The hospitality dictionary · Lessons
International Hospitality Dictionary
Practical words for hotels, restaurants and life on board.
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U W
A
A la Carte
A la carte means ordering dishes one by one from the menu, each with its own description and, usually, its own price, instead of choosing a fixed set menu or eating from a buffet.
Allergen
An allergen is an ingredient that can cause an allergic reaction in some people, from an itchy mouth to a reaction that puts a life at risk.
Anticipatory Service
Anticipatory service means meeting a guest’s need before the guest has to ask.
Apron
An apron is a protective piece of clothing worn over the uniform, tied at the waist or hung from the neck, that keeps the uniform clean and the work hygienic.
B
Brand
In hospitality, a brand is the promise a hotel, resort, restaurant or ship makes to its guests, and the set of standards that keeps that promise every day.
Briefing
A briefing is a short, structured passing of information to a team so that everyone knows what to do, why, and what to watch for.
Buffet
A buffet is a style of service where the food is displayed on counters or tables and guests choose and serve themselves, or are served at the station by a member of staff.
Busser
A busser is the member of the restaurant team who supports the waiters by clearing, resetting and keeping the tables and the dining room ready.
C
Cabin Inspection
Checking that a cleaned cabin is truly ready for the guest, not only cleaned.
Check-in
Check-in is the moment a guest officially arrives and becomes a resident.
Check-out
Check-out is the end of the stay.
Chef de Partie
A chef de partie is the cook in charge of one section of the kitchen, also called a station chef or section chef.
Cleaning Trolley
A cleaning trolley is the mobile cart a room attendant or cabin steward takes along the corridor during the shift.
Comment Card
A comment card is a short feedback form that a hotel, resort, restaurant or ship gives guests so they can say what they liked, what went wrong and what could be better.
Commis
A commis is a junior member of a brigade who is learning the trade under a more experienced colleague.
Complaint Handling
Complaint handling is the way a hospitality team receives, understands, solves and follows up on a guest’s dissatisfaction.
Consistency
Consistency is delivering the same standard of product and service every time, for every guest, on every shift.
Coordination
Coordination is the organised connection of people, departments and timing so that the work fits together and the guest receives one smooth experience.
Crew Mess
The crew mess is the dining room on a ship where the crew eat their meals.
D
Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning is the scheduled, thorough cleaning of an area beyond the daily routine.
Dress Code
A dress code is a set of rules about how people should be dressed and presented in a particular place.
Duty Manager
The duty manager is the senior person in charge of the whole operation for a given shift, usually outside normal office hours or when the department heads are not on the floor.
E
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand how another person feels and to respond in a way that shows you understand.
Escalation
Escalation is passing a problem to a person with more authority, experience or resources when it cannot or should not be solved at the current level.
F
FIFO Rotation
FIFO stands for First In, First Out.
Finishing Touch
The finishing touch is the last small detail that turns a job from "done" into "ready for the guest".
First Impression
The first impression is the feeling a guest forms in the first moments of contact with a hotel, restaurant, resort or ship.
Follow-up
A follow-up is the action of going back to a guest, a colleague or a task after the first response, to make sure the problem was really solved and the promise was really kept.
Food Safety
Food safety is the set of habits and controls that keep food free from anything that can make a guest or a team member ill.
G
Galley
Galley is the word used on a ship for the kitchen.
Grooming
Grooming is the personal presentation standard every hospitality professional follows: clean and tidy hair, clean hands and nails, fresh breath, a neat face, discreet jewellery and make-up, and a uniform worn correctly.
Guest Feedback
Guest feedback is everything guests tell us about their experience, whether they say it to a team member, write it on a comment card, send it by email, answer a survey or post a review online.
Guest Journey
The guest journey is the full path a guest takes with us, from the first time they hear about the hotel, restaurant, resort or ship, through booking, arrival, the stay or the meal, departure, and what happens after they leave.
Guest Recovery
Guest recovery is what the team does after something has gone wrong for a guest, to put it right and win back their trust.
H
Handover
A handover is the moment when one person or one shift passes responsibility for work, guests and open issues to the next.
Hospitality
Hospitality is the art and business of welcoming people and taking care of them while they are away from home.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping is the department that keeps every room, cabin and public area clean, safe, stocked and ready for the next guest.
Hygiene
Hygiene is the practice of keeping people, surfaces, equipment and spaces clean in a way that stops the spread of germs and illness.
