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In short, facilities are the things that are built that you really need, and amenities are the things that are there to bring comfort and luxury to a traveller’s hotel stay.
Facilities
Large hotels usually provide banquet and conference rooms for rent. Hotels offer various types of lodging accommodations to travellers, whether for a few nights, for extended stays, or for resorts where guests stay specifically to enjoy certain facilities such as golf courses and live entertainment. Limited-service hotels generally provide rooms and daily housekeeping services, while larger hotels typically offer additional amenities such as room and valet service. Hotels often generate additional income from offering the use of other facilities to guests and the public.
Meeting and Conference Facilities
Larger hotels typically have meeting rooms and conference facilities that can be reserved by overnight guests as well as the public. The meeting and conference rooms can be set up to meet the needs of the function being given, such as training seminars, award ceremonies, business meetings and luncheons. If attendees are travelling from long distances to attend the function, having it inside of a hotel makes it convenient for them to stay overnight before journeying back home. Some hotels have ongoing contracts with companies and organizations that utilize the meeting facilities regularly, such as for board member meetings or religious services.
Banquet and Reception Facilities
Banquet and reception hotel facilities can provide adequate room and an ideal setting for wedding receptions, proms, dinner and birthday parties. In addition to spacious rooms, hotels with these services usually offer plenty of parking spaces as well. Hotels offer catering, along with a wait service, to serve food to individual tables, or to give the option of having a buffet-style set-up. Some hotels also have restaurants where guests can have breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as host smaller parties if they choose.
Pool, Spa and Fitness Facilities
Many hotels contain amenities to keep guests entertained, pampered or relaxed during their stay. People who enjoy swimming or lounging by the side of the pool can do so at hotels that offer outdoor and/or indoor pools. Some hotels also have saunas and hot tubs as well. Hotel facilities may include fitness rooms where guests can work out on exercise machines such as treadmills and stationary bicycles. Those hotels featuring a spa may offer services such as massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, while others may contain a hair salon and barbershop.
Laundry Facilities
Another facility offered by many hotels is the on-site laundry room. Washers and dryers are available to guests for washing their clothes and some hotels offer this service for free or have coin-operated appliances installed. Some laundry facilities also have televisions, vending machines and provide washing detergent for guests to purchase. Services like this can help travellers pack lighter bags, especially during extended stays.
Amenities
A hotel serves as a home away from home for most of its customers, and thus it is important that every hotel provides a comfortable, relaxing and safe environment for its guests. Nearly all hotels provide the basic amenities necessary for a comfortable overnight stay, but it is the additional amenities that some hotels offer that can really make a trip memorable.
Standard amenities to look for in every hotel room include a freshly made clean bed that is double size or larger, a private bathroom with shower and tub and fresh towels, a television, an in-room telephone, an alarm clock, a closet to hang clothes, an iron and a hair dryer.
Additional in-room amenities that will make your stay more comfortable include a sitting area with a couch and coffee table, a writing desk with chair, a mini-bar with snacks and beverages, cable television and on demand movies, Internet access and complimentary toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner and soap.
More luxurious in-room amenities, available at many luxury hotels and even some mid-range hotels, include bathrobes, slippers, upscale bath products, 24 hour room service, turn down service, laundry service, video game players and family entertainment options, and complimentary breakfast.
There are also many general hotel amenities that will make your stay more enjoyable, and they include access to a fitness centre and swimming pool, on-site restaurants or bars, a spacious lobby with a large seating area, secure parking, a fully-stocked business centre, vending machines and a sundries store for any items you may forget to pack.
It's also important that a hotel have a good concierge service. A hotel concierge can help direct you to local attractions and can procure tickets to concerts and performances, as well as make restaurant reservations for you. Additionally, many hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to and from area airports and even to various locations around the city.
These services can really make your trip much easier. If you'll be travelling to a resort area, look for hotels that provide recreational activities and that offer such amenities as complimentary beach chair and towel service, a beachfront bar and free water equipment rental.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| banquet | a ceremonial dinner party for many people | Large hotels usually provide banquet and conference rooms for rent. |
| rent | a payment or series of payments made by the lessee to an owner for use of some property, facility, equipment, or service | They rented an apartment together for $1,000 a month. |
| extend | stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point | Hotels offer various types of lodging accommodations to travellers, whether for a few nights, for extended stays, or for resorts where guests stay specifically to enjoy certain facilities such as golf courses and live entertainment. |
| valet | a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer; a person who parks your car for you | Limited-service hotels generally provide rooms and daily housekeeping services, while larger hotels typically offer additional amenities such as room and valet service. |
| seminar | a course offered for a small group of advanced students | The meeting and conference rooms can be set up to meet the needs of the function being given, such as training seminars, award ceremonies, business meetings and luncheons. |
| ceremony | a formal event performed on a special occasion | The wedding ceremony lasted an hour. |
| contract | a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law | Some hotels have ongoing contracts with companies and organizations that utilize the meeting facilities regularly, such as for board member meetings or religious services. |
| spacious | (of buildings and rooms) having ample room | In addition to spacious rooms, hotels with these services usually offer plenty of parking spaces as well. |
| option | one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen | We were offered the option of having the hotel’s buffet breakfast. |
| buffet | a meal set out on a table at which guests help themselves | Hotels offer catering, along with a wait service, to serve food to individual tables, or to give the option of having a buffet-style set-up. |
| exercise | the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit | We usually exercise and eat a balanced diet when we travel on business. |
| machine | any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks | Hotel facilities may include fitness rooms where guests can work out on exercise machines such as treadmills and stationary bicycles. |
| memorable | worth remembering | Nearly all hotels provide the basic amenities necessary for a comfortable overnight stay, but it is the additional amenities that some hotels offer that can really make a trip memorable. |
| bar | a place where alcoholic drinks are served | Additional in-room amenities that will make your stay more comfortable include a sitting area with a couch and coffee table, a writing desk with chair, a mini-bar with snacks and beverages, cable television and on demand movies, Internet access and complimentary toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner and soap. |
| product | commodities offered for sale | More luxurious in-room amenities, available at many luxury hotels and even some mid-range hotels, include bathrobes, slippers, upscale bath products, 24 hour room service, turn down service, laundry service, video game players and family entertainment options, and complimentary breakfast. |
| centre | an area that is approximately central within some larger region | There are also many general hotel amenities that will make your stay more enjoyable, and they include access to a fitness centre and swimming pool, on-site restaurants or bars, a spacious lobby with a large seating area, secure parking, a fully-stocked business centre, vending machines and a sundries store for any items you may forget to pack. |
| concert | a performance of music by players or singers not involving theatrical staging | A hotel concierge can help direct you to local attractions and can procure tickets to concerts and performances, as well as make restaurant reservations for you. |
| performance | a dramatic or musical entertainment | At the end of the performance, the audience stood up to applaud the actors. |
| location | the act of putting something in a certain place | Additionally, many hotels offer complimentary shuttle service to and from area airports and even to various locations around the city. |
| reserved | set aside for the use of a particular person or party | Tickets for the first day are free, but have to be reserved in advance online. |
Exercise
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