The Hospitality Industry

When asked to name the basic needs common to all human beings, those which immediately spring to mind are likely to be food and shelter. From ancestral nomads migrating out of need, the twenty-first century has evolved to integrate travel into everyday life as not only a need, but a norm as well.

The word “hospitality” has its roots in the Latin word hospes, meaning host. Without a guest, the host would cease to exist, and vice-versa. Building on this two-way relationship, a booming hospitality industry has developed into the second largest revenue generating sector in the world.

The basis of any popular industry is popular demand. With the guaranteed movement of people and the growing popularity of a dining experience, the hospitality industry has spread like quickfire into virtually every customer-service related business.  From Travel and Tourism, hotels, and airlines to restaurants, hospitals and retail, there are significant areas under the influence of the industry.

It is important to dissect the reasons as to why people travel, and to analyze what activities they engage in when they do. This helps to identify the areas in which revenue can be generated. On one hand, there are those with travel as part of their job description. Work takes them far and wide, and they naturally require accommodation and nourishment. On the other hand, travel has become synonymous with leisure, and abundant holiday makers and tourists are trotting the globe in search of novel destinations and experiences.

Both ends of the spectrum and all shades in between have developed an expectation of the services with which they will be provided, and the respective businesses have succeeded in matching it. The remarkable thing about the industry today however, is the sheer range of clientele it caters to. Those who desire a luxurious, high-end, and expensive experience can just as easily find a place for fulfilment as those looking for an affordable, efficient and simple one. Where the industry has the most scope, is in businesses which require a service experience.

The fact that an experience is intangible adds to its value and overall influence on peoples’ behavior. A good experience will nudge someone in the direction of reliving it, thereby generating a loyalty to one’s brand or business. On the contrary, a bad experience can just as easily sway someone in the opposite direction. Thus, the success industry heavily relies on customer satisfaction. This, in turn, has amped up the quality of customer service and has broadened the areas into which it is integrated.

The hospitality industry will be in existence so long as people move from one place to another. However, even though the industry is vast and seemingly fool-proof, its success inevitably hinges on the presence of a guest or customer, and their satisfaction with the experience with the service. Thus, ensuring a positive experience and building a strong host-guest relationship is the end goal of hospitality. 

To conclude, is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt- “True hospitality is giving the best of yourself to your guests.”

By:

Isha Sahgal

Student, INLEAD

Bed Time Fables

"Don’t lose sleep over anything" is an age old saying...a nicely made bed, a mattress that you can sink into, a soft pillow and a comforter infused with peaceful and restful sleep can take care of the situation temporarily. What one craves for after a long, eventful and sometimes stressful day is a good night sleep. The bed linen and the mattress industry in India have become highly competitive and price sensitive. Suppliers have seen a sudden rise in budget hotel segment and the demand of the number of keys has also risen to 20, 0000. Owing to the guest preferences in all aspects of hotel amenities and rising consumerism in the country it has forced the industry stakeholders to offer good quality bed products at competitive prices. Not compromising on the guest comfort, sellers make sure that the guest should get a sound sleep and get hotel management team to be well aware about the product features and quality. In a survey, it was found that 70% - 80% of the guest sleep on a hotel bed 3 days in a row and it’s during this period, the hotels and its housekeeping try and ensure the guest get a sound sleep and luxurious feel during their stay.

Hospitality segment in India is showing a steady growth with many international chains starting and functioning in India, the mattress industry is buoyant, and the manufacturers are endlessly bringing in modernism and technology to have an extra edge over the competition. What’s in the offering in this segment is wide range of mattresses to bed linen types and also different types of pillows. In fact, few Hotels today are offering pocketed spring mattresses of height ranging from 10 – 16 inches. Hotel developers are also moving towards procuring global brands. India is emerging as a major production center for bed linen and has attained topmost position as compared to its competitor’s turkey and china. In the recent years US, Japan, South East Asia, Middle East and European countries have emerged as major export destinations for India.

Brands today are centralizing their products as this leads to consistency and experience. The linen whether bath or bed is an important aspect of guest’s personal experience. Housekeeping is becoming more creative. There is a paradigm shift in bed making and the display of towels. Blankets and night spreads are moving out for duvets. Bed making has bed runners, decorative pillows and towels are displayed as pillow art.

