The history of the first hotel dates back to the ancient period of antiquity. Such countries - the owners, in those days, like Greece and Rome - made the most important and greatest contribution to the development of their states. Under their possession were vast lands that captured the Mediterranean Sea, the coast Atlantic Ocean, Middle Eastern countries and others. The traditional atmosphere of antiquity, discipline, uniform legislation, a large trade route and great traditions reigned throughout this territory.

Hospitalists (people who received guests) received merchants, merchants and simply foreign visitors in their home. Such establishments—the first hotels—were called “taverns.” But, according to the code of King Hammurabi, the owners of such taverns had to report to the authorities all dubious conversations of visitors about government officials. Therefore, such establishments were not in demand. Later, the Romans created several houses for visitors to their state, they were built along the roads and were free.

The huge trade route, which went through the countries of the Middle East, Asia and Transcaucasia, provided for the construction of buildings for the temporary accommodation of traders with all the amenities they needed. The buildings included rooms for the guests themselves, as well as separate pens for animals (camels and horses were the main guides of trade caravans). These first hotels played an important role in the development of hospitality.

Soon, religion made a great contribution to the history of hotels. In the Middle Ages there was a “boom” of pilgrimage, so many believers traveled all over the world and needed temporary rest and accommodation. Of course, all this was provided to them in separately constructed buildings at churches and monasteries. These were special shelters where pilgrims could be accommodated for the night and fed for free. But at the end of the 1950s. free services were removed by the British king Henry VIII, churches became private property and began to receive and accommodate pilgrims for a fee.

Pits are the name of the inns that appeared on the territory of Rus' in the 12th-13th centuries. They improved and multiplied after the development of transport routes and postal services in Europe. Since postal trips were made on horseback, yards were built along the road where carriers could rest, as well as feed and change their horses. It looked more like a postal station. But soon, after they were combined with inns, the first prototypes of modern motels appeared.

The very concept of “hotel” appeared in a country with the highest level of service and hospitality - in France. There were multi-storey buildings on the territory of the country - the first hotels, which had several apartments and could be rented out to visitors for any length of time (from one day to a whole month). The French hotel became the standard of hospitality and, soon, the taverns of America were renamed in the French way. True, all technologies, services, the concept of service and its development, the emergence of the first hotel and the rules for settling in it belong to the USA. Here, the first “City Hotel” was opened, which was located on Broadway and contained 70 (seventy) rooms. A hotel more similar to the modern type (with a reception, corridors, distribution of rooms and the presence of bath cosmetics) appeared in Boston in 1829.

The largest, most significant and first contribution to the hotel business was made by Caesar Ritz (Switzerland) and Statler (America). The Swiss became a seminal figure in the development of hotels around the world, he developed many new details to make the stay of tourists in hotels even more comfortable. The Ritz diversified restaurant and hotel meals with orchestras playing. Due to this, visitors could not only enjoy food, but also classical music for the soul.

Statler, in turn, became the pioneer of the appearance of mirrors in rooms, telephones, additional lighting above the beds and at the door of the room, the presence of stationery and, most importantly, became the creator of uniforms for staff. An American fan of the hotel business, he knew a lot about service and therefore repeatedly exclaimed the phrase that is still famous today: “The customer is always right.”

Thus, the FIRST hotels went from a “tavern” to a FIRST-CLASS world-class hotel.

I.Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………3

II. Main part

2.1 History of development hotel business…………………………………….6

2.2 History of the hotel……………………………………………………………..12

2.3Golden ring……………………………………………………………..15

2.4 Administrative………………………………………………………...17

2.5 Reservation………………………………………………………………...20

2.6 Reception and accommodation………………………………………………………23

2.7 Service……………………………………………………….26

2.8 Rooms……………………………………………………………….27

2.9 Rooms maintenance service………………………….………..32

2.10 Catering……………………………………………………….34

2.11 Restaurants and bars………………………………………………………...39

2.12 Security service……………………………………………………….43

2.13Usltsgi…………………………………………………………………………………48

III.Conclusion…………………………………………………………….....63

IV References………………………………………………………65

I.Introduction

In his course work I want to talk about hotel services using the example of a hotel " Gold ring", as well as what a service is, what they are, how they are provided correctly and in what order.

First of all, it should be noted that the Golden Ring Hotel is a high-level hotel. The hotel has comfortable rooms, bars, restaurants, congress halls, a business center, as well as Additional services such as: catering, sauna, billiards, proposal for newlyweds, florists, fitness center, and many others.

Also, the high level of service in this Hotel cannot go unnoticed, since the hotel staff consists of highly qualified specialists in their field, they know their rights and responsibilities, as well as how to properly provide the service to the guest so that he is satisfied. In a hotel, a lot depends on the client’s impression, on how he was greeted, so a hotel cannot exist without the concept of hospitality.

Hospitality is one of the fundamental concepts of human civilization. As it developed, the provision of hospitality services to people who found themselves, for one reason or another, not at home, turned into a profession for more and more people, until it turned into a genuine industry. The term "hospitality" comes from the Old French word hospice, which means hospitable home. Hospitality is a more precise concept, as it is aimed at meeting the needs of not only tourists, but also consumers in general. It should be noted that the concepts of tourism and hospitality cannot be considered separately: they are two interrelated terms.

Tourists are potential consumers with varied desires and needs, depending on the purpose of their travel.

The concept of “hospitality” in all dictionaries is interpreted as a gracious reception of guests, cordiality towards guests. Hospitality is one of the concepts of civilization, which, thanks to progress and time, has turned into a powerful industry in which millions of professionals work, creating the best for consumers of services (tourists). The hospitality industry includes various areas of human activity - tourism, recreation, entertainment, hotel and restaurant business, catering, excursion activities, organizing exhibitions and holding various scientific conferences. Thus, the hospitality industry is a complex field of activity of workers who satisfy any needs and desires of tourists. Commercial focus tourism enterprises leads to the emergence of tourism and service businesses, as well as the creation of a specialized industry for the production of souvenirs and tourist goods.

This circumstance allows us to distinguish tourism and service into an independent complex of service and tourism enterprises. All this can be defined as the tourism industry, the pace of development of which is amazing in its speed.

Over the past five years, Russia has seen rapid development of the hotel business. IN modern world The hotel industry is developing at such a pace that the primary task of hotel management is high service in the hotel business: quality hotel services and competent hotel management. Hotel services are placing increasing demands on hotel management.

