Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS 5Historical DevelopmentsThe history of the hotel industry is also filled with notable concepts that shaped theproducts and services offered.The atrium concept design, limited-service hotels, and technology were notable innovations.Management concepts such as marketing and total quality management(TQM) offered managers a new way to do business in hotels. The major U.S. economicreorganization in the late 1980s shaped the way hotels could become profitable. Also, inthe 1990s, a new term appeared that changed the financial structuring and operation ofhotels—real estate investment trusts (REITs).Also, the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, will have an impact on how hotelsmarket their products and services and deliver hospitality.Atrium ConceptThe hotel industry has had many notable developments over the past years. The atriumconcept, a design in which guest rooms overlook the lobby from the first floor to the roof,was first used in the 1960s by Hyatt Hotels.The dramatic approach to hotel style [was] exemplified by the Hyatt Regency inAtlanta. Designed by architect John Portman, with a striking and impressive atriumsoaring up its 21 stories, the hotel literally changed the course of upscale hoteldesign. As a result hotels became more than a place to rest one’s head. They becamehubs for excitement, fun, relaxation and entertainment. 11Limited-Service HotelsThe movement of hotel construction from the downtown, center-city area to the suburbsin the 1950s coincided with the development of the U.S. highway system. The limited-serviceconcept—hotels built with guest room accommodations and limited foodservice and meeting space—became prominent in the early 1980s, when many of themajor chains adopted this concept for business travelers and travelers on a limited budget.Technological AdvancesTechnology has played a major role in developing the products and services offered toguests. Recent adaptations of reservations systems, property management systems, andin-room guest checkout are only the successors of major advances in technology. Notable“firsts” in the adaptation of technology to the hotel industry can be reviewed in Figure1-1. It is interesting to note how many of the developments we call technology wereadapted in recent times.TLFeBOOK