Accomodation
A person checks into a hotel for the first time in his
life and goes up to his room. Five minutes later he
calls the desk and says, “ you’ve given me a room
with no exit. How do I leave?”
The desk clerk says, “ sir, that’s absurd. Have you
looked for the door?”
He says, “Well, there’s one door that leads to the
bathroom. There’s a 2nd door that goes into the
closet. And there’s a door I haven’t tried, but it has
a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.”
What is ‘accommodation’?
• Accommodation sector:
– Revolves around where travelers stay (sleep) while
away from home
• What do we need to know about?
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Types of lodging
Types of hotels
Types of hotel ownership/management structure
How to price accommodation
Accommodation rating systems
Different Types of Lodging
• Hotel:
– Where guests sleep and have other services available
– usually having a central lobby, rooms are accessible
from the lobby, food and/or beverages are often
available, and parking may or may not be available
– Example: Sandman Signature Hotel (Langley)
• Motel:
– Simple sleeping accommodations without access to
many other services – targeted towards car travelers –
plenty of free parking – rooms accessible directly from
outside
– Example: Travelodge (Langley)
• Inn:
– Smaller type of lodging found in smaller cities; often
‘homey’ and personal
– Ex: Westward Inn & Suites (Langley)
• Bed & Breakfast (B&B)
– Lodging found in converted homes and other buildings;
offers accommodation and breakfast the next morning;
usually very personal and offers unique cultural
experiences
– Ex: Princess and the Pea B&B (Langley)
• Hostel:
– Shared bedrooms and bathrooms; usually inexpensive and
youth focused
– Ex: The Cambie Hostel (Vancouver)
• Condos:
– Privately-owned apartment that may be used by the
owner for some of the year and rented out to tourists
the rest of the year
– Ex: Owner Direct Vacation Rentals (various locations)
• Time-share:
– Travelers buy a vacation segment for a specific period
of time each year
– Ex: Delta Grand Okanagan Resort (Kelowna)
• Dude/Guest Ranch
– Guests stay and work on a working ranch to
experience the ranching lifestyle
– Ex: Wildhorse Mountain Guest Ranch (Summerland)
• Campground (RV Park)
– Guests rent ground space to pitch their tent or
park their RV
– EX: Fort Camping (Brae Island in Langley)
Classifying Hotels – Services Offered
• Budget/economy hotel:
– Low cost, few services, no in-house food, near other
amenities
• mid-scale:
– Coffee shop or some food service, have other
amenities (pool, banquet facilities, etc.)
– Ex: Best Western (Langley)
• Upscale:
– Many quality services; nice restaurants, salons, pools,
exercise rooms, etc.)
• Luxury:
– Many amenities; very high levels of service, grand
properties, high priced
– Ex: Four Seasons Vancouver
Most Expensive Hotel Suite?
Classifying Hotels: Miscellaneous
• Residential Hotel:
– Long-term guests, like an apartment suite
– Often downtown or near large employers (University)
– Ex: Sutton Place Hotel (Vancouver)
• Spa Hotel:
– Accommodations and amenities to refresh and
rejuvenate; mud baths, massage, exercise programs,
healthy food…
– Ex: Sparkling Hill Resort (Vernon)
• Boutique Hotel:
– Luxury/upscale hotel with unique features and
amenities; modern conveniences but unique
rooms and design
– Ex: Loden Hotel (Vancouver)
• Convention hotel: focusing on convention
business or near a convention center
• Casino hotel: focusing on casino-style
entertainment
• All-inclusive resort: everything included in
price
– Ex: Sandals Resorts (Caribbean)
Types of Accommodation Ownership
and Management
• Individual owner/operator:
– Small; often family owned/operated
– Ex: Princess and the Pea B&B (Langley)
• Referral Network:
– Hotel is individually owned, but belong to a
network for marketing and reservations
– Ex: Best Western Plus – Kelowna Hotel & Suites
• Franchise:
– Individually owned, but pay $$ to parent company
to use name and systems of parent company
– Ex: Holiday Inn Express
• Management Contract:
– Individually owned, but contract to professional
hotel management company to run the hotel;
management company shares in profits
– Ex: Atlific Hotels
Booking Accommodation
How to Price Accommodations
• Are accommodation prices always the same?
NO!
• FACTORS AFFECTING PRICING
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Location (of hotel and room within hotel)
Room size and amenities
Pricing expectations of target market
Competitors’ pricing
Seasonality
Group purchase discounts
Discounts given to certain groups (seniors, govt
workers, AAA, etc.)
– Available meal plans
Accommodation Rating Systems
RATING
RATING DETAILS
*
Clean, comfortable accommodations
**
Clean, comfortable accommodations with some
amenities
Very comfortable accommodations with a greater
range of facilities, amenities, and services
***
****
Highest standard of accommodations with extensive
range of facilities, amenities, and services
*****
Exceptional properties – among best in the country
in terms of facilities, amenities, quality & service
*Canada Select Accommodations Rating Program Categories