The hospitality industry unites all related sectors of the economy that specialize in serving traveling people through specialized enterprises: hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, National parks, parks of culture and recreation.

The highest goal of business activity in the hospitality industry is, first of all, to satisfy the needs of the client, and only then - to increase the income of the enterprise.

In the conditions of fierce competition that dominates the market of hospitality services, this is the only way to attract and, most importantly, retain a client, and this is what creates the basis for the prosperity of hotel enterprises.

Therefore, one of the main tasks of the hospitality industry is to develop the service side of the business and develop a culture of service.

Goal of the work:

1)Talk about the development of the hotel business

2)Tell about the Golden Ring Hotel

3)Tell about the services provided at the Golden Ring Hotel

II. Main part.

History of hotel business development

The hospitality industry first appeared during Antiquity. The first documentary evidence of the existence of the hospitality industry was recorded in the era Ancient Greece And Ancient Rome. One of the documents confirming the existence of the hospitality industry in ancient states is the Code of the Babylonian king Hammurabi. The said act mentioned taverns, which had a dubious reputation and sometimes served as brothels. The code stipulated that tavern owners must denounce visitors if they were planning to commit a crime against the sovereign. The composition of the visitors was extremely diverse and specific. In Ancient Greece there were also taverns, which played a fairly important role in the life of society, as they were an important part of the religious and social life of the population. Although taverns had places to stay overnight, they were intended for public catering. The development of trade implied the need for travelers to spend the night, so another type of enterprise appeared - inns. The most extensive network of inns was in Ancient Rome. The construction of inns by the Romans marked the beginning of the creation and formation of the hospitality industry. The location of the inns in Rome was carefully thought out. They were built at a distance of 25 miles from each other, so that travelers and messengers would not get too tired on the road, resting in each of them. However, it was possible to use the inns only with a special document confirming the status of the visitor. Such papers were often stolen on the road and forged.

During the early Middle Ages, religious institutions provided services for ordinary people. The trips were made mainly by missionaries, priests and pilgrims, so inns began to be located closer to churches and temples. In England, inns were no longer built for travelers, but rather for the population drinking alcoholic beverages. In the Middle Ages, the number of inns constantly increased, but the level of services provided there remained low. Guests spent the night on mattresses or simply on the floor. The food was also quite meager and monotonous. Most often, the guests ate what they brought with them or bought from the owner of the yard. Wealthier people did not stay at inns, but traveled in their carriages or on horseback. The poor population, who made such trips on their own, were not allowed into such establishments. In all inns there was a clear differentiation along class lines. Wealthy guests dined in the dining room or in their rooms. The poor ate with the owner and his family. They were provided with simple food, no frills, for a minimal price. Wealthy people could order whatever they wanted and could go into the kitchen and watch the food being prepared. Trying to please and please a wealthy guest, the owner of the inn usually offered him something special from the kitchen, a dish that was famous throughout the area. Food prices also varied. In the XII-XIII centuries. In Rus', the first prototypes of modern hotels appeared - inns. Any traveler could get food and shelter there, but the inn was not particularly comfortable. Services were provided here for housing horses and Vehicle travelers. In the 15th century inns were created at post stations located close to each other. In addition to food and accommodation, an additional set of services was provided by coachmen.

They kept horses and transported “by sovereign decree” everyone who had a special document. The inns existed for a long time, until the middle of the 19th century. Development railways suspended the construction of inns. The development of the automobile industry necessitated the emergence of hotels located along the roads - motels. In Russian cities, such a type of hotel as gostiny dvors was also common. They differed from inns in that, in addition to food and accommodation services, they included the opportunity to carry out commercial transactions and operations, i.e. in the guest courtyards there were furnished rooms, shops and shopping arcades. Gostiny dvors were also intended for storing goods and trading them, since merchants were not allowed to do this in their own homes. This ban applied to all merchants and was lifted only in the 18th century. Gostiny dvors first appeared in Veliky Novgorod in the 12th century. Accommodation of guests was based on nationality. Novgorod in the XII−XV centuries. was famous for its Gothic, German, and Danish guest houses. In Moscow there were English, Greek, German, Persian and Armenian courts. The activities of guest houses in medieval Rus' were regulated by special rules called “skroy”. The mention of the first rules for the provision of hotel services dates back to the 12th century. These rules included the procedure for establishing relationships between the residents of the yard and local population. Particular attention was paid to ensuring the safety of life, property and home. In the 18th century Hospitality businesses have developed widely in the United States of America. In 1607, the first inn appeared here. In 1634, one of the first taverns was opened in Boston. Since then, taverns have become centers of social life, resting places for soldiers and entrepreneurs. Taverns successfully developed at crossroads and in city centers.

European settlers who came to the Americas brought with them experience in building and managing inns and taverns. American taverns from the very beginning of their existence had a commercial orientation, i.e. were created for the purpose of making profit. XIX century became the time when the hospitality industry received its greatest development. During the period of the XVIII−XIX centuries. New hotels are opening in Russia, the number of cities is growing, which is caused by the expansion of trade relations and the growth of industrial production. In 1818 there were seven hotels in Moscow, and in St. Petersburg in 1900 there were 325. A feature of the Russian hospitality industry was the existence of tea establishments. They appeared in the 19th century. under Alexander II in the Tver province. In St. Petersburg, the first teahouse was opened on August 28, 1882. Tea establishments were placed in special conditions functioning: a minimum level was set for them rent, very low tax rate. The teahouses opened from five o'clock in the morning. This type of establishment spread to other cities and quickly gained popularity. XIX and early XX centuries. left a noticeable mark on the history of the development of the hospitality industry in Russia. At this point, famous hotel enterprises were built, some of which continue to operate today. It should be noted that they basically corresponded to European examples of architecture, hospitality and interior design. So, in 1911−1912. designed by architect F.I. Lidval, the Astoria Hotel was built, which was considered at that time the best hotel in St. Petersburg. A restaurant with French cuisine was opened under her. By the end of the 19th century. In Moscow, such hotels as Dresden, Paris, England, Germany, North, Grand Hotel, Europe, Berlin were known and popular. In the first years of the 20th century. in Moscow, hotels of the highest class were built - “Metropol” (1904, designed by architect V. Walcott with the participation of L.N. Kekushev and A.E. Erichson), “Boyarsky Dvor” (1901, architect F.O. Shekhtel),