Pillows are considered as one of the important aspects of bed comfort. Hotels have different types that are provided in guest rooms’ e.g. hard pillows, soft pillows, neck pillows, memory foam pillows, gel pillows, latex pillow, spinal support pillow, Ayurveda pillow, musical pillow and many more. So, it becomes very important to educate the buyer.

One of the major challenges faced in this segment is with longevity or recycling. Hotels prefer linen that can last to 100 washes or more. Most hoteliers believe thicker the product, better the linen quality, this mind set has to change. Hotels should indulge in softer, lighter and higher thread count; it also saves water and energy.

The e-commerce market has also opened new channels for distribution and has made it easier for sellers to reach out to audience. Despite the stiff competition, the market is growing and it will be an interesting watch to see how the industry players will adopt technological advancements to stay ahead.

By: 
Ms. Bindu Menon
Sr. Faculty, INLEAD 

Try Staycation This Season

Considering travelling to a cold place, an icy mountain, a tropical resort, an island in the middle of nowhere for a holiday? This season, try STAYCATION. What’s that you ask? Read on and find out.  

Staycation also referred to as Holistay is a portmanteau of "stay" and "holiday". Simply stated, it is a time when a family or an individual stays at home sleeping in their own homes, but do indulge in leisure activities within driving distance. So is this a new trend; no not exactly, staycation had become popular during the recession times when families were forced to forego their holidays because of the economic crisis. It became popular during 2007 – 2010 during the financial crisis and in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound made overseas holidays significantly more expensive. The trend is catching up again similarly like another new trend that now is catching up is going back to the roots, where hotels are not actually selling luxury to lure the guests; it’s the rustic charm, which is attracting guests.

What has led to a marginal rise in this segment? So, when an individual or family actually goes for a vacation, there is a lot of planning that is cumbersome to many and also there are issues like unpredictable exchange rates, visa regulations and political instability that contribute to reluctance in travelling abroad. A personal observation is also that for many the reason for taking a break is …RELAXATION. But, how many of us do actually achieve this. In some cases we are busier than our normal working days. This however doesn’t lessen their itchy feet, and has led to an increase in “staycations” – which are vacations nearer to home. It is also a great way of exploring domestic tourism.

There is a misconstruction among many that travel is only valuable if you travel to other countries to see new cultures and foreign lands, but this is not true domestic travel can be just as much of a special experience as international travel. Domestic travel can be an enlightening and rejuvenating experience for those who cannot afford overseas travel.

So, what can one do to maximize a Staycation:

·         Visit a local museums

·         Arrange for a beach/pool party

·         Go biking

·         Catch up on a movie

·         See a play

·         Go shopping: women would love this while men would detest

·         Catch up on sleep, hammock sound really relaxing

·         Read a book

·         Explore on a leisure activity

·         Go to an adventure park

·         Take a mini cruise

·         Participate in environment conservation activites

·         Read a book

·         Indulge in wellness( Spa, Tai-Chi)

The trick is to deviate from daily routines and truly make it a vacation. Do things that you would do during a vacation, don’t do the regular household chores. Remember that though you are at home…but you are on a vacation. 

By:

Ms. Bindu Menon,

Sr. Faulty, INLEAD

Hospitals- Go Green!

Gone are the days when hospital used to have a deadly atmosphere and an unpleasant odor being a pre-requisite of patient getting more ill during the course of treatment. With rapid development of technology, consumer awareness increasing to greater extent and hospitals taking a social responsibility of protecting environment and patient, Green Hospital concept came into being.

A green hospital is one that aims to be environmental friendly, utilizes renewable resources, reduces waste by implementing green practices and enhances patient well-being. The concept of a green hospital was perpetuated a few years back by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) through the release of their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for building construction. It works on the principle of the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. These hospitals are very innovative and reduce the emission of carbon to a large extent. Although the initial cost of construction for green hospitals are high, it has a long term effect in reducing energy cost by 20-40% and water saving upto 35-40%.

Hospital planning companies should plan and design hospitals in such a way that they maximize the utilization of day-light rather than artificial light. One of the critical factors to be considered is improving the quality of air by using an air sterilizer and certain species of plants, which absorb pollutants. Gardens and parks provide aesthetic beauty, increase patient delight and enhance their well-being thereby helping them feel better faster. Implementing various tools like lean management and Six Sigma would help in reducing waste.

