Hotel infrastructure. Infrastructure of the hotel enterprise (engineering and organizational). Hotel management systems
Hotel infrastructure
Hotel infrastructure - four conference halls "Sochi" (110 people), "Novosibirsk" (35 people), "Nizhny Novgorod" (50 people), "Ekaterinburg" (14 people) are equipped with the most modern equipment necessary to ensure that any the conference was a success;
Services provided by the Marins Park Hotel
- 1. Basic services:
- · free Wi-Fi Internet - bullet (100 Mbps) throughout the hotel;
- · free breakfast;
- · telephone with long-distance communication;
- · refrigerator minibar;
- · comfortable bed with orthopedic mattress;
- · hypoallergenic bedding;
- · plasma TV with 64 satellite channels (diagonal 105 cm).
- · washing clothes (laundry services);
- · storage of large luggage;
- · comfortable taxi from the airport or train station for guests of Luxe rooms;
- · instant delivery of pizza and sushi directly to your room;
- · minor clothing repair services (sewing workshop);
- · and also entrust your car to a securely guarded parking lot.
- 2. Additional services
The list and quality of paid additional services must meet the requirements of the category assigned to the hotel.
List of additional services:
- · catering services (bar, restaurant, cafe, buffet, beer bar);
- · shops (souvenir, grocery), vending machines;
- · entertainment infrastructure (disco, casino, night club, slot machine hall, billiard room);
- · excursion services, guide-translator services;
- · organizing the sale of tickets to theaters, circuses, concerts, etc.;
- · transport services (booking tickets for all types of transport, ordering vehicles at the request of guests, calling a taxi, car rental);
- · purchase and delivery of flowers;
- · sale of souvenirs, postcards and other printed materials;
- · consumer services (shoe repair and cleaning; repair and ironing of clothes; dry cleaning and laundry services; storage of things and valuables; unloading, loading and delivery of luggage to the room; rental of cultural and household items - televisions, dishes, sports equipment, etc. ; repair of watches, household appliances, radio equipment; hairdressing salon, manicure and massage parlors and other household services);
- · beauty salon services;
- · sauna, bathhouse, swimming pools, gym;
- · rent of meeting rooms, conference halls;
- · business center services;
- · other services.
- 3. Extravagant services
A hotel where guests are served by ladies and lords.
Influenced by the Downton Abbey series, set during the reign of King George V in the 20th century, the owners of the Marins Park Hotel in Rostov-on-Don came to the conclusion that their guests should be served exclusively by ladies and lords.
Now, in order to count on working in this hotel, you first need to receive the title of lady or lord, with all the attendant rights, family coat of arms and other honors.
"The Butler by Smell"
An interesting feature in the form of an exclusive service under the original name “Fragrance Butler” (smell butler). At any time of the day, upon a call from a guest, a “scent butler” appears on the threshold of the room with a silver tray on which bottles of such luxurious fragrances as Chanel No. are located. 5, Daisy Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford for Men, Bulgari Pour Homme, etc. The guest can use any of the offered fragrances for free an unlimited number of times during his stay at the hotel.
In addition, each of the chain's hotels offers a different "scent menu". The set of perfumes that are included in the “fragrance menu” depends on the location of the hotel, climatic conditions and the general atmosphere.
The idea of offering a luxurious “perfumed menu” service to its guests arose from the administration of the Marins Park Hotel in response to tightening rules for the transportation of luggage and hand luggage. “By offering our guests a choice of luxury perfumes, we take the stress out of flying. We help them enjoy their trip,” explain representatives of the Marins Park Hotel, who offer a unique service.
Each hotel, regardless of comfort class, has at least a minimum of its own infrastructure. For some establishments this may be only a small parking lot at the entrance, for others - a restaurant, gym, SPA complex, conference room.
