Glossary
- adventure tourism
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a type of tourism which usually takes place in destinations with specific geographic features and landscape and tends to be associated with a physical activity, cultural exchange, interaction and engagement with nature.
- agritourism
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a form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining and/or educating the visitors while generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.
- Amusement parks
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venues that typically offer a wide range of rides and attractions, including roller coasters, Ferris wheels, water rides, and more
- Art museums
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Organizations open to the the public that collect historical and modern works of art for educational purposes and to preserve them for future generations
- back of house
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refers primarily to the kitchen, but also includes the dishwashing area, food storage, and back office.
- Banquet department
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The venue event staff in charge of executing the event
- bell attendants
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uniformed employees that greet guests, assist with luggage, hail taxis, and provide directions inside and outside of the hotel
- Boutique hotels
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intimate, stylish, and often independently owned accommodations that emphasize individualized and unique guest experiences
- Buffet service
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involves food arranged and held under appropriate temperature standards while guests willingly come and choose as they prefer to select food items
- Business/Airport Hotels
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a specific category of accommodations designed to cater primarily to the needs of business travelers and those passing through airports.
- cafes and coffee shops
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restaurants that specialize in coffee, tea, light meals, and pastries and often serve as social hubs where people can relax, work, or meet friends in a casual and comfortable atmosphere
- Cart service
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incorporates a portion of tableside preparation
- Casual restaurants
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serve moderately-priced to upscale food in a more casual atmosphere
- Catering Sales department
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Event venue staff responsible for securing new clients, scheduling events, establishing the banquet event orders, and maintaining relationships with current clients
- Celebrity-owned restaurants
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ining establishments owned, co-owned, or heavily endorsed by famous individuals from various fields such as entertainment, sports, or fashion
- Charity and Fundraising Events
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Special events that raise money for non-profit organizations.
- City Center Hotels
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hotel located in the central business district or downtown area of a city as well as in areas known for tourist, cultural and entertainment cultural attractions.
- commercial foodservice
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restaurant operations whose primary business is food and beverage
- concierge
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assist guests with restaurant reservations, tickets to the theater, concerts, and attractions as well as reserving hotel amenities
- controller
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responsible for overall accounting and finance-related activities
- Convention Hotels
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large hotels specifically designed to host conferences, conventions, and other large-scale events
- Corporate Events
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Company sponsored events that include board meetings, networking events, conferences, and seminars to product launches, and employee team-building retreats
- Covers
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the number of restaurant guests served during a specific time period
- Cultural attractions
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those places of culture, heritage, nature, or activities that draw people to visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
- Cultural heritage
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the living expression of a society's identity.
- Customer experience
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the result of an interaction between the customer and the company; how customers perceive their interactions with the company or brand
- Customer service
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the assistance and advice provided by a company to customers throughout the customer journey; before, during, and after the sale.
- customer touch-point or moment of truth
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a point in time when the company connects in some form with the customer (e.g., website, phone, email, social media, retail store, returns, service, and products).
- Destination mountain resorts
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Ski and winter sports oriented resorts that are often significantly larger and offer a greater range of amenities such as on mountain accommodation and food services; they are also generally marketed to out-of-area and international visitors
- Ethnic restaurants
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restaurants that serve food and offer dining experiences that are representative of a specific ethnicity or nationality
- Excursionist
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someone who travels to a destination and returns to their point of origin on the same day
- executive housekeeper
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manages and oversees housekeeping operations and staff including the housekeeping manager, supervisor, house persons, and room attendants
- experience economy
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an economic concept where businesses focus on creating memorable experiences for customers rather than just selling goods or services.
- Extended stay hotels
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a distinct category of lodging that caters to guests looking for accommodations beyond the typical short-term stay, often a week or more.