Kohinoor Hospital, Mumbai is the first Platinum Rated Green Hospital in India. Many others have also come up to follow green concept in the past few years, such as Asian Healthcare, Matushri Monghiben Ramji Savla Hospital and Research Centre, Max Balaji Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Continental Hospitals Ltd, Lazarus Hospitals Ltd, Govt. Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College & Hospital, ESI Hospital, Medica Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.

As per Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), introducing green concepts in the healthcare facilities can help address National issues like infection, epidemics, handling of bio-medical waste, water efficiency, energy efficiency, reduction in fossil fuel use for commuting, consumer waste and in general conservation of natural resources. Most importantly, these concepts can enhance patients' health, recovery and well-being.

Hence, it can be rightly said, Green Hospitals are not future oriented but the only sustainable thing.

- Mr. Anurag Bora, Student, INLEAD 

Frothy Tales

Picture this… Buzzing club, people queuing up, huge steel casks, busy team members, pulsating music, animated conversations and the desire to quench that thirst…what are the options? Plenty is the answer, while H2O still remains the most popular thirst quencher. While an array of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic is available, beer continues to be the favorite among many.

There’s been a huge drift in how the good old bottles have transformed it from bottles to breweries and even microbreweries today. While there’s a wide variety of beer, it’s also found that if consumed in moderation, it has certain health benefits. After tea, beer is the second most popular beverage in the world. In a beer enthusiast’s expression it is also referred to as Adam’s new ale. Beer can be one of the most intricate and diverse drinks with a wide variety of flavors; it can taste like lemon or smoke, coffee or coconuts, banana or chilies. It can be earthy or acidic or it can be bitter or aromatic.

Indian Background

India’s association with beer goes back to the Vedas, which has a mention a drink similar to beer called as Sura, it also has a mention in Ramayana. Megasthenes, a Greek explorer has recorded usage of rice beer from his visit to India during the Maurya’s empire. Traditionally beer in India was prepared from rice or millet. India was introduced to European beer in the 18^th Century. The first brewery in India was set up in Kasauli in 1830 by Edward Dyer; they produced beer by the brand ‘Lion’, which is still available. The brewery was bought over by H.G. Meakin and in 1967 was renamed as Mohan Meakin Breweries.

Current Scenario

It has expanded momentum during the last decade in India. It’s a lifestyle choice, which was considered frolicsome couple of years back. According to a report by NIIR project Consultancy Services titled India Beer Market – Industry Size, Share Trends, Analysis and Forecasts till 2017, suggest that though the IMFL dominates the alcohol industry, beer has been able to make its mark and its presence. A consumer nowadays looks at alternative from whisky and beer perfectly fit the bill. India is a huge market for beer and that explains the breweries springing up all over the country.

The Indian consumers today do not mind spending extra bucks for a good ambience and great beer, just as they would do for a cup of coffee. There are close to 300 establishments that sell imported beer and currently stand at 3-4 lakhs cases annually and are growing at 40 – 50% every year. In the last 18 months India has seen entry of around 35 brands. Half of the Indian beer market is controlled by UB group, SABMiller, which markets Fosters owns another 30%.

Keep watching this space for more, as I discuss more insights and upcoming trends from the brewery industry.

-Ms. Bindu Menon, Sr. Faculty, INLEAD

HOSPITALITY vs. SERVICE

Is there a difference…no it’s same…or used interchangeably? Arguably one might say that hotels are a part of hospitality and all the allied industries would be categorized under service. So why are we discussing this since it could mean the same or used in varied context. To further decode it according to Aaron Bare, entrepreneur and strategist: Service is delivering on your promise. Hospitality is making people feel good while you’re delivering on that promise. “Hospitality” means exceeding the basic services you promise.

Hospitality as a term or as an industry is not new it has been around for ages, but the fact is that there are too many players and then there’s a lot of competition, so what that unique element that you provide that makes you shine on, favored and recommended. For those who are acing hospitality carry on and for those who have been stressing more on service it’s never too late. Incorporating hospitality into the existing service standards doesn’t mean that one has to change their entire system and processes. In turn what needs to be done is to include a small gesture in the service model that would stand out, become worth mentioning. Once done you’ll discover that guests will notice the difference and will boast to others about their special experiences.

