Manual ESP 212

School
of
Tourism
ESP 3000
DuocUC
CONTENTS
Unit One
Food and Tourism
Unit Two
Tour Conflicts
Unit Three
Specialized Tourism
Unit Four
Administrative Issues
Unit
One
Food and Tourism
1.- Discussion
In pairs, take 20 minutes to discuss the questions below. Tell
the class your conclusions.

Have you ever heard the concept culinary tourism or food tours?
How important is food in the development tourism?
What are some of the most famous dishes nationwide and worldwide?
What local dish would you consider attractive for tourists?
Can you mention typical aperitiffs, appetizers, salads, main courses and desserts both locally and internationally?
2.- Reading Comprehension
Traveling to eat: Food tourism grows in USA

Source: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-02-19-food-tourism_x.htm
NEW YORK Surrounded by imported pasta and

grains, Carol Berger inhales deeply, raises her arms
and shuts her eyes in semi religious appreciation.
Look at that beautiful prosciutto over there, she
sighs, pointing at a glass case filled with jewel-tone
meats, while others on the guided tasting tour shuffle
into the shop to gape at a large jar of black truffles.
The expedition through the specialty shops of Manhattans Chelsea Market is just one stop on the Florida residents culinary ramble through New York City
and shes not alone.
Nationwide, an increasing number of vacationers are
basing their travel around food and wine and a
study released Wednesday says that 27 million Americans have made culinary activities a part of their travels within the last three years.
Its something that really took off in the past five
years or so, said Cathy Keefe, the manager of media
relations for the Travel Industry Association of America, which helped pay for the study along with Gourmet magazine and other organizations.
Of the 160 million U.S. residents who travel for leisure, about 1 in 6 have recently taken a food tour, enrolled in a cooking class, toured a winery or otherwise
participated in culinary activities as part of a vacation,
according to the study.
Nearly half of that group took a trip or chose a destination because of the food and wine activities they
would find there.
Walking from a bread bakery toward a wholesale
seafood shop across the way, Berger, a payroll tax
accountant from Del Ray Beach, Fla., said her trip to
New York planned with a group of foodie friends
she calls her dinner club was motivated by food.
We come to New York to do restaurants, she said,
recounting one particularly eye-opening experience:
It was the first time I tried sea urchin, and it was fabulous.
New York State is one of the most popular destinations for food travel, outdone only by California and
Florida, according to the TIA study.
For Carmen Botez, that crush of interest became
apparent last year, when the 29-year-old found herself essentially drafted into becoming a tour guide.
After launching a Web magazine offering a virtual
chocolate tour of New York, Botez was deluged by
hundreds of requests for the real thing. She has since
launched her own company, New York Chocolate

Tours, which charges visitors $70 apiece for a tasting
tour of the citys high-end sweets shops.
The increase in culinary tourism has accompanied a
rise in emphasis on food throughout American culture, said Barry Glassner, a sociology professor at the
University of Southern California and author of the
book Gospel of Food, published last month.
We define ourselves by how we eat. We show others
and we show ourselves what kind of people we are
by how adventurous we are about food, he said.
Glassner attributed the shift, which he said has accelerated over the last 5 to 10 years, in part to the many
foods that new waves of immigrants have brought
with them to America.
The increased availability of new items at supermarkets around the nation, the appearance of more
food-oriented television programming, and the many
Internet food discussion boards have also played a
role, he said.
Many people now when they travel would be
ashamed to come home and say they didnt see the
main museum or didnt taste the national dish, said
Glassner. We believe that if weve tasted their food
weve gotten closer to their culture.
That may account for the success of companies like
The International Kitchen. The Chicago-based enterprise, which offers cooking-class vacations to Europe, has been growing each year, said owner Karen
Herbst.
Foods of New York Tours Inc., which charges $40
for the tour of Chelsea Market and for its other excursions around the city, is also drawing a growing
crowd. After recent expansion of 30% yearly, ticket
sales for 2006 totaled more than 14,000 up from
about 2,500 in 2000, said owner Todd Lefkovic.
Companies following a similar model offering tours
that alternate walking, talking and tasting have
been springing up elsewhere around the country.
Shane Kost, who opened Chicago Food Planet tours
last year, said the company became profitable almost immediately. Kelly Hamilton said her New Orleans Culinary History Tours were fully booked within
months after opening in 2004, although business has
since slowed following Hurricane Katrina.
The tours, Hamilton said, allow people to go beyond
the usual sightseeing to experience a destination
more intimately, incorporating the senses of taste,
touch and smell. In Chicago, Kost focuses on showing people spots that are local secrets, helping them
feel like theyre going off the beaten path.
Of course, for many tourists, culinary travel is less
about education and more about finding unique eating and drinking experiences. More than half the travelers who seek out food and wine activities make a
point of trying local cuisine and restaurants, according
to the TIA study, which was performed by Edge Research and surveyed 2,364 leisure travelers between
July 21 and Aug. 9.
The study respondents had volunteered to participate in online questionnaires, and results were then
weighted to reflect the general population.
ever they travel.

In New York, she said, at breakfast we discuss
lunch; at lunch we discuss afternoon snack; at afternoon snack we discuss dinner.
Hays, who was on the Chelsea Market tour, is a general manager at a restaurant, but plenty of others can
enjoy such activities without that kind of expertise.
Were not connoisseurs, said Mark Littlejohn, a merchant sailor from Long Beach, Calif., also on the tour.
This is to me more interesting than museums. ... You
can actually experience it.
Pam Hays, of Fayetteville, Texas, said she and her

husband make sure to sample the local cuisine wher-
3.- Follow up
After reading the USA Today article...
1. Do you think a local food tour would be succesful?
2. How would you implement it to make it enticing for tourists?
3. Make a list of the ten essential steps to create a food tour
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
07.
08.
09.
10.
4.- Listening Comprehension

Wine Making process.
Watch a video on wine production. List seven steps indicating how wine is made. Use Passive Voice.
Grammar point: Passive Voice is used to emphasize the action rather than the doer. Active Voice is used
when the focus is put on the person who performs the action.
Passive Voice is formed by using the following combination:
Object + verb be + past participle
exported
Wine
is
Object
verb be past participle
1. Grapes are picked.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Note: The verb be in Passive Voice may be used in any tense.

Example: Grapes were picked / Grapes will be picked / Grapes have been picked / Grapes had been picked.
5.- Vocabulary Expansion

Create four different menus including one for vegetarians. For help, refer to the following web pages.

http://nymag.com/menus/
http://www.thekitchn.com/
http://www.foodandwine.com/
http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/
MENU 1
MENU 3
Which local dish would you offer a tourist?
MENU 2
MENU 4
Source: WALKER, Robin and HARDING, Keith. Oxford English for Careers. Tourism 2.
1.- Read the extracts about food tourism. Which title goes with which extract?
1. A new type of tourist?
2. Food tourism - a winner for everyone
3. In celebration of basic food
4. Sea, sand, sun- and food!
2.- Thnk of a heading for the remaining extract.
3.- Whch extract(s) is/are
1. publicity for a food event or festival?
2. from an article for tourism professionals?
3. from a web page describing a tourist region?
4.- Read the extracts again. Wrte T (true) or F (false).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
At the end ofthe bakers festival in the Philippines, the participants eat the bread.
When you go to the chocolate festival in New York, you dont have to try the chocolate.
Tastersare people who try local food when on holiday in Tasmania.
The Central Dalmatia gastronomic guide is a list of all the restaurants in the country.
Which of the food festvals described sounds most attractive to you?
Which are the most important food festivals in your regon?
Date: 2nd week of February

Name: TINAPAY FESTIVAL
Venue: Cuenca, Batangas, the Philippines
The Tinapay festival is an opportunity for the local people

to give thanks to their pa!ron saint, Our Lady of Peace
and Good Voyage. In particular, thefestival is an act of
recognition of the wonderful breadmaking skills of the
bakers of Cuenca. The main event is a unique parade
where the biggest and longest breads of different shapes
are parade through the main streets of the town. And the
festival is interactive - after the prade everyone gets a taste
of the pastries and bread products
B
lt is important for tourism managers to realise
that food tourism is not just good news for the
tourist; local people also benefit from it. As one
tourism expert pointed out, Hungry visitors
mean good business, not only for our restauranteurs, buc also for the farmers and fishermen who are their suppliers.
C
Anybody looking for a truly heavenly experience
will think that they have walked into paradise at
the Chocolate Show in New York. The festival
is a chocolate experience of global proportons
wth over 60 makes of chocolates on show.
Chocolate-makers from all over the world take
part, as do the vistors-chocolate tasting s
mandatory!
A study in Tasmania has suggested that a new

brand of food-lover exists. Tasters are
visitors who are interested in the food of a
region as a part of their overall tourism experience. They are looking for the real taste of
the area, for something representative and
authentic,and they hope to find part of this in
local food and wines.
CentralDalmatia is one of Croatias regions that takes

greatest pride in the quality and diversity of the dishes
served on its islands and along its coasts. Recently
this richness has become much more than a source
of pleasure for the locals. Now it is a significant ingredient in what the region offers tourists. In fact, food is
so important for tourism in Dalmatia that local experts
have produced the regions first ever gastronomic
guide.
Find out
Is food used as a tourism resource in your region?
Find out
1. What the most representative dishes are for the food in your region.
2. What the most common local ingredients are that are used in making dishes.
3. Which of these dishes is used in local tourist festivals or offered by local restaurants.
(Hint: go to your local information office, look at

the menus of restaurants and hotels restaurants
used by tourists, check on the Internet or ask
your family and friends)

Bizarre Food
Watch this video from the TV Programme Bizarre Food.
1. What local dishes or ingredients could be regarded as bizarre for tourists?
2. Find out what dishes are usually offered to tourists in Asia, Europe, America and Africa.
8.- Vocabulary Expansion
Food: ingredients and preparation.
1. Look at the food web. how is it organized?
2. Where would the ingredients go on the web?
3. Add any other ingreditents that are used in the food of
your region? Use your dictionary if necessary.
1. Which ofthese methods of preparing food can you use with

the different ingredients?
baked
boiled
fried
grilled
stewed
stuffed
2. Which of the ingredients would you normally use in

a starter?
a main course?
a dessert?

Describing dishes
1. Listen and tick the food that is being described
aubergine
cheese
chicken
courgette
crab
cream
garlic
lamb
lobster
olive oil
onion
oranges
peppers
pork
prawns
pulses
vice
sausage
strawberry
yogurt
2. Listen again. For each dish make notes about

1. ingredients 2. preparation 3. accompaniments.
3. Are the dishes being described starters, main courses or
deserts?
4. Which disehs sound nicest to you, and which dish would you
least like lest to try?
10.- Language Spot

Describing Food
1. Look at what the waiters said. Identify (a-f). Identify phrases for
1. giving a general idea of a dish
2. describing the ingredients and preparation
3. describing what accompanies the dish
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
A salade Marocaine is made of chopped tomatoes.

Harira is a bit like tomato soup.
Its a type of stew.
Its cooked with potatoes and other vegetables
Schnitzel is served woth potato salad and a slice of
lemon.
The meat is covered in breadcrums.
Taking an order
3. Look at the waiters English notes on the Malaysian

dish Nasi Lemark. What would the waiter actually say to
the guest?
1. very special Malaysan dish

2. tipically eaten breakfast
3. served here:evening
4. ingredients rice % coconut cream
5. like rice pudding but not dessert
6. rice soaked in coconut cream
7. rice & cream steamed + herbs
8. served+ cucumber, anchovies, peanuts
1. Look ath these phrases. In what order would a waiter

use them during a meal?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Are you ready to order?

