http://hdl.handle.net/11089/46316 2026-04-09T05:01:10Z 2026-04-09T05:01:10Z Milewska, Mariola http://hdl.handle.net/11089/46797 2023-04-25T01:49:59Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hotele sławne, dziwne, naj… na świecie Milewska, Mariola Stasiak, Andrzej Nowadays, the level of hotel services is globally getting more and more equalized. Their range and standards are becoming unified and the differences between particular continents or countries are becoming less and less significant. In this situation, the high quality of the offered product is no longer sufficient to ensure a long-term advantage over the competitors. Some hotels try to enrich their offer with additional, psychological benefits, namely the so-called value added. A stay at the hotel can be a sign of prestige and belonging to an elite group. It can reflect personality or life philosophy of a guest and provide unforgettable experience, which can be something to boast about among friends. Because staying in “ordinary” hotels, even of the highest standards, is no longer considered as something to take pride in, tourists are choosing unconventional hotel establishments more and more frequently. They are offered a night’s stay in buildings of peculiar location, eccentric architecture and unusual interior. The services provided in these establishments are frequently highly sophisticated. The article depicts examples of establishments belonging to the following groups: – famous and luxurious hotels, e.g. Ritz Hotel in Paris, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi or Hotel Bristol in Warsaw, – boutique hotels, e.g. Paramount Hotel in New York, Copernicus and Rubinstein hotels in Cracow or Rialto in Warsaw, – designer hotels, e.g. Fox in Copenhagen, Ripa Hotel in Rome, Kube Hotel in Paris, Puerta America in Madrid and Lalala Hotel in Sopot, – peculiar and untypical hotels, e.g. Ishotelet in Kiruna (Sweden) or Hydropolis in Dubai, – record-breaking hotels, e.g. MGM Grand in Las Vegas (the largest hotel in the world), “Explorer of the Seas” (the largest swimming hotel), the smallest hotel capsules in Japan, Gornergrat in Zermatt (the highest-located hotel), Grand Hyatt in Shanghai (the highest hotel in the world), – odd and extravagant hotels, e.g. hotels located inside a harbour crane (Harbour Crane in the Netherlands), inside concrete tubes (Das Park Hotel in Ottensheim) and inside old wine barrels (De Vrouwe van Stavoren) as well as totally spartan Zero Star Hotel in Sevelen (Switzerland) or a Soviet ex-prison of Karosta in Liepāja (Latvia), – hotels located inside means of transportation, e.g. Hotelbus (rotel – a combination of a luxury bus and a hotel), hotels inside train- and tram coaches (Controversy Tram Inn), hotels inside a helicopter (Hotelicopter), Boeing 747 (Jumbo Hostel) or a mobile module without any address (EverLand Hotel). Hotels are no longer treated as just facilities for tourists. Nowadays they constitute fully-fledged elements of a complete vacation experience of a tourist. They determine tourist satisfaction level just as much as visited monuments, exotic landscapes or local cuisine. Some hotels are so extraordinary that they become a popular tourist desti-nation themselves. Demand for their services is fueled by phenomena typical for postmodern societies, such as drive for novelty, search for new experience and the need for trendy environments promoted by the media – all this to impress others with unforgettable memories and sensations.

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Skrzypczyński, Marek http://hdl.handle.net/11089/46796 2023-04-25T01:50:01Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Paradores de Turismo jako przykład państwowego łańcucha hotelowego Skrzypczyński, Marek Stasiak, Andrzej Paradores de Turismo de España is a trademark of Spanish tourism industry. Its beginning dates back to 1926, when the first parador was opened in Gredos Mountains. At the initiative of the government, new establishments were being opened in scenic areas and in buildings of historical and artistic value. The Spanish touristic “boom” of the 1960s resulted in Paradores chain hotels being opened at an unprecedented rate – 47 establishments during the years 1961–1970 (Fig. 1). According to the trends of the sixties, the locations on the Mediterranean coast appeared: Aiguablava (Costa Brava), Nerja (Costa del Sol), El Saler (Costa del Azahar). In 1991 Paradores de Turismo was transformed into a public company and the state treasury became its only owner. Organizational changes resulted in creation of a profitable enterprise. In the middle of 2009, 93 hotels belonged to the network (Tab. 1). They comprised of 5900 rooms and over 11,300 beds. An average size of a hotel is 63 rooms. Paradores are establishments of great renown on the Spanish market. As much as 71% (66 facilities) are 4-star hotels, almost 25% – 3-star hotels and only 3 hotels were awarded 5 stars. Almost half of all buildings were constructed in the 20th century, including 30 modern establishments, which were built from the scratch or adapted for accommodation purposes after 1945. Every third 20th-century building is an urban or rural residence, which had previously belonged to aristocratic families. Buildings constructed between the 16th and 19th centuries compose almost 25% of all hotels. The vast majority of them include palaces and monasteries, located mainly in central Spain (Castile, Extremadura). They are situated in an area rich in historical monuments. Older buildings, erected before the 16th century (total of 25 hotels), have a particular historical value. The oldest establishment is the 8th century Moor fortress, located in Alarcon (Cuenca), on the border of historical regions of La Mancha and Levante. Two thirds of this group includes castles and fortresses, while the remaining part