Burme Traveling Guides

Archive for February, 2012

There are many reasons to choose to stay in a hotel and what type of hotel you choose can depend on many varying factors.

The most common reason for staying in a hotel would be because you are on holiday and like most people, you are there to relax. You could be on a hen or stag night out or weekend away with friends and it’s more convenient to stay together in the same place. It could simply be an overnight stop while travelling. Sometimes what type of hotel you stay at is decided upon what is available to you there and then with the given circumstances.

It is common for people to choose hostels or bed and breakfasts simply because they are cheaper than hotels. It could also be because they are more likely to have a vacancy rather than at a hotel where you would have to book so far in advance. Your location plays an important part in choosing where you would stay as well. You wouldn’t choose to stay in a rundown hostel in a rough part of the city if there was a more welcoming hotel nearby unless you were in mighty dire straits.

Your choice can also be influenced by what quality you’re looking for and the standard of customer service you desire. It is true that the more you pay, the better service you are more likely to receive. It is because of this service that people choose hotels. The decision now is which hotel to choose.

If you were to be on a holiday you had been saving up for, you would be eager to try and get the best value for your money. It is possible to find luxury hotels in almost any city in the world. There are many hotel companies that have luxury hotels in Amsterdam, London, New York, Madrid, Paris and so on.

It is important that you find a hotel that you like and would enjoy spending time there. It is after all where you are going to be sleeping. You should also do research on what facilities the hotel has to offer as some have gyms, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a games room, a bar and restaurant amongst others. If you have family, remember to make sure that the hotel you are at is family friendly. Your children will not thank you if there is nothing on offer to entertain them for the duration of their holiday.

Double tree hotel coupons are the best ways for any business traveler to get big savings. With the hard times setting in there are many people who are looking for ways to cut their expenses. People don’t want to sacrifice comfort for a cheap price though. They still want to have comfortable rooms but they want to get them for less price.

If you are also looking for ways to save on motel accommodation, here some some strategies that might help you:

The first thing to look is the site of the the motel chain. Visit the pages where they gives news on the latest promotions and deals. Don’t ever book for a motel room without knowing these deals. They company always thinks of ways on how to attract customers. Here is where they market their motel. Take advantage of this so that on top of the low room rate, you will get added discounts which can push down the prices even more.

Ask your travel agency or airline company for hotel discounts if you are availing a vacation package. Travel agencies always give discounts because have deals with hotels. They can always decrease their mark up because they get low room rates from the hotel chains. They can always pass this low room rate to you so don’t forget to ask for discount.

Of course, you can get Double Tree Hotel Coupons the easiest when you use your online search engines. When you choose for a site that offer coupon codes, make sure that the site is legitimate. Choose for the site that looks professional to you.

The late Tip O’Neill, a wise old politician and Speaker of the House, on his profession, opinioned that “all politics is local”. So it is with Hotel Management. The top ranked brand-name chain image, their franchise quality control programs, their franchise support department, even the vaunted high-tech central reservation system, while all necessary, are not as effective in insuring the commercial success of the hotel property as much as dedicated local management.

If you are considering an investment for a franchised hotel, you are aware that both the risks and rewards are significant. With that awareness, as many investors in your position have done, you may be tempted to turn over your hotel franchise management to your franchisor, especially if that company successfully operates their own properties, for example, companies like Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, or Holiday Inns. Sounds prudent, because they have the know-how and experience to draw on, that you don’t, and being astute, you know management is most important. But that may be a major mistake. Here’s why:

1. If you are an independent franchisee, chances are your hotel is not large by chain standards; while approximately 75% of all properties are franchised, most are under 200 rooms.

2. The franchisor/operator will provide you with a management contract making them the Management Operator over a specified period of years, perhaps as little as 5, and as many as 20. In that contract, the Management Operator will receive a fixed rate, usually based on a percentage of the total sales, and a supplemental fee against a percentage of the operating profit, i.e. before fixed expenses called an “incentive fee”. The management fee, of course. will include the manager’s salary that they provide, but the actual fee will be many time his salary and will include various charges for reservations, marketing, and other services as a part of the regional and national network of operated hotels. But that’s not the major concern; this is: the manager selected for your 125 room property will be at the lower end of the experience scale so that his salary will be commensurate with the size of the property!