How the hotel and its infrastructure facilities work
The hotel premises can be divided into several groups according to their functions:
- lobby. These premises are one of the most important parts of the hotel. Here administrators meet and see off clients, arrange check-in, check out reporting documents from a hotel in St. Petersburg and perform other important work;
- residential part. It consists of guest rooms and premises designed for full functioning, maintaining cleanliness in the guest rooms;
- catering establishments. The hotel may have a compact bar or also have a cafe and a full-fledged restaurant;
- commercial and consumer service premises. They provide hotel guests with various services. This group includes a hairdresser, dry cleaner, atelier, SPA salon, massage room, etc.;
- athletic facilities. In high-class hotels you can often see a swimming pool, a gym, a room with exercise equipment, bowling, billiards, etc.;
- common areas for recreation, entertainment or business. This group includes various premises, including banquet and concert halls, as well as rooms for organizing business events, conferences, exhibitions and meetings;
- office, household, and technical premises. They ensure the normal work of hotel staff. The main purpose of technical rooms is to house services that monitor the correct operation of air conditioning systems and other equipment that ensures the full functioning of the establishment.
The characteristics and number of rooms may vary for individual hotels. This is influenced by the star rating of the hotel, its capacity and operating conditions.
The territory adjacent to the hotel complex is also a functional zone. It usually houses a spacious parking lot for guests' cars, equipped with video surveillance and security. If there is a lack of ground area, parking can be equipped on the ground floor of the hotel.
The better developed the hotel infrastructure, the more comfortable the stay is considered. But you need to remember that the presence of a large number of recreational, entertainment and business facilities in the hotel affects the cost of renting rooms. If you have time and the opportunity to use them, then it makes sense to overpay.
The key aspects of management in hotel enterprises include infrastructure management as a system for ensuring their functioning.Objects of infrastructure services include material, technical and labor resources involved in the process of providing hotel services. Material and technical resources include buildings, structures, engineering systems, equipment, raw materials and energy resources, vehicles, etc., creating material conditions for the implementation of all types of activities of hotel enterprises.
The relevance of hotel infrastructure management is associated with the importance of such factors as:
¦¦¦ significant dependence on the results of the functioning of hotel enterprises, in particular the quality of the services provided
their services, on the level of infrastructure support for their production activities; ¦¦¦ large, and often decisive, share of expenses for
infrastructure in the total costs of hotel enterprises; ¦¦¦ the need to determine a policy for updating or restoring engineering systems and equipment of hotels in order to improve the quality of service as part of the strategy to ensure their competitiveness, etc. The set of functions for managing the infrastructure of hotel enterprises reflects the following types of activities:
Activities related to material objects.
Management of repair work.
Maintenance management of engineering infrastructure.
Maintenance of the power supply system.
Maintenance of the water supply system.
Maintenance of elevators, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting systems.
Cleaning management.
Information network management.
Waste disposal management.
Management of maintenance of parking lots and surrounding areas.
Security.
Personnel related activities.
Planning and creation of the interior of premises.
Organization of the workplace.
Catering.
Organization of medical care and recreation for personnel.
Activities to reduce the operating costs of the organization.
Office of Energy Supply.
Water and heat supply metering system.
System for reducing energy costs.
Comprehensive automation of energy metering.
Property management.
The features of hotel enterprises, in particular resort hotels, determined by their purpose or specificity, are correspondingly reflected in the formation and functioning of the system of infrastructure support for hotel activities.
An important area of activity of hotel enterprises in conditions that require appropriate infrastructure support is the development and widespread use of modern information technologies. The information system is designed to provide a full technological cycle of hotel production activities, starting from initial transactions with the consumer to receiving the full range of hotel services. Along with this, this system is designed to provide services and departments of hotel enterprises with relevant information and provides its resources for carrying out relevant operations at each workplace.
The characteristics of infrastructure service facilities and the requirements for their individual elements, which affect the category of hotels within their classification, are contained in the relevant regulatory documents (“Certification of tourist services and hotel services”).