Enjoy your meal.
Good evening. A table for two?
Heres the menu. Todays special is...
This way, please.
Would you like to order some wine with your meal?
Can I get you an aperitif?
2. Which phrases use the passive voice?
How to make the perfect ceviche
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/sep/13/how-to-make-perfect-ceviche
If youre already a ceviche convert,

which British fish do you favour, and
which other Peruvian dishes should we
be trying?
Peruvian foods having a bit of what the
fashion desk might call a moment
in the novelty-hungry capital at least.
I shall have to rely on all of you outside the London bubble to inform me
whether Margate is currently going mad
formondongo, or Crewe crazy forcuy,
but here three new restaurants specialising in the Peruvian cuisine have
opened in the last six months. And, of
course, in the manner of any self-respecting food trend theres a Peruvian
pop-up, called, rather wonderfully,The
Last Days of Pisco.
Many of the dishes on offer the halibut with Andean herbs atLima Lon-
don, or the pumpkin and sweet potato

doughnuts atTierra Peru are not likely
to become staples in British kitchens,
but one dish which appears on all the
menus, ceviche, really deserves to be
brought to the attention offishlovers.
OK, so its not strictly Peruvian its
common throughout Latin America,
and I first came across it at a Mexican
beach shack, but its so associated
with the country that theyve declared
a national holiday in honour of this vital
piece of their culinary heritage.
Ceviche, for those that steer clear of
such vulgar things as trends, is, at
its most basic, raw fish marinated in
citrus juice and spices; the acid in the
juicedenatures the proteinsin the
meat in much the same way as cooking
would. The flesh becomes opaque, the
texture firmer and dryer, yet the flavours

remain spanking fresh: its the perfect
zingy dish for a warm autumn day.
American chef Rick Moonen describes
it as a citrus cocktail, which sounds
about right.
In Ecuador, they commonly add tomato
sauce, while in Central America ceviche
is often served salsa-style with tacos or
tostadas, but in Peru, simplicity seems
to reign supreme. Fish or shellfish, citrus, chilli, perhaps some onion why
would you want anything more? As the
American writer Calvin Trillin put it in
awonderful article on the subjectfor
the now-defunct Gourmet magazine, I
would imagine that Peruvians consider
their version of ceviche stately and
Ecuadoreans consider it dull. But trust
me, for the British palate, at least, the
dish is anything but.
The fish
Olive magazine recipe ceviche - an

unusual mixture of salmon and plaice.
Photograph: Felicity Cloake
It goes without saying that any fish
served raw should be spanking fresh,
but even in Peru theres no single
species thats particularly favoured for
ceviche. It makes sense to use the local
catch and the species used changes
depending on availability: inland, freshwater fish such as trout replace the
corvina, sea bass or shark of the coast.
Henrietta Clancy, chef at the Last Days
of Pisco (and, in the spirit of full and
frank disclosure, also a good friend of
mine) has experimented with various
species. In theory, she says, any white
fish can be used, but many fragile fish
can become rubbery or totally dissolve
in the lime juice.
She plumps for sea bass: it retains its
flavour and texture and is the closest
thing to the tilapia she ate in Peru last
year. Martin Morales, the man behind
the appropriately-named Ceviche in
Soho, suggestsdover sole or other
white fish, Tom Aikens recommends
sea bream in his fish cookbook, and
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick
Fisher suggest black bream or sea bass
in The River Cottage Fish Book noting,
like Henrietta, that firm, well-muscled
varieties such as bream and bass are
ideal ... but we have had good results
with gurnard and pollack as well.
Elisabeth Luard, author of The Latin
American Kitchen,calls for salmon in
a recipeI clipped out of Waitrose Food
Illustrated years ago and have been
using ever since, and olive magazine
uses a mixture of plaice and salmon.
I find the salmon too strong a flavour:
its nice, but it doesnt take on the flavour of the lime and spices in the same
way as the white fish. Plaice and sole,
meanwhile, seem a little dry and flaky
once marinated. The bass and bream
get the universal thumbs up: as Henrietta suggested, they stand up well to the
acid, remaining juicy throughout.
To dice or slice?
Tom Aikens recipe ceviche. Photograph: Felicity Cloake

The cut is also important, and suggestions range from largeish (3x2cm
chunks) from Morales to slicing the
fishas thinly as possible from olive.
Henrietta advises that dicing, rather
than slicing, will ensure a good distribution of raw fish and fish cooked on
the outside contrast between the
inside and the outside is important, but
I actually find that, with Martins recipe,
theres too much raw fish because the
chunks are so large. I prefer the more
intense citrus flavour of Tom Aikens
small dice, but Im going to make them
slightly bigger to highlight the different
textures in the dish.
Citrus
A
lime. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the
Guardian
The chief marinating ingredient is,
of course, citrus juice. Lime is most
commonly used, but lemons and even
Seville oranges are sometimes seen
(the latter, unlike ordinary oranges,
having the requisite acidity for the job).
I cant find any recipes calling for them,
perhaps fortunately, as theyre not in
season, butHugh and Nicksdoes utilise
a mixture of lime, lemon and orange.
Aikens uses lemon, zest and juice,
while everyone else sticks with lime in
varying amounts, Morales using 15 for
600g of fish, nearly five times as many
as the olive recipe.
I prefer the fruity sharpness of limes
here to the sourness of lemons, but
Henrietta tells me she feels that the
limes in this country are less sweet than
the ones in Peru. So although I cant

really taste it in the River Cottage marinade, I adopt the idea of adding orange
juice to tame the sourness. The bitterness of the zest, though, feels wrong
here its a distraction from the clean
flavour of the juice.
Henrietta uses mixed peel in her celery,
parsley and orange ceviche, which I
really like the sweetness is a pleasant
contrast to the zingy marinade, but I
have to concede that its probably not
an essential. It is, however, absolutely
vital to use a generous amount of citrus that way you get a good spoonful
along with the fish. Peruvians often
drink the leftover marinade, known as
tigers milk, after finishing the dish itself,
but this is strictly optional as a hangover cure, its in the do or die category.
Alliums
Alliums of some sort are almost non-negotiable: Aikens and olive use finely
chopped shallots while everyone else
goes for red onion. I prefer the more
straightforward sweetness of the latter,
but I think soaking it in iced water briefly
before use, like Morales, is essential if
it isnt to overpower the entire dish. It
seems more usual to leave the onion in
thin strips, but Im going to finely dice
it so every bite of ceviche has a good
balance of flavour.
Spices and other ingredients
The Last Days of Pisco recipe ceviche.

Photograph: Felicity Cloake
Everyone apart from Aikens uses
chilli, but the only recipe I find calling
for theaji amarillo, a fruity pepper
described by Henrietta as having a
citrussy, almost pineapple-like flavour
and popular in Peruvian cooking, is her
own. Theyre difficult to track down in
this country, but you can order them
dried online, or find them frozen in
South American shops I reconstitute a dried chilli, and

pound it into a paste for Henriettas ceviche. The fruity tanginess works well with the lime, and if you can find it, its well
worth a try, but a vibrant red birds eye chilli will add heat and
a splash of colour if not.
Generosity with the salt, a step missed by many recipes,
seems essential: the twin punch of the lime and the salt is
an essential part of ceviches appeal. Henrietta rubs it on the
fish and leaves it to sit for a minute so the surface is more
receptive to the marinating liquid. This is a good tip: the fish
seems to absorb the flavours better, both of the marinade
and the seasoning itself.
Juice of 4 limes
Juice of orange
1 red chilli, shredded, or 1tsp aji amarillo paste
Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Herbs like coriander and parsley are often included to add

freshness: coriander is most popular in the recipes I try, but
Flor Arcaya de Deliot, author ofThe Food and Cooking of
Peru, uses parsley instead, as well as celery, which also
features in the River Cottage recipe. I find the pepperiness of
the parsley less pleasing with the lime and the fish than the
fresh flavour of the coriander.
3. Divide the fish and marinade between 2 bowls, scatter with

coriander, and serve immediately.
Does Peruvian food have the potential to win British hearts
and, if so, which other dishes should we be trying? If youre
already a ceviche convert, do you like it Peruvian, Chilean, or
Ecuadorean style and which British fish do you favour for
your own version?
1. Put the chopped onion into iced water and soak for 5 minutes, then drain well.
2. Cut the fish into 1 - 2cm cubes and rub with the tsp
salt. Leave for a minute. Add the citrus juices and the chilli
and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning
and adjust if necessary.
Marinating time
Marinating timevaries wildly, from Tom, who serves
it as soon as its all mixed together, to River Cottage,
who suggest leaving it for a minimum of an hour and a
maximum of 12 hours; 34 hours is about perfect. I find
even 4 hours excessive: the fish has become chalky and
dry. Toms, meanwhile, is good, but undeniably sashimi-like
(the Peruvians in facthave their own version of this, called
tiradito). Flor goes for 30 minutes, while Henrietta says she
tends to tend towards a shorter marination, to maximise the
contrast between what your dish tastes like at the beginning
of the meal compared to what you get at the end. I find 10
minutes perfect: the outside layer of the fish has absorbed
the flavour of the marinade, while the insides remain soft and
juicy. So simple, yet so utterly delicious.
Perfect ceviche
Felicitys perfect ceviche. Photograph: Felicity Cloake

Serves 2
red onion, finely chopped
250g skinless and boneless sea bass or sea bream fillets
tsp salt, plus extra to season
12.- Follow up
1.- Write down your favorite dish recipe.
13.- Grammar
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv201.shtml
Suggest is one of those verbs of advice that cannot be followed by the more usual pattern of
object + infinitive but has to be followed by a that-clause with should + infinitive or with past,
present or subjunctive form verbs.
Insist, demand and recommend (among others) also follow this pattern, but other verbs that
suggest that something is desirable or necessary or important follow the object + infinitive
pattern. Compare the following:
I asked him / told him to stop phoning me.
I implored him / begged him to stop phoning me.
I insisted / demanded that he should stop phoning me.
I insisted / demanded that he stopped phoning me.
I insisted / demanded that he stop phoning me.
If you just want to use a verb immediately after suggest or recommend, make sure that the
verb which follows use -ing
The Subjunctive
suggest / insist / demand / recommend
I suggest going / entering / working / leaving
1.- Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
1. I suggested that the receptionist ................................... (arrive) earlier.
2. The tourist guide recommended ................................... (wait) in a safe place
3. The chef demanded that the ingredients ................................... (be) on time.
14.- Restaurant Language

May I take your order?
Source: JONES, Leo. Cambridge University Press.Welcome! English for the Travel
and Tourism Industry.
1. Work in pairs Note down three questions a customer might

ask about this menu.Decide how you would answer each question.
2. Youll hear three guests ordering from the menu.Note down their
orders, including the changes they request.
3. Work in pairs. Listen again and then discuss these questions:

Which waiter or waitress did the best job?
Who made a mistake? What was the mistake?
Who was the most polite?
Who was the most efficient? Who was the most friendly?
Menu
Appetizers and soups
Soup of the day
Cream of asparagus suoup
Melon with port wine
Six oysters
Grilled sardines with lemon juice and garlic
Smoked salmon
Waldford Salad
Entrss
Grilled fillet steak served with French fries

Pan-fried trout served with tagliatelle
Venison steak with pepper sauce served with
roast potatoes
Veal schnitzel served with new potatoes
Grilled lamb chops served with saut potatoes
all served with vegetables of the day
Todays specials
Tomato, spinach and eggplant casserole.
Poached salmon with a ginger and lime sauce
Fill in the blank in this dialogue

Waiter:
Are you ready to order?
Customer:
Yes, Id like the steak, please.
Waiter:
Certainly, How .........................................................................?
Customer:
Medium rare, please. And can I have it with rice instead of French fries?
Waiter:
Yes, of course. Would ..............................................................?
Customer:
Yes, a mixed salad would be nice.
Waiter:
Fine, sir, and would ...................................................................?
Customer:
Oh, yes. Lets see... Whats the soup of the day?
Waiter:
Today we have crea, of asparagus - its made with fresh asparagus.
Customer:
Good. OK, Ill have that.
Waiter:
And would ..................................................................................?
Customer:
No, Ill have a beer, I think. Do you have a local draught beer?
Waiter:
No. Im afraid not. Thatll be fine.
Waiter:
So, thats a medium rare steak with rice and a mixe salad. And cream of
asparagus soup to startwith. Is that right?