Few examples where hospitality takes over service would be:

Accor Hotels at its Sofitel and Novotel properties in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. –identified their loyalty members interests through their social media profiles. On arrival there was gift given to the guest “Take guest recognition to the next level, to a more powerful level.

Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples asked Facebook fans how they like their coffee. If you answered, then stayed with them, your coffee would arrive perfectly sugared—without having to ask.

Hospitality today has become synonym with every industry not just hotels. Earlier it was understood that if you are working with hotels only then one needs to become hospitable. But the fact today is that every service industry is focusing on hospitality, it has become an integral part of any business operations. It’s a tool that is used to have a demonstrative link with a guest/client or customer. Just look around hospitals, airlines, retail sectors, corporates and educational institute all are focusing on creating that distinctive connection with people that they serve or cater to.

So how can one achieve this? There’s a saying that attitude can’t be trained, I however disagree on this. The result may not be instantaneous and is unquestionably time consuming and needs an individual approach. Is it possible, the answer is a big yes, the key being hire and train right.

You know how to train people to become better at what they DO ...

The Bad News: The essence of hospitality cannot be taught as if it were another job skill.

The Good News: You don't need to teach it. It should come naturally which is an innate capability of all human beings.

The Great News: You may already know WHAT works, but when you really understand WHY it works, maintaining that warm feeling can become remarkably effortless.

- Ms. Bindu Menon
  Sr. Faculty, INLEAD

The Rise of Coffee Culture in India

Changes in lifestyle of the urban population have given rise to the coffee culture in India. Contributing to the growth is also globalization and changing pockets. The coffee culture has now percolated from metros to tier – II and tier – III cities. Coffee earlier was considered to be expensive indulgence and also coffee cafes were places for socializing or for holding business meetings. Major chunks of the urban population live in a nuclear set-up and also fall in the DINKS (Double Income No Kids) segment. This target clientele would not mind to replace a meal with coffee and a snack, which could be a sandwich, wrap or doughnuts. Comparing the growth to the last decade there has been a significant increase in the consumption basket too.

The new age coffee brand primarily target corporate and students. According to TechSci Research’s report  titled ‘India Coffee Shops/ Café’s Market Forecast, Consumer Survey and Opportunities, 2021’, coffee shops market in India is projected to grow at CGR of over 11% during 2016 – 2021, on account of the growing coffee culture among young population, increasing urbanization, rising disposable income levels and changing lifestyles preferences of consumers. There has been a significant change also in the way people work now (virtual offices), most of the coffee shops offer free Wi-Fi and entertainment zones. The demand for coffee brands is huge from New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. While they are expanding here at a break neck speed, the coffee chains are also targeting expansion to tier II and tier III cities.

Café Coffee Day introduced India to the coffee culture and also considered to have pioneered the art of coffee serving. The brand plans to open 400 new outlets in the country, with an investment close to about 400 – 450 crores. While 70% would in opening up new outlets in cities they already exist and the remaining in new cities and highways. Tata Starbucks Pvt. Ltd is a 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Corporation and Tata Global Beverage Ltd. As of now they operate 79 Starbucks store as of Feb’16, after launching in Oct’12. UK based Costa Coffee entered India in 2005 on an exclusive master franchise with Devyani International.  Costa Coffee was the 1^st International coffee chain to set up operations in India. Costa currently operates 96 outlets.

Logistics is one of the biggest challenges faced by coffee retailers. Huge cost involved in supply chain restricts expansion of many coffee brands and considering that there’s a huge investment setting a new production unit, seems an expensive affair.  Location plays a very important role in steering the business towards profitability. High rentals are also one among the many challenges faced by them. Brands are focusing more on making coffee culture a profitable business rather than increase the counts.

Indian and International coffee chains should be able to cater to the local flavors. With the existing competition one needs to incorporate specific regional preferences in their menu. While coffee chains operating in the country are taking pro-active steps to change the perception and overcome the challenges, at the same time somewhere, someone is enjoying their cup of cappuccino and thanking all the coffee retailers for making coffee a stress buster / pick me up /wake me up drink.