"National" (1902, architect A.V. Ivanov). In 1910, there were more than 5,000 hotels in Russia. They were owned by private individuals and were considered commercial enterprises. After the revolution, most of the hotel stock was nationalized. The Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg became the seat of the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies, and the government was located in the National Hotel in Moscow. The new government did not seek to develop market relations, and income from the hotel industry was directed to the development of heavy industry. Hotels built during the Soviet period were not well equipped. The furniture was of poor quality, the rooms were poorly lit. Most of the rooms did not meet sanitary conditions. There were no uniform tariffs for hotel services before. In 1934, a standard charter for a local council hotel trust was developed and approved. The hotel trust was an independent economic unit and operated on the principles of economic accounting. According to this charter, the hotel was a legal entity and was liable for all obligations within the limits of the property that it owned and which could be foreclosed on. By 1940, hotels had been built in almost 700 cities of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War, enormous damage was caused to the hospitality industry, and, consequently, in the post-war period it was subjected to a thorough reconstruction. Since 1950, large-scale construction of new hotels began. In accordance with the general trend of the post-war years, hotel interiors were given palace splendor. Hence, some abstraction of architects from consideration of issues related to the better organization of life of citizens living in hotels. Functional and aesthetic requirements were imposed on hotel interiors.

The further growth of the material and technical hotel base in the country was determined by the following factors: the development of existing cities and the emergence of new ones, the growth of industry, science, culture and art, and an increase in the material well-being of people. This created the preconditions for the development of domestic tourism, the exchange of delegations, and an increase in the number of business travelers and vacationers. At the same time, the need to increase the hotel stock in the USSR increased. During the tenth five-year plan, 158 hotel enterprises with 30,000 beds were built in the RSFSR. Tall hotels equipped with modern technology and equipment were built in Volgograd, Novosibirsk, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk (with 1000 beds each). Along with general hotels, the growth of boarding houses, sanatoriums, motels, tourist centers and camps. In 1980, on the eve Olympic Games in Moscow, the USSR hotel industry consisted of 7,000 hotels with a total capacity of 700,000 beds. Many large, comfortable hotels were built. One of the largest hotels in Russia is the Izmailovo hotel complex, designed for 10,000 beds. Unfortunately, in the 1990s. Due to the economic and political situation in the country, there has been a significant decline in demand for hotel services. At the end of the 1990s. according to the State Committee Russian Federation According to statistics, Russia had 5,043 hotel-type enterprises with a total number of beds of 390,931. In Russia as a whole, 65% of hotels are located in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas. The largest hotels in terms of room capacity are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the 20th century The hospitality industry has developed particularly intensively in Europe and the USA. It was there that new forms of organization of this service sector appeared. Significant changes have occurred in the restaurant business.

In the modern world, there are main directions for the development of hotel industry enterprises:

1) deepening the specialization of hotel and restaurant offers;

2) formation of international hotel and restaurant chains;

3) development of a network of small enterprises;

4) introduction of computer technologies into the hospitality industry.

History of the hotel.

The Golden Ring Hotel, Moscow was built in 1970 and was known among Muscovites and guests of the capital under the name “Belgrade-2”. It received its new name - the Golden Ring - after reconstruction in 1994-1998. The Golden Ring Hotel, Moscow not only changed the appearance and name of the hotel, but also received a higher category, receiving the status of one of the best hotels in the capital. . The best designers from Italy and Switzerland worked on the interior decoration of the hotel.

Despite the fact that the official status of a 5-star hotel was confirmed only in 2004, already in 2003 the Golden Ring Hotel, Moscow became a laureate of the Crystal Boat competition. The hotel manager received a special prize “For great personal contribution to hotel management”, and the hotel restaurant was recognized as “The best hotel restaurant in organizing and holding events at the city and international level.”

Despite the fact that the Golden Ring Hotel belongs to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, it is not a closed institution: anyone can stay here. The hotel's capabilities and its location opposite the Russian Foreign Ministry make it possible to receive both foreign government delegations and heads of state, as well as representatives of Russian and Western business circles. The hotel itself positions itself as a business hotel, where businessmen will find excellent conditions for work and leisure. A corporate newspaper is periodically published, intended “for those engaged in business,” in English and Russian, in which hotel clients can find information about hotel services, partners, restaurants and entertainment.

Golden ring


All rooms at the Golden Ring Hotel are equipped with modern technology. For the convenience of guests, all rooms have a safe, a minibar, an adjustable heat-ventilation system, all types of Internet access, including Wi-Fi, and the ability to connect any necessary office equipment. All beds in hotel rooms have orthopedic mattresses. Printouts of electronic versions of newspapers from around the world are also delivered to hotel guests. The staff of the Golden Ring Hotel is famous for its sensitivity and friendliness. Particularly noteworthy is the convenient location of the Golden Ring Hotel. The hotel is located in the very center of Moscow, a five-minute walk from the Smolenskaya metro station, surrounded by historical attractions, major cultural sites, and major business centers. The Kremlin can be reached on foot in 20 minutes from the Golden Ring Hotel.

Accommodation prices at the Golden Ring Hotel are high. However, taking into account the location of the hotel and the level of service, the price of a room in the Golden Ring Hotel is an objective value. At the same time, if we compare the Golden Ring Hotel with other hotels in Moscow, then the prices of this hotel are quite reasonable.

The Golden Ring Hotel has extensive experience in holding conferences and banquets, both social and business, for which the hotel has 7 conference rooms, 2 banquet halls, 3 restaurants. Each restaurant at the Golden Ring Hotel has its own unique look. All hotel restaurants employ famous chefs who have won international recognition. The Golden Ring Hotel has its own confectionery shop, producing exclusive designer cakes and pastries. Professional florists working in the hotel can decorate the interior for any event according to your taste.

The Golden Ring Hotel has its own beauty and health center. It has everything to spend time with beauty and health benefits: gym, solarium, sauna, jacuzzi, all types of SPA treatments.

The Golden Ring Hotel is considered the best 5-star hotel in Moscow in terms of price/quality ratio.

Pilgrims and wanderers. How has the hotel business developed?
With the emergence of people's desire to travel, the first hotels appeared. The era of the hotel business began with inns, taverns and taverns. In every era, they met their main requirements - providing guests with the opportunity to stay overnight.

