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？