Key Vocabulary of the Chapter 3

Exposure. Exposure describes the prospect from the guest-room window. Most often, the view is directional: north, south, east or west. Terrain is used also to describe exposure: mountain view; ocean view; lakeside. Manmade identifications can be substituted for the natural terrain: poolside; golf course; marina; slopes (ski). Unfortunately, some exposures are negative, so these would not be touted to the guest: receiving dock; garbage pickup; employee entrance.

Suites and All-suites. Suites are very different from all-suites. Suites have been available in hotels for generations. All-suites are a new creation first coming on the scene during the early 1970s. Suites are luxurious upgrades within a hotel; all-suites are a special hotel segment within the lodging industry. Suites are scattered throughout a regular hotel, although frequently on the upper floors or with corner exposures. All-suites are specially designed buildings with each room having the attributes of a suite: with the bedroom separated from the parlor, which is a somewhat old-fashioned term for the modern living room. Suites are frequently named, either generically: Presidential Suite; Honeymoon Suite, or in honor of notable personages or historical figures: The Elvis Suite; The Woodrow Wilson Suite. All-suite rooms are not distinguishable and carry no special identification other than the room number.

Single and Double – Bed and Occupancy. Single beds have all but disappeared. There are still some double beds in use, particularly in older motels and motor inns. Double beds, approximately 57" x 80", are often found paired as twin-doubles. As rooms have increased in size, large beds (queens 60"x 80") and kings (72" x 85") have found favor. Longer beds are called California or European lengths. The term single is still used to convey occupancy by one person; likewise, double refers to occupancy by two persons. The terms single and double occupancy apply irrespective of the room's bedding.

Square Feet vs. Square Meters. Much of the world operates on the metric system where square meters not square feet is the measure of room area. The conversion is simple: one square meter is 10.76 square feet. To make an estimate from square feet to square meters, the student divides the square feet by 11. To make an approximate estimate from square meters to square feet, the student multiples the square meters by the same 11 value. For example, a 550 square-foot guestroom would be approximately 50 square meters, 550 ¸ 11 (a truer figure is 51.1). Given the area of a room as 51 square meters, the estimate is 562 square feet (51 x 10, + 1/10 = 510 + 51). Neither is strictly accurate, but they both serve to conceptualize what another party may be describing.

More Vocabulary

Listed below are some other vocabulary words for this chapter. All of these words are defined in the glossary of your book.

General Manager
Hotel Manager
Concierge
Front Office
Reservation
Property Management System (PMS)
Twin
Twin-Double
Queen
King
Hollywood Bed
Studio Bed
Studio Room
Sofa Bed Hide-a-bed
Rollaway Bed
Futon
Murphy Bed

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