| Good morning everyone. |
| Today's lecture forms part of the Hospitality and Tourism module. |
| Last week I looked at the economy end of the hotel business; |
| this week I'm going to discuss the luxury end of the market. |
| Let's consider the following scenario... |
| You wake up in the middle of the night in a strange hotel miles away from home, |
| disoriented most probably from jet lag, |
| when even the most expensive surroundings can seem empty and dispiriting. |
| You have paid a great deal of money to stay in this first-class hotel with its contemporary technology, |
| but according to recent research carried out by an international travel and public relations company, |
| all is not well. |
| The research suggests that even the most opulent, luxurious hotels seem to have underestimated the most basic needs of their customers - |
| be they travelling for work or pleasure: |
| the need to feel at home in surroundings which are both familiar and inviting. |
| Do these findings, however, apply only to hotels situated in particular areas? |
| Is it possible that the external environment can affect a guest's well-being? |
| The company's research covered a whole range of different hotel types, |
| both independent hotels and those which are part of large chains. |
| They investigated chic so-called boutique hotels in the heart of downtown business districts, |
| stately mansions located in the depths of beautiful countryside, |
| and plush hotels built at the edge of tropical beaches surrounded by palm trees and idyllic blue ocean. |
| And the research concluded that what was outside the hotel building simply didn't matter. |
| This is a fascinating revelation |
| and those of you hoping to move into careers in the travel and leisure industry |
| would be well advised to look at the findings in more detail. |
| But back to the main point of this lecture... the need to feel at home. |
| What can the hotel industry do about it? |
| And is the very idea so subjective that it's impossible to do anything about it on a global basis? |
| However, nothing stands still in this world. |
| One company has come up with the slogan 'Take Your Home With You', |
| and aims to provide clients with luxury serviced apartments. |
| Those in the business travel industry maintain that these serviced apartments |
| dispense with all the unwanted and expensive hotel services that business travellers don't want, |
| while maximising the facilities they do want. |
| For example, not only sleeping and living accommodation, |
| but also a sleek modern kitchen |
| that allows guests to cook and entertain if they wish, |
| at no additional cost. |
| The attractions of such facilities are obvious |
| and it'll be interesting to see whether the company manages to establish a trend all over the world |
| and make a lasting impact on the luxury accommodation market. |
| Now, finally I want to consider the psychology underpinning the traditional holiday hotel industry. |
| As a hotelier, how do you go about attracting people to give up the security of their own home |
| and entrust themselves to staying in a completely strange place |
| and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed? |
| Firstly, hotels exploit people's need to escape the predictability of their everyday lives. |
| For a few days people can pretend they are free of responsibilities |
| and can indulge themselves. |
| Secondly, there is something very powerful in our need to be pampered and looked after, |
| it's almost as if we return to being a baby, |
| when everything was done for us and we felt safe and secure. |
| And not far removed from this is the pleasure in being spoilt and given little treats - |
| like the miniscule bottles of shampoo and tiny bars of soap, |
| the chocolate on your pillow at night - |
| and we actually forget that we are paying for it all! |
| Next week, I'm going to look at eco-hotels, a fairly new phenomenon but increasingly popular... |