One of the main factors for increasing the efficiency of hotel enterprises is reducing costs in primary and service industries. This can be facilitated by the involvement of third-party organizations to perform certain functions of infrastructure support, associated with the concept of “outsourcing”. However, when choosing a service option (by own infrastructure units or third-party business entities), the cost minimization criterion must be combined with established requirements for the guarantee of receiving infrastructure services, quality of service and other characteristics that determine the level of efficiency of infrastructure support for hotel activities.
The service sector is one of the promising sectors of the economy. Each hotel enterprise has its own infrastructure. It is necessary to carry out a set of preliminary studies and take into account factors that will allow the hotel to function for decades without major reconstructions. A huge role is played by indicators such as class, location, format and scale, as well as services necessary for customer needs.
At the initial stage of project implementation, take into account all possible factors that will allow the hotel to function for decades without major reconstructions associated with changes in the building’s design.
The location factor has a significant impact on the content of the project. But the most important factor is the positioning of the hotel and what services are needed to satisfy the requirements of the target audience.
Special attention is paid to the analysis of third-party users, since the main elements of the hotel infrastructure (F&B establishments, conference or business area, less often SPA and fitness center) can not only serve the needs of guests, but also work for the external market. Therefore, an analysis of the hotel’s location will help determine the capacity and power of infrastructure facilities. Organization of hotel business: Textbook for applied bachelor's degree / T. L. Timokhina. - M.: Yurayt Publishing House, 2014. - P. 180.
Let's consider the main factors that form the composition of the hotel complex infrastructure, separately.
Hotel class
The first and one of the most basic factors is the class of the hotel. A hotel enterprise has its own specific class and requires the presence of certain infrastructure elements. The higher the class of the hotel, the more varied, original and higher quality the services provided should be. So, if for a 2-star hotel one catering establishment and individual elements of service are enough, then in a five-star hotel, in addition to several different food establishments, the infrastructure should include a business center and conference areas, fitness, SPA and much more.
The hotel must have a restaurant with a certain number of seats, open all day. For a 4-5 star hotel, these are establishments with pan-European cuisine and a gourmet restaurant suitable for an evening out. Such requirements are the minimum that a developer must provide in high-level hotels. There may also be small bars and cafes that cater not only to the hotel crowd. However, it is important not to overdo it, since this is not the most profitable element of the project.
The area for sports is also allocated depending on the level of the hotel: it can be a separate room with exercise equipment and a shower, and in hotels of a higher class a swimming pool and an instructor are required. Organization of hotel business: Textbook for applied bachelor's degree / T. L. Timokhina. - M.: Yurayt Publishing House, 2014. - P. 183.
All other infrastructure elements (shops, bars on the upper floors, etc.) are optional and depend on where the hotel is located and what audience it is intended for.
Infrastructure Standards
There are no specific requirements for the composition of the infrastructure depending on the category of the hotel and world standards in this regard, just as there is no single international classification of hotels. As for other elements, such as banking services, a business center and a conference room, these are usually an integral part of high-class hotels.
The remaining infrastructure elements (shops, parking, children's room, etc.) are optional and depend on where the hotel is located and what audience it is intended for. Obviously, the higher the class of the hotel, the larger the area occupied by infrastructure facilities.
All hotel operators have their own developed standards regarding infrastructure, which, on the one hand, are clear and quite strict, on the other hand, they imply a certain flexibility due to the individuality of each hotel in the chain and its location. Moreover, within the same brand, the operator can vary and expand standards. Thus, Park Inn hotels can correspond to both 3 and 4 stars, Radisson - 4-5 stars, but at the same time the operator positions the hotel not as a specific set of “stars”, but as a brand that implies full compliance with the quality of services and services expected by it target audience. Organization of hotel business: Textbook for applied bachelor's degree / T. L. Timokhina. - M.: Yurayt Publishing House, 2014. - P. 193.
There are many specific requirements for the composition of the infrastructure depending on the category of the hotel. All hotels have their own developed standards for infrastructure, which are clear and quite strict and require the individuality of each hotel in the chain and its location.