Hotels from ancient times to the present day
The first hotels appeared about two thousand years ago, and, like many things we now use, they arose in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The taverns and hospitums that appeared here were the predecessors of modern hotels. Merchants, traveling artists and minstrels, and pilgrims stopped in such places. Most of them were traveling people. For a long time, hotels looked something like this: a two-story building with a place where horses and other animals could be left. On the first floor there was most often a spacious room where people could relax and communicate; on the second floor there were living rooms for those who stayed at the hotel. Hotels of that time served as a kind of center cultural life, here you could chat, learn about current events, and have a drink. In establishments such as the tavern, cock-fights, they played darts here.
In the Middle Ages, hotels were most often built next to churches. Thus, the church ministers tried to shelter the pilgrims. But in 1530, the king prohibited the accommodation of all travelers at the church, then the need arose to revive private hotels. It is worth noting that in England there were the following requirements for hotels - friendliness, plentiful food, comfort of guests, a pleasant atmosphere. But hotels acquired their modern appearance not in the lands of Eurasia, but in the USA. Researchers believe that this happened around the middle of the 19th century, when they began to rent out not just rooms, but full-fledged rooms with amenities such as a separate toilet.

What was it like in Rus'?
The origin of the hotel business in Russia is considered to be the 11th-13th centuries. It was at this time that inns began to appear, which, by the way, were popular among messengers. A little later, in the 15th century, postal stations appeared; here one could stop, wait out bad weather, and replace horses. Only in the 18th century did the rapid construction of guest courtyards begin, which, by the way, were built on a national basis. In Moscow, the gostiny dvors are “Aglitsky”, “Sveisky”, “Greek”, “Armenian”, in Nizhny Novgorod- "German", "Dutch". Gostiny Dvors in Russia are not just hotels, but also places of vibrant trade, shops, and all kinds of warehouses. Such guest courtyards had walls, towers, gates, in general, they were very different from the hotels that we see now. The construction boom began in the 20th century, by the way, by the beginning there were 4,500 hotels, not counting taverns and other recreational places. In the USSR, the impetus for the development of the hotel business was the ongoing socio-political events, meetings of heads of state and others. But the service became truly European only after 1993, when Russia began to strive for Western standards.

Star categories
The hotel business has developed rapidly; now there are dozens of hotel chains, which, admittedly, can be considered enterprises of the highest level. Hotels such as Marriott, Hilton, Best Western top the list of the largest hotels. The way hotels are divided into categories is another very interesting piece of information. Thus, the division into categories that arose in Britain became a kind of standard.
A one-star hotel is a hotel with a small range of services, most often they are located somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Two stars go to those hotels that are slightly larger in size and that have their own bars and restaurants. Three-star hotels already meet the main service requirements, the number of services is expanding, but the fact that such a hotel must have a bar and restaurant remains unchanged. Four-star hotels are considered first-class hotels; here guests are simply obliged to provide comfort and service highest quality. Such hotels most often already have restaurants serving cuisines of different nations. Five-star hotels are those that have not only restaurants and bars, but also spa centers and sports centers. Accommodation in such hotels is very expensive, but the range of services is significantly different from those that have earned fewer stars. Depending on the hotel, guests can be offered a wide variety of services, including a golden toilet and a personal butler.

based on information from the website www.prohotel.ru

About how ancient history of hotel business, can be seen from a short quotation from the Gospel: “The time has come for her to give birth; and she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger; there was no room for them in the inn.” It was then, more than 2000 years ago, in the East, in Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece that there already existed guest houses, in which envoys, government officials, traders and other travelers could receive free shelter and food during their trips.

From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

In the Middle Ages, this tradition was picked up by monasteries, which were obliged by the church charter to provide free shelter and food to countless pilgrims traveling to holy places. And only in 1530, after the decree of the English king Henry VIII on the transfer of church property to secular property, began true story hotel business like independent hospitality industry receiving money for services provided. During the Renaissance, the history of the development of the hotel business experienced rapid rise. At this time between major European cities and shopping centers, regular horse-drawn postal services appeared - the prototype public transport. At the intersections of the main routes and along postal routes, active construction of inns began, in which, in addition to traditional shelter, dinner and changing horses, warehouses, shops, shopping arcades and offices where traveling salesmen could conclude their deals appeared. In the 18th century in the history of the hotel business, for the first time the term "hotel" appeared. This is how in Paris they called houses with several floors, consisting of small separate apartments, which not only travelers, but also city residents could rent for any period of time. The idea and name appealed to American owners of inns and roadside taverns. Using the French word “Hotel”, enterprising Americans sought to emphasize the elitism of their establishment.

History of the hotel business in modern times

During the same period, the United States, thanks to the flows of emigrants rushing into the country, played a leading role in the history of the development of the hotel business, laying the foundation creation of large hotel corporations. In New York, at the turn of the century, the first City Hotel opened its doors to guests; in 1830, a luxurious luxury hotel, the Tremont, opened in Boston. Since then, prim Europe has been swept by the fashion for fashionable hotels, equipped with the most modern amenities for their time and being masterpieces of architecture. The rapid development of industry, maritime and railway transport changed and appearance of hotel guests. Newly minted millionaires and aristocrats flocked to round the world travel and luxury resorts, the hospitality industry created the highest class comfort for their holidays. Managers from Switzerland and the New World, Caesar Ritz and Elsword Statler, made a huge contribution to the history of the development of the hotel business in Europe and the world. For the first time, expensive crystal chandeliers, telephones in the rooms, huge mirrors, sconces at the head of the beds appeared in their hotels, and in restaurants they began to play live music. It was Statler who said the phrase “ The customer is always right", which became the main slogan of the service sector. Only after World War II did the first, but still thriving, chain of luxury hotels, Hilton, appear.

