A Career in Resort Management

There are three kinds of management involved withThis phenomenon is especially prevalent near ski
resorts: Front-of-House Management, Heart-of-Houseresorts in the American West, and resorts in
Management I, and Heart-of-House Management II.otherwise impoverished nations.
Heart-of-House Management refers to managing theA Mega resort, a type of destination resort,
resort areas that support front-of-house operations.integrates the services offered by a hotel, casino,
This type of management deals with the physicaldining, entertainment, and shopping into a single, large,
plant, grounds, energy, accounting, and purchasingand highly stylized or themed venue. The hotels along
functions of a resort hotel. These support areas arethe Las Vegas Strip are most typically thought of as
critical to the successful operation of a resort hotel,mega resorts owing to their immense size and
but great care is taken to keep the guests fromcomplexity.
seeing this aspect of the facility to ensure higherThe first mega resort is generally considered to have
levels of guest satisfaction.been The Mirage given its size and emphasis on
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation.non-gaming entertainment options like shopping and
As a result, people tend to seek out a resort forfine dining to draw in customers. Mega resorts use
holidays or vacations. Generally, a resort is run by athe same fantastic or mythical theme (medieval life
single company, which attempts to provide for all orat Excalibur, tropical at The Mirage, famous cities,
most of a vacationer's wants while staying there,etc.) throughout their properties.
such as such as food, drink, lodging, sports,A luxury resort, sometimes referred to as an
entertainment, and shopping.exclusive resort, is a very expensive vacation facility
Towns that contain resorts—or where tourismwhich is fully staffed and has been rated with five
or vacationing is a major part of the localstars. Luxury resorts often boast many visitor
activity—are often called resort towns. Theactivities and attractions such as golf, water sports,
term resort is sometimes misused to identify a hotelspa and beauty facilities, skiing, natural ecology and
that does not provide the other amenities required oftranquility. There are luxury resorts all over the world
a resort. However, a hotel is frequently a centralfrom North America to the Caribbean and South
feature of a resort.America, from Europe to Asia, Africa to the Middle
The Walt Disney World Resort is perhaps the mostEast, and the South Pacific to Australia.
famous example of a resort in the world, however,A luxury resort is an elite luxury property which
resorts exist throughout the world. Resorts areexhibits an exceptionally high degree of customer
especially prevalent in Central America and theservice and hospitality. A flawless execution of guest
Caribbean.services will be the resort staff's and managements
A resort is sometimes called a destination resort. Thismain concern. A luxury resort will commonly also
is a common usage when the facility provides food,feature a superb architectural interior and exterior
drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shoppingdesign as well as an interesting physical location.
within the facility so that customers have no need toThe interior design will normally be elegant with stylish
leave the facility once they arrive. Commonly thesebedroom decor, exceptional dining facilities, and
facilities are of higher quality than would be expectedmanicured landscaping and meticulous grounds. Luxury
if one were to stay at a hotel or eat in a town'sresorts will often also be in based in exceptionally
restaurants.desirable and strategic worldwide locations, from
An all-inclusive resort is a resort that, besidesbeautiful tropical islands, to snow caked mountains, to
providing all of the common amenities of a resort,scenic lakes and rivers, to exhilarating cities. The
charges a fixed price that includes most or all items.locations will often be famous for featured activities
At a minimum, most inclusive resorts include lodging,from skiing to golf, water spots, diving, fishing, sailing
unlimited food, drink, sports activities, andand nature walks to glamorous shopping and nightlife
entertainment for the fixed price.entertainment.
Pros and cons of all-inclusive resortsA luxury resort may vary greatly in character, style
A frequent critique of all-inclusive resorts is that theyand theme from resort to resort. A luxury resort will,
do not help the local economy or that they damagehowever, normally be characterized by a high level of
the local environment. People who hold this viewluxury, sophistication and off course price.
usually cite the fact that most resorts are located inAccommodations are first class, whether they follow
relatively remote areas away from major locala classic and traditional nature or a more minimalist
population centers, making it hard for the peopleand modern styling. An unmatched level of comfort
staying there to see any local sights or patronize localwill be available at a luxury resort, as well as many
business. They also say that most resorts are ownedpersonalized services and amenities.
and run by large multinational corporations, such asA ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or
Club Med, Sandals or Hedonism Resorts thus divertingaccommodations and other amenities at the base of
money away from local companies.the mountain. Ski resorts often have other activities
Proponents of all-inclusive resorts point to the factto engage in besides skiing and snowboarding, such
that these resorts usually bring large numbers ofas snowmobiling, sledding, horse-drawn sleds,
visitors to the country, who must travel through localdog-sledding, ice-skating indoor swimming and
airports and towns to arrive at the resort. They alsohottubbing, game rooms, and local forms of
state that the resorts provide jobs in areas that areentertainment. Ski resorts may be self-contained and
economically impoverished and away from the majorentirely devoted to ski tourism (for example Vail ski
centers. Resort popularity can sometimes drive upresort) or they may be near a village or town that
property values to such a degree that the resorthad a significant existence before the ski resort was
workforce cannot afford to live near their workplace,built, such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming or Park City,
causing the creation of nearby bedroom communities.Utah.