Wow, I have been here for a week, and have already had the time of my life! There are so many things to do in Madrid, it is almost hard to be bored. I have settled in well and everyone on the program seems like an interesting person who comes from a different background with different stories to tell. My host family is awesome and they understand the having a college aged guest. Today I had my interview with my company and it went really well! They are excited to have another hand on deck and I am really excited to get started and help them. Tomorrow is my first day actually doing work and I’m sure it will go well! Now, to get into the prompt…

Cats Hostel is included in the hospitality industry. There are many important practices that Cats needs to do in order to be successful. First and foremost, having great customer relations. The staff and everyone related to the hotel needs to be on their best behavior towards the guests. Some industries such as farming and information technology has limited relations with people first hand. However,  It is no secret that this industry is heavily dependent on the treatment of guests. There are many other hostels in Madrid where they every guest can get a shelter, the separating factor is the treatment of guests.

Nice people are not the only factor that makes a business money. A business in a competitive industry, such as hospitality, must have a competitive advantage, an IT factor: Why would someone come to my hostel over yours? For Cats, it is their atmosphere. They are the best in the business at making the stay as entertaining as possible for each guest. They they are offer a club, newly renovated rooms, a movie watching room, and a range of activities (beer pong tournament, tapas tour, city tour pub crawl, themed parties, and karaoke) offered every night. Each of the previous activities are tailored to their target audience of younger people ranged from 18-25. Right there they have already established their target audience and how to draw their attention.

Another large factor in the hospitality industry, just like any other industry, is technology. Cats has already done the most important thing which is have a great online presence. When tourists look for a place to stay they will search “hostels in Madrid”, when they see Cats Hostel towards the top of that list with high reviews they are almost surely going to check out their website. Furthermore, the website needs to laid out well in order to ensure an ease of navigation. In my book, Cats would receive a 10/10 for their website and their online presence. The previous two technologies have been based around the customer’s experience. There is another half of the technology which is company based. For example, how they sort their customer data, and their inventory management are two necessities in order to have a successful hostel. Although I cannot speak on behalf of the company due to the fact I have not begun work yet, I am confident their systems are running well and they can keep track of everything they need.

I work for a unique company in the fact that I there are people from all over the world staying at my work. There are some competencies that the hospitality industry must be proficient in related to the Spanish culture, however they also must respect everyone who comes and visits. Each European culture is different from the others, and countries outside Europe obviously have different values and practices. A hostel has the difficult task of staying true to its roots, in this case Spanish, while also respecting and valuing cultures from all over the world. The way Cats and the rest of the industry carries out this difficult task is providing Spanish goods while not pushing their culture on their onto their guests. For example, the rooms are relatively neutral; they are very colorful and lively, but there are not “Spanish” things all over your temporary home.

I wish I could give more of an in-depth look into the industry, but the web only gives me so much to work with. With the coming days and weeks I will learn the important business practices to keep a hostel running well while being in an extremely competitive industry. I am excited to begin work and through the other blog posts I will expose more information about Cats and the entire industry as I learn!