BC Connect Expo Reflection Essays Examples

Other than the classroom learning, expos provide learners with an opportunity to gain insight into the practical aspects of the classroom content. It is noteworthy that the Connect Hospitality Expo in Vancouver was an opportunity that made learning more practical and meaningful. The Expo highlighted a number or concepts from a practical perspective. As such, this paper seeks to compare and contrast various concepts of the lessons in Leading Edge Hospitality throughout the term with what suppliers and consultants are promoting and selling at the Expo. In a more precise way, the paper focuses on comparing and contrasting aspects of management tools used in the hotel industry, the challenges facing the sector, and the growth patterns.
Just as the Leading Edge Hospitality points out that hospitality and tourism is experiencing as a rapid change in trends, the Expo also underscores the same fact. In fact, the expo indicates that the turning point came in number of years back. Consistent with the lessons from Leading Edge Hospitality classes, Expo points out that the current trends are different from those in the previous years. In fact, service industry is increasingly expanding its line of business to accommodate the needs of the modern society.
In the expo, David P., a consultant, indicates that their operations work with 650 hotels across the country. The consultants base their operations on three perspectives: daily data on costs, monthly transits, and annual financial sheet to monitor, analyze, and control the activities, in the hotel management progress. The industry uses database not as a business but as a tool in the hotel sector in Canada. In their operations, they conduct asset valuation strategy, asset management, and budget review in the hotel sector management. Similarly, the lessons in the Leading Edge Hospitality also emphasize these aspects as important concepts in the consultancy. Database system analysis in both cases is a vital tool and yardstick for determining level of progress in the hotel sector. It is thus, worthwhile to underscore that asset valuation, asset management, and budget review are essential operations in the tourism and hospitality business.
In addition, the hotel business is attracting a huge number of investors due to its significant returns. In both Leading Edge Hospitality lessons and the Expo, it is evident that hotel business is emerging as a lucrative area for potential investors. In the presentation, David P. substantiates his argument by providing a detailed statistics on the hotel business in Canada. In the last four years, he mentions, that Canada has been experiencing a growth rate of between 1.9% and 2.3% financial GDP in the tourism sector. Nonetheless, the sector has been recovering from recession and it they anticipate that industry will realize substantial growth by 2016. In the Expo, consultants maintain that the growth rate is on an upward trend. For example, the travel sector in 2013 was about 1%. In 2014, however, the rate increased to 1.8% and the projection for 2015 stands at 2.4%. Accordingly, there is a growth in both cases.
The challenges facing the sector are consistent with the theoretical perspectives as discussed in the class. The challenges exhibited in both cases include inflation, low interest rates, and low economic growth. Suppliers, therefore, are focusing on a seasonal trend. They optimize on peak seasons to ensure that they meet the demands. Although the there is no specific mentioning of the peak seasons, both the class lessons and the Expo admit that tourism and hotel business has peak and off-peak seasons. During the peak seasons, the sector experiences influx of visitors, which becomes difficult to manage. In regards, suppliers normally increase their services during the peak periods than in then off-peak. So far, most of the investors are looking forward to increasing the numbers of hotel rooms to cater for the rising needs in the industry.
Travel services are common in both scenarios. In both the class lessons and the Connect Hospitality Expo, travel is an essential service in the industry. Suppliers in the Expo admit that they offer a wide range of services including travel, tourism lodgings. The lodging services include hotels, motels, and camps. In class notes, it is also evident that tourism and travel provides an array of services. As such, it is noteworthy that the theoretical perspectives intersect with the practical provisions in the sector. In addition, the suppliers reiterate that the secret towards realizing success in hospitality business lies in maximizing customer enjoyment. Accordingly, suppliers are determined to ensure that their clients experience enjoyment of the highest degree.
A new trend in hospitality and tourism that manifests in both scenarios is the aspect of diversity. As indicated in the class discussion, the sector is the most diverse in terms of employee population, and the groups of visitors. The Expo substantiates that they are diversifying their services to give the customers an opportunity to experience cultural diversity. The suppliers are keen to ensure that they maintain a healthy workforce that interacts with the visitors effectively to give them a lasting experience. Similarly, the lessons in the Leading Edge Hospitality also shed light on cultural intermingling between employees and tourist as an important factor that determines the level of success of the industry.
In terms of objectives, hospitality and tourism are seeking to keep a healthy workforce, effective asset management, and financial budget control. In both cases, it is notable that hospitality and tourism business is quite competitive. The suppliers are cognizant of this fact and are, therefore, integrating the concept of financial accounting, effective human resource management in order to gain competitive advantage. Likewise, the lessons in the Leading Edge Hospitality class indicate that the sector has become more competitive. With the advent of globalization, tourists are enjoying the benefits of free travel and are, therefore, having the liberty to meet their tourism needs in anywhere across the globe.
Another common aspect in hospitality and tourism business is the aspect of tourism expenditure. In both situations, it is remarkable that the sector is experiencing an increase in expenditure in the global tourism. The suppliers, for instance, recognize the fact that tourism is fast growing and they project a more lucrative future. Moreover, security issues and rising cost due to inflation are among the key changes facing the industry.
Although the two scenarios present a myriad of similarities, a few differences are notable. In the class notes, it is evident that hospitality and tourism industry promotes equal employment opportunities to cater for the needs of different nationalities in the market. Suppliers and consultants on the other hand maintain that the level of diversity in the workforce is limited. It is challenging for people from other countries to work in the sector in a different countries. They point out a number of factors that makes it difficult to implement the policy of workforce diversity during recruitment. As such, it is needless to mention that training on human resource and public relations equips the employees with adequate skills to work in this dynamic industry. Nonetheless, the industry has policies that discourage discrimination while encouraging intercultural activities.
Another significant difference that is notable from the two scenarios is the aspect of technology integration in the industry. From the class lessons in Leading Edge Hospitality, it is clear that hospitality and tourism industry is embracing advanced technology such as the use of guest’s virtual fingerprint in performing all operations. In the Expo, however, intelligent hotels are still unmet. In other words, most of the consultants and suppliers of hospitality services have not reached the full integration of technology in the daily operations. Intelligent hotel services are still hypothetical. Nevertheless, they acknowledge the fact that the sector is fast growing and they are looking forward to making use of advanced technologies in conducting the check-in, charges, and checkout operations.
After comparing and contrasting the trends, services, and practices in the tourism and hospitality as espoused in the Expo and class lessons, it is noteworthy that there are more similarities and differences. Most importantly, this paper recognizes the fact that the industry is experiencing an upward trend. As such, investors consider this area as a lucrative area of investment as the future seems promising. Nonetheless, notable challenges such as slow economic growth rate, low interest rates, and inflation significantly affect hospitality and tourism business. Precisely, hospitality and tourism industry is fast growing and attracting large number of investors who understand the dynamics and challenges associate with it.