Hotel business in Russia

In Russia, the first inns appeared in the 12th-13th centuries, and in the 15th century, under the direction of the Yamsky Prikaz, postal pit stations began to be built, from which the domestic history of the hotel business began. As in Europe, Yamsky living rooms and inns They not only provided guests with overnight accommodation and a hearty dinner, but also served as a kind of shopping centers with warehouses, shopping arcades and premises for concluding commercial transactions. The rapid industrial 19th century and the expansion of trade relations with other countries, population growth major cities inhaled a fresh stream of development Russian hospitality industry. If at the beginning of the 19th century there were only 7 hotels in capital Moscow, then in St. Petersburg in 1900 about 230 hotel hotels received guests, and in 1910 there were about 4,700 hotels owned by private owners in the industrial, port and resort cities of the Russian Empire. This number does not include many inns, lodging houses and taverns with rooms. After 1917 all hotels and hotels were nationalized, new ones were built in different cities, but then most of them were destroyed during the war. In 1960, only 1,480 hotels operated in all cities of the USSR; by the 1980 Olympic year, the country's hotel industry amounted to 7,000 hotels and inns accommodating up to 700 thousand guests. After the collapse of the USSR Russian history The development of the hotel business has entered a completely new orbit. The Iron Curtain collapsed and tourists, businessmen, students from near and far countries flocked to our country, and our fellow citizens also learned the beauty of travel. The domestic hospitality industry is now is developing in several directions: these are large chain facilities, original private hotels, and apart-hotels in new modern residential complexes, and apartments, and affordable hostels for young people and students. Hoteliers are confident that the crisis, which has slowed down the development of large chains hotel complexes, is an excellent chance to replenish the Russian hotel industry small and cozy mini-hotels and hostels, so popular in developed countries.

The first hotels (caravanserais), like the profession itself of serving traveling people, arose in the distant past, more than 2 thousand years BC, in ancient Eastern civilization. Since the times of Ancient Greece and especially Ancient Rome, taverns and hospiteums have developed - these are the ancestors of hotels intended for traveling merchants and artists, pilgrims and wanderers.

Over the centuries, the appearance of the ancient hotel has not changed. It consisted mainly of a horse enclosure and a two-story building with a tavern on the ground floor and bedrooms on the second. Then, open and indoor galleries began to be added to this complex of basic services for travelers, where theatrical performances were held (English inns). There is no doubt that even then there was a practice of providing travelers with other domestic services by the owners of these establishments, members of their families, servants and small artisans. Such hotels were already the founders of tourist complexes at the qualitative and quantitative levels of service provision corresponding to those times.

In the early Middle Ages, travel became dangerous and, naturally, the “hotel business” was curtailed. During this period, the bulk of travelers were in the direction that is now called religious tourism: from all over the then world, pilgrims headed to the Holy Places. Pilgrims received accommodation and food in monasteries, usually free of charge (for 2 days), although donations were strongly welcomed. In modern terms, medieval monasteries represented the first “hotel chain”.

When the era of the Crusades began, which lasted almost 200 years, the number of travelers to Jerusalem increased greatly, which led to the emergence of northern Italy, and then in other countries of the professional hotel business.

The next notable period in the development of the hotel industry is associated with the establishment of regular postal and transport network horse-drawn. Along the postal routes there were businesses that were similar to modern motels. Their living conditions were quite spartan. In the rules of residence that have survived to this day, it was forbidden, for example, to sleep in shoes and for more than five guests in the same bed.

Unlike modern motels, European roadside hotels also served as entertainment centers for local residents, in which they spent time indulging in various gambling games (darts, dominoes, billiards, cockfighting).

The word “hotel” originated in the 18th century. and comes from the Latin root of the ancient Roman hospitaeums. Initially, a hotel was an apartment building in which apartments were rented out for a month, a week, or even a day. The term was also used in this meaning in France. In the 16th century, having “crossed” the English Channel, it acquired the meaning that it still has today. Soon this term spread widely in America - most taverns were quickly renamed hotels, which, according to the owners, gave them European (French) chic.

As for the development of technical equipment of hotels, the birthplace of most innovations is the United States of America. The need for hotels in this country has always been very great due to the continuous flow of immigrants who needed temporary accommodation. This continuous demand has contributed to the rapid development of hotels.

The second reason for the rapid development of the hotel business in the United States was that, unlike European countries, there were no aristocratic palaces where balls and other “social events” could be held. Hotels became the venue for these events. A hall was specially built for this purpose. The tradition of dancing in hotel rooms continued in US cities until the 50s. XX century The hotel business in the United States has long been one of the most popular. Suffice it to say that US Presidents George Washington and A. Lincoln were tavern owners.

Modern single and double rooms with a lock on the door and a washbasin (with hotel soap) appeared in the USA in 1829. In the middle of the 19th century. The first hotel with central heating was already operating in the country. The world's first elevator and in-room bathtub were also installed in American hotels. Modern set of equipment hotel room was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. the famous hotelier Statler. By the way, the world's first 6-story skyscraper is also an American hotel.

At this time in Europe, a significant contribution to the development of the hotel business was made by the Swiss Caesar Ritz, whose name is still borne by one of the most famous and expensive European hotel chains, although Ritz himself was only a hired manager all his life and did not own a single hotel. One of the most famous innovations of the Ritz is the appearance of an orchestra in the restaurant. During Ritz's time, the orchestra played Strauss's music. Music in a restaurant lengthened the meal process and increased revenue from drinks. The Swiss Ritz and the American Statler were fanatics of the hotel business. They paid attention to the most seemingly insignificant details. So the Ritz spent a long time experimenting with lighting in the hotel restaurant, trying to make the jewelry on the ladies “play” (he used his wife as a mannequin). And Statler timed the time the bathtub was filled with water and the time the toilet was flushed. Another favorite trick of his was to lie in the bathtub and observe the view of the bathroom: if there were any stains on the ceiling or any ugly, unaesthetic plumbing details that would not be evident to the person examining the bathroom from the entrance.

Thanks to Statler, there appeared in the hotel room large mirror, light bulbs above the bed, switch next to the door, telephone, stationery paper. He also introduced a uniform for hotel staff and proposed, during the construction of hotels, to place rooms in pairs, symmetrically relative to the vertical plumbing pipes common to these two rooms, which resulted in significant savings in construction costs. Statler is also the author of the slogan “The customer is always right,” which still serves as the basis for the “scientific” approach to service.

The activities of Statler and Ritz contributed to the fact that visiting high-class hotels by “high” society became fashionable. For example, Ritz's activities as manager of the Savoy Hotel in London changed the habits of the English aristocracy: instead of dining in a private men's clubs British gentlemen began to dine with ladies in hotel restaurants.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. V major cities In Europe and America, luxury (five-star in modern terminology) hotels appeared, designed to satisfy the demand of new millionaires and old nobility, for whom travel had become a fashionable pastime. Several such hotels were built in Russia, for example, “Metropol” and “National” - in Moscow, “Europe” - in St. Petersburg. Until the end of the 18th century. The role of hotels in Russia was played by monastery farmsteads, herbergs (from the German name for an inn) and taverns. In 1821, the Supreme Court approved the Regulations defining the rules for the maintenance of hotels, restaurants, taverns, taverns and coffee houses.