- Ms. Bindu Menon

  Sr. Faculty, INLEAD

The tough choice to make

There are a plethora of accommodation options that are available nowadays to guests. They can choose from luxury hotels to business hotels or budget hotels or serviced residences.  Since the options are many, guests are often left with the big decision of making a choice. While the decision might depend on various factors, like budget, location, occasion etc., there’s one particular option that is slowly but sturdily climbing the popularity charts- the serviced residences.

Serviced residences or apartments caters to people looking for both short as well as long term accommodation. As their equivalent hotels these too are equipped with all the hotel-like amenities. They stereotypically provide guest with fully furnished space along with cooking utensils. In comparison to hotels they are less expensive; benefits include more space and privacy, ease when travelling with a family, and can save money with cooking one's own meals.  They are mostly spruced with all the modern comforts one can find in a hotel.

Let’s take a look at how this segment started to gain popularity. The conception probably first started in the US. It all started with the progression of business travel and is now gaining repute in India’s hospitality industry. According to the Global Serviced Apartment Report, there’s an 80%increse in the number of serviced apartment taking it to a figure of 75000. In the 1990’s there was a lot of international travel that was happening due to economic liberalization, new set ups and joint ventures. Initially they stayed at hotels, because the concept of apartment hotels did not exist. Later when these travel started to become more frequent involving longer duration of stay, they chose to stay at any of the swelling serviced apartments.

The initial growth of serviced apartments though was driven by international business travelers or expats, the domestic business travelers have also backed in strengthening the same. Serviced apartments are gaining popularity in the urban market like Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. These segments are also gaining popularity with the leisure segments of travelers, as they too feel that stay at five-star hotels for longer period can get very expensive. With serviced apartments one gets the advantage of reasonably priced accommodation, more space, privacy and comfort of home cooking your own food. Some of these apartments come with high end housekeeping services and laundry.

While the Indian market has lot of stand-alone serviced apartments, many hotels are also launching new properties that would be launched as serviced apartments. They may be studio rooms or may have anywhere between one to a three bedroom. Serviced apartments that are managed and operated by hotel, the guest can enjoy all the facilities that a hotel would offer them; which include bed & breakfast, household assistance, gym, conference room and banqueting space. In simpler terms, they offer a home away from home with tremendous value for money.

Serviced apartments are here to stay and gain popularity. As of now they have major presence in metros and mini metros. In future their popularity can be extended to tier II and tier III cities such as Kanpur, Panipat, Kohlapur, Nasik etc. in many cities many such facilities are being built to meet the needs of both business and leisure travelers.

- Ms. Bindu Menon

  Sr. Faculty, INLEAD

Revenue Management by Ms. Manasi Bidikar

The International Hotel Management students of INLEAD were recently treated to a fun and interactive industry expert session on Revenue Management so as to reinstate the emphasis that teachers have always been laying on Revenue Management. Recent trends have shown that students are always very keen on Hospitality operations, while ignoring the revenue aspect. The session was a reminder for them on this department’s importance.

Ms. Manasi Bidikar - Revenue Manager – Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces, Gurgaon was the guest speaker for the session. Ms. Manasi has been with the Taj group for almost a decade and her experiences are very rich and diverse. She took the students through her professional journey and laid a lot of emphasis on Revenue Management which is a very vital vertical for hospitality industry.

Ms. Manasi talked in great lengths on Revenue Management. She said that the strategy of Revenue Management is to focus on price rather than costs when balancing supply and demand. It suggests exploiting each products value cycle & continually re-evaluating revenue opportunities.

For Effective Revenue Management an organization must have:

1) Segmentation (Know your Customer based on Pricing) a different rate must be charged to Leisure guest and a Corporate Guest.

2) Price Fencing, it must be done properly in order to sustain for long term in market as the price must be according to market it may not be more or less.

Online Travel Agents (OTA) are considered as Frenemy for hotel business as they provide the business in the time of low occupancy as well as they cut the profit margins of hotel at the time of peak season. Here the part of Revenue Management plays effective role of taking decision how to deal with situation and raise more revenue.

She concluded the session by stressing on how during the time of Recession, Revenue Management plays a vital role in effective utilization of available resources by the means of Cost Optimization.

“The session proved to be extremely useful and we realized the importance of Revenue Management, having heard it from an industry expert,” said Dixit Mohit, July 2015, INHM.

