Macau Study Tour Group Wiki--Question

Report for the question discussed

Macau Tower

What are your strategies in differentiating your restaurant from many other famous restaurants in town?

1.    Scenic River View

Macau Tower is located nearby a river, which is beneficial to increase the attractiveness of the tower. Customers can enjoy this beautiful scenery while they are having food.

2.    located at transport hub

Macau Tower is located at transport hub, which passes through many transportation. This geographical advantage is convenient to customers that they can easy arrive.

Hotel Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16

Furnishing is one of the important elements for operating a luxury hotel, what are key success factors for your design, procurement and ongoing maintenance?

1.       Diversified style of suite

Simple and pure style

Grand and eye-dazzling style

Multiple style of suite can cater for the different need of customers.
Customers can choose their favorite one.

Hotel Okura Macau

Could you please talk about the service culture of your company?  Does your hotel provide any particular training to your employees in order to practice the service culture of your company?

1.    Service mainly focus on Japanese

Hotel Okura Macau™, provides a distinctly Japanese interpretation of "World Class, Asian Heart" hospitality for guests. Hotel is decorated in Japanese style and the service culture is integrated with Japanese customs

To strengthen the appropriate service attitude to the Japanese, hotel offers training to the staff which is aimed to increase their knowledge in Japanese culture.

Banyan Tree Macau

Are you the only luxury hotel in Macau with full-sized resort villas amidst private gardens with a private swimming pool?  How did you come up with this idea?

Yes.
The hotel is the only one to provide full-sized resort villas in Macau.
This ideas is come from an inventor who thinks that it is unique to provide such a luxury villas. They can stay for a long period as a relaxation.

Macau Study Tour Wiki--intended learning outcome

The intended learning outcomes of the study tour are to :-

1.   in the part of recognizing the operational issues interface with other functional areas in a servicing organization, we find that we have achieved almost 80% of it.

a.   Macau Tower

The conference rooms are just like the HKTDC and Asia-Expo, which act as a medium to hold exhibition and the important conference. As the position of this Tower is the central of Macau, it is very convenient for businessmen from JuHai.

The bun-g-jump is the contractor from outside, it becomes a outstanding feature in Macau.

b.   Room visit of hotel

We have visited the VIP room and the standard room, we find that the big differences are that the size of room is much larger, the facilities are more and better. It is the least part we recognize.

c.   Backstage of hotel

While visiting backstage, it is the most part we recognize. As we may know how they division the work into different office.     

            For example, a office is responsible for contact the contractor

 of flower and decorate the each area of the hotel. It gives us

a clear mind that how different offices operate and corporate

and function.                   

  

2.  the most part which can apply learned theories and concepts into real-life scenarios is that the overbooking of hotel room. Almost all hotel will apply this scheme in order to confirm the fully occupied of room. The overbooking scheme is not only useful in restaurant but also in hotel romm division.

3.  we think that there is 80% achievement on widening horizons and to sharpen their observation and communication skills, as we can have chance to visit the conference room in Macau Tower and the VIP hotel room. Therefore, we can recognize the situation immediately and ask about it.

For example, the main function of some kinds of conference room, the main participant of booking the conference room.

Also, the rate of occupy of the VIP room.

4. we can almost get insights into companies’ current market situation and challenges.

  a. in Macau Tower, it has promoted the function frequently hold in the conference room. We find that the conference room of it is fully occupied, no matter in which season. It is similar to HKTDC, which is always booked to hold functions. Therefore, the market for these conference rooms are similarly competitive in HK or Macau. The challenge is that they may have to forgo some booking when in peak season. or it may have to offer discount for using in other period.

5. we have received most understanding of state-of-art knowledge from the guest speakers, as they are in the stage, they may provide the first-hand information to us, and therefore, we can fully understand the operation of the service. However, some of the question about their competitors may not be fully understand, as they may protect their business secret more than let us understand.

6. it is a great time for us to nurture linkages between students and industry, as company visit can let us deeply understand the real operation than the information from the book, so we can consider whether it is suitable for us to develop our future career.

Wiki 8: Gaming Entertainment

Discover how gaming entertainment converges with the hospitality industry in terms of its economical and social impact.