Customer:
Yes, thats right. And can I have some bread, please?
Waiter:
......................................................................................................

Youll hear three people talking about their work. Listen to what they say about what they do and what
they enjoy ( ) and dont enjoy (x) about thier work. Match the comments to the person who says them.
Helen
wine waitress
Fiona
barmaid
alcohol makes 20% of people behave badly

asking noisy customers to be quiet
being busy
dealing with complaints
explaining what things are
hard work, late nights, long shifts
large orders cause delays for other tables
meeting people from other countries
not being too close to the customers
recommended drinks
Sam
restaurant manager
16.- Oral Production

Complaints at the restaurant
What are the most common complaints by customers in a restaurant? In order of i mportance, list the ten most frequent
complaints. One is the most frequent.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Were your guesses right? Now compare your list with this article taken from this blog:
http://blog.infoglutton.com/2010/07/13/top-10-restaurant-guest-complaints/
Top 10 Restaurant GuestComplaints

Here are the top 10 guest complaints compiled from negative reviews for hundred of restaurants of all price ranges
and cuisines.
1. Service is slow
Yes, slow service is the single most common complaint.
Interestingly, the opposite problem (service too fast) is
also in the top 10.
2. Food is overpriced
People seem to prefer mediocre food at the right price
than good food with a large bill. However, people will not
complain much about price in very expensive, highly-rated restaurants.
3. Portions are too small
Heres maybe the explanation why it is almost impossible
to finish a plate in the majority of restaurants. Better never
let a guest leave the restaurant with an half-full stomach.
4. Food is bland / tasteless / flavourless
Complain #4 and #5 are two extremes. On the one side,
people want the food to be tasty and yummy.
5. Food is too salty / greasy / fatty / unhealthy
On the other side, people dislike butter, salt and frying
abuse.
6. Too noisy / cant hold a conversation

Romantic dinner in a noisy place is a common turn-off.
7. Service is rushed
Yes, a common mistake made by waiters is to bring main
plate before appetizer is over. Also, people dislike feeling
they have to leave the place for the next group of dinners.
8. Place / bathroom / kitchen not clean
The title says it all. Not clean is no good.
9. Food is not fresh
People expect ruby-red meat, crispy emerald-green salad,
and the catch of the day.
10. Service is bad / unfriendly / not professional
This is the third service complaint of the top 10. Would
restaurants select all-star group of waiters before top
notch chefs? Seems like they should.
Are complaints the same everywhere or they vary

depending on the place?

Problems come not always from the customer. Restaurant owners have got something to say as well.
Read this article taken from : http://ezinearticles.com/?Common-Restaurant-Problems-and-Solutions&id=4101834
and see if you can add more similar situations.
Common Restaurant Problems and Solutions
ByPatrick Sutherland
While
there will be problems with any business,

in the restaurant industry a problem can
be a disaster if you allow it to be. Rather than regarding a
difficult situation as a problem, turn it around so it works to
your advantage. Look for solutions to common restaurant
business problems that can turn them into opportunities.
One common opportunity in the food service business
is down time. After lunch and before dinner, or between
breakfast and lunch you will probably have at least an hour
when nobody comes through the door. Not only is this bad
for your bottom line but potential diners passing by may
think your restaurant is empty because its a poor one.
Therefore, you need to fill those tables as much as possible
by enticing people to visit your restaurant between prime
hours. You could offer a happy hour with free appetizers or a
free buffet of chips and dips. A mid-morning brunch special
will attract shoppers and passers-by
and once the business community
gets wind of it your restaurant will
be the perfect place for an early
meeting. You can also have a special
menu for those slow hours, perhaps
half portions with corresponding
prices or items that are unavailable
any other time of day.
The weather is another factor that

can keep customers from dining
out. Your job is to entice them out
of their houses, into the heat or cold
or rain and through your doors! This
is a fun opportunity to be creative
and get your staff involved. Choose
a name for your promotion and perhaps make it a contest with a small
incentive if the employees idea is
chosen. Many restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona have promotions during
the summer, when temperatures
can reach 120 degrees and no one
really wants to leave their air-conditioned homes or offices. They offer a percentage off for every degree over a certain temperature, special menus with
discount prices or limited time exotic drinks. You might offer
free iced tea during the hottest days of summer, a com-
plimentary scoop of ice cream after a meal or provide free

valet parking or other services to minimize exposure to the
heat. In the winter you can greet your guests with free hot
chocolate or hot apple cider.
Another headache for restaurants is their seating arrangements. Taking advantage of every inch of floor space means
that some tables are in less desirable spots, such as near the
kitchen, the entrance or a bathroom. You can make these
tables the most popular by offering free appetizers, desserts
or other perks to people sitting there. Restaurants that turn
this problem into such opportunities for their customers
usually have those undesirable tables filled before any of
the others!
Another problem that presents itself often is selling out of a
popular menu item before the day is over. If customers find
that a variety of menu items are not available they may simply walk out and not come back. Turn this into an opportunity by apologizing to the diner and offer them a voucher that
entitles them to get the item
for no charge next time they
visit. Tell them about other
items on the menu that they
might enjoy instead. They
may find a new favorite!
Before starting your restaurant business, give some
thought to the kinds of problems that may arise in the
day-to-day management of
your establishment. Successful restaurant entrepreneurs
find ways to turn these problems into profitable opportunities!
There are a number ofrestaurant success factorsthat
can go a long way towards
determining whether your
restaurant operation is
profitable or not.
Do you think restaurant owners in your country

would do the same?

Customer Service Complaints
1. In groups, think of how to approach the various complaints customers have in customer service.
2. From your conversation, extract 3 steps you would follow when handling a customers complaint.
1.
2.
3.
3. Create 3 situations including those 3 measures you came up with in the previous exercise.
Situation 1
Situation 2
Situation 3
Read this article taken from http://www.ehow.com/how_6651512_handle-customer-service-complaints.html and

compare it with the steps you thought of on the previous page.
How to Handle Customer Service Complaints

By Stacy Divin, eHow Contributor
The handling of complaints is essential to quality customer service.
Any
customer service professional will tell you that

one of the least favored aspects of this industry is
hearing from a dissatisfied customer. Despite this, knowing
how to handle customer complaints is imperative to ensure
Apologize to the customer while empathizing with his

issue. Customers want to know that you understand their
position and a simple apology can go a long way. Phrases
such as I understand how you feel and I apologize for any
inconvenience this has caused are good ways of showing
the customer that his experience with the company matters
to you.
Offer suggestions to rectify the customers issue. Not

only can this show the customer you are actively trying
to solve the problem, but it allows her to provide her own
input as well.
Explain to the customer what you will do, in detail, to

correct the issue. This will keep the customer completely
informed and aware of what steps will be taken to resolve
the complaint.
Correct the issue immediately. Delaying resolution may

cause further problems and could result in the loss of
clientele.
quality service and repeat business. Complaints may come in

for a variety of reasons. However, by following a few simple
guidelines, grievances can be managed and resolved successfully.
Instructions
Adopt a detached yet positive attitude regarding complaints. Quite often, a customer may word their grievance
in such a way that makes the issue appear as though it is
entirely your fault. When this occurs, dont take it personally. Situations such as this are nothing more than a customer
dissatisfied with services received and should be handled
accordingly with professionalism.
Listen to the customers complaint and allow him to vent

without interruption. Ensure that you jot down all of the
pertinent information and ask direct questions if something
is unclear.
Paraphrase the customers complaint/request. By providing a summary of the complaint, you can ensure that
you have the correct information. In addition, it shows that
you are paying attention and that her issue is important to
you and the company.
Provide the customer regular status updates on the resolution process. If the resolution is a time-consuming process or is delayed for some reason, ensure that the customer
is informed and up-to-date on the status of their request.
Document the complaint and resolution. By doing so, you

are providing a reference for fellow co-workers who can
assist them if the same issue arises again.
Tips & Warnings
Offer incentives to the customer, if possible.
Avoid
your company.
playing the blame game; do not point fingers at the customer or someone else in
Do not
violate company policy to satisfy a customer. If a customer requests something

that cannot be fulfilled, explain why in detail and offer alternatives.
19.- Conversation
Angry Customers
Dealing with customers seems to be a really delicate issue and much has been said about it. What aspects would
you take into consideration to face an angry customer in a restaurant. Discuss and tell the class your conlusions.

To complement your discussion, read this article from http://www.ehow.com/how_10075068_deal-angry-customerrestaurant.html
How to Deal with an Angry Customer in a Restaurant
By Jkalal Assar, eHow Contributor
Approach the table, introduce yourself and ask how you
can help them. Allow the guest to describe the problem.
Waiters should relay guest problems to the service manager
Suggest a solution that best addresses the issue: offer to
and not offer solutions.
cook the food up if undercooked; offer a new item if overSuccessfully dealing with an angry customer in a restaurant
cooked; offer a different item if the guest indicates she
requires listening to the guests complaint, acknowledging
doesnt want the same item. Assure the guest the problem
the problem and providing a solution. The waitstaff should
is taken care of and ask if you can get her anything.
view themselves as nonentities when interacting with a
guest, particularly when the guest is angry. In addition, sometimes factors unrelated to the waitstaff prompt a guest
to lodge a complaint, so its imperative not to internalize it.
Describe the problem to
Most customer grievances concern food
the chef and request a
quality. Other complaints, such as staff
recook, if necessary. Return
problems, are solved by reassigning the
to the table and tell the guest
server to a new section or table and
how long he will wait for the
following company guidelines when
recook to reach the table. Readdressing it with him.
turn the recooked food to the
table and tell the guest you
Instructions
will be back to check on him.
Respond empathetically while taking

mental notes of the guests complaints. You will relay his complaints
to the service manager. Let the guest
know a service manager will be with
him momentarily to address the issue.
Remove the offending food or drink from the table

immediately after hearing the complaint -- provided
that is what the complaint is about -- and take it to your
restaurants designated area for food recooks. If your restaurant doesnt have a designated area, then take it to a place
out of sight of the dining area where you can summon the
service manager.
Approach the service manager and repeat everything the

customer told you.
Service Management
Listen to the servers description of the problem. If the

problem is about food or drink, then visually inspect the
food or drink to identify the problem. Ask the server the table location, and, if possible, the name of the upset guest.
Return to the table and

ask the guest how she is.
Decide if a bill deduction is in
order. Only use a bill deduction -- also known as a comp -- if
the guest decided she didnt want the recooked food. Most
restaurants have guidelines regarding comping a guest.
Chef
Listen to the service managers description of the problem and tell him the projected time for the recook.
Instruct your cooks to expedite production of the requested
food item.
Inspect the food to verify the problem.
10
Show the cook or cooks responsible for the problem

with the food in question and point out the problem,
then discard the food.
11
Follow your personal or company guidelines for admonishing the responsible cook or cooks. When the
food is ready, summon the service manager and instruct him
to return the recook to the guest.