 “It was a good introductory session on revenue Management, and the speaker’s experiences were quite awe inspiring,” said Naman Pare, July 2015, INHM. 

Hotels with unique concepts

It’s the 21st century and people presume everything and anything different or unique that could be done has already been done and achieved. Well, the Hotel industry doesn’t believe in this philosophy for sure. There are hotels all over the world which are coming up with new concepts almost every day to provide the best of amenities possible to its guests. Hence, I feel they believe a mention for maintaining their uniqueness and thinking out-of-the box concepts even in this 21st century, highly competitive world.

• Marina Bay Sands in Singapore with its unique design and 2560 rooms, has become one of Singapore’s iconic buildings. The hotel offers separate amenities for business and leisure traveler. There are 32 food and beverage options, including 14 fine dining restaurants and 18 casual dining establishments. The hotel also houses the world’s 2nd most expensive casino.

• Burj-Al-Arab, Dubai is an icon of modern architecture and classic design, on a man-made island of the mainland Dubai. The hotel has the highest tennis court in the world which also doubles up as a helipad. It is graded as a 7 star all-suite hotel with 202 duplex suites. The hotel amenities include chauffer driven Rolls Royce for personal outings and access to the artificial Majles Al Bahar beach.

• Tron themed ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden was inspired by an eye popping nightclub depicted in Tron. Two British sci-fi fans Ben Rousseau and architect Ian Douglas-Jones built a Tron-themed hotel suite entirely from ice and snow. The entire hotel is made up of ice, including the bed. Every November, ice from the frozen Torne river is fused with snow to remake the hotel – new themed suites are designed every year.

• Atlantis Hotel in Bahamas is located in one of the most preferred exotic holiday destinations. The resort has 6 different towers housing 11 different kinds of suites. Each suite has a different theme. The resort also has a casino, water park and fantasy camp for children.

• Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi (on a man-made island) stands as one of the icons in the area. The hotel’s main theme is based on the royal palaces of the Arab royal families. The hotel has 394 rooms in different categories. The 4 royal Khaleej suites have their own reception and give private access to the beach. This hotel has the world’s first and only gold dispensing ATM machine.

• WhitePod, Betraye, Switzerland is located amongst Swiss Alps, this resort has 5 domed shaped structures, each 8 feet high. The resort has 24 rooms with luxurious amenities and limited electricity, and plumbing lines. It is located at a height of 5600 feet and is accessible only by ski or by foot.

• Conrad Rangali Islands, Maldives is set on a private island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The hotel has water villas, beach villas, and water spa villas, with the facility for specialized treatments. Itahaa undersea restaurant is the world’s first and only undersea all glass restaurant.

• Treehotel, Harads, Sweden is a compound of four individual tree houses built among the native pines of the Lulea River Valley. Each tree house has been distinctively designed by a different architect and includes visually exquisite elements, such as a rope bridge entryway, a bright red exterior and a mirrored façade.

• Armani Hotel, Dubai located in world’s tallest man-made structure, the Burj Khalifa Tower. The hotel has 160 guest rooms including its suites located on the 38th and 39th floor. The hotel has been designed and styled by renowned designer Georgio Armani.

In the end, I would like to encourage the mankind to take inspiration from the hotel industry and try to be as unique as you can. After all, “You are one of a kind and unique. Never forget that.”

- Ms. Bindu Menon
  Senior Faculty, INLEAD

What’s on your Menu?

What’s on the menu? This is a question that most of us ask, about twice or thrice during a day. Food is a very important part of our lives. In fact, some of us even live to eat rather than the other way around.  For these foodies, a menu is like a sacred book that they want to religiously read over and over again till the time they have decided the perfect dish or dishes to satisfy the hunger in their stomachs.  

A menu can be defined as a presentation of food and beverage offerings. A menu may be à la carte – which guests use to choose from a list of options – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established sequence of courses is served.

Classic Menu Sequence

This format is used to lay out menus as well as to indicate the order of the various courses.

Course 0: Amuse-bouche / Amuse-gueule - A little bite before the meal begins: Greetings from the Chef de Cuisine

Course 1: Hors d'oeuvre (appetizer)

This course is used to manipulate the appetite for the dishes that are to follow.

Course 2: Potage (soup)

A potage is usually puréed and is often thick, well-seasoned meat or vegetable soup.

