SECTION 4

Good morning everyone. Today's lecture forms part of the Hospitality and Tourism module.

大家早上好！今天的讲座是关于酒店和旅游版块的内容。

Last week I looked at the economy end of the hotel business; this week I'm going to discuss the luxury end of the market.

上周我们谈到了经济型酒店行业；这周我们要讨论的是奢侈型酒店行业。

Let's consider the following scenario ...

我们来想象一下这样的场景…

You wake up in the middle of the night in a strange hotel miles away from home, disoriented most probably from jet lag, when even the most expensive surroundings can seem empty and dispiriting.

夜半时分你在一家远离家乡的陌生酒店醒来，时差让你觉得迷迷糊糊的，周围那些奢华昂贵的装饰显得空洞乏味。

You have paid a great deal of money to stay in this first-class hotel with its contemporary technology, but according to recent research carried out by an international travel and public relations company, all is not well.

你花了一大笔钱住进这家一流的酒店，里面有最现代化的设施，但根据一家国际旅游与公共关系公司的最新调查，这一切并不能让人满意。

The research suggests that even the most opulent, luxurious hotels seem to have underestimated the most basic needs of their customers - be they travelling for work or pleasure: the need to feel at home in surroundings which are both familiar and inviting.

该研究发现即便是最顶级豪华的酒店也都会忽视顾客的最根本需求——不论他们是商务旅行还是休闲旅游：他们希望周围的环境熟悉且吸引人，感觉像在家一样。

Do these findings, however, apply only to hotels situated in particular areas?

这些发现仅仅适用于某些特定地区的酒店吗？

Is it possible that the external environment can affect a guest's well-being?

酒店的外部环境是否能够影响到顾客的幸福感呢？

The company's research covered a whole range of different hotel types, both independent hotels and those which are part of large chains.

这个公司大范围调查了不同类型的酒店，包括独立运营的和连锁经营的。

They investigated chic so-called boutique hotels in the heart of downtown business districts, stately mansions located in the depths of beautiful countryside, and plush hotels built at the edge of tropical beaches surrounded by palm trees and idyllic blue ocean.

他们调查了坐落于在市中心商业区的一些别致的所谓精品酒店、深藏于乡野间的富丽堂皇的庄园，和建在热带海滩、被棕榈树和蓝色大海包围的奢侈酒店。

And the research concluded that what was outside the hotel building simply didn't matter.

所有研究表明酒店外在的样子根本无所谓。

This is a fascinating revelation and those of you hoping to move into careers in the travel and leisure industry would be well advised to look at the findings in more detail.

这实在是一个神奇的发现。你们中以后想从事旅游和休闲行业的应该多关注一下这项发现的更多细节。

But back to the main point of this lecture ... the need to feel at home.

回到我们的正题……顾客需要家的感觉。

What can the hotel industry do about it?

酒店行业能做些什么呢？

And is the very idea so subjective that it's impossible to do anything about it on a global basis?

关于家的感觉是否过于主观以至于无法采取一些全球性的对策呢？

However, nothing stands still in this world.

然而，这个世界没有什么是一成不变的。

One company has come up with the slogan 'Take Your Home With You', and aims to provide clients with luxury serviced apartments.

有一家公司打出了“带着家旅行”的口号，致力于为顾客提供豪华的公寓型酒店。

Those in the business travel industry maintain that these serviced apartments dispense with all the unwanted and expensive hotel services that business travellers don't want, while maximising the facilities they do want.

那些商务旅行的游客称这些服务型公寓摈除了所有豪华酒店提供的商旅人士不需要的昂贵服务，同时最大化的提供了他们想要的设施。

For example, not only sleeping and living accommodation, but also a sleek modern kitchen that allows guests to cook and entertain if they wish, at no additional cost.

比如说，这些公寓不仅提供起居生活等基本设施，还有现代化的厨房能够让顾客享受做饭的乐趣，同时还没有额外的开支。

The attractions of such facilities are obvious and it'll be interesting to see whether the company manages to establish a trend all over the world and make a lasting impact on the luxury accommodation market.

这些设施的吸引力是很明显的，我很想看看这家公司是否能在全球范围内引领潮流，对奢侈酒店市场造成持久影响。

Now, finally I want to consider the psychology underpinning the traditional holiday hotel industry.

最后我们来探讨一下传统酒店行业运营背后的心理学。

As a hotelier, how do you go about attracting people to give up the security of their own home and entrust themselves to staying in a completely strange place and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed?

作为一名酒店运营者，你如何能够吸引人离开他们所熟悉的安全的家，而把自己交付给一个完全陌生的地方、睡在一张不熟悉的床上呢？

Firstly, hotels exploit people's need to escape the predictability of their everyday lives.

首先，酒店利用了人们希望暂时逃离重复的日常生活的渴望。

For a few days people can pretend they are free of responsibilities and can indulge themselves.

在这段时间里人们可以假装卸下所有责任，尽情放纵自己。

Secondly, there is something very powerful in our need to be pampered and looked after, it's almost as if we return to being a baby, when everything was done for us and we felt safe and secure.

其次，我们内心中都有一种强烈的被纵容、被照顾的需求。那种感觉就像回到了婴儿期一样，我们什么都不用操心，特别有安全感。

And not far removed from this is the pleasure in being spoilt and given little treats - like the miniscule bottles of shampoo and tiny bars of soap, the chocolate on your pillow at night - and we actually forget that we are paying for it all!

与此相似的，我们还很享受被宠坏、被款待的快乐，比如得到袖珍瓶的洗发香波、迷你香皂块、睡前枕边的巧克力等等。我们都忘了实际上是自己在为这些东西买单！

Next week, I'm going to look at eco-hotels, a fairly new phenomenon but increasingly popular ...

下周我们要说一说生态酒店，这是一个新兴的行业，但越来越受到关注……