Introduction to the Hospitality Industry

The Lodging and Food Service Industry - Syllabus

Course Description: This course lays the groundwork for a basic understanding of the lodging and food service industry by tracing the industry’s growth and development both nationally and internationally, by reviewing the organization of hotel and food and beverage operations, and by focusing on industry opportunities and future trends.

Objectives: At the completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explain the relation of lodging and food and beverage operations to the travel and tourism industry.
2. Describe the scope of the travel and tourism industry and its economic impact on local, national, and international levels.
3. Cite opportunities for education, training, and career paths and development in the hospitality industry.
4. Summarize the origins of the European and American lodging and food service industries.
5. Describe the effects of globalization on the hospitality industry.
6. Evaluate and discuss several major factors, developments, and trends that have affected lodging and food service operations in recent years and that will continue to affect the industry in the future.
7. Compare the effects on the industry of franchising, management contracts, referral organizations, independent and chain ownership, time-share and condominium growth, and consolidations and acquisitions.
8. Identify the general classifications of hotels and describe the most distinctive features of each.
9. List the common divisions or functional areas of hotel organization (rooms, food and beverage, engineering, marketing and sales, accounting, human resources, and security), and explain the responsibilities and activities of each.
10. Outline the functional areas or departments typically found in each hotel division.
11. List and explain the major classifications of food services, beginning with the distinction between commercial and institutional operations.
12. Outline the organization, structure, and functional areas in commercial and institutional food service operations.
13. Analyze the importance of each division in achieving the objectives of a lodging and/or food service operation.
14. Demonstrate knowledge of food and beverage controls that pertain to food and beverage sales, payroll planning, and production standards.
15. Identify the benefits of and advancements in energy management programs and outline steps for organizing such a program.
16. Describe ways in which technological advancements, such as property management systems, Internet access provided to guests, and reservations made through online booking sources, have dramatically changed many work areas within the hospitality industry.

Evaluation: The student must complete a comprehensive final examination covering the first 14 chapters.

Learning Resources: The Lodging and Food Service Industry, Seventh Edition, by Gerald W. Lattin.