1. Listen to the following dialogues. Pay attention to the language used when offering, requesting, complainig,
solving and what you consider most important. The dialogues have been extracted from: http://www.audioenglish.
net/english-learning/subject_complaints.htm
2. Make a summary of those phrases you consider important.
Phrases for...
Offering
Requesting
Unit
Two
TOUR CONFLICTS
1.- Discussion
In the previous unit, you learnt about culinary tours. You would be surprised to know how many types of tours
there are.
1.
2.
3.
4.
How many types of tours can you think of?

Which ones do you think are more popular and why?
What factors are the various types of tours based on?
If you think locally, what types of tours are the most demanded and which ones could not viable? Explain this
last point.
5. Take a look at the webpage below and relate the types of tours to the segments they best fit in.
http://www.tours.com/by_type.htm
2.- Oral Production

When organising a tour, a series of jobs are involved in that undertaking.
1. What tour related jobs can you mention? Briefly describe each one.
2. What skills are required to be part of the tourism industry? Particularly, for those tour related positions.
3. State differences and similarities among those jobs you mentioned in question 1.
4. Read an article taken from: http://www.jobmonkey.com/landtours/html/job_descriptions.html
Tour Guide Job Descriptions
The
formal definition of a tour guide as set out by the

European Committee for Standardization or CEN
is as follows:
Tourist guide: Person who guides visitors in the language of
their choice and interprets the cultural and natural heritage
of an area, which person normally possesses an area-specific
qualification usually issued and/or recognized by the appropriate authority. (Wikipedia)
A tour escort differs slightly and is characterized by the fact
that they travel on longer tours, often overnight. Tour guide, however, is the generic term used to classify all forms of
travel group leaders including those working on motor coaches, trains, on cruise ships, or on walking tours.
Follows are brief descriptions of each kind of tour guide job
that you can get:
Sightseeing Tour Guide
sightseeing tour guide will work predominantly on tour

busses or motor coaches.
As the name suggests, they lead groups of tourists on

sightseeing trips of their city or countryside. Sightseeing
encompasses all forms of attractions and scenic sights, as
well as historical landmarks and other interesting places.
Sightseeing tour guides will often need to drive the tour bus,
as well as provide the narration for the tour. Sightseeing tour
guides are usually employed by a tour director. They are chosen for specific tours dependant on their skills and knowledge of an area.
Read more about becoming a sightseeing guide.
Step-On Tour Guide
step-on tour guide is hired by a tour director or tour guide to provide specific information regarding a particular
sight or attraction. As the name suggests, they step onto
the bus or train for a certain portion of the tour. The tour
guide in charge will make use of a step-on tour guide when

entering a large national park or attraction like Disneyworld.
In this instance, the step-on guide has far more intricate
knowledge about the location. Step-on tour guides are based in the area where they lead tours and usually work for a
private company, museum, national park, or resort.
Shore Excursion Guide
shore excursion guide usually works on board a cruise

liner, but can also work for a charter touring yacht, or river cruise vessel. The shore excursion guides, also known as
cruise hosts, will take groups of people from the cruise ship
onto the shore at various ports along the journey and show
them the main attractions. This requires a bit more research
on the guides behalf, as you will be required to learn about
every port city you travel to along the way, and there can be
quite a few on one cruise. The guides must be able to speak
the local language and will need to know where to find the
best shopping spots, ideal dining experienced, organize
tickets for museums and other attractions, as well as plan
activities for the guests, such as water skiing, hiking, seeing
a live theatre or music performance and more. Shore excursion guides travel on the cruise ship as well, making this an
exciting job to have, as you will get time off while at sea to
explore the ship and take advantage of all the magnificent
events and activities on board.
Adventure, Sport and Eco Tour Guides
dventure and ecotourism is on the rise and with it comes

the need for highly skilled adventure and eco tour guides, as well as sports tour guides. You must be qualified and
skilled in a certain type of sport and need to have a passion
for adventure. Whether it is hiking through the Amazon,
cycling through the French countryside, or leading a safari
tour through the African savannah, adventure tour guides
must be responsible at all times. They have the lives of their
tour group in their hands, and must be fully trained in emergency and first aid. On eco tours and adventure tours, mapping out routes and strategically planning each day is imperative, and you have to understand the climate, weather
conditions, and geography and wildlife of the area in order
to lead a safe and successful tour. Ecotourism guides aim to

educate people about the natural environment they are traveling in. They encourage conservation and preservation of
natural ecosystems as well as biodiversity.
Tour Manager/Director
tour manager is responsible for planning and organizing

tours on behalf of tour operators. They often travel to
foreign countries with the tour group and are the point of
contact for the local tour guides, step-on guides and other
suppliers. They make sure that travel documents and visas
are in place, book and check the group into their accommodation, organize meals, settle bills, and are in charge of all
the mundane tasks so that the travellers can simply sit back
and relax.
Freelance Guides
reelance guides usually work on a contract basis per tour

and provide visitors to an area with local tour narration
and navigation. Freelance guides are frequently hired by
tour manager or tour operators who are travelling to your
city from overseas. Some freelance guides are also private
tour specialists and offer their services to any group of tourists no matter how small to lead them around the city, offer
translation services and give them tips and advice for the
tour. Private guides will normally meet the travellers at the
airport and lead them to various locations and attractions
each day. Freelance guides can charge on a per tour basis
if working with an accredited operator or director, but may
decide to charge per hour or per day if leading private tours,
depending on the requirements of the visitors.
GAP Year/Volunteer Guides
One
of the best ways to gain experience in the tour

guiding industry and to enjoy traveling at the
same time is to volunteer for various tours. Safari guides in
Africa are often hired on a voluntary basis and also work in
conservation of the wildlife. Many GAP year programs exist
that offer exciting tour guide opportunities such as leading
ski tours in the Alps or working on game fishing tours in Alaska.
Each type of tour guide has a specific role to play in the travel and tourism industry with varying salaries, working conditions, qualifications, and job requirements.

1. After reading the above passage, search more information on these links:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/tour_manager_job_description.htm
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/travel_agency_manager_job_description.htm
http://www.myjobsearch.com/careers/tour-operator.html
http://www.allaboutcareers.com/careers/job-profile/tour-guide.htm
2. Find differences and similarities concerning the abovementioned descriptions.
3. Compare the descriptions you have just read to your local tourism industry. How similar/different are they?
From tour guide to tour manager

1. Tourism trainees do not usually find a job
as tour manager as their first job. Listen to
Gina Meadows describe what she did before
she became a tour manager. Note down the
training she did and any jobs she had.
2. Listen again and write T (true) of F (false).
1. Gina always wanted to work in tourism.
2. The qualification she got is recognized in many
European countries.
3. She got the job she wanted immediately.
4. Her experience of traveling was more important
than the qualification.
5. She spent two years working as a tour guide
before becoming a tour manager.
6. She liskes her job.
5.- Oral Production

Tours organisation
1. How complicated can the organisation of a tour be? Note down your conslusions.
2. What should be considered before organising a tour?
3. Does the type of tour to be arranged have any effect on the process of organisation?
4. Make a list of five points you can not leave out when organising a tour.
To organise a tour...

Tours organisation
The organisation of a tour takes important steps to consider. Take a look at this article from: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/organize-travel-tour-12751.html
How to Organize a Travel Tour
Organizing travel tours is daunting work but

memories travelers make are priceless.
If
you suffer from multitasking mania, organizing travel tours should be right
up your alley. From
finding ways to soothe
insecure travelers to
processing contracts,
bookings and documents
on deadline, youll
have more than enough
craziness to keep you
busy in between herding
tourists around exotic sites. That stated,
think seriously about
the fun youll have
tramping about with a
coterie of your (soonto-be) closest friends.
Make the tour exciting
enough and nobody will
notice your talent for
mixing and matching the
same 10 wardrobe items.
cruit associate tour guides if you love the

idea of large tour groups.
STEP 3
Draw up
a creative game plan for

a group trip to a familiar destination.
Produce a flyer outlining details of the
upcoming tour: travel
dates, destinations,
trip cost, payment
methods (credit card,
check, PayPal), cancellation policies
and legal language
that indemnifies you
against full-disclosure accusations. Accept deposits from
interested participants. Make airline and in-country
transportation arrangements and secure
accommodations at hotels, inns, B&Bs and
hostels.
STEP 1
Pay
your dues by
working in some
facet of the travel industry before you start
organizing tours so you
understand protocols
and practices associated with group travel:
passports, visas, ticketing, accommodations,
meals, time management, group dynamics and
yes, crisis management.
STEP 2
Identify
a universe of potential tour participants

based on your desire to serve all types of
travelers or a specific category (i.e., seniors, young singles, students, women only).
Determine the number of trip participants
you can reasonably handle on your own or re-
STEP 4
Gather
the
following data from every traveler: name,
home address, phone
number, e-mail address, emergency contact(s), passport
number, rooming selection preference (single/double; preferred
roommate), dietary restrictions and health
information. Identify travelers with medical
conditions or disabilities so youre prepared for emergencies.
STEP 5
Compile
a travel guide for tour

participants. Create a
template for the booklet on your computer. Reserve pages for specific trip itineraries. Reserve pages for boilerplate travel
information and tour policies. Bind these

guides. Schedule a meet-and-greet as the departure date nears to hand out tour packages
and give participants the chance to get acquainted.
STEP 6
Prepare
your mind and constitution for the tour. Be

prepared to take control -- youre the boss.
Keep your eyes and ears open as you guide
your charges from place to place -- an overheard remark may be all you need to sense
discontent, so make it a policy to nip in
the bud any problems the moment youre made
aware.
STEP 7
an anonymous survey to help you make adjustments to your services.