Location and concept
The location and type of hotel business is the main factor of a hotel. Depending on whether it is a resort hotel or a business hotel, they will differ in the composition and capacity of infrastructure facilities. For example, a resort hotel for tourists and vacationers should provide more services that provide a comfortable stay for guests. The task of the tourism infrastructure in this case is to create all the conditions so that clients do not have the need to leave the hotel and do not have a desire to have breakfast or dinner elsewhere. In a non-resort city, hotels are designed mainly for businessmen, and therefore the main emphasis in them can be placed on the conference component and banquet area.
One of the important conditions for a successful hotel project is that the concept of each infrastructure element matches the hotel’s surroundings. Based on the location of the site, it is determined what capacity and power the amount of infrastructure is required for a particular project. If the site is located in the center of a large area, and there are no restaurants around or there are not enough of them, for a 3-4 star hotel with 250 rooms it is necessary to provide restaurants with a total number of seats of at least 200 (and the places in the restaurant and cafe cannot be combined). Organization of hotel business: Textbook for applied bachelor's degree / T. L. Timokhina. - M.: Yurayt Publishing House, 2014. - P. 184.
An important factor in determining the composition and capacity of the infrastructure is the size of the hotel project. The size of the area allocated for infrastructure elements should be proportional to the volume of the hotel: the larger the hotel, the more space will be occupied by service facilities. Despite the lack of uniform standards for organizing infrastructure, there are recommendations regarding the ratio of the number of rooms and other areas. For high-class hotels this ratio can be 50x50%; for projects of a lower class, accordingly, it will be smaller in favor of rooms. Organization of hotel business: Textbook for applied bachelor's degree / T. L. Timokhina. - M.: Yurayt Publishing House, 2014. - P. 186.
The scale and number of hotel rooms directly affect the capacity of infrastructure facilities, and, first of all, F&B establishments. Obviously, the number of seats in a restaurant must correspond to the number of rooms.
Management of hotel infrastructure facilities
As a rule, all major infrastructure facilities in a hotel are managed by the owner or hotel operator. Considering the fact that the service component of a hotel includes a large number of different, specific and difficult to manage types of businesses - restaurant, fitness, SPA, etc., the management team and staff must have experience and appropriate qualifications.
Hotel operators have developed requirements and standards for managing infrastructure facilities, and also have significant experience and a staff of managers, which, in turn, allows them to successfully manage the entire hotel complex.
The intentions of the operator or owner to independently manage all infrastructure facilities are confirmed by practice and are explained, first of all, by the desire to keep under control everything that generates income, affects the attractiveness of the hotel and shapes its image
When forming a hotel infrastructure, it is important to understand that, depending on the positioning, location and scale, a certain composition of infrastructure elements can either confirm the correctness of the chosen niche or become a financial failure for the owner. It is necessary to correctly plan the economics of such a project, model and calculate the generation of cash flows, and also derive the optimal ratio of the number of rooms and infrastructure elements in order to meet the expectations of guests and work efficiently. Radionova N.S., Subbotina E.V., Glagoleva L.E. Organization of hotel business: Textbook. allowance. - St. Petersburg: Trinity Bridge, 2014. - P. 273.
Thus, a well-developed and professionally managed infrastructure component is the key to a hotel’s success, especially in a rapidly developing and competitive market, since it is one of the primary factors that determines its investment value.
The main elements that you must first pay attention to when creating a hotel infrastructure are the class of the hotel, its concept and location, as well as the volume of rooms. It depends on this how effectively the complex as a whole will work.
At the same time, there is no balanced approach to the formation of hotel networks across the territory, taking into account the capacity of inbound and domestic tourism and recreational potential. Currently, the problem of shortage of accommodation facilities, both comfortable 3-5 star hotels and tourist class hotels, remains relevant.
