited a local library you
should do so – remember they can usually also arrange inter-library loans
meaning they can often arrange for a book to be obtained from another library on
your behalf
6. Newsletters – these usually come in electronic form and are mostly free of
charge. They are often produced by industry suppliers/support services and
government agencies and made available as a marketing and/or communication
tool – they commonly contain a significant advertising component (which in itself
can be useful), but they also can contain many useful items/articles that can be
readily applied in working life
7. Brochures, price lists and schedules – most venues, attractions, suppliers
and service support industries provide some form of printed material to assist
with learning about their:

8. Products and services
· Contact details for their business, including hours of operation
· Prices
· Terms of trade
9. Advertisements – whether in the newspaper or in other formats (TV, flyers)
these are an excellent source of information about new products and services,
changes to existing products, prices, special deals and offers
10. Local telephone book – this is a good source of basic information especially
where the business, venue, body or organization has a display advertisement to
explain what they have to offer.

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Other sources of 1. Visitor Information Center
information This is probably the first contact you should make when seeking to develop local
industry knowledge in relation to hotels and travel.
(Conti.) Visitor Information Centers are ready-made sources of valuable and useful local
information – they will have done much of the hard work in gathering together
much of the information you need.

2. Internet
Some of the above ‘written material’ sources are internet based but the internet is
a great source of much more.

3. Conferences and seminars
You should attend these whenever possible, and make an effort to attend a major
one at least every two years (either nationally or internationally). .
Conferences and seminars are extremely useful because they are:
a) A great source of industry contacts – it is beneficial to begin ‘networking’ as
soon as possible
b) Good sources of new ideas, new products and new industry thinking
c) A good opportunity to share and test ideas – with others in the industry.

4. Product launches
Sales representatives may give you an invitation, or an invitation may be given to
all staff at your workplace.
These events are (again) good networking opportunities and they also provide
product knowledge about the product being launched/re-launched.

5 Industry associations
Industry associations are bodies venues/properties can elect to join.
They serve specific industry sectors and provide businesses/employers with a
variety of services which can include:
a) Representing the industry – this means they act as an industry
voice/spokesperson to unions, the media, and government
b) Legal advice – about industrial relations issues, occupational health and
safety
c) Training – to management and operational staff
d) Industry standards or benchmarks – which member bodies can elect to
implement as their standard practice
e) Cost savings – by virtue of establishing for their members a range of discount
rates for products and services from industry suppliers
f) Market research data – through undertaking ongoing market research into
issues of interest to members.

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6. Industry unions
Unions can be an excellent source of information about job vacancies, work
obligations and entitlements.

(Conti.) 7. Colleagues, supervisors and managers
These people are your first-line sources of information.
You should feel free to ask them questions whenever you need to find information
– get to know them and actively seek out their opinions, experiences and views.
They can help you find out what is happening in the workplace and in the wider
industry, the direction/s the business is taking, what they think of the industry
and its various stakeholders, and what they intend doing personally in terms of
career moves.

8. More on developing your own industry network
It has already been stated you should start forming an industry network of
contacts to help you in your work, and to provide information about what is
happening elsewhere in the industry.
Make yourself known and visible – keep ‘in the loop’ which means:
a) You need to contact your contacts/network when you find out something you
think they might like/need to know
b) You need to occasionally contact them just to ‘stay in touch’ even when there is
nothing specific to pass on to them

9. Talking to ‘the reps’
Many/most suppliers have sales representatives who call on the business on a
regular basis.
Sales representatives (known also as ‘sales reps’ or just as ‘reps’) visit the
business to take orders for stock and for PR purposes. These PR calls are
courtesy visits where they do not actively ask for an order but simply call in and
‘have a chat’.
This talk can be useful in finding out what is happening at other venues, trends
in the industry, new releases, potential stock outages of products they sell, and
impending price rises.
They are an excellent source of information, certainly about their product, but
also about the industry in general because they visit so many properties and
speak to so many staff.

10. Asking someone to be your mentor
This is a really big step, but certainly worthwhile.
It suggests you ask someone – and it may be outside your workplace – to spend a
bit of time with you every week or so (half-an-hour would be a good start), just
talking about the industry in general and getting them to give you their views,
opinions, experiences.
Make your mentor someone you respect and make sure they have had
substantial experience in the business/industry.
Asking a person to be your mentor is a compliment to them and definitely
indicates you are serious about your job.

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11. Using information services
Most information services are fee-for-service providers. This means it costs you

(or your employer) money to use their services.
These services capture and analyze information from various industry areas – for
example, they may focus on issues such as reasons for visiting the country/area,
sources of inbound tourists, spending patterns, length of stays, attractions and
destinations visited: the range of topics is virtually limitless.
In addition, most government agencies provide information to employers and
these too can be regarded as information services – most of these services are free
and available as:
a) E-newsletters – newsletters sent via e-mail
b) Fact Sheets
c) Updates
d) Guides
e) Information Sheets
f) Over-the-phone advice from inspectors, field officers or other appropriate
personnel within the agency.

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Activity

Unit Quiz

References

Analie M. Montserrat ,February 2017, FRONT OFFICE SERVICES NC II ,Develop Industry Knowledge
Training Regulation,Bread and Pastry Prodcution NCII