STEP 8
Bid
a fond farewell to all before loading their contact information into

a computer database. Put on your marketing
hat, setting up a schedule to transmit regular updates, tour notices and other travel-related data to your customer base. Take
a bath and celebrate the fact that youre no
longer responsible for anyone but yourself!
TIP
Touch bases with your Secretary of States
office to learn whether youll be required to
hold a license or permit to conduct tours.
Schedule
a date for a photo/

memory-sharing party before participants leave the group and
head home. Ask tour participants to complete
For further information on the organisation of a tour by a travel agency, check this:
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-tips-articles/how-does-a-travel-agency-organize-a-trip-220946.html
Photo extracted from: http://edomitetours.com/en/?page_id=76

Guide Instructions
Source: HARDING, Keith. Oxford University Press. Going International. English for Tourism
1
Imagine you are going to be the guide on the tour. You have been sent the following guide instructions

which give more detailed information about the various parts of the tour. Read them through once.
Guide Instructions Tour:
Scotland and the English Lakes. Sue Jameson is handling this group.
Office tel. no. 0171 434 63 70
Day 1 10 Jan (Friday)

...................................................................................................................................
08.00 Please depart to Victoria to check in group. Passenger

list enclosed (43 pax) Coach Co.- London Coaching Services
Ltd.
...................................................................................................................................
08.30 Depart. London.
...................................................................................................................................
11.00 Arrive The George Hotel, Stamford for coffee stop.

Served in Old Hall. Present voucher. Allow aprox. 45 mins.
...................................................................................................................................
14.00 Stop on route for lunch (1 hour). Note: price of lunch not
included.
...................................................................................................................................
16.00 Stop for photo at Scottish border. 15 mins.
...................................................................................................................................
18.30 On arrival in Edinburgh please point out notable sights

and give information on local transport from hotel. On

arrival at hotel assist with check-in. Rest of evening pax

at leisure. Please arrange porterage and alarm calls, and

set up noticeboard in lobby. Pay driver 8 grat.
...................................................................................................................................
Day 2 11 Jan (Saturday)
...................................................................................................................................
08.00 Continental breakfast on first floor.
...................................................................................................................................
08.45 Liaise with driver and local guide.
...................................................................................................................................
09.00 Depart for city tour (approx. 3 hours).
...................................................................................................................................
12.00 Stop in city centre and give 1 hour free time for lunch.
...................................................................................................................................
13.00 Depart for Glenkinchie whisky distillery. A tour has been

booked for our party at 13.45 - there are many groups

there today so please be on time.
...................................................................................................................................
15.00 Depart Glenkinchie. En route back to Edinburgh visit

Pringle woollen mill. Allow approx. 11/2 hours for

shopping. Pay driver 8 grat.
...................................................................................................................................
17.00 Arrive at hotel.
...................................................................................................................................

Evening pax leisure. Advise Restaurant.
2.

Day 3 12 Jan (Sunday)

...................................................................................................................................
08.00 Breakfast
...................................................................................................................................
09.00 Depart for full-day tour of Trossachs. Optional boat

cruise on Loch Lomond booked for 12.00 - collect

money from pax. (4 per head); those who dont want to

go can go for a walkor sit in Lomond Hotel.
...................................................................................................................................
13.00 Lunch: pax on own. Lomond Hotel know our group is
coming.
...................................................................................................................................
14.00 Return to hotel. Must return by 17.00.
...................................................................................................................................
18.30 Depart for Scottish Evening at The George Hotel (doors

open at 19.00). Present voucher.
Menu:

Scotch broth

Haggis and tatties

Tipsy laird
Coffee

Please ensure that jugs of iced water are placed on the

tables. Give grat. (10) to head waiter.
...................................................................................................................................
Day 4 11 Jan (Monday)
...................................................................................................................................
07.00 Bag pull. Make sure bags are outside rooms at 06.45.
...................................................................................................................................
07.30 Breakfast. Before departure pay porterage from your
float.
...................................................................................................................................
08.30 Depart from hotel.
...................................................................................................................................
10.30 Stop for coffee at Moffat (30 mins.).
...................................................................................................................................
13.30 Arrive Grasmere in Lake District. Allow 2 hours free time

for lunch and sightseeing.
...................................................................................................................................
15.30 Depart Grasmere.
...................................................................................................................................
17.30 Stop for tea en route to London (45 mins.).
...................................................................................................................................
19.30 Arrive London. Pay driver 8 grat.

Unfortunately there have been some last-minute alterations. Listen to the audio and make the necessary
changes to the instructions.
Guide commentaries
Here are pictures of twelve famous places. Can you identify them and say which city they are in? Fill in the
first two columns of the table.
You will hear seven guides each giving a commentary at one of the places. Can you identify which ones
thay are talking about? Write the numbers 1 to 7 on the third column of the table.
Listen again and make notes about each of the places described.
When describing a place, a guide should make it sound interesting and exciting. In pairs, discuss how the
guides on the audio did this.
8.- Oral Production

A guided tour of Seville
Source: HARDING, Keith. Oxford University Press. Going International. English for Tourism
1. Imagine you are taking the following groups on a guided tour of a city. What things are they going ot be interested in in general? Discuss with a partner.
a
b
a group of businessmen
a group of architecture students
c
d
a group of elderly people

a group of teenagers
2. Look at the extract from a guidebook to Seville. How suitable are each of the places mentioned for the four
groups? Discuss and give each place a score from 0 to 5 (0 = not suitable, 5 = very suitable).
3. Choose one of the toursand write what you would say at each of the sights. Then give the tour to the others
in the group or class.
Seville: What to see
Archive of the Indies
Santa Cruz quarter
In the Casa Lonja, Archivo de las Indias

is and incredibly valuable repository
ofancient documents relating to the discovery and conquest of the Americas. Not all
of the documents have been fuiJy studied
yet:it is not open to the general public,
only to scholars.
This quarter, part of which was the old

Jewish neigbourhood, is cool and shady
with narrow, twisting streets which are
closed to cars and delightful small squares
full of flowers. Murillo was buried in the old
church of Santa Cruz in 1682.
Mara Luisa Park
Bullring
The Maria Luisa Park, with its majestic

buildings built for the 1929 World Fair,
is uniquely beautiful. Its eighteenth and
nincteenth century surroundings
overflow with geraniums and charm.
The Real Maestranza bullring where, according to both Bizet's opera and to local legend, Carmen's former lover Don Jos
stabbed her to death, is the most ornate
in Spain.
Cathedral
Hospital de la Caridad
The gothic cathedral, which contains a

vast wealth of artistic treasures, is one
of the largest in Christendom, rivalling
St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London. Columbus is buried here. Its tower,
the Giralda, with a belfry and a huge
bronze weather-vane in the form of a human
figure,added in the sixtecnth century, is
the old minaret. The Orange Tree Patio was
the site of the bazaar in Moorish times.
This Hospital (Plaza de Jurado),which

houses one of Seville's most important
collections of art, was founded to care
for the poor and the sick and to bury the
dead. Today it is an old people's home. It
contains numerous artistic treasures,
including paintings by Valds
Leal and Muril!o. It was founded in the
seventeenth century by a wealthy wastrel,
Miguel de Manara (1629-79), after a bad
binge in which he imagined men were coming
to pick him up off the street and put him
in a coffin.
Alczar
This is a fortified area containing an
eleventh century mudjar palace which has
undergone several reformations.The Hall of
Ambassadors, the gardens,and the tilework
generally are noteworthy.Open daily from
9 a.m.to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5
p.m.Entrance on the Plaza del Triunfo s/n.
9.- Oral Production

Conflicts on Tours
1. Think of the difficulties you may face during the organisation fo a tour. Make a list and identify both tourists
and organisers problems.
Tourists
Organisers
2. Now think back and discuss how you would approach the difficulties you mentioned.

Problems on tour
1. Listen to a guide dealing with a problem on a coach.

Which ofthese situations has occurred?
1 coach breaks down in the city centre
2 coach breaks down on the motorway
3
4
5
6
driver feels very ill and cant continue

one of the passengers faints
air-conditioning breaks down
one of the passengers gets very upset
2. Look at ths list of guidelines given to tour guides.

Listen to the guide again and tick when the guide
demonstrates one of the guidelines.
Guideline
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Listen t o the customer

Apologize
Show sympathy and understanding
Address the customer by name
Explain and clarify
Calm the person 1 people if they are agitated
Salve the problem or offer a plan of actton
Use the support of colleagues and supervisors if necessary
Make sur e the customer knows exactly what you're goig to do
End the discussion
3. Do you think the guide handled the situation well?

Would you have done anything differently?
Unit
Three
SPECIALIzED TOURISM
1.- Discussion
Are you familiar with these terms?

a) Mass tourism
b) Niche tourism
In groups, mention characteristics of both.

What is niche tourism?
1. Read the text. Which is growing faster: mass tourism or niche

tourism?
2. Do you know what all the 'micro-niches' are? Which ones
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
are geared towards students and young people?

help tourists to find out about their ancestors?
get tourists working on environmentally-f riendly pro jects)
involve being either a participant ora spectator?
involve eating and drin.king?
3. Here are sorne more niches. What do you think each of them in-
volves? Where would you put them on the chart?
1.
2.
3.
4.
industrial
plane-spotting
cosmetic surgery
film trail
Inside tourism: mass tourism - niche tourism

Mass tourism has grown at a remarkable pace in the
Iast fifty years- more leisure time, more tourists, more
resorts, bigger hotel complexes, more attractions able
to take huge numbers of visitors, larger aircraft, many
more flights. But in contrast to this, as people have
travelled more, the need to experience something
different, something special, something tailored to the
specific needs and interests of individuals and groups of
individuals, has also grown. The result is niche tourism:
tour operators have realized there is a market for the
specialist tourist, and it is a market that often spends

more than the package-holiday tourist. This market
is perhaps the fastest -growing market in the tourism
industry.
Niche tourism has a thousand different faces- holidays
for senior citizens, tours for the disabled, gastronomic
holidays, tours geared towards the gay community, photographic holidays, dark tourism (visiting places with
sinister and macabre histories), and many more. The
chart below lists some of the niches.
TOURISM ACTIVITIES
Mass tourism
Conventional tourism involving
large numbers of tourists in
staged settings
Niche tourism
Special interests,culture, and/or activity
based tourism involving a small number of
tourists in authentic settings
Micro-niches
Cultural
Environmental
Rural
Urban
Others
Heritage
Tribal
Religious
Educational
Genealogy
Research
Natural and wildlife

Ecotourism
Adventure
Alpine
Geotourism
Coastal
Farms / barns
Camping
Wine / gastronomy
Sport
Festival and events
Arts and crafts
Business
Conference
Exhibition
Sport
Gallery
Art
Photographic
Small cruise
Volunteer
Dark
Youth
Transport
4. Match the niches in 3 with these extracts from tour operators websites.
a Follow in the footsteps of the boy wizard, visit

Alnwick Castle for Hogwarts, and see where Harry
Potter learnt to fly his magic broomstick.
b We will aim to see the latest range of aircraft used
by the Greek Air Force.
c From an insiders glimpse of a hich tech car plant to the weird antiquity
of a Cuban cigar factory, going behind the scenes to learn how everyday
consumer products are created is very enlighteninig.
d Recovery time is important, but it is also an opportunity
to relax and enjoy some of the beautiful tourist features

of the region.
3.- Oral Production

accesible holidays
special needs
mobility
disabilities
disabled facilities
How familliar are you with these terms? How many concepts can you associate with them? Discuss and
brainstorm a list.