Lobby hotels Baltschug Kempinski in Moscow photo: Baltschug Kempinski Moscow The concept of infrastructure in the hotel segment covers all services that a client can receive in addition to staying in a hotel room. This can be a fairly extensive list of services, a number of which, for example, breakfast, internet, access to the fitness area, are usually included in the room price. Use of other services – F&B(Food & Beverage / Food and drinks. This includes restaurants, cafes, bars), conference areas, SPA, casinos, shops, etc. - paid by guests separately. Organization and management of infrastructure facilities within hotels involves quite significant, but at the same time necessary costs on the part of the owner. However, I am able developer and the operator to ensure that infrastructure facilities hotels not only worked for the image of the object, but also became a stable source of profit. In order to understand how significant the infrastructure component is in a hotel project, and what percentage of the total profit it can bring, let’s give some figures. According to experts, in a high-class hotel, the number of rooms on average occupies about 50% of the total area. The rest hotels allocated for infrastructure facilities, as well as public areas. The role of infrastructure among other hotel performance indicators can be assessed based on two factors. The first is the ratio of income from renting out rooms and operating infrastructure. Thus, on average, in hotels in the 4-5 star segment, about 50-70% of the financial flow is generated by hotel rooms, the remaining 50-30% by additional services. Deviations in one direction or another are dictated by the class of the object, location, number of points F&B, the size of the fitness zone, etc. Experts traditionally call facilities the main elements of infrastructure that generate the majority of income F&B and conference areas. Much less income comes from additional services and services (transfer, translation services, laundry, etc.). So, for example, according to data Gianni van Daalen, manager of the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel in Moscow, in Kempinski hotels, income from infrastructure facilities averages 35%. Approximately the same indicators are typical for Kyiv hotels, both chain hotels and those managed by the owner. According to Alexander Litvin, Chairman of the Board of the Premier Palace Hotel, “in 2007, income from the number of rooms hotels accounted for 60%, while the remaining 40% was revenue from conference space, fitness club and catering service.” The second indicator that determines the “weight” of the infrastructure component is the share of profit that it brings to the hotel owner, and here the ratio will be somewhat different. So, if profit figures from renting out rooms can vary from 70 to 90% (that is, by renting out a room for 200 euros, the owner earns 140 euros), then infrastructure generates 30% – maximum 50%. Of course, we can name examples where infrastructure elements bring more profit than the sale of rooms, but they are determined by the specifics of a certain market segment and the concept of the hotel (for example, some boutique hotels in New York that attract visitors primarily with their restaurants). 
Exclusive banquet hall "Library" hotels Baltschug Kempinski, Moscow photo: Baltschug Kempinski Moscow The above figures show that the profit from the operation of the infrastructure is significantly less than the profit from the sale of rooms. Operating only with this fact when implementing a hotel project is fraught with savings on the organization of various service facilities. However, the set of additional services determines the class of the project and confirms the high rates set by the owner for the rooms, which, in turn, affects the overall profitability of the property. Moreover, during investment evaluation hotels The profitability of all elements of its infrastructure must be taken into account. COMPOSITION OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT. PRINCIPLE OF FORMATION In order to competently develop the concept of a hotel project, including calculating the required volume and quality indicators of filling each element of the infrastructure, it is necessary to conduct a set of preliminary studies. In principle, this is required by the creation of any commercial real estate property, but the specificity of developing projects in the hotel format lies, with other special conditions, in the fact that the lifespan of a hotel property is many times longer than that of an office or retail property. That's why developers and consultants in the hotel real estate segment have to think in much broader time parameters and, already at the initial stage of project implementation, take into account all possible factors that will allow the hotel to operate for decades without major reconstructions associated with changes in the building’s design (which is quite problematic, especially if the property is located in a historical city center). Parameters that form the basis of the concept hotels, include its market segmentation, analysis of the existing or future competitive environment, marketing research of the land plot on which the construction of the facility is proposed, and many other indicators typical for the hotel industry (potential occupancy, average tariffs, and so on). In addition to the above factors, in the process of developing the concept of a hotel project, indicators such as its class, scale, format and location play a huge role. According to Daniel Koetser, Head of CB Richard Ellis Hotels in Central and Eastern Europe, “the size and scale of a hotel facility do not always directly correlate with the area of infrastructure, although usually the larger hotel, the more likely it is to represent a wide range of services. At the same time, the location factor has a significant impact on the content of the project. But the most important factor is positioning hotels and what services are needed to meet the requirements of the target audience.”
