When you head away on holiday, no matter where that is, you are going to need somewhere to stay. This is where the accommodation and lodging services come into play. This particular service area or industry covers all of the different accommodation and lodging places that you can choose to stay.
Not only those places where you can stay for a short break but also longer-term accommodations too. To learn more about this particular service area, we are going to take a look at the accommodations and lodging services.
Whilst the idea of both lodging and accommodation may seem one and the same, they are separate entities with their own approaches. Lodging is often seen as a place that you stay when you are not at home; this may be for a longer period of time, such as if you are a student, if you are working away from home, or if you need to relocate due to certain circumstances and issues in your home.
Accommodation relates more to places that you may stay when you are having a holiday or you are away from your usual home for a short period of time.
When you are staying in accommodation, you can choose from accommodation that is serviced and accommodation that is not serviced. These are different and have their own benefits and plus points that you may want to consider when it comes to choosing the right one for you.
As the name suggests, serviced accommodations are those that come with an associated service that you can use during your stay. This can vary depending on where you are staying and your own personal choice of how much of the services they can provide you choose to have.
The types of services that are provided within serviced accommodation include housekeeping and room service as basics. You can also have more specialist services that can include 24-hour concierges, shops and even in-house gyms and spa facilities that you can access.
Non-service accommodations are when you stay in a certain place that provides you with no additional services other than the place to stay.
You will need to cook for yourself, clean for yourself and ensure that you have everything that you need during your stay.
This is often the preference of people who want to have a “home away from home” feeling with their break. This could be those who are travelling with children and know that they need to be able to keep to their more normal home routine, as well as those who prefer to have privacy and to be somewhat left alone during their break.
When it comes to accommodation, there are a wealth of different types that you can choose from, depending on what you need and what type of stay you are looking to have.
Airbnb has definitely seen a rise in popularity over recent years. The idea of these types of accommodation is that the property that you rent is directly from a private landlord rather than a part of a hotel chain.
You may choose to rent the entire property, such as a house, lodge or villa, or you rent a space within their large property. It depends on what is right for you and your needs.
Airbnb’s are not serviced. Therefore, you will need to be in charge of keeping it clean and cooking for yourself (or finding somewhere to eat) when you are staying there.
One of the more obvious names, when it comes to accommodation, has to be bed and breakfast. Bed and breakfast gives you a chance to book a place to stay, usually a room, within a guest house or hotel.
Not only will you get the room (hence the bed part of the title), but you will also get breakfast for each night that you stay there.
Anything that you want as an extra, such as lunch or dinner, you will need to pay for yourself.
A boutique hotel is one that is able to provide everyone who stays there with a real personal touch. They don’t have to necessarily be an independent hotels, they can be a part of a chain, but they should be an only-boutique chain instead.
The main thing to remember about a boutique hotel is that it will be smaller than other hotels, and there won’t be more than 100 rooms, which is why they can really hone in on the personal touch.
More often than not, a boutique hotel will be found in the city centre, particularly in the up-and-coming “trendy” parts, and they will be located close to landmarks, attractions or perhaps just plenty of places to eat, drink and shop.
When you think of the term chalets, you are likely to consider it as a rustic winter retreat, a place that is hidden away in a more rural setting.
Chalets are usually found in mountains or places that are alpine, as they fit in with the overall look and feel of the space that they are in. Another common place that you may find them is in the woodlands.
One of the most distinguishing features of a chalet is that it has wooden construction; this is because they are usually designed to look like the traditional alpine shepherd homes from many years gone by.
A step up from a lodge or a chalet, cottages are more like homes but are often in more rural places rather than found slap bang in the middle of a city or urban space.
More often than not, a cottage will be somewhere that is based on farmland or in an area where farms are present. They can also be in smaller, more quaint settings, such as small market towns or villages that are tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Guest houses are similar to bed and breakfasts in their size and the way that they work. However, a guest house is aimed more at those that are travelling and require somewhere to stay whilst they are away from home.
More often than not, a guest house won’t have quite as familiar and homely a feel as a bed and breakfast might, but they are still aimed at fewer guests and, therefore, a more personable service whilst they are staying there.
A hostel is often seen as one of the lower-cost forms of accommodation, and it is fair to say that this is true. Hostels are more shared in their setup, which means that you will find yourself staying in a large, dormitory-style room that has a number of beds within it.
The space that you are staying in will be shared, often with those that you don’t know and who are also staying in the area. You will have shared bathroom facilities and also a communal-style kitchen space too.
Hostels are usually chosen by those who are travelling and those who are in the area alone, as they are designed to be social and allow you to meet people whilst you are away from home.
One of the most obvious forms of accommodation out there has to be hotels. Hotels can be found all around the world, and they vary in style, setup and size.
A hotel will have a number of rooms that are self-contained in the fact that you do not have to share a bathroom with anyone else. Depending on the nature of where you are staying, they may provide you with a small kitchenette-style add-on to your hotel room, but this is going to be basic in its design and is not available in all hotels.
Villas are yet another form of accommodation that you can choose from if you are looking for a self-catering break. They are homes that are based all around the world; however, more often than not, they are near beaches and tourist resorts.
Villas will usually have a pool attached to them, whether this is private or shared with others. This means that they are a go-to choice for families who want to soak up some sunshine but like the idea of having their own space whilst they do that.
When you work in hospitality, you have a commitment to providing the very best services to those customers who are in your care. This means that you need to have the right level of knowledge and understanding.
As an owner of a hospitality business, it is vital that every member of the team, no matter what they do, has the best training possible to allow them to do their job. Not only should they have the basics that they are going to need, but they should also have access to a variety of up-skilling opportunities that will help them on their own development journey (as well as enable them to provide a fantastic service to your customers too).
If you haven’t already got it, one way to start training yourself and your colleagues is to take a Food Hygiene course.
Level 2 training is more basic and suitable for front-line staff, while Level 3 training is more advanced and suitable for managers and supervisors with greater responsibility for food safety in their workplace.
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