So now, you may have a problem. You’re going to have a real nice hotel in a superb location with excellent amenities and a great brand. However, you need good local management, but you are not sure if you are qualified to select and supervise one, nor even be able to tell if he is doing a good job. On the other hand, you’re not comfortable with turning over your operation to a young person whose supervision you are not sure of. Besides, you don’t have that control over your operation in a franchisor Management Contract, and while there are incentive fees provided the operator for a more profitable operation, there is no real downside for a franchisor operator if the hotel is less profitable than expected. After all, they will still get their fixed fee, even if you have trouble making your mortgage. There has got to be a third way. There is:

3. Look into the great number of smaller hotel management companies that do only that. They don’t own and they don’t franchise and they don’t have that tremendous overhead that large chains need to spread among their operations and franchisees. What they do have is years of hotel operating experience, managing hotels in many instances of 500 to 1000 rooms as well as all the smaller ones along the way. They also may put in a younger less experienced local manager, but they will monitor him, teach, and guide him as much as required because that is their livelihood. They want to keep their clients and gain new ones from recommendations.Finally, the independent management companies will be most receptive in terms of flexibility in negotiating the management contract with shorter terms, owner/management meetings and options, and even in difficult economic circumstances, set aside a portion of the fixed fee to the extent of the mortgage shortfall, and of course all of the services provided by the franchise are still available to the operator through the owner.

Focused, supervised local management, a motivated staff, and a management company committed to the owner’s success will result in satisfied guests and a high rate of return, both in guests and investment.

Mystery shopping is an exciting way to make money by providing valuable customer service information to a business. In today’s highly competitive business world, the demand for mystery shoppers is increasing tremendously. Mystery shoppers are usually hired by large restaurants, hotels, hospitals, movie theatres and financial institutions to evaluate the level of customer service and to motivate the business.

Providing customer service that exceeds customer expectations is the key factor to succeed in any business. To stay in front of major competitors, most of the large hotel chains hire hotel mystery shoppers that specialize in measuring the performance of hotels. Hotel mystery shoppers are independent contractors who make an anonymous visit to a hotel so as to give a comprehensive evaluation of customer experience and service. Different hotel mystery shoppers may make a number of visits over a period of weeks or months.

Hotel mystery shoppers work with hotels for the purpose of assessing customer service, product quality, guest satisfaction, guest loyalty, profit margin and other specific details requested by clients. They also evaluate the front desk staff, hotel restaurants, catering services, hotel bars, cafes, gift shops and reservations for clients to enable the client to gain advantage over competitors.

Once the evaluation is completed, hotel mystery shoppers generate a narrative report based on the data gathered during mystery shopping. Reports generated by the shoppers help their clients to improve the training programs and recruitment process. Hotel mystery shoppers are paid for submitting the reports on time. Depending on the type of property and report, the fee of a shopper ranges from $100 to $300 per night.

A and M Business Services, AboutFace, A Top Shop, Bare Associates International (BAI), Beyond Marketing Group, Check-Up Marketing, Count on Us, Hotel Shopping Network, Satisfaction Services Inc. and Coyle Hospitality Group are some of the leading firms that offer mystery shopping services for upscale hotels.

Traveling is swiftly becoming a trend in the 21st century. Most if not all love the idea of a vacation in a place where the sun is brighter, where the grass is greener or where the seas glisten in a kaleidoscope of sounds, sights and flavors. People have various reasons to travel: some for business, some for leisure and for some just for the sheer thought of it. For many travelers, spending days in the hotel is a must as an alternative to houses or for others; hotels are part of the destination itself. Whatever the reason may be, one thing is certain, people love to bask in the confines of a comfortable hotel room.