I
K
L
Laundry
Laundry is the department or service that washes, dries, irons, folds and returns the textiles an operation needs: bed linen, towels, table linen, bathrobes, uniforms, and the guests’ own clothes when they use the laundry service.
Log Book
A log book is the written record a department keeps of what happens during a shift: guest requests, faults, complaints, incidents, actions taken and anything still open.
M
Mise en Place
Mise en place is a French kitchen term that means "everything in its place".
Mystery Guest
A mystery guest is a person who stays, dines or uses a service as a normal guest, but is secretly checking the experience against a set of standards.
N
Night Audit
The night audit is the process that closes one business day and opens the next.
No-Show
A no-show is a guest who has a confirmed reservation and does not arrive, without cancelling in advance.
O
Opening Checklist
An opening checklist is the written list of tasks that must be completed before an outlet, a department or a shift opens to guests.
Out of Order
Out of order is the room status given to a room or cabin that cannot be sold or used because something is broken, unsafe or under repair.
P
Pantry
A pantry is a small service and storage area that supports the guests on one floor, one section or one outlet.
Par Stock
The fixed amount of each item an outlet keeps ready for a normal shift.
PAX
PAX is the industry abbreviation for passengers, guests or covers.
Port and Starboard
Port and starboard are the two sides of a ship.
Pre-shift Meeting
A pre-shift meeting is a short gathering of the team just before work begins, where the supervisor or manager shares what the team needs to know for that shift: who is arriving, what is happening in the building or on board, which guests need special attention, what went wrong yesterday and what the focus is today.
Presence
Presence is the way a hospitality professional shows up in front of a guest: visible, attentive, calm and fully in the moment.
R
Readiness
Readiness is the state of being fully prepared before the guest arrives: the person, the equipment, the area and the information all in place.
Reservation
A reservation is a confirmed promise to hold a room, a cabin, a table, a treatment or a service for a guest at an agreed date and time.
Room Assignment
Room assignment is the decision about which specific room or cabin each arriving guest will receive.
Room Inspection
Room inspection is the check that confirms a room or cabin meets the standard before it is given to a guest, or as a routine control of quality and safety.
Room Inspection Findings
What an inspection finds, and how each finding turns into a fix and better training.
Room Status
Room status is the live condition of every room or cabin: whether it is occupied or vacant, dirty or clean, inspected and ready, or out of order.
Room Turnaround
Room turnaround is the full process of turning a room or cabin from a departure into a room ready for the next guest: from the moment the previous guest leaves to the moment the room is released as clean, checked and ready to sell.
S
Sanitation
Sanitation is the work of keeping surfaces, equipment and spaces not only clean to the eye but free from harmful germs, so they are safe for guests and crew.
Service
Service is everything a hospitality team does for a guest, and the way it is done.
Service Failure
A service failure is any moment when the guest receives less than what was promised or expected.
Sign-on and Sign-off
Sign-on is the formal process of joining a ship for a contract; sign-off is the formal process of leaving it at the end.
Standard
A standard is the agreed, written way a task must be done and the result it must achieve, every time, by every person.
Stayover Service
Stayover service is the daily cleaning of a room or cabin where the guest is staying another night.
STCW
STCW stands for Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
T
Table Setting
Table setting is the way a table is laid before the guest sits down: the cloth or placemat, the cutlery, the glasses, the napkin, the side plate, the cruet and anything else the meal needs.
Teamwork
Teamwork is the way people in different roles, shifts and departments work as one so the guest receives one smooth experience.
Tender
A tender is a small boat that carries guests between the ship and the shore when the ship cannot come alongside a pier.
Time Management
Time management is the skill of planning and ordering your work so the right things are done at the right moment, inside the hours of a shift.
Turndown Service
Turndown service is the evening visit to an occupied room or cabin to prepare it for the night.
Turnover
Turnover, in the people sense, is the movement of staff out of and into a team: people resigning, finishing contracts, being transferred or let go, and new people joining to replace them.
U
Uniform
A uniform is the set of work clothes the company gives each role: the jacket, shirt, trousers or skirt, apron, shoes, name badge and any accessories the standard requires.
Upselling
Upselling is offering a guest a better or an additional option to the one they chose, such as a room upgrade, a better view, a bottle of wine that suits the meal, a dessert, a spa treatment or a late check-out.