Economical positive impact

Government Revenue

Governments earn revenue from gambling in several ways. The first way is through the taxation of gambling venues/operations. In most countries these taxation rates tend to be much higher than exist for other industries. Governments earn gambling revenue is to become directly involved in the provision of gambling and directly receive its revenue. Also, it earns gambling revenue by taxation of gambling winnings by consumers, although this constitutes a very small revenue source.

Positive impacts on other businesses

Many casinos offer hotels, restaurants, and entertainment in addition to their traditional gambling activities. These associated amenities could potentially compete with similar businesses in the local area. On the other hand, it is possible that local hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues might benefit from the ‘overflow’ and/or in situations where the casino does not offer these associated amenities. Positive impacts on other businesses have been most commonly reported with ‘destination casinos’ that draw their patronage from outside the immediate area (i.e., bringing in a true influx of wealth), require overnight stays, and are located in tourist areas offering other entertainment and sightseeing opportunities. Specific sectors that benefit most consistently are hotels, restaurants, lounges, and other types of entertainment. It helps create more jobs.

Personal Income

Changes in average personal income are another indirect indicator of the positive or negative economic impacts of gambling. Income changes could occur because gambling brings in new money, acts as an economic stimulus, replaces existing jobs with lower wage jobs, or interferes with economic growth.

Economical negative impact

Negative impacts on other business have been reported most commonly in studies where gambling patronage is derived locally. This scenario applies to EGMs that are introduced into bars/lounges, lotteries, and non-destination type casinos. The type of business that is most commonly reported to be negatively impacted is other forms of gambling, with the most common pattern being recently introduced forms (i.e., casino gambling, Internet gambling) accelerating the decline of older forms (e.g., horse racing, dog racing, bingo, lotteries)

Social positive impact

Infrastructure Value

The construction of a new gambling venue (e.g., casino) adds to the physical assets and wealth of the local community. This is especially true if this new venue is associated with infrastructure upgrades (e.g., roads, electrical, sewage) to accommodate the new facility, and if the new building and infrastructure upgrades are financed by out-of-jurisdiction investors. Increased infrastructure value can also occur when a new gambling venue stimulates the construction of complementary businesses (e.g., hotels, restaurants) to take advantage of the increased patronage of the area.

Public Services

Governments exist to serve their people, and so it is a natural expectation that the increased government revenue derived from gambling would be used for the enhancement of public services (e.g., health, education, social security). Indeed, these ‘public benefits’ are often touted by governments as the main justification for the introduction or expansion of gambling. In addition, in many jurisdictions certain forms of gambling (typically raffles and bingo) are delivered by charitable/community organizations and/or gambling revenues are earmarked for these groups, the revenues of which are then used for the benefit of the local community. However, it is also sometimes the case that government gambling revenue is used to avoid raising taxes, reduce government debt, or to maintain rather than enhance existing services.

Leisure Activity

One of the important positive impacts of gambling is that it provides entertainment value and an additional leisure option for the population. Furthermore, the fact that the majority of people in Western countries participate in some form of gambling and that gambling revenue is in the billions of dollars in many jurisdictions provides evidence of its value to society. This positive impact of gambling is fairly self evident, which is perhaps why relatively few studies have examined it in detail.

Social negative impact

Problem Gambling

Depending on the country, the year, and the assessment instrument, the past year population prevalence of problem gambling ranges from 0.4% to 7.5%. There are both monetary and social/nonmonetary costs associated with problem gambling. The monetary costs include money spent on a) treatment and prevention; b) policing, prosecution, incarceration, and probation for gambling-related crime; c) child welfare involvement for gambling-related family problems; and d) unemployment and welfare payments and lost productivity because of gambling-related work problems. However, because only the minority of problem gamblers seek or receive treatment, and only a minority typically have police/child welfare/employment involvement, the bulk of the impacts tend to be social/nonmonetary in nature. 

The social impacts include things such as mental health problems, suicide, family/relationship problems, divorce, and the potential for intergenerational modelling of excessive gambling. They were also observed to not be sleeping as well as they should and their quality and quantity of real-life socialization and academic work saw a sharp decrease.