There is something about hotels that give comfort to the soul. With this year’s positive growth of the hospitality industry by 3 percent in spite of the global economic recession, the lure of hotels still captures people from all walks of life. In the United States alone, hotel services account for a huge pie of the services industry— by far the largest occupational group. This tells us that there is quite ample space for employees in the hotel industry and that the industry may be a flourishing one. Fact is, hotels are every individual’s desire for comfort.

Staying in a hotel gives one the experience of pampering beyond what is given by our own domestic borders. What with the daily chambermaid routes, the complimentary drinks, free daily buffet breakfast that carefully embody luxury cuisines from her and there, the flower arrangements at the most conspicuous eastern window and the lush velvety comfort of linen smelling clean and fresh all day. These are but few of the exquisite experiences that one may avail of in a hotel, probably not quite in any home today.

Aside from these, there are other technical comforts that hotels provide. One is the psychological satisfaction that the experience offers. Another would be the memory that a person creates in the mind with a lasting positive experience that could be relayed to friends and family. It also provides a sense of financial reward from hard work as many hotel users have jobs that pay off hotel bills.

Altogether, this makes up a good reason why many desire the comfort of a hotel. From the United States to the Bahamas, to the unspoiled paradise of the Pacific, hotels never fail to give comfort to the lucky ones who can afford them this simply extravagant luxury.

Hotel Brokerage like any other firms, engages in buying and selling stocks for clients. It may also fall under Real Estate Industry, Marketing, Commercial, Hospitality and such.

Most firms provide investment opportunities for those interested in investing in lodging real estates that meet your specifications. Some has buyer representation services that are designed to assist in locating and acquiring suitable properties for investment. They have teams of highly experienced professionals that handle the full spectrum of hospitality real estate, from limited service to high profile properties, including urban, suburban and resort hotels. They handle distinct products such as conference centers, extended-stay hotels, condominium hotels, vacation ownership/fractional properties, and golf courses. They offer their clients immediate access to one of the world’s largest hospitality practices dedicated to the hospitality industry. They help their clients to stay current with emerging trends in the global hospitality and tourism industry. They provide their clients with local, national and international access to hotel investment and financing opportunities and to strategic solutions designed to achieve optimum results.

One is a leader in Hotel Management Industry that aims to provide quality service, maintain ideal facilities, and revenues and expenses. They administer independent hotel sellers a customized detailed marketing program based on a thorough research on the property, a depth of market information, and ample marketing support commodities, aid assertive personal selling and thorough follow-up, conducts distinct property tours to qualified buyers, assists with debt and equity financing. Hotel brokerage helps buying and selling property simple and easy.

Hotel Brokerage International is the world’s largest and oldest hospitality real estate organization, which has a rich heritage of experience and expertise in hotel real estate valuation, transactions and other essential services.

Optimum Hotel Brokerage, a full service hotel brokerage firm, is dedicated in representing hotel owners to structured finance and sale transactions.

Brokerage of hotels comes with researching, consulting, strategic planning, analysis, management, evaluation, financing, and development. It also deals with property disposition, screening of buyers, evaluation of offers, contract negotiation, and coordination of closing details. Alliances with banks, mortgage banks, and insurance companies enable hotel brokers assist clients in locating the required financing in fulfilling their transactions.

In addition, hotel brokerage may mean hotel asset sales, real estate brokerage, hotel valuation, and land sales. Hotels are hybrid investment.

Hotel brokerage should include resources such as database of active buyers, industry relationships, knowledge of valuation, market knowledge, advertising channels, lenders, franchise representatives, lawyers, appraisers, and inspectors that do the necessary work to guide the buyer and seller through a successful transaction process.

Paris is an enigmatic city with an excellent romantic ambiance conducive for a fantastic holiday. There are a lot of reasons to enjoy Paris and with all the exciting things and activities you can find in the city, your stay here will surely be a memory you will always cherish. There are plenty of scenic spots to visit in Paris including the Notre Dame Cathedral, Le Louvre, or you can have a stroll on the banks of the River Seine where a lot of artists and poets did before to get an inspiration from the beauty of the city. Paris is also a great place to enjoy shopping and dining on one its restaurant is superb experience where you can be able to taste the exotic delight of French cuisines.

