Financial support                                   

to come into reality                                 ВОПЛОТИТЬСЯ В ЖИЗНЬ

to inaugurate                                          зд. торжественно открывать, вводить в строй7

market share                                           доля на рынке

core product                                           зд. основная специализация

diverse clientele                                       разнообразная клиентура

privacy                                                    зд. соблюдение неприкосновенности частной                                                              жизни (клиента); полная кон­фиденциальность

personalized service                               индивидуальный подход при обслужи­вании                            

discreet elegance                                     зд. приглушенная, неброская элегант­ность

retreat (n.)                                               уединенное место

to feature (smth.)                                    отличаться (чем-либо)', обладать харак­терной чертой

Case questions:

1. Where did Nicholas Pritzker come to the United States from?

2. Why does the author use the definite article here — «the Ukraine»?

3. How did he begin his career?

4. What helped him expand his small law firm and turn it into a management company?

5. What else allowed the Pritzkers to pursue their goals of expan­sion?

6. When was the first Hyatt Hotel opened?

7. How many hotels and resorts does the company currently own?

8. What accommodations and service does Hyatt provide?

9. How did Hyatt manage to earn worldwide fame?

10. What represents the company's core product?

11. What kind of traveler do European-style luxury hotels target?

Role-play:

Imagine that you are entering the lodging industry starting from scratch. To begin with, you are planning to create a hotel featuring facili­ties of world-class standard to best meet diverse clientele's needs. What exactly will you start with?

While making your decision consider the following possible steps:

• to make up a business plan;

• to raise the necessary money;

• to gain considerable financial support;

• to equip rooms with modernized business amenities;

• to differentiate cuisine and services;

• to introduce and maintain world-class services and facilities;

• to pursue the goals of expansion and development.

Identify key points in the article and extract information from it to pass on to your partner.

Let your partner see whether key points identified by you are the same as those covered in the article. Let him agree or disagree with you.

                                

Case 2

Background:

Plenty of problems are in store for anyone willing to open a hotel in London. An outlay of,,6m-7m on the property alone is needed. Besides, commercial property rates are calculated in an arbitrary way. All this may result in mutual misunderstanding, directly affecting hoteliers' profits.

Read the supporting article and provide detailed answers to the case questions below.

CHEQUING IN (Part 2)

(Why are Britain's hotels so expensive?)

Peter McKay, who co-owns two of the city's finest small hotels — Hazlitt's in Soho and The Gore in Kensington — says the problem starts with finding a suitable building. «You're going to need between 25 and 55 rooms*, he says. «In the West End, that means an outlay of «6m-7m on *the property alone*. After successfully fending off competition from resi­dential and commercial bidders, gaining the necessary planning permis­sion and converting the existing building from top to bottom, all accord­ing to strict building regulations, you could easily be looking at a capital investment of 10m ($15m).

«And then*, says Mr McKay, «there are the rates*. Commercial property rates are calculated according to an arcane formula whose se­crets, it seems, are fully understood only by a select few initiates among the bureaucratic brotherhood. Those hoteliers who have the wherewithal to do so regularly challenge their assessment. This can save them hun­dreds of thousands of pounds — underscoring the apparent arbitrariness of the whole process.

No wonder, then, that most London hotels are run by multinational chains. Continental Europe, by contrast, still has a strong tradition of independent hotels, many of which remain in the same family for generations, and can thus operate with a lot less pressure from bank managers or shareholders

Mr McKay has nothing against corporation-owned hotels; he just doesn't want to run one himself. A really good hotel, he believes, bears the personal imprimatur of its owner — it should reflect his or her «commitment to the thing». Flexibility is the key. «The nearer you are to your customers, the easier it is to be flexible*. That can affect every as­pect of how you do business — from the overall look and feel of a hotel to its willingness to serve butter on a dish instead of in a packet. Not for Mr McKay the dead hand of chain-hotel sameness. This sentiment is one his Continental counterparts would recognize immediately — Vive la dif­ference!

 

Vocabulary notes

to co- own                                     владеть чем-либо совместно с кем-либо; быть совладельцем

West End, the                              Вест-энд — респектабельный и престижный район Лондона,                                           где расположены ведущие столичные театры

outlay                                      затраты, издержки; сумма денег, которую нуж­но внести при                                        покупке существующего или открытии нового предприятия,                                         бизнеса и т.п.

bidder                                          тот, кто предлагает продавцу большую сумму денег,                                           пытаясь «перебить» своих конкурентов

to fend off                                    зд. защититься от чего-либо, проигнорировав или свалив                                                это на кого-либо другого

from top to bottom                      целиком и полностью; букв, сверху донизу

initiate                               зд. новичок; человек, начавший работать в данной                                                        организации совсем недавно

arcane                                          труднопонимаемый, загадочный, таинствен­ный

wherewithal                                 все необходимое (как правило, деньги и воз­можности)                                         для того, чтобы сделать что-либо или добиться чего-                                           либо

to underscore                               подчеркивать, делать упор на что-либо

to challenge                                  ставить под сомнение

apparent                                     очевидный, бросающийся в глаза

arbitrariness                                предвзятость, необъективность, произвол; из­бирательное                                                           отношение к чему-либо

i mprimatur                                  зд. отпечаток личности

flexibility                                      д. гибкость, способность изменяться в зави­симости от                                                     ситуации

the nearer….. the easier….        чем ближе... тем легче...

packet                                           пачка, упаковка

dead hand                                    резко отрицательное воздействие, длящееся долгое                                                     время

sameness                                      сходство,   неизменность, отсутствие перемен

sentiment                                      чувство

Continental                                  зд. европейский (за исключением Великобри­тании);                                                         букв, континентальный

Viva la difference!                      франц. Да здравствуют отличия!

Case questions:

1. What does Peter McKay co-own?

2. How much money should a hotelier raise to start the hotel busi­ness in London?

3. Why is it so difficult to calculate commercial property rates?

4. Why do some hoteliers regularly challenge the assessment of commercial property rates?

5. What proves the apparent arbitrariness of the whole assessment process?

6. What can save hotel owners hundreds of thousands of pounds? Why?

7. Why are most London hotels run by multinational chains?

8. What are the advantages of independent hotels in Continental Europe?

9. Why are independent hotels so rare in London?

10. Do all hotel owners want to run their hotels themselves?

11. What is the key to a really good hotel, according to Peter McKay?

12. Is chain-hotel sameness a positive factor in running a hotel?

Role-play:

Pretend you are planning to start a hotel from scratch. You have al­ready raised $1,5 million but the bureaucratic brotherhood in the assess­ment committee keep telling you that this amount of money won't be enough. You have serious doubts they are right. What measures will you take to open your hotel?

While making a final decision consider the following possible steps:

• to challenge their assessment;

• to show them the apparent arbitrariness of their assessment;

• to fend off competition from residential and commercial bidders;

• to find a more suitable building;

• to save tens of thousands of dollars;

• to struggle against chain-hotel sameness.