Course 3: Oeufs (eggs)

Oeufs are the dishes made from egg.

Course 4: Farineaux (rice & pasta)

This is Italy's contribution to the courses of the menu. It includes different kinds of rice and pasta.

Course 5: Poisson (fish)

Poisson are the dishes made from fish. Fish, being soft-fibred, prepares the palate for the heavier meats that follow.

Course 6: Entrée (entry of 1st meat course)

It is a complete dish in itself, garnished and sauced the way it is intended to be served.

Course 7: Sorbet (flavored water)

This course is a rest between courses. It counteracts the previous dishes, and rejuvenates the appetite for those that are to follow.

Course 8: Reléve (meat course)

This is the main meat course on the menu, and is commonly known as the “piece de resistance.”

Course 9: Rôti (roast)

This course normally consists of game or poultry.

Course 10: Légumes (vegetables)

These can be served separately as an individual course or may be included along - with the entrée, relevé or roast courses.

Course 11: Salads (salad)

Course 12: Buffet Froid (cold buffet)

In this course chilled meat pieces are served.

Course 13: Entremet de sûcre (sweet)

Entremets on a menu refers to desserts.

Course 14: Savoureaux (savory)

They are served hot on toast or as savory soufflé.

Course 15: Fromage (cheese)

Fromage (Cheese) may be served before or after the sweet course.

Course 16: Desserts (fresh fruits & nuts)

This course comes at the end of a meal. The French word desservir means "to clear the table."

Course 17: Cafe (coffee)

The classic menu sequence outlined above was and is based on logical process of taste sensations.  This classic sequence provides the guide for the compilation of menus, as it is evident in most examples of modern European menus.  

- Ms. Bindu Menon

  Senior Faculty, INLEAD 

Images Courtesy: Google Images 

Hospitality Industry and Social Media

It’s a common belief in the business of hospitality that if they use technology beyond a certain limit they would end up losing contact with their customers and eliminate an opportunity to provide hospitality. The problem here is that, at the time when hospitality standards were being developed no one had thought about the impact that internet, cell phones, and social networking would have on the world and our lives. All interactions between the hospitality staff and customers were all personal interactions. A challenge that the industry faces today is to determine when it is advisable to use technology and when it is advisable to have direct customer interaction.  

The industry currently is on a rise with major innovative change. Hotels are making their presence felt everywhere on social networking sites, mobile apps etc. The power of communication today lies in the PALM of a traveler. The likelihood of a guest tweeting for any issue is more than the same guest picking the phone or waking to the lobby for an inquiry. This also takes care of lot of ‘in the moment’ reactions. If done right, social customer service can not only retain current customers, but also can attract new ones. But customers nowadays expect seamless issue resolution and hence the room for error is minimal. Hotels can adopt various ways to improvise social customer service to engage guests. Some of them are listed below. 

• Decrease Response Time: Hotels raise guest expectations when it comes to service. They want quick and efficient response. The turnaround time for any issues raised has to be less than an hour. One would not keep a guest on hold for 45 minutes or make him stand for that long in a hotel lobby. 

• Increase Responsiveness: In Travel and Tourism Industry, reviews by the guest can be very influential to other guests when they are deciding on where to stay and which hotel brand to trust. Many guests look up to sites like TripAdvisor, goibibo.com for reviews etc.  One needs to make sure that they are active on these sites and reply to all the reviews as soon as possible. 

• Keep issues public: Try to keep issues as public as possible. Doing so shows that there is nothing to hide and that you’re willing to pro-actively engage with your customers.

With the existing competition one has to keep up with the pace of things happening around. Social customer service has the ability to turn guest into happy returning customers. But in a rush to do so the hotels should balance right between technology and human touch. The key would be to take wise decisions and understand that different customer sets define hospitality in different ways. 

- Ms. Bindu Menon

  Senior Faculty, INLEAD 

Housekeeping: Unsung Heroes of Customer Satisfaction

Has it ever happened to you that you arrive at a hotel all excited looking forward to an amazing stay, but are a little too early and were requested to wait as the room wasn’t ready?

