--- title: "Special Series: Hotel Stories from Potluck 04" description: "Hotels sort travelers into GIT (package tour groups) and FIT (independent travelers). FITs spend more and plan obsessively. Korea grades properties by stars, not flowers anymore. Here's the jargon you need." published: 2018-06-04T05:44:59+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Insights" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65d6171592416e8dd0cb27c2_Frame_50.jpg" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=teugbyeolyeonjae-poteureogi-deulryeojuneun-hotel-iyagi-04 locale: en --- # Special Series: Hotel Stories from Potluck 04 #### **04. Hotel Terminology Cheat Sheet** ##### By Potluck ([https://brunch.co.kr/@nicejty0](https://brunch.co.kr/@nicejty0)) Last time we looked at the characteristics of the hospitality business. Today I'll cover industry jargon. Remember these terms next time you're at a hotel — staff might think "this guest knows their stuff" and step up their service game! ### **▶ Inbound / Outbound** Hotels are closely tied to travel and tourism. The tourism market generally breaks into inbound and outbound segments. Inbound means foreign visitors coming into the country. Outbound means domestic travelers heading abroad. So domestic hotels cater to the inbound market. ### **▶ GIT / FIT** Travelers fall into two camps: GIT (Group Inclusive Tourists, package tour groups) and FIT (Free Individual Tourists, independent travelers). GITs are the bus-tour crowds following a guide's flag. FITs plan their own itineraries and book flights, hotels, and attractions independently. You've probably experienced both. GIT tours are cheap and require zero planning, but you're locked into a fixed schedule — and yes, mandatory souvenir shop stops. You wake up early, drag yourself onto a bus, follow the guide around all day, collapse at the hotel late, then repeat. Anyone who's done a GIT tour knows the fatigue. That's why early-stage travel markets lean GIT, but as people gain travel experience they shift to FIT. Hotels prefer FIT guests too — they spend more per booking. Travel begins the moment you start planning. One traveler put it this way: "Sometimes I plan every detail, pack my bags lovingly, walk to the train station with anticipation… and just turn around and go home. The preparation itself felt like the trip." ### **▶ Hotel Ratings** Hotels are graded by facility standards, but there's no universal global system. Each country and region uses different criteria. Rating symbols vary: diamonds (USA), crowns (UK), stars (Europe). Korea switched from mugunghwa flowers to stars in 2014. Most systems use five tiers. (6-star or 7-star properties? Marketing language. Legally they're still 5-star — just claiming to exceed typical 5-star standards.) Here's a quick look at Korea's official rating criteria: ![스크린샷 2018-06-08 오후 3.22.25.png](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ef37b6a1c4faf0548d_62e767701cbbc7752e3e14b4_5e9430085f8678c03a659396_e18489e185b3e1848fe185b3e18485e185b5e186abe18489e185a3e186ba-2018-06-08-e1848be185a9e18492e185ae-3-22-25.png) ### ▶ **ADR / Occ. / RevPAR** The two key levers for hotel revenue are ADR (Average Daily Room rate) and Occ. (Occupancy rate). How do you maximize revenue? Raise rates? Boost occupancy? Both. They're interdependent. Raise rates too high, occupancy drops. Lower rates, occupancy climbs. That's why the industry uses **RevPAR** (Revenue Per Available Room — total room revenue divided by total rooms) as the primary performance metric. **Finding the sweet spot between rate and occupancy is the core challenge in hotel operations.