Travellers issues
Read this article extracted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/travel/before_specialneeds.shtml#top.
Think of any other points to consider when planning your holidays under special circumstances.
Travellers with special needs

If you or a travel partner has special need, youll need
to plan in advance to make your trip safe and avoid
hassles.
Pregnant women
any of the problems pregnant women might encounter on international trips are the same as any
other traveller, including exposure to infectious diseases
and availability of good medical care. Theres the addi-
tional potential problem that air travel in late pregnancy

may precipitate labour
Most airlines wont allow women who are more than 36
weeks pregnant to fly and may require a medical certificate of fitness to travel from week 28 onwards. Youre
at increased risk of thrombosis during pregnancy and
should therefore make sure you:
Walk around regularly while on the plane
Do leg exercises
Follow otherroutine advice
Babies and young children
abies and young children are more susceptible to

problems with air travel, especially as they dont
always understand what is going on. Children have
narrower tubes (eustachian tubes) between the middle
ear and back of the nose, for example, which makes
it difficult for pressure in their ears and nose to equalise when cabin pressure changes. For this reason, its
a good idea to bottle- or breastfeed young children
during landing and take-off and to provide older children with something to eat or chew (these tactics help
to open the eustachian tubes).
Airlines may not provide food thats suitable for your
child, so pack essential supplies in your hand luggage.
Some airlines do provide special meals for children if
ordered more than 24 hours in advance, but its worth
taking snacks in case of error or delays.
Disabled travellers
ew legislation and increased awareness are making

travel easier for people with disabilities. The international symbol for disability, the wheelchair, is universally accepted.
In almost every country, transportation operators whether coach, train or air - expect to assist you. Find
out in advance how to get to the boarding point and
ask the company to reserve suitable seating.
All travellers with special needs should confirm their
travel plans in writing with the transport operator and
hotel. Make sure you have a copy of this confirmation
with you on arrival.
If you have a major chronic illness, talk to your doctor
about travel plans, and whether you need to take any
surgery. Any air trapped in a body cavity will expand,

causing pain or damage to tissues. If you need to fly
take expert advice from your airlines medical adviser
first.
extra steps to keep safe on holiday.
Recent surgery
ou shouldnt fly if youve very recently undergone

major surgery, especially brain, chest or abdominal
For further information on holidays for disabled people, read the following article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/aug/24/accessible-holidays-disabled-people
5.- Oral Production

Organising a special tour
If organising an ordinary tour is complicated, wait to see the organisation of a special tour. Special tours are not
just geared to the disabled, but to those who enjoy variety and above all difference which sometimes and for some
people may look like an oddity.
As a team, think of a special tour for a special target and create a list including the necessary points to consider in
that special tour. Put emphasis on tourists special needs.
Organising a special tour...

Special Tourism Business
1. Look at these videos and discuss whether something similar is possible on a local level.
2. What opportunities for special tours are ther in your country?
3. What are the existing niches for tourism locally?
7.- Oral Production - Project Implementation

Find out
Preparing and running a specialized tour
1. How does your region or country cater for specialized tourism?
Work in groups. Plan a niche tour in your own country or

region. Work through each of the following stages.
2. Are there any tour operators who organize tours

and holidays for any of the niches you learnt about
previously?
Stage 1: Choose a niche

Try to choose something different and exciting, but
relevan to your area.
The tour should be available to disabled as well as
able-bodied people.
3. Make a data-file for each of the niches. Include

contact details of tour operators
Stage 2: Plan the tour
description of tours
What makes it special?
special facilities that are used (e.g. accommodation,
Decide the specialized and general tourism acitivies
transport)
you are going to offer.
what is included / not included in the tour proce
Map out the basic itinerary.
whether they cater for disability
Stage 3: Brief the staff involved
what makes thetour special.
What staff are going to be involved in the tour?
4. Do you think there are any other niches that could
What special training will they need?
be catered for? Is there a gap in the market?
Stage 4: Presentation
Think about your own hobbies and interests.
Present your tour in detail.
8.- Vocabulary
Describing disability
1. Most disabled people need a wheelchair
2. What problems could disabled tourists have

with these facilities?
2. If you see someone with a hearing aid, you should

raise your voice.
1. single steps
2. stairs
3. People with hearing difficutlies can hear some

people better than others.
3. telephone
4. Someone who is reading a newspaper cannot be

visually impaired.
5. hotel check-in (and check-out)
1. Read these statements. Write True or False.
5. Most blind people have guide dogs and know how

to read Braille.
4. toilets
6. restaurants
7. car parks
6. People who use sign language cannot speak.
8. gates
7. In many countries it is illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities.
9. visiting a castle or ancient monument
8. In my country all public places must provide full

access to disabled people, for example, ramps on
steps for wheelchairs, and hand-rails for people
with mobility difficulties.
11. beaches
10. footpaths in the countryside

12. welcome talks

Disability access
A group of tourists with mobility disabilities are on a special tour involving adventure sports. They are staying at an
old country hotel, which has recently been renovated to allow access for all.
1. The tour guide is phoning ahead to check arrangements. Listen to the conversation and tick the disabled facilities that are currently in operation at the hotel.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Acess for wheelchairs to ground floor rooms

Automatic door opening on ground floor rooms
Low-level light switches in ground floor rooms
Disabled facilities in toilets
Signage
Lift to top floor bar
Garden walkways and general access
Low-level reception desk
Entrance access (ramps, etc.)
2. After they leave the hotel, the group are going by coach to an adventure sports activity centre, where they are
planning to do some of the following activities - hillwalking, rowing, canoeing, overnight camping.
What facilities will the guide need to check with the coach company and the activity centre?
Unit
Four
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
1.- Discussion
Many are the jobs done at hotels. Just as many as the names these positions receive throughout the world. To
have a general idea on the numerous activities. Take a look at this list taken from: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/
job-title-samples/a/hospitality-job-titles.htm

Back Office Assistant

Back Office Supervisor
Backwaiter
Banquet Server
Banquet Manager
Bartender
Bar Staff
Bell Attendant
Bellhop
Bellman
Bellperson
Busser
Cafe Manager
Catering Manager
Catering Sales Manager
Chef
Concierge
Concierge Agent
Cook
Corporate Sales Manager
Crew Member
Director of Hotel Sales
Director of Hotel Operations
Director of Operations
Director of Maintenance
Director of Marketing
Director of Sales
Dishwasher
Driver
Events Manager
Executive Housekeeper
Executive Conference Manager
Executive Meeting Manager
Food and Beverage Manager
Food Runner
Food Server
Front Desk Clerk
Front Desk Agent
Front Desk Associate
Front Desk Sales and Service Associate
Front Office Associate
Front Office Attendant
Front Office Associate
Front Office Supervisor
Guest Room Sales Manager
General Manager
Greeter
Group Sales Coordinator
Group Sales Manager
Guest Services Associate
Guest Services Coordinator
Guest Services Manager
Guest Service Representative
Host
Hostess
Hotel Deposit Clerk
Hotel Group Sales Manager
Housekeeper
Housekeeper Aide
Housekeeping Supervisor
Kitchen Team Member
Lead Housekeeper
Manager, Special Events
Marketing Coordinator
Meeting Coordinator
Meeting Concierge
Meeting Specialist
Meeting Manager
Mini-Bar Attendant
Night Auditor
Night Clerk
Public Relations Coordinator
Public Relations Manager
Reservations Agent
Restaurant Manager
Room Attendant
Room Service Manager
Room Service Worker
Sales and Marketing Coordinator
Sales Coordinator
Sales Manager
Server
Shift Leader
Shift Manager
Team Member
Transportation Coordinator
Valet Attendant
Valet Parker
Valet Parking Attendant
Waiter
Waitress
Wait Staff
Wedding Coordinator
Wedding Sales Manager
Discuss:
1. From all the abovementioned positions, which ones are you most familiar with?
2. Which of the jobs are known under other name?
3. Which jobs are considered essential in a hotel?
4. Which jobs correspond to the highest ranked hotels?

Hospitality job descriptions
The following article from: http://www.ehow.com/about_4687572_hospitality-job-descriptions.html gives a general
description on hospitality related jobs. Read it carefully.
Hospitality Job Descriptions
By Andrea Campbell, eHow Contributor
Employment in the hospitality industry means more

opportunities than just working in hotels and motels.
Cruise ships, resort accommodations, spa and sport locations, private bed and breakfasts, retirement communities, RV parks and really any place that affords overnight lodging can also be factored into the mix. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that over 62,000
American service-related companies provide rooms to
vacation seekers as well as those who travel for business.
Types
The types of hospitality jobs are so diverse, the service

industry represents the largest occupational group of all
workers, including part time and seasonal employees.
Typical management jobs are regional manager, front
of house manager, front desk manager, training and
personnel manager, operations manager, guest services
manager and night manager.
Service employees responsible to these various departments are the food and beverage manager, restaurant
and bar managers, head housekeeper, maintenance and
security manager, banquets and catering managers, executive chef and sales executive, head receptionist and
night auditor.
Features
With sumptuous five-star rated hotels, the lodging and

service industry seeks to be a home away from home
full-service establishment. Catering to a well-heeled
clientele, they provide their guests with every need, including more than just food service. They may offer retail shops, drug stores, workout rooms, fitness areas and
swimming pools, laundry services, valet and concierge
operations and even health spas and cosmetics specialists.
Some of the finest hotels focus on attracting the convention crowd, offering meeting rooms prepped with audio
visual equipment, blocks of rooms devoted to specific
organizations, including self-contained banquet and recreational areas. The guest may never need to leave his
corporate hotel environment.
Even limited-service motels and suites hotels (areas
with combined living and kitchenette facilities) often
have on-site restaurants, free continental breakfast areas
and a variety of ice and vending machines. The most
modest lodgings are even offering Internet access with
fax machine capabilities.
Function
These features and amenities equate to operations that

need lots of people power and that means plenty of jobs.
Food and beverage services are needed for the restaurant, room service, banqueting and stores operations.
Typical jobs under this umbrella may be bartending,
waiter and waitress, room service staff, and, depending
on size limitations may also include kitchen supervisor,

head chef, sous chef, kitchen staff, cooks and maitre d
or receptionist.
The Front of House manager has under his command
hall porters or bell boys, drivers, receptionists, cashiers,
sales clerks, switchboard operators and reservation
clerks.
In addition to all the concessions, such as the retail
stores and other subsidiary outlets, there will be a security outfit and the operations involved with the buyers
and stocking clerks, and the shuttling about in the parking garage.
Considerations
Working conditions, of course, will vary as each individual job description is so unique, but essentially the
new hire will most likely be working rotating shifts according to experience and seniority in this 24-hour service business. There are peak seasons when more staff
will be brought on and workers will find themselves
working overtime, or on odd shifts to cover a particularly high demand, such as might come about with a festival, specific celebration or convention.
Identification
When working with the public, hospitality workers will

deal with all types of people and need to be able to communicate, and extend a gracious and solicitous manner,
even at the end of a very stressful or hectic day. Most
hospitality businesses rely on the word of mouth of
satisfied visitors and hope to meet and reach the status
of an excellent hotelier with a stellar reputation for service and quality. Sometimes that means that workers
must be the invisible-yet-responsive elves for their customers.
Expert Insight
Pay is usually commensurate with experience, but the

average hotel worker makes $10 an hour and up. Tips
may help to augment the basic workers income, but
education in the hospitality industry will be needed for
management success. Office and administrative support
counts for about 19 percent of all employment and wages vary depending upon job accountability.
For further information on description of tourism industry related jobs, read the information from the following links:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6069797_job-hotel-front-desk-clerk.html
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5199640_front-desk-job-descriptions.html
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5142878_hotel-front-desk-job-duties.html
http://www.ehow.com/list_6669984_hotel-front-office-reservation-procedures.html
When you think of a job at a hotel, one of the first ones you come up with is receptionist. Find out which
receptionists duties are. State the dos and donts for this position.
Do...
Dont...