| Infrastructure facilities presented in the main 4-5 star hotels in Kyiv | |||
| Name | Class | Number of rooms | Infrastructure |
| Hyatt Regency | 5 stars | 234 | Grill Asia and Brunello restaurants, Bar on 8 and Lobby Lounge, SPA Naturel, Olympus sports club, swimming pool; conference space and banquet hall (1000 m2), Dessange hair salon, exclusive Patrick Hellman and Bovet 1822 stores |
| "Premier Palace" | 5 stars | 289 | 3 conference rooms for up to 300 people, business center, fitness club with swimming pool, 2 restaurants (Sumosan and Empire), casino, lobby bar, sports bar and lounge bar, boutique gallery, night club |
| Radisson SAS | 4 stars | 255 | Bistro Cote Est, Mille Miglia restaurant and Enoteca cafe, K-Largo cigar bar, Pace fitness club with gym, Finnish sauna, solarium; conference area (407 m2), as well as a jewelry store, bank branch, lobby |
| Opera | 5 stars | 138 | Conference hall "Symphony" (270 m2), which can be transformed into 6 halls with the possibility of various configurations, La Scala restaurant, Bellini's bar, Lobby Lounge, beauty and health center DIVA SPA, fitness center with aquazone |
Pool hotels“Premier Palace”, Kyiv photo: “Premier Palace” Speaking about certain requirements for the composition of the infrastructure depending on the category of the hotel, it should be noted that there are no uniform world standards in this regard, just as there is no single international classification of hotels. So, for example, according to Alexander Litvin, when creating hotels"Premier Palace" developer relied on interstate standards of the CIS countries, introduced as state standards in Ukraine: “Already at the construction stage, it was known that the majority of hotel guests would be foreigners, which is why international standards were adopted, among other things. They clearly state the minimum areas of rooms, bathrooms, etc., which we fully complied with. But such parameters as the ratio of leisure infrastructure and room capacity are not specified in the standards, although these technological issues must be laid down at the design stage (how many seats will there be in the restaurant, based on the maximum number of residents, how the flows will move, guest service technology, etc.). d.)". All hotel operators have their own developed standards for infrastructure, which, on the one hand, are clear and quite strict, on the other hand, they imply a certain flexibility due to the individuality of each hotel in the chain and its location. Moreover, within the same brand, the operator can vary and expand standards. Thus, Park Inn hotels can correspond to both 3 and 4 stars, Radisson - 4-5 stars, but at the same time the operator positions the hotel not as a specific set of “stars”, but as a brand that implies full compliance with the quality of services and services expected by it target audience. Daniel Köster explains this approach to infrastructure this way: “Most international hotel chains have fairly specific standards that all new projects must meet. Obviously, some flexibility is also required regarding product suitability and placement. Within one hotel group, several brands can coexist, differing in the range of services provided, type, size of rooms and other parameters, which helps the consumer make a choice. However, most hotel groups have a specific ethos that they try to replicate in subsequent projects, and this approach ensures that the brand's credibility is widely recognized. Four Seasons uses this principle for its high-end properties, while Accor has had success with its Ibis brand in the economy sector." Marina Usenko also agrees with the opinion that a network operator must be flexible in terms of organizing infrastructure: “Hotel operators simply must be flexible. Safety standards contain very strict norms and requirements, while the approach to internal “stuffing” implies greater freedom of action. Obviously, if hotel effectively planned, any operator will be prepared to make some deviations from normal practice, especially if the building is a historic one or converted from office or other stock. For example, the Hilton Leningradskaya, which should open by the middle of this year, is so beautiful and unusual that the operator was ready to make some concessions in order to secure this property. As a result, hotel will not be entirely typical for him. Thus, the conference areas are not grouped in one place, around the ballroom, but are located on different floors, simply because the design of the building does not allow it to be done otherwise. However, due to the fact that such internal organization is complemented by decor and design, the hotel operator agreed to manage the property.” LOCATION AND CONCEPT 