- Family-style Service
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involves shared dishes served and distributed amongst a table of diners
- festival
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a themed public celebration that conveys, through a kaleidoscope of activities, certain meaning to participants and spectators
- Fine dining restaurant
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characterized by highly trained chefs preparing complex food items, exquisitely presented
- Fine dining restaurants
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characterized by highly trained chefs preparing complex food items, exquisitely presented
- food and beverage director
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responsible for catering and events, in-room dining, and stand-alone restaurants and bars
- food and beverage industry
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all businesses that prepare, serve, and sell food and drinks to customers
- franchise
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a business method that involves one business (the franchisor) licensing their trademarks and methods of doing business to another business owner (the franchisee)
- franchise restaurants
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operate under a business model where independent owners (franchisees) purchase the rights to use the branding, recipes, and operational systems of an established restaurant brand (franchisor).
- front desk agent
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works in the lobby or reception area to welcome the guests to the property, process arrivals and departures, and coordinate room assignments
- front of house
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the customer-facing part of the restaurant; that is, all of the areas where customers are welcomed, seated, and served their food and drinks
- front office manager
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controls the availability of rooms and the day-to-day functions of the front office
- full-service hotels
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upscale, upper upscale and luxury properties with a wide variety of onsite amenities, such as restaurants, meeting spaces, exercise rooms or spas.
- full-service restaurants
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provide table service, with waitstaff taking guest orders and bringing food and drinks to the table
- gambling
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the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event intending to win something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted.
- Gaming
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a tourism option with casino gambling being offered as the core or center experience surrounded by a variety of ancillary or supporting products—food, beverage, shopping, and other amusements.
- general manager
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the restaurant's leader and primary decision-maker, overseeing both front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) operations
- guest check average
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the average of what each guest spends, calculated by dividing the total food and beverage sales by the total number of guests (or covers) in a particular time period
- hallmark event
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a unique event that is often identified with the location where it is held, like Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Highway/Interstate Hotels
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lodging facilities located near major highways or interstate routes, designed to accommodate travelers who are on long road trips or need a convenient overnight stop.
- historic landmark
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a landmark that is specifically recognized for its historical, cultural, or architectural importance.
- hospitality
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the comprehensive service and experience provided to guests and customers within sectors such as lodging, food and beverage, event planning, travel, and tourism
- hotel general manager
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the chief executive who is responsible for overseeing the overall operation of a hotel or lodging establishment
- hotel property management system
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a software application that hotels use to manage and streamline various day-to-day operations.
- housekeeping department
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responsible for maintaining the cleanliness, order, and overall appearance of guest rooms, public areas, and other facilities within the hotel.
- human resources department
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oversees recruitment and selection, training and development, employee relations, and rewards and compensation
- In-House Event Planner
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an event planner employed by a specific nonprofit, company, or association
- Independent Event Planner
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A professional event planner operating independently typically runs their own business, offering event planning services to clients.
- independent hotel
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financed by one individual or a small group and is directly managed by its owners or third-party operators.
- Independent restaurants
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typically locally owned and operated by individuals or small partnerships, often just one, two, or three locations.
- Intangible services
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"products" that cannot be touched beforehand and must be experiences, such as a haircut or hotel stay.
- Integrated resorts
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large-scale complexes that combine casinos with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, entertainment venues, and convention facilities, creating a comprehensive destination experience
- landmark
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a prominent or well-known feature in a location, often used as a point of reference.
- limited-service hotels
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properties that offer select or focused facilities and amenities, typically without a full-service restaurant
- Lodging
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The provision of accommodation services to travelers and guests, offering a place to sleep and rest
- lodging industry
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businesses that provide overnight accommodation to travelers and tourists
- management contract
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a service offered by a management company to manage a hotel or resort for its owners
- Meetings and events
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a wide range of gatherings such as conferences, conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, exhibitions, and social events like weddings and festivals
- mega-event
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a large scale, highly prestigious event such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and the Super Bowl sporting events or a global economic summit.
- Menu development
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the creation and planning of dishes that define a restaurant's identity and appeal to its target market
- multiplier effect
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the way that spending by tourists circulates through the local economy and generates additional economic activity.
- National or corporate-owned restaurant chains
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managed and operated by a central corporate entity and often have multiple locations across various regions or countries, all controlled directly by the corporation.