consists of monasteries and representative urban palaces (e.g. Cáceres in Extremadura and Zamora in Castile and León). The location of hotels is visibly dispersed (Fig. 2). Among 50 Spanish provinces, only the Balearic Islands and Vizcaya (Basque Country) provinces do not host any paradores. What is interesting, they can be found in 14 cities, which host sites from the UNESCO World Heritage List. Another feature of paradores’ location is their “provincialism”. Only a small number of them is located in large urban areas. Cities of 100 thousand inhabitants host only 10% of the hotels. The diversity of clients’ needs resulted in distinguishing 7 products by the company: beach and sun, health (spa), nature – hotels located in scenic areas, historic sites, family – facilities for families with children, sports and golf, business – product based on renting conference rooms of different sizes. Paradores can be distinguished from the competition by their F&B activity. It is based on traditional, regional cuisine, which uses original recipes and cooking methods and local, high-quality produce. During a year, hotel restaurants serve about 2.5 million meals and generate 37% of revenue. Tourist packages Rutas (theme routes) and Unique Rooms (accommodation in unique, historical-artistic atmosphere in specially designed arrangements) have a large influence on the volume of sales. Operational and financial results of the Paradores chain in the years 1998-2008 were solid. An average occupancy rate varied from 66 to 77% (significantly higher than Spanish hotel industry average). The revenue reached 170–286 million Euros, while net income varied from 7.65 to 25.3 million Euros. A large share of operational income was spent on investments and repairs (in the years 2001–2003, € 164 mil., while during 2004–2008 – € 204 mil.). Despite the financial crisis, which significantly affected Spain, the hotel chain will be implementing a daring investment policy (€ 168.9 mil. during 2009–2012). Spanish visitors compose 70.5% of all Paradores guests. They mainly come from large, urbanized, rich areas (Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, Valencia). Foreign visitors include mainly guests from Great Britain, France and Germany (Fig. 2). Paradores de Turismo is a company owned by state treasury, supervised by national tourism organization of Turespaña, which manages buildings belonging to a state organization Patrimonio Nacional – National Heritage. As a result, it became a tool of the state tourism policy, which comprises both, commercial goals and a social mission.

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Adamiak, Maciej http://hdl.handle.net/11089/46795 2023-04-25T01:50:08Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Obiekty hotelarskie w Łodzi w XIX i na początku XX wieku (1824–1918) Adamiak, Maciej Stasiak, Andrzej Understanding how hotel industry operated in Łódź in 19th century and in the early 20th century, requires simultaneous analysis of different factors which directly and indirectly influenced the development and operations of hotel establishments. The task is difficult because of a time distance of the issue and a large variety of factors. Moreover, due to its specifics, the task bears a large margin of error. In order to analyze the issue, a specially modified method used by modern companies to examine causes and results of undergone activities was used. It is called the fishbone diagram and was created by Kaoru Ishikawa. The analysis is displayed as a multilevel top-down process, where causes fixed on a main axis are treated as the results of other causes. The chart displays hierarchical division of causes within the chosen categories (Kaczmarek and Sikorski 1999). The modification of the method, used in this paper, aims at collecting and generalizing the characteristics of hotel industry, their division into positive and negative (in relation to their influence on the development of operations) and finally a general evaluation of this industry sector in Łódź within the selected timeframe. The following division into cause categories was chosen: Man, Methods, Machines, Management, Environment, Product. Thanks to the application of the fishbone diagram analysis (Fig. 4) we are able to determine that hotel establishments in the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century were institutions characterized by a great involvement of managerial staff. The main task of hotel establishment owners was to manage the facility so that the appropriate number of guests was served and the right quality of services was provided. The influence of activities affecting the proper standard of services was the key issue at that time. It was caused by the fact that only the wealthiest people could afford a room at the hotel. The most frequent hotel guests at the time were: industrialists, merchants and freelancers. There was a large focus on hotel staff. The employees had to be versatile and devoted to their work. Only people with highest skills were hired. Back in those days, it was already known that such a specific enterprise as a hotel or inn is all about the people who work there. It is worth to underline, that luxurious hotels such as Grand or Savoy required their staff to speak foreign languages. It was due to the fact that Łódź was inhabited by many nationalities. It is worth to focus on issues related to marketing and shaping of the brand of a hotel establishment. It had to earn renown in order to become the force to be reckoned with on the Łódź market of hospitality services. It was earned through the costly advertisements in the press, introduction of new technologies and creating an image of an establishment as an important meeting place, where the local elites socialize. Another factor, which shaped the hotel industry in the 1824–1918 period, was the