In the 20s XX century One of the major innovations in the hotel business is the emergence of the motel as a fundamentally new type of hospitality enterprise, designed to provide overnight accommodation not only for the guest, but also for his car. The appearance of the motel was caused by the rapid motorization of America, which began with the assembly line assembly of the popular Ford Model T, recently recognized as the most famous car of the 20th century. However, motels became widespread in America and then in Europe only after the Second World War.

Currently, there are more than 300 thousand hotels (including motels) in the world. Their diversity cannot be described: there are one-story and 88-story hotels, floating and underwater, small (with several rooms) and large (with several thousand rooms), cheap (20 - 30 dollars per day) and expensive (several thousand dollars per day). day), noisy casino hotels and quiet secluded hotels for relaxation, etc. Recently, in the world, the increase in the number of hotel beds due to the construction of new hotels has outpaced the growth in demand for them. As a result, there is a steady downward trend in hotel occupancy rates.

In the 50s XX century the introduction of modern management methods in the hotel business began. Before this, it was believed that hotel management was so specific that it was developed back in the 20s. Scientific management methods are not applicable to hotels.

Global computerization has not left the hotel business aside: everything is more or less large hotels equipped with computers that control and take into account all aspects of the activities of numerous hotel departments (room reservations, payments to clients, accounting, purchasing products, etc.)

In the post-war period, international hotel chains became widespread. The first international hotel chain, Hilton, owed its creation to the American air transport company Pan American. Flying to countries Latin America, the company discovered that they did not have hotels of the caliber to which American businessmen were accustomed. The idea arose to build hotels in these countries with the same level of services of the appropriate class. For example, the Hilton hotel in Argentina should not have differed in service from the Hilton hotel in New York. It is curious that most of the Hilton hotels were built with money from local entrepreneurs, and Pan Am provided only consulting and management services. Subsequently, the Hilton chain was repeatedly resold to various financial groups.

Joining a hotel chain gives a hotel significant advantages: the chain purchases various consumables in bulk for all its hotels, which results in cost savings; costs for engineering services, decorators, controllers, and advertising are distributed among all hotels in the chain; Significant advantages are provided by a unified reservation system. All this increases the efficiency of hotels.

Currently, there are dozens of international hotel chains operating in the world. Among them we can mention Holiday Inn, Choice, Best Western, Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Hyatt, etc.

It is interesting to note that most hotel chains currently prefer not so much to own the hotels included in the chain as owners, but to manage them on the basis of franchise agreements (see paragraph 2.6). The chains sell their hotels to local capital, reserving the right to manage them and control the quality of services provided.

Since tourism is now taking first place in the world among other sectors of the economy in terms of sales, the role of the hotel sector can hardly be overestimated.

Perhaps the most famous hotel in recent times is the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, built in Dubai, and especially its second building, the Arabian Tower, standing right in the waters Persian Gulf and began receiving guests in December 1999.

Externally, the “Arab Tower” looks like a blue and white sail developing in the waters of the bay. This is one of the most high hotels peace. Its height is 321 m. The internal contents of the “sail” are as unusual as its appearance. Rare natural materials were used to decorate the hotel's interiors. For example, the floors and walls are decorated with marble specially imported from Brazil and Italy, bed linen is made from Irish linen, furniture is made from precious and rare wood, and the tapestries decorating the rooms are exclusively handmade. I wonder what main entrance in the “Arab Tower” is not located below, as usual, but on the roof, at an altitude of more than 200 m next to the helipad, where guests arrive. On the contrary, the main restaurant is located at the very bottom of the seabed in a huge glass dome. Thus, its visitors dine in the company of exotic fish, corals, algae and other representatives of the underwater world of the Persian Gulf. The lower lobby of the hotel is decorated in a similar way.

By the way, this solution is not an invention of the Arabs. So, in Australia there is an underwater hotel on the Great barrier reef, where the rooms are located below sea level and guests can admire the underwater landscapes right from their windows, and 100 meters from the island of Maui (Hawaii) there is a floating hotel, which can only be accessed by scuba diving.

Let's return to the "Arab Tower". On the roof of the “sail” there are two huge swimming pools, several tennis courts, and gardens. The hotel has 202 rooms ranging from 170 to 780 square meters. m and cost from 1800 to 18000 US dollars per day for a room with its own waterfall. Experts in the hotel business suggest that the Arabian Tower will be able to displace the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, which has been considered the most luxurious hotel for almost 10 years.

Another hotel in the category of the most expensive in the world is the legendary Excelsior Hotel, built in Rome more than 100 years ago. This hotel has the world's largest hotel room with an area of ​​1100 square meters. m cost 10,000 US dollars. This suite has two bedrooms, six additional guest rooms, a study, a salon with a domed ceiling, a dining room, three covered terraces, a gym, a swimming pool, a sauna, a cinema room and even a wine cellar with the best French, Italian, Spanish and Californian wines. The room is accessible via a private elevator. The floor in the room is decorated with marble, and there are mosaics and frescoes on the walls.

The network of “capsule” hotels located in Japan is designed for completely different clients, where the services provided to guests are kept to a minimum and, therefore, offered at a minimal price. In such hotels, the area of ​​the hotel room is 1.2 m wide and 2.2 m long. The hotel is a long corridor, along which there are doors on both sides leading to tiny rooms equipped with a TV, alarm clock and air conditioning. A guest registered at such a hotel deposits his clothes, receiving in return pajamas and a tag with the number of the closet where his clothes are stored. The most expensive hotel in this class, located in the Japanese capital Tokyo, costs $40, which is less than the cost of an average taxi ride around the city. Thus, the main clients of “capsule” hotels are men (women are not allowed into these hotels) who missed the last bus or the last metro train. Interestingly, nowhere in the world except Japan have such hotels become popular.

To succeed in the increasingly competitive hotel market, hotel owners are looking for increasingly specific unoccupied market segments, tailoring their hotels to their needs.