Well, the reason for this wait is that it takes the housekeeping team twice as much as time to clean a departure room than for a guest who is staying over. A room attendant may have over hundred check points for a new arrival including wrinkle free bed linen, stationery, stain free amenity cards, spotlessly clean rooms and many more. Guest satisfaction and cleanliness in rooms during guest stay is a critical factor in ensuring repeat business.

Housekeeping department of a hotel probably employs the largest number of manpower. The number of staff hours depends on the hotel and the guest type it deals with. Staffs therefore are scheduled according to the number of guest staying. Since most of the guest nowadays book in advance especially during peak period, the work load is known well in advance. Although said simply, it can be very daunting for housekeepers as they deal with high variability of task like occupied and departure rooms, evening service, special request, staff absenteeism and host of other things which can push any housekeeper over the edge. Good housekeepers’ find ways of effectively/sharing the workload on a day to day basis.

Housekeeping is a physically demanding job. It also gives you an eye for detail and makes you a perfectionist. At an average, housekeeping staff services anywhere between 10-14 rooms a day in a 9 hour shift yet, they are often invisible to the typical guest. It is a profession that is prone to injuries therefore hoteliers must cultivate work practices that prevent them. Proper training ensures a key role in accident prevention. Following guidelines along with other safe practices ensures that the staffs are safe whilst avoiding injuries to employees that can affect their performance, productivity and morale.

To overlook the importance of housekeeping is a huge mistake since the rooms division generates the most profit for a hotel and the cleanliness and condition of the rooms are most important factors in customer satisfaction ratings. 

Hence, the next time you visit a five star hotel and are welcomed by a spick and span room, don’t forget to say a warm thank you to the housekeeping staff for their efforts. 

-Ms. Bindu Menon

 Senior Faculty, INLEAD 

Images Courtesy- Google Images 

The Mystery of BOUTIQUE HOTELS!

The hospitality Industry is thriving like never before. New hotels are mushrooming one after another across the globe. With more and more travellers taking the travel way, this boom in the industry is here to stay. 

Courtesy- http://cdn.luxatic.com/

This exponential rise in the Hotel industry has led to a creation of a number of classes which is not only confusing for the guests, but also for the hotel companies, as now everyone has a different interpretation of what each of these classes mean.

Full Service…Luxury… Limited Service…First Class… Select Service…Focused Service… Extended Stay… Seven Star… Five Star Deluxe… Five Star… etc. 

And, here enters the boutique hotels; the confusion around what classifies as a boutique is one of the most interesting unsolved mysteries known in the hotel industry. 

The expectation of a frequent traveller today has moved beyond just comfort and convenience. Increasing number of travellers prefer to be "surprised" — positively of course. Nowadays, they look for properties that are different in look and feel, somewhere where they can get a unique experience while on the go and, their this expectation is fulfilled by the Boutique hotels


The origin of Boutique hotels dates back to the early 1980s. Blakes Hotel in South Kensington, London and Bedford in Union Square, San Francisco, are known to be the first two boutique hotels in the world.

Boutique hotels distinguish themselves from others on the basis of their small size . For a property to be considered a boutique hotel, it should not have more than 100 rooms, but shouldn’t be that  small either. Hotels with less than 10 rooms are generally not categorized as a boutique hotel. It can There could also be a Boutique wing of a big hotel. The boutique section feels like a separate hotel. It has its own reception desk, lobby, and decor. Guests can quickly sense a more exclusive identity and better service in a Boutique hotel. For example, Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace in Vegas, has a quiet enclave within the massive Caesars Palace casino-hotel.

A Boutique Hotel offers ultra-personal service.   They are eccentric and can surprise and delight guests with winsome touches. A Boutique hotel has a special focus on Food and Beverage. Most of the boutique hotel houses outstanding restaurants and bars; celebrity-chefs and offers stylish lounges. The Taj Campton Place in San Francisco has a bay area two-Michelin-star restaurant Campton Place.

   W St. Petersburg Hotel, Russia

A Boutique hotel is not generic, or bland. It strives to be one-of-a-kind, and has an independent attitude. The designs can range from Modern or Designer Decor with a Quirky Touch. For example, W St. Petersburg Hotel in Russia has a fantasy décor which resembles a space-age disco. 

So, if special attention, best food and services are on your check list for your ideal hotel, a Boutique Hotel is the hotel for you.

-Bindu A. Menon

Senior Faculty, INLEAD