A lot of people flock to Paris all year round to enjoy the scenic beauty offered by the city and all of its iconic landmarks, monuments, museums, and most of all the Eiffel Tower which has become the symbol of Paris’ elegance and worldwide charm. There are a lot of hotel in the city that offers great view of this wonderful tower, and booking an accommodation at Terrass Hotel will let you enjoy a panoramic view of the Eiffel Tower from your window. With 98 magnificently styled rooms that defines comfort and elegance, a lot of them provides a wonderful view of the famous tower. With tasteful and classy interior decorations which vary from classic decor to a more contemporary art deco style, this hotel is an example of Paris with all its grandeur and elegance. Four of Terrass’ eight floors serve as non smoking rooms and all rooms offer a free high speed wifi access to its visitors.

The Terrass Hotel Paris is the only four star hotel in the district of Montmartre and is proud of its excellent concierge service to help make their guests acquainted with the various destinations in the area and to make their stay in Paris an unforgettable experience. Its multilingual concierge staff is more than willing to provide assistance about everything that concerns the hotel guests like finding and booking a seat on a famous restaurant, providing transportation either from the airport or to any locations you wish to visit, the staff are also efficient in helping you obtain tickets for events, museums, opera, city tours, and various entertainments. With their service oriented staff, they are expected to provide a more personalized service in order to satisfy your every needs. The hotel also offers a breakfast room where a sumptuous breakfast buffet is served from Monday to Friday starting at 6 in the morning. If you are not in the mood to join others in the breakfast room, you can always have your meal delivered at your room and enjoy a sumptuous continental breakfast at no extra cost.

Terrass Hotel Paris is always at the ready to provide you with all the comforts and luxury you need to make your stay in Paris more enjoyable and unforgettable.

The Hotel industry is expanding with every passing day due to the boom in leisure and corporate tourism. Frequency of travel has increased over the past decade, leading the hotels to compete in every manner to attract more guests and give them a comfortable stay. Hoteliers know the fact that if they want their customers to choose them over the competitors they have to provide something extra to the guests. Most important one is by offering the quality and right hotel amenities to the guests at suitable rates. If you want your hotel to succeed than it should keep itself ahead in the current trends which will ensure better occupancy rates.

You can start on the hotel amenities services by providing the basic things and supplies like toiletries, towels, hangers, etc. These basic hotel supplies are targeted towards providing the guests ultimate convenience and feel at home factor. However the definition of basic hotel supplies differs on the hotel class and type. The Hotel industry is a highly competitive industry and competes with one another for business. Thus the hotel amenities and supplies that they provide are part of the competition which concerns things like- how many amenities are being offered, its types and the quality and design of the products.

Guests’ expectations of such supplies are affected by the type of hotel and its sophistication level. Hangers, ice boxes, absorbent towels, exquisite bed linens, wooden luggage racks, etc these are basic hotel supplies for mid level hotels. The main aim for providing such extra luxury items is to increase the occupancy rates of the hotel rooms. As the level of the hotel goes up, so does the quality and number of hotel supplies and amenities.

Hotels and resorts that are 5-star and above provide a high level of guest services and amenities to attract and sustain high-end guests. For instance- shaving kits, medical kits, microfiber Bathrobe and towels, shaving mirrors with fog-free feature, in-room lockers, refrigerators, mini bar, etc are just some examples of high quality hotel supplies of such luxury hotels and resorts. Not only do such additional amenities attract new guests but they also increase the occupancy rates.

Guests give rating’s for the hotel supplies and guest complementaries they utilize based on there quality and there convenience. When an hotelier is in the process of deciding which hotel amenities they would provide, a number of factors would influence the decision like- the budget, expectations of their guests, type of guests they receive, etc. The value and importance of hotel supplies cannot be overlooked as they have direct Affect on the occupancy rates.

The Hotels Houston Built Before 1930 – The Historic Rice Hotel

Take a step back in time. Houston’s historic Rice Hotel, which opened to the public in 1913, is considered one of the finest hotels Houston has built in the last century. Securely nestled in the heart of downtown, the hotel was once a social mecca for the rich, famous and powerful.