- Native American casinos
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casinos that are located on tribal lands throughout the US
- nature-based tourism
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those tourism experiences that are directly or indirectly dependent on the natural environment
- night auditor
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responsible for reconciling the hotel's financial transactions, handling guest check-ins and check-outs during late-night shifts
- non-commercial foodservice
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establishments where food and beverages are served but are not the primary business
- Online Travel Agents
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web-based platforms that provide various travel services, including booking flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, and other travel-related activities.
- Outdoor recreation
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outdoor activities that take place in a natural setting, as opposed to a highly cultivated or managed landscape such as a playing field or golf course
- Performing arts
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includes theatre companies and dinner theatres, dance companies, musical groups, and artists and other performing arts companies
- Personal Social Events
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Events such as weddings and other celebrations that are personal and often highly emotional, requiring careful attention to detail and a strong focus on the client’s vision and desires.
- Plate service
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the most common service style, it involves guest orders being taken at their table.
- Platter service
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involves food being arranged specifically on a platter and brought out to tables for guests' viewing
- professional event planner
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The person responsible for coordinating and executing a wide range of events, ensuring they meet the client's objectives and expectations
- quick-service restaurants
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restaurants that specialize in food that is prepared and purchased quickly, and generally consumed quickly.
- rack rate
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the published rate for one night's stay without any discounts or premiums included
- Recreation and leisure
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activities that people do outside of work for pleasure.
- regional mountain resorts
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Ski and winter sports oriented resorts that are usually smaller in size and capacity, have fewer amenities, and often cater more directly to the local community
- resort
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a full-service hotel that provides access to or offers a range of recreation facilities and amenities and are generally located in areas that attract vacationers.
- revenue management
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the strategic practice of optimizing a hotel's revenue and profitability by effectively managing room rates, inventory, and distribution channels
- Riverboat casinos
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casinos that operate on waterways to comply with specific state regulations, offering a blend of nostalgia and modern gaming
- room attendants
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complete the day-to-day task of cleaning and preparing rooms for new guests, replenishing supplies, and coordinating with maintenance for any repairs or upgrades
- room nights
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the rental of a single hotel room for one night, regardless of the number of guests occupying the room or the duration of their stay
- rooms division director
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oversees the hotel's accommodations, including front office, reservations, housekeeping, and guest services.
- Rooms Division Management
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a crucial part of hotel operations with responsibility for overseeing all aspects related to the accommodation and guest services within a hotel.
- sales and marketing director
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responsible for establishing sales and marketing activities that maximize the hotel’s revenues
- security team
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responsible for ensuring the safety and security of guests and the property
- Service recovery
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occurs when a customer service professional takes action that results in the customer being satisfied after a service failure has occurred.
- Set-Up department
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The event venue staff responsible for behind the scenes activities of handling the setting up of the event space, including tables, bars, stages, dance floors, etc.
- special event
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a one-time or infrequent specific ritual, presentation, performance, or celebration
- Sport tourism
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any activity in which people are attracted to a particular location to attend a sport-related event as either a: participant, spectator, or visitor to sport attractions
- Standalone or traditional casinos
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casinos that focus primarily on gambling activities
- standard operating procedures
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procedures designed to allow businesses to create consistency in workflows and job performance.
- Table service
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involves servers responsible for providing meals, maintaining guest experiences, and clearing tables at the conclusion of a meal.
- table turnover rate
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how frequently tables are occupied and turned over during a given period
- tangible product
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an item that can be seen, touched, tasted, worn, or displayed
- Theme parks
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Amusement parks that are built around a specific theme or concept that influences the park’s design, attractions, and overall atmosphere
- Theme restaurants
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dining establishments that create a unique and immersive experience by centering their decor, menu, and overall ambiance around a specific concept or theme
- tourism
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A social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes.
- Tourist
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a person who travels to and stays in places outside their usual environment for leisure, business, or other purposes for more than 24 hours but usually less than a year
- travel
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the activity of moving between different geographic locations for any purpose
- Travel services
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comprises various suppliers, tourism products, destination marketing organizations, tour operators, and travel agents, among many others that support the delivery of guest experiences
- Traveler
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a broad term encompassing anyone who moves from one place to another, regardless of the duration, purpose, or distance of the trip