Bankruptcies have been studied more than any other index of problem gambling, with the large majority of studies finding that bankruptcy increased following the introduction of casinos and/or multiple forms of gambling. The relatively strong relationship between bankruptcies and gambling availability makes theoretical sense, considering that financial difficulties are typically the most common problem reported by problem gamblers.

Crime

Theoretically, the introduction of legal gambling should influence crime rates in one of several ways. One way is by decreasing the rate of illegal gambling. This has a fairly reliable effect, although it is somewhat dependent on whether illegal forms can still offer some form of competitive advantage. Another way is by increasing the number of problem gamblers, a percentage of which will commit crimes to support their gambling 21 (primarily ‘property’ crimes that have the potential of raising additional revenue) . A third is because certain forms of gambling offer increased opportunities for illegal activity to occur (i.e., passing counterfeit money, money laundering, loan-sharking, cheating-at-play, race fixing, theft, fraud) (Barthe & Stitt, 2007). A fourth is by creating venues (i.e., casinos) that serve alcohol and thereby potentially contribute to alcohol-related offences (i.e., assault, driving under the influence) and/or disproportionately attract a clientele with criminal tendencies. A fifth and final way is by increasing the overall number of visitors to the area (with this population often not being taken into account when determining a jurisdiction’s crime rate per capita).

 

Successful strategies of operating gaming entertainment  

Example: The Sands Macau

 

 Special Strategies

Providing free non-alcoholic drinks for different customers

Close to Ferry pier (Transportation )

 Wide range of minimum bets (Casino) - Target different kinds of customers

Decent live entertainment - World famous stars and Great show

Operating Hours - 24 hours (For visitors from different countries)

Updated trends & development of gaming entertainment industry

The Rise of Special Effects with High Technology

Many live performances or theme parks are incorporating new and appealing special effects. Movies in Disneyland utilize new technologies and continue to bear more and more special effects.This proves that the divide between creativity and engineering is constantly being decreased by the gaming entertainment industry.


Target Market - China

The fact that customers from China are spending much more in the gaming entertainment industry. Most of them are very rich. Company should reach more ideas to achieve Chinese visitors. For example, traditional Chinese decoration or Putonghua training session for staffs

Wiki 7: Recreation, Theme Parks and Club

Functions of Country clubs

Pelican Hill Country Club

Nearly all country cloubs have lounges and resaurants and most have banquet facilities.

Country clubs can be used for fornal and informal parties, dinners, dances, weddings, by members and their personal guests.

Functions of Professional clubs

The National Press Club

Professional clubs as the name implies, are the clubs for people in the same profession, such as The National Press Club in Washington, the Lawyer's Club etc.

Functions of Social clubs

White's Club in London

Social clubs allow members to enjoy one another's company; members represent many different professions, yet they have similar socioeconomic backgrounds. Unrelated to business issues, conversation and social interaction in social clubs focus on companionship or entertainment. The above photo is taken in White's Club in London.

Functions of Athletic clubs

Athletic Bilbao Club

Atheletic clubs give city workers and residents a chance to work out, swim, play different kinds of sport, and so on. Some of the athletic clubs provide facilities to members, such as sleeping accomodation, court and sream room, etc.

 Functions of University clubs

The University Club Chicago

University clubs are private clubs for alumni. They are generally located in the high-rent district and offer a variety of facilities and attractions focusing on food and beverage service.

Functions of Military clubs

American Military Club

Military clubs cater to both noncommissioned officers and enlisted officers. These clubs offer similar facilities as do other clubs for recreation and entertainment and food and beverage offerings. These clubs are most found in foreign countries.

Functions of Fraternal clubs

 Italian American Fraternal Club

Fraternal clubs include many special organizations. These organizations foster camaraderie and often assist charitable causes. These clubs are generally less elaborate than are other clubs, but also have bars and banquet rooms that can be used for various activities.

Functions of Yacht clubs

Balboa Yacht Club

Yacht clubs provide members with moorage slips, where their boats can be kept secure. These clubs also have lounge, bar and dining facilities similar to other clubs. Yacht clubs are always based on a sailing theme and attract members with various backgrounds who also have sailing as a common interest.