One of the restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Kyiv hotel photo: Oleg Gerasimenko Experts consider the location and type of the hotel project to be the main factors that have a direct impact on the composition of the infrastructure. Depending on whether it is a resort hotel or a business hotel, the composition and capacity of infrastructure facilities will differ. Yes, resort hotel for tourists and vacationers it should provide more services and services that provide a comfortable stay for guests. The task developer and the consultant in this case is to create all the conditions so that clients do not have the need to leave the hotel, or do not have a desire to have breakfast or dinner elsewhere. In a non-resort city hotels are mainly designed for businessmen, and therefore the main emphasis can be placed on the conference component and banquet area. One of the important conditions for a successful hotel project is that the concept of each infrastructure element matches the hotel’s surroundings. Based on the location of the site, developer and the consultant determine how much infrastructure capacity and power is needed for a particular project. If the site is located in the center of Kyiv, and there are no restaurants around or there are not enough of them, for hotels 3-4 stars for 250 rooms, it is necessary to provide restaurants with a total number of seats of at least 200 (and seats in a restaurant and cafe cannot be combined). In addition, it is necessary to take into account the factor of market development. An example of the project’s compliance with the current state of the market is given by Marina Usenko: “The set of infrastructure elements and the areas allocated for them are in any case determined based on a study of supply and demand, analysis of the site where the hotel. Even an obligatory factor is catering establishments and the area they occupy in the structure hotels, – is very individual and depends on the state of the market. Classic example - hotel"Grand Hotel Europe" in St. Petersburg. When it opened in the early 1990s, after a major renovation, there were 7 different food establishments. At that time, there was no high-level restaurant culture in St. Petersburg and such filling was justified. But now the situation has changed, and as a result, when in 2005 hotel was resold, the new operator decided to reduce the number of restaurants, since they had become financially unviable, and give part of the premises on the ground floor to shops.” The ratio of income from infrastructure elements and room sales also depends on the type of hotel facility. Konrad Mayer also points out this factor: “The ratio of income from infrastructure to the number of rooms varies significantly depending on the type of facility. So, this figure can be either 30% (infrastructure) and 70% (income from the sale of rooms), or 50x50%, if the areas for holding receptions and conferences are large enough.” VOLUME An equally important factor in determining the composition and capacity of the infrastructure is the volume of the hotel project. The volume of space allocated for infrastructure elements must be proportional to the volume of the hotel: the more hotel, the more space the service facilities will occupy. Despite the lack of uniform standards for organizing infrastructure, there are recommendations regarding the ratio of the number of rooms and other areas. For hotels high class this ratio can be 50x50%; for projects of a lower class, accordingly, it will be smaller in favor of rooms. In general, according to Konrad Mayer, “if 50% of the area is allocated for rooms, and the remaining 50% is divided between back of the house(office premises) and public areas – front of the house(restaurant, bar, fitness, lobby, reception area), you will get an acceptable ratio. For example, in hotel Radisson SAS Kiev 255 rooms occupy approximately 8000 m2, while back of the house– 6000 m2, remaining areas ( front of the house) – also 6000 m 2 ". Gianni van Daalen as an example hotels Kempinski chain provides the following ratio: “35% of the hotel area is occupied by infrastructure facilities, 65% by rooms, but this figure may vary depending on the individual structure of the project.” The scale and number of hotel rooms directly affect the capacity of infrastructure facilities, and, first of all, establishments F&B. Obviously, the number of seats in a restaurant must correspond to the number of rooms. Thus, when forming the concept of a hotel project, it is important to understand that, depending on the positioning, location and scale, a certain composition of infrastructure elements can either confirm the correctness of the chosen niche or become a financial failure for the owner. It is necessary