** Large hotels employ dedicated Revenue Managers who adjust pricing dynamically. Booking timing matters hugely. Typically rooms go live months before check-in at lower prices, then rates adjust as the date approaches. High demand? Smaller discounts to maximize ADR. Low demand? Deeper discounts to lift occupancy. Weekday/weekend and peak/off-peak strategies also matter. On high-demand weekends and peak seasons, prioritize high-paying FITs. On slow weekdays and off-peak periods, fill rooms with GIT groups to keep occupancy up. ### Other Common Terms **▶ No Show** A guest with a confirmed reservation who never arrives. (Restaurants face this too. Honoring your reservation is basic etiquette.) **▶ Go Show** A standby guest waiting for a room to open up from cancellations or no-shows when the hotel is fully booked. **▶ Walk-In** A guest who arrives without a reservation. **▶ All Inclusive** A package covering all on-site amenities and services. (Think Club Med or PIC resorts in Guam/Saipan.) **▶ Accommodation** Catch-all term for lodging properties: hotels, resorts, etc. **▶ Complimentary** Free of charge. Bottled water tagged "Complimentary" is free. Same bottle without the tag? You'll be charged if you drink it. **▶ Amenity** Disposable toiletries provided in-room (soap, shampoo, comb, lotion, etc.). Free, and you can request more at no extra cost. ![스크린샷 2018-06-08 오후 3.24.32](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ef37b6a1c4faf05495_62e767701cbbc713623e14b3_5e94300765892b6c8e18bdb5_e18489e185b3e1848fe185b3e18485e185b5e186abe18489e185a3e186ba-2018-06-08-e1848be185a9e18492e185ae-3-24-32.png) **▶ Banquet** Event or conference halls for functions and celebrations. **▶ DO NOT DISTURB / MAKE UP** You know these from travel. Door hanger cards: "Do Not Disturb" means don't clean yet, I'm resting. "Make Up" means please clean the room. ▶ **Housekeeping** The department managing room upkeep. When someone knocks and calls "Housekeeping," they're checking if you're in the room during cleaning hours. **▶ Pantry** A small prep kitchen scattered around the hotel — not the main kitchen, but for light food prep. **▶ Linen** Fabric goods: towels, bed/pillow sheets, tablecloths, etc. **▶ EFL (Executive Floor Lounge)** A lounge for loyalty members or suite guests offering complimentary light meals, drinks, and internet access. ![스크린샷 2018-06-08 오후 3.24.46.png](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ef37b6a1c4faf05492_62e767701cbbc749bb3e14b6_5e943008f70fbbfb490fee86_e18489e185b3e1848fe185b3e18485e185b5e186abe18489e185a3e186ba-2018-06-08-e1848be185a9e18492e185ae-3-24-461.png) Pro tip: If the price difference is small, **upgrade to an EFL-access room** instead of adding breakfast to a standard room. Hotels = sleeping in. A light breakfast is plenty. Skip the early alarm and buffet guilt-eating that leaves you uncomfortably full. EFLs are quieter, the menu's surprisingly good, and you can lounge with magazines and coffee like at a café. Not 24-hour, but open late enough for lunch or light dinner — often more economical than you'd think. That's it for basic terms today. Next installment I'll cover hotel types and key facilities (rooms, restaurants) with more vocabulary. One last tip for hotel restaurant dining: The formal place setting at round tables can be confusing — plates, multiple forks and spoons. Simple rule: **use utensils from the outside in, matching the course order.** Settings are arranged outward-to-inward by course sequence. Bread and water placement trips people up. Remember: **"Bread left, water right."** Bread is on your left, water on your right. ![스크린샷 2018-06-08 오후 3.52.47.png](https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65a407ef37b6a1c4faf05498_62e767701cbbc7d5053e14b5_5e943008333832dbfc43a95f_e18489e185b3e1848fe185b3e18485e185b5e186abe18489e185a3e186ba-2018-06-08-e1848be185a9e18492e185ae-3-52-47.png) #### **\[Series Index\]** [2018.03 The Origins and History of Hotels](https://onda.me/magazine/15/post/1018) [2018.04 The Evolution of Korea's Accommodation Industry](https://onda.me/magazine/16/post/1107) [2018.05 Characteristics of the Hotel Business](https://onda.me/magazine/17/post/1197) **2018.06 Hotel Terminology Cheat Sheet** 2018.07 Core Hotel Functions and Facilities 2018.08 Hotel Operating Models 2018.09 Understanding Hotel Brands 2018.10 Accommodation Development/Operations Success Stories (1) 2018.11 Accommodation Development/Operations Success Stories (2) 2018.12 Accommodation Development/Operations Success Stories (3) 2019.01 Accommodation Development/Operations Success Stories (4) ## [View Full Magazine Edition <<](http://bit.ly/magazineon18)