Life in the front office
1. Erika works in a medium sized hotel in the centre
of Berlin. Listen to her talking about life in the
hotels front office. Which duties are mentioned
and in which order?
2. Listen again. Write T (true) or F (false)
1. Erika has to spend all day dealing with emergencies.
2. Taking messages for guests is a routine task in hotels
3. Answering questions is an opportunity to get to know
your guests.
4. Its impossible to predict what sorts of questions
guests will ask you.
5. Receptionists are responsible for monitoring customer satisfaction.
6. A complaint is another name for a problem.
4.- Oral Production

Guests requests
1. In your opinion, what are the most common requests guests make at hotels?
2. Would you say that famous artists are the ones with the most weird types of requests?
3. Businesspeople make the same requests tourists do?
4. What are common requests at:

the bar
the restaurant
the sauna
the business centre or conference room?

Read this interesting article taken from http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/story/2011/04/Concierges-confess-hotelguests-most-memorable-requests-/46380244/1 and find out how odd requests can be
Concierges confess hotel guests most

memorable requests
By Tanya Tribble
(Draining the tub took the help of a hotel engineer.)

Fazio also tells about the time he was an L.A. gofer
and told to retrieve a bag from a restaurant for Charlie
Sheen. It contained a handgun, he writes.
Where he and some other concierges dont see eye to
eye: requests for intimacy. Concierge Confidential tells
how he scoured the phone book and called a hip nightclub to find a top-of-the-line escort service the first time
he was asked to find company for a hotel guest.
Karron Cook, concierge at the W Los Angeles-Westwood arranged

for a guest to propose to his girlfriend as a skywriting plane delivered the message: Will you marry me, Lisa? She would
Karron Cook, concierge at the W Los Angeles-Westwood arranged for a guest to propose to his girlfriend
as a skywriting plane delivered the message: Will you
marry me, Lisa? She would.
The man who gave his chocolate-craving wife a bathtub
treat. The lonely woman looking to be rubbed the wrong
way. These tales are detailed in Concierge Confidential
(St. Martins Press, $24.99), as Michael Fazio dishes
about the desires of hotel guests. He and other star
concierges share some of their more unusual requests
with USA TODAYs Kitty Bean Yancey .
Manhattan concierge Michael Fazio has organized
everything from a bathtub filled with liquid chocolate to
a string quartet arrival serenade at a railroad station.
A bathtub full of chocolate? No problem.
When working in the lobby of an InterContinental New
York hotel, Michael Fazio thought up a sweet treat for a
guest seeking a romantic evening. He was talking rose
petals, says Fazio, who came up with a more creative
idea: Fill the bathtub with Godiva syrup for a decadent
soaking experience.
Problem is, he found out it would take dozens of jars of
the pricey chocolate to do that. But I was going to produce this moment for him, Fazio recalls. So he went
to a restaurant supply store, bought jugs of syrup and
surrounded the tub with candles.
The extent of the bath was fingers dipped in and wiped
on a towel, he says, but guest and his wife were happy.
Lets be real, hotels are sexy places, says Fazio, who

now is co-owner of Abigail Michaels Concierge, serving
hotel guests and apartment dwellers. He doesnt make
the deals for sexual services, per the concierge code,
he says. But I dont judge.
Even palatial requests get fulfilled
Frank Laino, executive head concierge at Londons
exclusive The Stafford London by Kempinski, has been
voted top concierge worldwide by Luxury Travel Advisor
magazine.
Its not easy pleasing worldly guests such as actors and
press lord Rupert Murdoch. His feats go beyond arranging prime seats at sold-out shows and hot restaurants.
For one guest whose quest was to see every Vermeer
painting, Laino used contacts to get the man into a
part of Buckingham Palace not open to the public. For
another whose pooch was shivering in London weather,
Laino found an upscale tailor willing to make two very
nice tweed suits for the skinny Italian greyhound. In
the end, it is about being able to deliver, he says of his
job.
Theres one thing he cant get you: an invite to next
weeks wedding of Prince William. But I can tell guests
the best places to watch the wedding procession, he
says helpfully.
She knows how to make a splash
Nothing is impossible is the mantra of Maria Jos Rodriguez, director of romance at Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Rosewood resort,
which attracts Hollywoods A-list, drained a pool to help
a woman recover a diamond ring that slipped off (and
didnt charge for it).
Rodriguez remembers another situation that had to do

with a pool, this one attached to a suite. The guest
wanted the water colder, she says. So Ventanas trucked in ice and put big cubes in the pool, she says.
Another mission made possible.
tasks in this wedding oasis.

Jeanne Mills, head concierge of the MGM Grand Hotel
& Casino, recalls the guy who wanted to give his girlfriend the red-carpet, Pretty Woman treatment. She
suggested a scavenger hunt.
A spooky surprise for a star guest

Hollywood folk thrive on stage sets and fantasy.
The woman was picked up in a limo and responding

to clues from her beloved delivered via CD pulled up
at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, where she was
told to select a cocktail dress at her favorite store (her
beau left his credit-card number there). Then the limo
ferried her to boutiques to pick out shoes and a handbag. The final destination: Red Rock Canyon outside
town, where a Champagne picnic was laid out. Up rode
the swain on a white horse. He dropped to his knees,
proposed, and she (later) put on her new dress and
went to dinner, says Mills, also vice president of the
U.S. chapter of Les Clefs dOr (golden keys), an elite
association of concierges.
The duo was married the next day at a wedding chapel.
A less-expensive proposal: Mills got members of Cirque
du Soleils MGM Grand KA show to surprise a woman
dining with her boyfriend. She said yes and got a souvenir photo. You dont have to go all out (pricewise) to
have that wow! effect, she says.
So Judith Farris, a concierge/butler supervisor at the

St. Regis Monarch Beach south of L.A., knew she had
to come up with something special for the anniversary
celebration of drummer Travis Barker and former Miss
USA Shanna Moakler.
She learned their wedding theme had been inspired
by the movie Nightmare Before Christmas, so she and
staffers scoured shops to deck out the presidential suite with candelabra, spider webs and film memorabilia.
She had lighting changed to spooky orange, and was
gratified when Moakler walked into the suite and screamed in happy surprise, not horror.
You never know what (guests are) going to ask you to
do, she says.
Lakers tickets to high-flying proposals
What do guests at The W Los Angeles-Westwood often
request?
Lakers tickets no problem, says concierge Karron
Cook. Everyone wants seats on the floor and to rub
elbows with Jack actor Nicholson, the basketball
teams famous fan. Be prepared to spend close to
$1,000 a ticket, she says.
As for proposals, money also was no object for one
guest. She sat the couple in Ws outdoor restaurant
while a skywriter created an airborne heart and the
message: Will you marry me, Lisa.
She would.
Even in sickness and in health

Not all concierges tasks involve joyous occasions.
They routinely make arrangements to fly guests home
for funerals or in medical emergencies.
Regena Falling, assistant chief concierge at The RitzCarlton New York, Central Park, and president of Les
Clefs dOr USA, remembers helping a couple devastated at having to cancel a trip to Hawaii because of the
mans medical problems.
To cheer them up, we had leis. We had Mai Tais and
tropical flowers in the guestroom and we offered them a
luau with pig and poi.
We brought Hawaii here.
What happens in Vegas? Awesomeness

Vegas concierges do more than their share of romantic
To learn more about uncommon requests, read this article: http://www.smarttravelasia.com/Concierge.htm
6.- Oral Production

Everytime you stay at a hotel or use any of its services, you have the chance to express your opinion regarding
hotel services.
1. What are the most common ways hotels get their feedback?
2. For you as a hotel client, what are the most important points you consider to select a hotel?
3. Do you think that hotels take your comments seriously, are they any sueful to improve their services?

This article from http://www.xotels.com/en/marketing/guest-feedback tells you whether hotels care about your
feedback.
HOW SERIOUS DO HOTELS TAKE

GUEST FEEDBACK?
Written by Patrick Landman @ Xotels on 18 March 2011.
Having travelled a
lot in the last month I
have been observing
some great differences
in the levels with which
hotels are looking for
feedback from their
guests. Some hotels
simply do not seem
to care, others have it
a review score card implemented as a systematic
part of their operations, few however really ask me
for my opinion and make me feel they really care
With the trend of online reviews I was pleasantly surprised to find out that some hotels still really care about
my feedback. Over the past month I have travelled all
over the USA and Europe, and most hotels did not provide me with a guest comment card, not even at checkout so I could put it in the mail and send it back to them
for free.
Most of the hotels that did provide a guest feedback
form, had one of those tic tac toe form. They simply want
me to degrade my opinion of their service to a number, a
score They do have an option for additional comments
below each section, but must not realize by the time I get
to that, I am kind of worn out already.
I am sure that the management of the hotel will also receive very interesting stats and graphs based on these
bingo cards. They will be able to analyze which department scores what % of guest satisfaction, and follow
trends over time.
This last week though a hotel really surprised me. They
asked me their opinion not at check-out, but continuously during my stay. Every day there was a comment card
on the bed, posing the following question; How did we
do today?.
But not only did housekeeping put it on the bed after
cleaning my room, they also provided it when I order
room service, and it was again on the breakfast table.
They are constantly looking for feedback on the services
used in the hotel.
I did not mind filling in the form several times, as they
asked me open questions, really showing their interest
in my opinion. The questions on this How did we do today? form were so simple really,

Your Feedback
How you evaluate our services?
Small details. Big differences. Are there any
small details that you particularly valued (or any
new ones that you think we should be look at)?

The fact that they focused on real input instead of scores
I really liked. If hotels want to improve their services, it
is not about a number, it is about the actions they take.
Suggestions and comments from guests will be very
useful...
More information on feedback and how this is considered by hotels can be found on: http://travel.usatoday.com/
hotels/story/2012-01-25/Hotel-giants-embracing-guest-reviews-%E2%80%94-good-or-bad/52794948/1 and if you
want to see how a hotel guest survey looks like, go here: http://www.websurveymaster.com/t/45/N

Checking into the hotel
Listen to the audio from: http://www.audioenglish.net/english-learning/subject_checking_into_the_hotel.htm and
pay special attention to the language used when checking into a hotel.