The popularity of a healthy lifestyle among residents of developed countries, which are the main suppliers of tourists to the world market, has led to the emergence of a special category of hotels - environmentally friendly. One of these hotels, Mitzpe Hayamim, which translates as “Sea View,” is located in Israel. The idea of ​​​​building such a hotel belongs to the homeopathic doctor Eric Yaros, who bought a large plot of land and realized on it his dream of living in harmony with the surrounding nature. People who are tired of civilization come here to rest, relax and calm down. And everything in the hotel serves precisely this purpose.

There is no television, news, or newspapers; the radio broadcasts only the singing of birds, the sound of the forest, water, or music for meditation. Guests are treated with scents, floral ointments, healing baths, herbal cocktails, and herbs. All this is prepared from plants specially grown on the hotel premises. The hotel does not buy food; everything necessary is grown on its own farms without the use of chemicals. Fruits grow right on the hotel's alleys, and guests can eat them at any time. Water is also obtained from our own well. Hotel clients spend a lot of time in fitness rooms, swimming pools, solariums, saunas and, as a rule, during the entire stay on vacation they never leave the hotel premises.

Caring for nature is embodied in the concept of the Brazilian hotel “ArauJungleTower”. The hotel was built in the wilds of the Amazon on the treetops. Not a single tree was damaged during its construction. Guests get from room to room, to a restaurant or conference room via special suspension bridges, during the journey along which you can admire the untouched nature South America- crocodiles, piranhas, electric stingrays, flying leeches, etc. The ArauJungleTower Hotel is a world-famous venue for various conferences on environmental issues. There is also a similar hotel in Kenya. It’s called “TreetopsHotel” (Treetops Hotel).

The desire of tourists, tired of civilization, for nature is fully embodied in the unusual concept of the Hana ITI hotel, located on Hua Hin Island. In this hotel, the guest can get as close to nature as possible, because he will have to live in one of 24 completely different bungalows located in tropical thickets, in such a way that the guest will not see any neighbors without a special desire for the entire stay. Communication with service personnel is also kept to a minimum. The guest will be disturbed only if he himself contacts the hotel employee by phone. At the same time, the room equipment meets the requirements of the most upscale hotel. The hotel offers its guests a full range of entertainment - restaurants, bars, water skiing, scooters, parachutes, but for this they are taken to the nearby bay. The cost of such a holiday without food and drinks is 600 US dollars per day.

It is difficult to list all the variety of hotels that exist in the world today. In Bolivia there is a hotel built from salt, and Sweden's IceHotel is rebuilt from ice every winter.

Men are not allowed into the Artemisia Hotel in Berlin (even the paintings decorating the walls of the rooms depict only women, these paintings were also painted by women, the service staff, of course, is staffed only by women).

In Blumau, Austria, the RognerBadBlumau hotel was recently built, the interiors of which do not have a single straight line - curved windows, convex floors, wavy corridors and walls painted in different colors.

At the Hyatt Hotel in Budapest, a real aircraft from the early 20th century is suspended in the atrium.

In France, there are classic Hautecouture hotels (“Marsay”, “Noise”, “La Haute Roche”), decorated in the style of Louis XIV, located in castles in which in the 15th - 16th centuries. lived the French kings and their entourage.

Recently, the so-called “new wave” hotels have become especially popular, embodying the fashionable concept of minimalism in their interiors. However, this does not mean cheap at all. The prices in these hotels are quite comparable, and often exceed the prices of classic Hautecouture hotels. The first hotel of the "new wave" "Blakes" was presented to guests in 1981 in London. The ultra-modern London Hempel Hotel became the standard of the new style. Behind the front door of the hotel there is a small white hallway, completely empty, except for 81 white orchids in narrow terracotta vessels, and behind the next door a completely empty white hall awaits the guest, the size of which is comparable to the size of an Olympic swimming pool, and only visible somewhere in the distance a huge fireplace with bright flames. Many people describe the impression Hempel makes as a shock.

To attract customers, hotels show extraordinary ingenuity in all sorts of small details of service. For example, scented towels and a robe, afternoon tea at a communal table, or a hot bath prepared for a guest's arrival.

Thus, today, if desired, a tourist can go to almost anywhere globe and find the hotel that is most suitable for him in terms of price, purpose, style, design, etc.

Super hotels can provide the guest with the services of a personal servant who will look after the guest's wardrobe.

High-class hotels are required to provide special services to such categories of clients as the disabled, the blind, the elderly, children, etc.

A guest in a wheelchair must be able to access all areas of the hotel; for every 50-100 regular rooms there is one room specially adapted for a disabled person in a wheelchair: the wheelchair can enter the bathroom, which also has an internal telephone in case the disabled person needs help personnel.

Upscale hotels have developed special instructions for serving VIP clients (very important persons) and the slightly less important category C IP (commercially important clients). The first category includes presidents, ministers, high-ranking diplomats, celebrities from the world of show business, etc. The second category includes persons who may be useful for the hotel’s business (member of the board of directors, employee of the central office hotel chain, to which the hotel belongs, the manager of a large company, who can subsequently send his business travelers to the hotel for temporary accommodation, etc.). These two categories of clients require increased attention from the hotel staff: upon arrival they are met by either CEO, or a special VIP manager, the registration procedure is extremely simplified for them - they fill out the guest card not at the counter, but already in their room, flowers, fruits, and drinks are served in the guest's room upon arrival.

The main feature of VIP clients is their desire to avoid contact with the general public: they usually eat in their room; if they visit the pool, then only when there are no other guests there (the hotel administration should worry about this), a sign is displayed at the door of their room. additional security to prevent admirers and autograph hunters, etc. VIP and CIP clients bring a lot of additional trouble to the administration, but they always pay a higher price for the services provided.

The hotel business originated in the Middle Ages, when Moscow had just received the status of the Mother See, turning from the center of the Moscow Principality into a world-famous Russian trading city. The history of the hotel industry began with the so-called inns, which provided lodging and food to weary travelers. IN church holidays the capital was crowded with pilgrims arriving on pilgrimage. As a rule, they stayed at monastery farmsteads. Already in the 16th century, thanks to the rapid development of international trade, in large mall In Rus', the predecessors of hotels appeared - guest courtyards, where merchants were located.

