Modern approach to the definition of “hotel comfort”

We consider the main tool of competition for the customer at the hotel level – the quality of services. The latter includes the material (material) and non-material (personal) components. A detailed description of the requirements for the material environment of existence, which underlie the concept of “comfort in a hotel” put forward by Jacques Levy, is given. The main stages of creating comfort in a hotel, starting with the choice of location and ending with the operation of the hotel, are also considered.
Keywords: modern tourism, competitive struggle, quality of hotel services, comfort, tourist attraction, professionalism, service culture.
Introduction Modern tourism is one of the most rapidly developing branches of the world economy. In the struggle to attract tourists compete with each other as individual countries, regions within the country, and individual enterprises of the tourist industry. Across the country or an individual region, the main trump card in this struggle is a variety of tourism resources – natural and man-made objects that are of interest and motivation to travel. The wider the “range” of various tourist resources suitable for recreation, located on the territory, the more opportunities it has to attract tourists and to increase the duration of their stay in the area.
As a rule, you must have:
– natural resources (landscape, bioclimate, hydro-mineral resources, environmental conditions, etc.);
– cultural and historical potential (historical monuments of architecture, museums, memorable places, modern cultural and entertainment and entertainment facilities);
– material and technical base and infrastructure of tourism (hotels, motels, campgrounds, boarding houses, catering establishments, social infrastructure of the district);
– human resources (provision of qualified specialists in the field of tourism, staff of the appropriate level, the possibility of expanding jobs during the tourist season, the possibility of training and improving their skills).
On the scale of a separate hotel enterprise (boarding house, holiday home) the main tool in the competitive struggle for the client is the quality of the services provided. And here it is traditionally possible to distinguish the material (material) and non-material (personal) components of the quality of service.
Formulation of the problem. Recently, in scientific publications, emphasis has been placed on the personal aspect of service quality: professionalism of the staff, culture of behavior, ethics. Hospitality as a good personal attitude of staff to customers comes to the fore. However, modern man makes increasing demands on the material environment, so the material elements of comfort also play an important role in attracting customers. It is the technical equipment of the hotel, the composition and quality of the room stock, the range of services provided that underlie the classification of hotels according to the level of comfort in most countries. In addition, these parameters are easily standardized and more or less accurate to estimate. Thus, the creation of a comfortable material environment for tourists is the first step towards achieving success in the hotel business.
The results of previous studies. One of the founders of the concept of “comfort in a hotel” is considered to be the Swiss practitioner Jacques Levy. He proposed a four-part concept of comfort (temperature comfort, air quality, technical and economic comfort), where the focus is on the material components of comfort.
1. Thermal comfort is a combination of conditions for temperature, humidity and air velocity in a hotel building.
2. Air quality (its composition and air exchange conditions) is associated with thermal comfort and is of particular importance wherever the number of people in the room can constantly change (restaurant, bar, fitness center, etc.). Here, the air supply program should depend on the actual needs.
3. Technical comfort means serviceability and coordinated operation of all technical equipment in the hotel.
4. Economic comfort – providing thermal comfort, air quality and technical comfort at the lowest cost that suits everyone – the hotel management and customers.
The purpose and content of the study. Due to the fact that scientific and technological progress objectively alters the state of the material and technical base of the hotel industry, this concept of “comfort in a hotel” can be expanded by the following components:
– light comfort – a combination of natural conditions (including insolation) and artificial lighting of hotel rooms;
– noise – a set of parameters of sound insulation of hotel premises;
– sanitary and hygienic – first of all, cleanliness in the hotel, conditions for cleaning and disposal of garbage, adequate water quality, well-coordinated work of sanitary systems;
– functional – the convenience of furniture and household appliances intended for use by the client.