Here is a bit about the history of the Rice Hotel. It was built on the original site of the first Capitol of the Republic of Texas, and home of the first Texas Congress from 1837 to 1839. The original Capitol building was torn down in 1881 by a Colonel Groesbeck, to make way for the new Capitol Hotel on Texas Street.

William Marsh Rice, the legendary founder of Houston’s Rice University, purchased the building in 1883 and added a five-story annex. He then named it the Rice Hotel. In 1911, Rice University sold the hotel to Jesse Jones, an early publisher of The Houston Chronicle newspaper and a noted politician and entrepreneur. Jones wasted no time in razing the building and erecting a 17-story structure on the site. The new hotel opened on May 17, 1913 at a cost of over $2 million. Quite a lot in 1913 dollars!

Early on, the Rice had the distinction of hosting the first air-conditioned commercial establishment in Houston – the Rice Hotel Cafeteria, which opened in 1922. Several US presidents stayed there during their travels. Many powerful political figures and entrepreneurial movers and shakers met there to map strategies and shape the destiny of our nation and open new channels of commerce.

The private and exclusive Capital Club was the prime meeting place for these politicians and power brokers. The birth and decline of many companies and enterprises was negotiated inside those walls. This was the place you could stop and find the most prominent members of the Houston business and financial community.

For a number of years, the Rice Hotel enjoyed its reputation as one of finest hotels Houston ever knew, as well as a historic landmark. Known for its famous “Rice Pudding”, the Flag Room was a favorite stop for fine cuisine and luxury service. The hotel was home to a popular coffee shop as well as several retail stores.

As often happens, though, many years of history and tradition had to come to an end. With the Rice Hotel, the end came in 1975 when a decision was made to shut the hotel down. As many held their breath in hope and anticipation, the hotel reopened for a short time in 1976. However, it wasn’t meant to be, and the Rice Hotel was permanently closed by court order and sold at foreclosure in 1977.

After a few years of laying dormant, the old hotel was renovated and reopened as the Post Rice Lofts, a luxury apartment complex. Historically the same in many respects, one of the finest hotels Houston ever had enjoys new life serving a modern generation.

Travelling comes with its own dangers even if you’re staying at a five-star hotel. Here are several hotel security tips you should keep in mind the next time you go out of town.

Surveillance

Don’t rely on the security system of the hotel. Who knows if the management is in cahoots with potential intruders of your room? Set up your own surveillance system in your room.

Start by performing a bug sweep. This may seem paranoid, but if you believe that there is great interest in what you have stored in your hotel room then there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain with this action. There are also other detectors you may use to determine presence and location of hidden cameras.

If you are completely assured that your hotel room is secured, the next thing to do is putting it under surveillance. Install wireless, battery-operated hidden cameras in strategic locations. Toss in a decoy camera or two to mislead potential intruders.

Make sure your cameras are web-ready to allow remote and online access your surveillance system. Do not set up your DVR system in your hotel room as this will obviously give you away. Set it up somewhere else and make sure that you will never run out of disk space.

Install alarms and other security gadgets to prevent unauthorized access and break-ins to your room. Besides doors and windows, vents in your ceiling may also be another way to get into your room so be sure to fortify these as well.

Hotel Security Tips against Employees with Ill Intent

Again, you need to be on your guard against even the individuals in the hotel’s employ. Hotel-issued keys are not enough. Use manual locks and practice common sense. Consider the tips below.

Do not allow housekeeping or any other hotel employee inside your room if you are not present. Inform hotel management about this to ensure that your room remains safe and secure.

Never leave your room unlocked or unattended. It only takes a few seconds to create a huge amount of trouble if you know what you’re doing.

If someone requests entry to your room and identifies himself as an employee of the hotel, double check their identity with hotel management. If you have not made any request for their services, chances are hotels won’t take the initiative to send an employee to your quarters as they are entirely too busy for such fuss. Last but not the least, remember that a uniform does not an official employee make.