to correctly plan the economics of such a project, model and calculate the generation of cash flows, and also derive the optimal ratio of the number of rooms and infrastructure elements in order to meet the expectations of guests and work efficiently. WHO MANAGES HOTEL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES As a rule, all major infrastructure facilities in a hotel are managed by the owner or hotel operator. Considering the fact that the service component of a hotel includes a large number of different, specific and difficult to manage businesses - restaurants, fitness, SPA, etc., one can imagine what kind of experience and staff the management team should have. Hotel operators have developed requirements and standards for managing infrastructure facilities, and also have significant experience and a staff of managers, which, in turn, allows them to successfully manage the entire hotel complex. The intentions of the operator/owner to independently manage all infrastructure facilities are confirmed by practice and are explained, first of all, by the desire to keep under control everything that generates income and affects the attractiveness hotels and shapes its image. Among the exceptions to the general rule are such a specific service as SPA (although, again, Radisson and Marriott have structures that manage this element as well), as well as some concept restaurants that do not sell franchises and “enter” hotel only on your own. You can consider the operating principle of the operator using the example hotels"Baltschug Kempinski", in which a small number of rooms - 230 - has a very extensive set of infrastructure: the Baltschug restaurant, the Kranzler cafe, the Shogun restaurant and two bars, 8 conference rooms and a fully equipped business center; such sports and health services as the Health Club (with a heated pool, jacuzzi, fitness, solarium, massage services), the Sensai beauty salon, as well as casinos and shops. The hotel operator manages most of the facilities independently. IN hotel"Premier Palace", which is managed by the owner, the situation is almost the same. According to Alexander Litvin, “there are tenants on the territory of the hotel complex - a casino, a beauty salon, a nightclub and boutiques. Since these are indirect (non-core) objects of hotel activity, it was decided to give them to individual operators who conduct business independently. The Japanese restaurant Sumosan operates under a franchise scheme. At the same time, the business center, conference rooms, fitness club with a swimming pool, lobby bar, sports bar and lounge bar are managed by the hotel management.” An example of Moscow experience is given by Marina Usenko: “If we talk about Russia, here the operator prefers to control everything himself. As a rule, fitness and SPA also fall within its sphere of influence, which makes it possible to control the quality of all services. For example, in hotel"Swissotel Krasnye Holmy" in Moscow has its own SPA operator - "Amrita", and in hotel Ritz-Carlton is the involved operator. As for restaurants, if there were well-known and reliable restaurateurs in the market, perhaps this part would also be outsourced. Again, this is primarily about control over the situation, so the hotel operator prefers to leave infrastructure management to itself. As for the rental of space by shops, kiosks, and so on, this is not a hotel business at all, and therefore does not fall within the scope of the operator’s management.” INFRASTRUCTURE: ROLE AND IMPORTANCE Summarizing the above, we note once again that a competently developed and professionally managed infrastructure component is the key to success hotels, especially in a rapidly developing and competitive market, since among the primary factors determines its investment value. Noteworthy in this regard is the statement of Gianni van Daalen: “In fact, all the services and services provided by the hotel are an important part of the entire complex and largely form the profile and holistic perception of customers. The more popular infrastructure hotel, the more guests it attracts, and accordingly, the greater the profit. All infrastructure elements must be combined and complement each other, thereby creating a competitive and profitable hotel project. Thus, unfriendly reception staff can spoil the impression of going to a restaurant. Conversely, poor food quality will make a hotel stay unbearable, even if the room service is very high. Creating a project hotels, it is important to determine the target audience, the location of the hotel relative to the country and region, and the current market situation. The application of these factors ensures the creation of an exclusive and competitive product.”