However, Gostiny Dvors were first created in Veliky Novgorod, four centuries before their appearance in Moscow. The townspeople conducted lively trade with foreigners, so at the guest courtyards it was possible to trade, store goods and make deals, unlike inns, where they only rested. It is interesting that there were German, Greek, English and Armenian guest houses, that is, establishments were divided according to nationality. The building of Gostiny Dvor, erected by decree of Ivan the Terrible himself in 1574, has survived to this day. The building at Varvarka 3 was rebuilt several times, and in 1995 it underwent a major reconstruction.

In Rus' (Moscow was no exception) there was a set of rules regulating the activities of hotel establishments. The special code was called “Skra” and was compiled exclusively for guest houses. The provisions of the document contained norms governing table manners, internal regulations, payment for accommodation, and more. The same collection of rules established fire safety standards. Let us note that “skra” was a kind of predecessor of the modern “Rules for the provision of hotel services in Russia”.

The hotel business received its next leap in development in the era of Peter the Great and post-Petrine reforms. During this period, innovation led to increased international trade, which in turn led to the development of the hotel industry. And although at that time the status of the capital had already been given to St. Petersburg, Moscow retained the glory of a major trade center.

The first hotels in accordance with European standards opened in Moscow in the mid-18th century. Eleven paired hotels on two floors were built at the Prechistinsky, Sretensky, Nikitsky and Pokrovsky Gates, on the Boulevard Ring in the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The author of the project of buildings of the same type, one of which has survived to this day (on Pokrovka), was the famous architect Vasily Petrovich Stasov. Based on his designs, many administrative buildings were built in different cities, mainly in St. Petersburg.

In the 19th century, the previously mentioned monastery farmsteads, located in the center of Moscow, were converted into hotels. The number of hotels has increased significantly. In the second half of the 19th century, hotels were built, called farmsteads: “Chizhovskoye Compound”, “Kokorevskoye Compound”, “Trinity Compound” and “Starovavarinsky Compound”. By the middle of the century, the number of Moscow hotels increased to several dozen, whereas at the beginning of the century there were only 7 establishments. At the same time, furnished rooms for people with middle and low incomes began to appear. These were inexpensive hotels with boarding or half boarding.

According to data from 1910, 228 hotels and 77 inns were opened in Moscow. By the beginning of the 20th century, the largest Moscow hotel-type establishments were called “Boyarsky Dvor” (the building that has survived to this day houses the Presidential Administration), “Grand Hotel” (the building was destroyed in 1976 during the construction of the 2nd stage of the Moscow Hotel), “ Europe" (the building was demolished), "Novomoskovskaya" (today known as "Baltschug Kempinski"), "Slavic Bazaar" (closed after the Great October Revolution of 1917), "Leipzig" (today known as an office building).

Favorite places for foreign citizens were Savoy, National and Metropol. The restaurants at the Slavic Bazaar and Alpine Rose hotels were famous throughout the capital.

After 1917, hotel-type establishments were nationalized by the Soviet government, and many were closed. Some of them were transformed into Houses of Unions and Houses of Soviets, in which representatives of the new government lived. For example, the Soviet government was located in the National, in room 107 of which lived the great leader of the proletariat, Vladimir Lenin, and his comrade-in-arms, Nadezhda Krupskaya.

The first Soviet hotels appeared in the 20-30s. Their construction was carried out simultaneously with the reconstruction of the city, during which the appearance of China Town changed forever. For a long time, the largest hotel in the capital remained “Moscow”, built on the site of the Paraskeva Church. Here, in 1930, Okhotny Ryad with shopping places, taverns, hotels and churches was liquidated. In the middle of the century, the ranks of Moscow hotels were replenished by Altai, Zarya, Vostok, Zolotoy Kolos, Tourist, Ostankino, Yaroslavskaya, as well as the Leningradskaya and Ukraina hotels, whose high-rise buildings have become modern landmarks of the capital.

Subsequently, hotels were built outside the Boulevard Ring, namely on Leninsky Prospekt (Salut and Yuzhnaya), in Izmailovo (a complex of hotel-type establishments Izmailovo) and on Leningradsky Prospekt (Aeroflot). The reason was a simple lack of space, as the reconstruction of Moscow came to an end. Oddly enough, there were never any vacancies in the capital's hotels, which was reflected in the jokes of that time. The Intourist Hotel has established itself as an establishment where foreigners temporarily resided. It is not surprising that state security and control authorities and black marketeers showed increased attention to these hotels.

Perestroika affected the entire USSR, it also affected the current hotel industry. With the changes, the establishments turned into profitable businesses again, discarding the socialist principles of running a planned economy. Foreign investors came to the Moscow market and invested in hotel chains Marriott", "Radisson", "Swisshotel" and others. Russian brands“Katerina City” and “Heliopark” gave them worthy competition. The symbols of a bygone era - the Metropol, Savoy and National - have given way to the five-star Moscow hotels Ararat Park Hyatt, Baltschug Kempinski and President Hotel - new symbols of luxury and comfort.

Currently, more and more mini-hotels are opening in the capital, but three-star hotels are still popular, attracting city guests and tourists due to the ratio of the quality level of service and the cost of living.

Today Moscow is administrative center Russia, therefore the city regularly welcomes participants in business meetings and events, such as exhibitions, conferences, seminars and presentations. The development of the hotel business has been given the green light, and hotel services are distinguished by a certain business focus. Moscow hotels such as Iris Congress, Cosmos and Mezhdunarodnaya specialize in hosting business events, renting conference rooms equipped with the latest technology and a full range of additional services.

The statistics are inexorable: every year new hotel-type establishments appear in the capital of the Russian Federation. If in 2005 there were 170 of them, by the middle of 2006 - 180, then by the middle of the pre-crisis year of 2007 - 203. If it were not for the given data from 1910, the numbers looked impressive. But Moscow still lacks hotels with affordable prices, since only expensive hotels and mini-hotels.

Research data from BusinessTravelInternational has spread around the world, according to which Moscow is the most expensive place to stay in a hotel. The cost of Moscow numbers is an order of magnitude higher than in London, New York or Paris. According to another study, initiated by TriHospitality Consulting, it was revealed that the capital ranks third in the world in terms of profit per guest room. This statistic is causing concern for city officials. In April 2007, the “General Scheme for Hotel Accommodation in Moscow” was approved. According to this scheme, by 2010, 248 new hotels, mainly three-star ones, will appear in Moscow. Thanks to this expansion, the country's government expects about 180-200 thousand visitors by 2010.