Checking out
After listening something on how to check in, lets read this article from http://www.ehow.com/list_6851862_checkout-procedures-front-office-management.html on the basics to carry out the checkout process.
Checkout Procedures in Front Office

Management
where she might need another reservation? Note any

future reservation information.
By Lori Karnac, eHow Contributor
Review Bill With Guest

According to James A. Bardi, the author of the textbook While chatting with the guest, print out the final bill
Hotel Front Office Management, checkout is the best and review all charges. Make sure you review all room
opportunity for securing additional reservations. As the service, phone and mini-bar charges. If there is a discrepancy, ask the customer which item she disputes
final impression that your customer has of your hotel,
your checkout procedures are essential for maintaining and tell her you will look into it immediately. If you have
and growing your customer base. You can ensure that made a mistake, apologize and correct it. If no mistake
your front office staff makes the most of this opportunity is found, refer the bill to your supervisor.
by developing a checklist for your checkout.
Process Payment
Ask how the customer will be paying for the bill. ProArrange Paperwork
The evening before, review all your guests who are due cess all charges and present the customer the receipt.
to check out and arrange all their files together. Send
express checkout forms to all the appropriate guests
Ask About Other Services
rooms. Note your customers names so you can greet
Ask if the customer requires hotel transportation to the
them by name in the morning.
airport or to have her luggage stored.
Greet the Customer
Make eye contact and greet the customer by name.
Ask if she will be checking out. If she has completed
the express form, take the form, review it for accuracy
and ask for the keys. If the customer has not filled out
the express form, continue with the checklist.
Thank the Customer

Make eye contact and thank the customer for staying
at the hotel. Ask if there was anything else that could
have been done to improve her stay. Give out any
survey forms and indicate where she can post positive
comments online.
Ask About the Stay

Ask if she enjoyed her stay and if she will be returning
to the area. If so, ask if she would they like to make
another reservation. Is there another hotel in the chain
Report Back
Report any complaints and suggestions to your supervisor. Refer any future reservation requests to the reservations department.

Checking out of the hotel
Lets continue with listening practice. This time focus on the checkout process from: http://www.audioenglish.net/
english-learning/subject_checking_out_hotel.htm

Complaints at hotels
Every place serving people will probably face some complaints by their clients. Hotels are not an exception.
1. In pairs, brainstorm a list of the ten most common complaints hotels guests have.
2. Work on a feasible solution for those complaints. Use properly formal language.

Read this article from http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2012/07/27/americans-biggest-complaintsabout-hotels/ and compare it with the answers you gave in the previous exercise
Americans Biggest Complaints

About Hotels
By Andrew Bender
online, the connections are often slow or unreliable.

This dissatisfaction is compounded as ever more hotel
guests are connected: some 55 percent of guests
used hotel rooms internet in this years survey, up
The hotel industrys ratings have fallen to their low-
from 20 percent in 2006.
est since 2006. If hotels know whats good for them,
Also, people are connecting though multiple devic-
theyll pay attention.
es, says J.D. Powers Jessica McGregor, so I might
Market research company J.D. Power and Associates

surveyed more than 61,700 North American hotel
guests between August 2011 and May 2012, and arrived at an industry rating of 757 points out of a possible 1,000. The 7 point drop from 2011s survey may
not seem like much, but, as the company notes in
apress release, that masks steep drops in satisfaction
with several categories: hotel facilities and services,
guest rooms, check-in/check-out, food and beverage
(the difference was made up mostly by improved satisfaction with cost).
Chief among the complaints:
Internet.In this day and age, when internet access
is free in coffee shops, restaurants and, increasingly,
airports, customers are indignant that many hotels
continue to charge for it. And when guests do get
have my cell phone, a tablet and and my laptop. If I

have to pay a $20 fee for each of those, its probably
going to make me quite unhappy.
Noise.Although hotel guests complained to J.D.
Power about noise in hotels, paradoxically theyll
inform hotel management in only about half of the
cases, McGregor says. Say youre awakened from
your slumber by rowdy neighbors. Many guests will
tough it out, go back to sleep and in the morning
decide its not worth reporting. That doesnt give the
hotel a lot of opportunity to recover on that problem,
McGregor says.
Hotel room maintenance.Shoddy equipment in
the room: coffee makers or lights that dont work,
dead batteries in the TV remote control, etc.
General issues ofroom cleanliness, room smell,
heating, ventilation and air-con a tie. Case in
point: hotel AC and heating systems can be hard to
control, and guests cant adjust the settings to their
had been no problem to begin with.
preferences. This creates a Goldilocks effect of rooms

being too hot or too cold.
So whats the best solution for hotel operators?
First off, McGregor says, preventing problems is the
most satisfying thing for guests. Its completely within
a hotels control to monitor room maintenance, cleanliness and properly operating facilities, as well as not
nickel-and-diming guests.
To improve rankings, McGregor encourages hotels

to empower staff to solve problems. Top performing
brands, she says, have staff orientation in their culture,
to personalize the stay, resolve problems on the spot
and go the extra mile for the guests. Improved product
offerings and technology also help.
This is J.D. Powers 16th annual survey of hotels.Ritz-Carlton hotelshave topped the luxury hotel
segment of the survey for three consecutive years (864
And when complaints arise, as inevitably can happen
points in 2012), but hotels need not be high end to sat-
even at top hotels, McGregor counsels that problem
isfy customers. The mid-scale, limited-serviceDrury Ho-
resolution is key to recovery, quickly, efficiently and
tels group(841 points) has just completed its seventh
with empathy and understanding. According to J.D.
consecutive year atop its category, thanks to offerings
Power stats, an unresolved problem drops the customer
like complementary evening receptions for guests with
satisfaction score to 573 out of 1,000. But with a suc-
appetizers and beverages.
cessful resolution, it soars to 842, higher than if there

Now that you know some of the complaints about hotels, read this article from http://www.mademan.com/mm/
how-handle-hotel-guest-complaints.html and find out something about complaints handling.
How To Handle Hotel Guest

Complaints
By:Gary Willhite
Break Studios Contributing Writer
How to handle hotel guest complaints is through attentiveness. Such attentiveness requires the obvious, which
is attention, along with genuine sensitivity and substantiation. When a guest believes there is cause to lodge a
complaint, the expectation of an effect exists. Almost all
guest compliments are received by the hotels front desk
staff. As hotels constitute a major portion of the hospitality
field, excellence in customer service for guests is an industry standard. While a hotel provides accommodations,
it is at the discretion of front desk staff to provide guest
services. These services also encompass the occasional
opportunity to resolve hotel guest complaints.
To handle hotel guest complaints, you will benefit from a
familiarity in or with:

Knowledge of relevant hotel policy
Front desk guest parameters
Managerial resources
Maintenance access
Customer service
Resolution expertise
Retention skills
Diplomacy
Patience
1. Listen attentively to the hotel guests complaint.It is important for a desk clerkor any
other member of the hotels staffto make eye
contact upon listening to the guest. The desk clerk
should maintain serious facial expression, and
poise in posture that demonstrates attention. Avoid
any temptation to interrupt or interject while the
guest is voicing a complaint. This strategy shows
respect to a guest that is dissatisfied, while it enables the desk clerk to understand the problem.
2. Identify with the hotel guest.Rather than to
express an all-so-common, I am sorry, sincerely

acknowledge with a full apology for the guests
unfortunate experience or inconvenience. Apologizing does not reflect upon a desk clerks representation, though rather and appropriately on the
behalf of the hotel. When a hotel representative
identifies with the guest, an opportunity to establish communication and confidence is possible.
3. Assess the complaint.In a proactive manner,
substantiate any circumstance or issues that are
adversely impacting the guests hotel stay. In a
feasible fashion, promptly advise this guest that
a solution to the problem will be sought. Display
sensitivity, and inquire of the guest if any form of
temporary comfort or convenience may suffice
while this complaint receives attention. If at all
possible, deliver on what the guest may temporarily request. Should the interim request be impossible to provide, suggest other momentary alternatives that are available.
4. Consider the guests complaint.Quickly categorize the complaint as to its originessential,
amenity or service. Determine how the complaint
ranks in its severity. Decide the best course of
action to seek a resolution. Contemplate if such
a complaint is within the scope of the hotels front
desk to resolve, or will it necessitate a more extensive or external option.
5. Plot the course towards resourceful action.Use the origin of a guests complaint to seek
resources. Decipher if the nature of the matter is
a housekeeping, maintenance, amenity, or service
issue. Draw upon a responsible hotel source that
6.
7.
8.
9.
correlates with whatever matter is at cause for the

complaint.
Delegate a complaint to the appropriate resource.For an optimum resolution, immediately
make all possible efforts to contact the appropriate
member of hotel personnel. Upon reaching the
applicable staff member, thoroughly, though concisely, explain the guests complaint. Inquire of the
responsiblestaff memberas to how the issue will
be resolved, and the approximate time that it may
take to remedy such a posed situation.
Apprise the guest of action.Advise the inconvenienced guest as to how this hotel is progressing
to resolve an unacceptable situation. Should the
scope of the problem be excessive in either scope
or time frame, then take a different course of action, and accommodate the guest.
Compensate for the hotels mishap.When a
guests complaint has been addressed and resolved, do not let the inconvenience pass without
retribution. Dependent upon the infraction, present
this guest with extra amenities, service, upgrade,
or even an additional nights stay. Through such
an ethical act of hospitality, both guest retention
and satisfaction are achieved.
If circumstances are at an extreme, exercise
alternative options.Should the complaint, upon
validation, be to the extremes that exceed a reasonable remedy, relocate the guest to equal or
greater accommodationswithout any further
charges.

Hotel Problems
To finish this unit, listen to the audio from: http://www.audioenglish.net/english-learning/subject_hotel_problems.
htm paying attention to the use of language. Extract the most useful phrases.

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School

Food and Tourism

Food and Tourism

How important is food in the development tourism?

What local dish would you consider attractive for tourists?

2.- Reading Comprehension

Traveling to eat: Food tourism grows in USA

NEW YORK Surrounded by imported pasta and

launched her own company, New York Chocolate

ever they travel.

Pam Hays, of Fayetteville, Texas, said she and her

4.- Listening Comprehension

verb be past participle

1. Grapes are picked.

Note: The verb be in Passive Voice may be used in any tense.

5.- Vocabulary Expansion

Which local dish would you offer a tourist?

6.- Reading Comprehension

Date: 2nd week of February

The Tinapay festival is an opportunity for the local people

A study in Tasmania has suggested that a new

CentralDalmatia is one of Croatias regions that takes

(Hint: go to your local information office, look at

7.- Listening Comprehension

8.- Vocabulary Expansion

Food: ingredients and preparation.

1. Which ofthese methods of preparing food can you use with

2. Which of the ingredients would you normally use in

9.- Listening Comprehension

2. Listen again. For each dish make notes about

10.- Language Spot

A salade Marocaine is made of chopped tomatoes.

3. Look at the waiters English notes on the Malaysian

1. very special Malaysan dish

1. Look ath these phrases. In what order would a waiter

Are you ready to order?

2. Which phrases use the passive voice?

11.- Reading Comprehension

How to make the perfect ceviche

If youre already a ceviche convert,

don, or the pumpkin and sweet potato

texture firmer and dryer, yet the flavours

Olive magazine recipe ceviche - an

Tom Aikens recipe ceviche. Photograph: Felicity Cloake

the ones in Peru. So although I cant

Spices and other ingredients

The Last Days of Pisco recipe ceviche.

South American shops I reconstitute a dried chilli, and

Herbs like coriander and parsley are often included to add

3. Divide the fish and marinade between 2 bowls, scatter with

Felicitys perfect ceviche. Photograph: Felicity Cloake

suggest / insist / demand / recommend

I suggest going / entering / working / leaving

14.- Restaurant Language

1. Work in pairs Note down three questions a customer might

Which waiter or waitress did the best job?

Who made a mistake? What was the mistake?

Who was the most polite?

Grilled fillet steak served with French fries

Fill in the blank in this dialogue

Are you ready to order?

Yes, Id like the steak, please.

Certainly, How .........................................................................?

Yes, of course. Would ..............................................................?