strong influence of the environment, which due to its numerous, turbulent changes caused the number of hotels to increase rapidly but also led to the demise of many establishments. For example, the period of Łódź’s prosperity at the turn of the 19th and 20th century led to the increase in the amount of hotel establishments, whereas World War I resulted in putting some of the hotels into military use and subsequently, decrease in quality and quantity of the services provided. It is worth to mention the influence of hotels and other hotel establishments on the society of the 19th and 20th century Łódź. It is clear that at that time, apart from providing lodging services, the hotels were also centers of social life. They seated best cafes and restaurants, which served the wealthiest clients. The hotels were ornaments of the streets of Łódź and a testimony to city’s development. To conclude, the hotel industry in Łódź during the 1824–1918 period developed very rapidly. When analyzing the tendencies in the creation of new esta-blishments, it is clear that there was a large demand for this kind of services. If it was not for the outbreak of two world wars, Łódź would nowadays be able to take pride in numerous hotel establishments with over a hundred year’s tradition. Nowadays, it is worth to contemplate the development of Łódź’s hotel network based on prewar, traditional establishments. Grand Hotel can be an example of an establishment, which has offered top-quality hospitality services since 1888 and up to this day, remains one of the most popular landmarks of Łódź.

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Bończak, Bartosz http://hdl.handle.net/11089/46794 2023-04-25T01:49:57Z 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Historyczne hotele „Złotej Pragi” Bończak, Bartosz Stasiak, Andrzej Prague, with its monuments of great historical and artistic value, has been gaining popularity in recent years. It has become one of the most important tourist destinations in Central Europe. This is the reason why hotel industry in this city is developing so quickly – there are 654 collective tourist accommodation establishments with 547 hotels, motels, pensions and residences, which is more than 83%. Establishments, located in the old, historical buildings, are among the most interesting hotel groups in the city. For the purpose of this project, hotels located in buildings erected before the beginning of World War II, operating during the research that took place from the beginning of July to the end September 2008 and which have 10 or more rooms (according to Czech definition of the hotel) were taken into consideration. Historical hotels in Prague are mostly collective tourist accommodation establishments in the historical city center, in Prague 1 district, where 135 establishments of this type operate (September 2008), which is almost 80% in this administrative district and a quarter in the whole city. This shows a great potential of this kind of facilities, covering a great range of hotel market in Prague. The main advantage of these establishments is their location directly in the city centre which is also the main tourism, business and political core. The vicinity of the main tourist attractions, as well as public institutions, shopping venues and business centers, is the main reason why the historical hotels are so popular among the people visiting Prague. It is important to mention, that such a great location is strictly connected with the higher price in comparison to hotels situated further away from the center. The majority of historical hotels are rather small in size. 88 of them (65% of the total) offer less than 50 rooms, and on the other hand, only 14 (about 10%) have more than 100 rooms. Historical hotels in Prague 1 district are mostly upper class hotels, ranging from 3 stars above. Almost half of all hotels in this district (about 49%) are 4-star hotels and 27 of them are luxurious 5-star hotels with an outstandingly exclusive service. Most of the mentioned hotels are privately owned by individuals, families or different companies. In addition to this, many of them are associated within different organizational structures, such as hotels chains, systems or groups, often of international or even global range. The main and the most interesting attribute of these hotels is their location in interesting, unique buildings, often of great historical and artistic value. They are mostly located in tenement houses, but also in such places as former stables, hospitals, convents or banks. It significantly influences their attractiveness and creates unique atmosphere of the hotel, which is perfect for guests looking for new sensations. This is the main feature giving the hotel its own “spirit of the place” which is important in creating its outstanding brand and often a long lasting tradition. Despite the favorable location and the atmosphere, historical hotels also have problems of their own. Among the most important ones is the constant protection of the building by the building conservation officer, as the centre of Prague is on UNESCO World Heritage List, which often makes it difficult to renovate the hotel or add new facilities, for example to adopt the building for people with reduced mobility. This is the reason, why small, historical hotels often cannot compete with big, modern and well equipped hotels, located just a few steps away from the city centre. To conclude, it is easy to assume that historical hotels of “Golden Prague” are creating a unique web of original establishments, offering a wide range of various services – from economical to luxury class – to their guests. All of them have a great potential for future development, but some problems may also occur and are more likely to happen to them than in the case of “traditional” hotels.

2008-01-01T00:00:00Z