Functions of Dining clubs

Stockholm Peacock Dining Club

Dining clubs are generally located in large city office buildings. Memberships are often given as an inducement to tenants who lease space in the office building. These clubs are always open for lunch and occasionally for dinner.

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Choose one taught topic you're interested and do further research

Introducing Theme Park in Hong Kong


Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

         

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, owned by a joint venture company, is the fifth Disney Resort in the world. It is a family-oriented attractions with over HK$14 billion investment.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened on September 12, 2005 and contains the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Hollywood Hotel, and several retail, dining and entertainment facilities covering 1.3 square kilometres (320 acres) of the island.


 

Hong Kong Disneyland have five different lands,  they are Toy Story Land, Fantasy Land, Adventure Land, Tomorrow Land and the Main Street. And more are coming in the future.

Hong Kong Ocean Park

Ocean Park Hong Kong is a amusement park with the theme of oceanarium. It is situated  in the Southern District of Hong Kong. Opened in 1977, Ocean Park has grown to about 35 attractions and rides. The park has won several awards, including The World's Seventh Most Popular Amusement Park and 33rd Most Visited Tourist Attractions in the World by Forbes.

The park is separated by a large mountain, which makes the park into to areas, the Summit (Headland) and The Waterfront (Lowland) respectively. The areas are connected by a 1.5 km long cable car system, shuttle bus, or the Ocean Express funicular railway.

The theme park currently has 19 rides, including two roller coasters, but also houses 11 animal exhibits, such as a giant panda habitat, a jelly fish and Chinese sturgeon aquarium, as well as a four-story aquarium displaying more than 2,000 fish.

Noah's Ark Hong Kong

Noah's Ark is an evangelical Christian theme park located on Ma Wan Island in Hong Kong. It is operated by a Christian organizations based in Hong Kong to promote nature, art, education and love.

The landmark of the parks is the world's only full size replica of Noah's Ark, which is located on the Ma Wan waterfront and under the Tsing Ma Bridge. On the ark, tourists can have the spectacular views of the bridge and locale. There are also a series of life sized 67 pairs of sculptures of exotic animals, birds and creatures. 

Within the park is a nature garden alongside the existing natural landscape. There is also an obstacle course, climbing and outward bound type courses but visitors would need to per-book such activities before their visit.

The ark is also a multi-storey building which allow tourists and visitors to stay overnight either in the hotel or a youth hostel located on the top floor.

Hong Kong Wetland Park 

 Hong Kong Wetland Park is at the North West part of Hong Kong. The park opened on 2007. It is a conservation, education and tourism park owned by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department . It was to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development.

The Hong Kong Wetland Park comprises of three areas, the visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a Wetland Reserve.
The Wetland Interactive World has themed exhibition galleries, a theater, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area (swamp adventure) and a resource center.

There are animals and models displayed in the Living Wetland Gallery, such as False gharial, mouse deer and green turtle.

The Wetland Reserve consists of re-created habitats designed for water fowls and other wildlife. The informative Wetland Discovery Center located in the Wetland Reserve provides visitors with rich information on local wetlands. Other facilities include Stream Walk, Succession Walk, Mangrove Boardwalk and three Bird Hides situated next to the fish pond, mudflat and riverside, leading visitors to venture habitats of wildlife such as Fiddler Crab, Mudskipper and the rare Black-faced Spoonbill.

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Recent trends in Recreation and Leisure

1, Higher quality
As the quality of life of most people increase, so the expectation of the quality and range of facilities needed is increasing. There are significant potential for leisure and recreational activities.People are demanding higher quality of recreation and leisure.

2, Travel Abroad
 As the quality of life of most people increase and people are getting wealthier, more people tend to travel abroad as leisure. The most common place are mainly in South East Asia, like Taiwan, Japan and Korea.

3, Increase in Eco-tour

People nowadays tend to pay more attention to the habitat, that's why Eco-tour are getting popular. This is also because of some newly constructed facility, like HK wetland Park, HK geopark. People have a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.