Hotels and the Tourist Industry - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 07 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–34 One Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 35–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
A company providing luxury serviced apartments aims to:
• cater specifically for 35 travellers
• provide a stylish 36 for guests to use
• set a trend throughout the 37 which becomes permanent
Traditional holiday hotels attract people by:
• offering the chance to 38 their ordinary routine life
• making sure that they are cared for in all respects – like a 39
• leaving small treats in their rooms – e.g. cosmetics or 40
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | B | 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 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that even in the most expensive hotels, a guest might wake up feeling confused and find that the fancy room makes them feel sad and lonely. Answer Explanation: The answer means that guests in a very expensive hotel might feel sad or unhappy during their stay. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker describes a guest waking up in a luxury hotel and finding the environment 'empty and dispiriting'. The word 'dispiriting' means something that makes you lose your enthusiasm or feel unhappy, which is similar to feeling 'depressed'. Additionally, the transcript says research shows these hotels often fail to make guests feel at home, which contributes to this negative experience. |
| Q32 | B | 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 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that research found even very fancy hotels do not realize how important it is for guests to feel like they are at home in a place that feels safe and friendly. Answer Explanation: The answer means that high-end hotels often fail to make their guests feel relaxed and at home. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the lecturer discusses research showing that very expensive hotels often forget a very basic human need. This need is to feel at home in a place that feels friendly and familiar. In English, a place that is 'familiar and inviting' is a 'comfortable environment.' The text uses the word 'underestimated' to show that hotels 'overlook' or don't value this enough. |
| Q33 | A | The company's research covered a whole range of different hotel types, both independent hotels and those which are part of large chains | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the study looked at many different types of hotels, including those that are one-of-a-kind and those that belong to big companies. Answer Explanation: The answer means the research looked at many different kinds of hotels instead of just one type. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is right because the text says the study covered a 'whole range' of different hotel types. This included small, separate hotels as well as big hotel groups in many locations like cities, the countryside, and by the sea. The phrase 'wide variety' is a synonym for 'whole range.' |
| Q34 | C | And the research concluded that what was outside the hotel building simply didn't matter | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that research found that the location outside of the hotel did not have any importance to the guests. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the area around the hotel does not change how a guest feels. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the lecturer talks about a study that looked at many different hotel locations, such as busy cities, the quiet countryside, and tropical beaches. The research found that the area outside the building 'simply didn't matter' to the guests. In English, if something 'doesn't matter,' it means it has no effect or is not important. |
| Q35 | business | Those in the business travel industry maintain that these serviced apartments dispense with all the unwanted and expensive hotel services that business travellers don't want, while maximising the facilities they do want | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people who work in the travel industry believe these apartments are better for workers. They remove useless costs and focus on what people traveling for work really enjoy. Answer Explanation: The answer shows that the apartments are made for people who are traveling because of their jobs. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the text specifically mentions 'business travellers' when discussing who these luxury serviced apartments are meant for. The lecture explains that these apartments focus on the facilities that people traveling for work actually want, rather than expensive services they do not use. |
| Q36 | kitchen | For example, not only sleeping and living accommodation, but also a sleek modern kitchen that allows guests to cook and entertain if they wish, at no additional cost | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that these apartments give guests a beautiful, contemporary room for cooking and hosting guests. This shows that the kitchen is a key feature provided for the people staying there. Answer Explanation: The answer is kitchen, which is a room where people prepare and cook food. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is kitchen because the transcript discusses luxury serviced apartments that offer more than just a bed. It mentions they include a 'sleek modern' area for cooking. In the notes, the word 'stylish' is used as a synonym for 'sleek modern'. Therefore, the item provided for the guests' use is the kitchen. |
| Q37 | world | The attractions of such facilities are obvious and it'll be interesting to see whether the company manages to establish a trend all over the world and make a lasting impact on the luxury accommodation market | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that it will be interesting to see if the company can make this new way of staying in luxury apartments popular across the whole planet and keep it that way for a long time. Answer Explanation: The answer is the planet Earth or everywhere on a global scale. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'world' because the speaker mentions that a company providing serviced apartments hopes to 'establish a trend all over the world'. In the notes, 'set a trend' is a synonym for 'establish a trend', and 'throughout the world' matches the idea of being 'all over' it. The phrase 'make a lasting impact' in the transcript also relates to the note's description that the trend 'becomes permanent'. |
| Q38 | escape | Firstly, hotels exploit people's need to escape the predictability of their everyday lives | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that hotels take advantage of the human desire to leave behind the things they usually do every day and experience something different. Answer Explanation: The answer 'escape' means to get away from a situation that is boring or the same every day. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'escape' because the speaker discusses how hotels attract customers by letting them move away from their normal, daily cycles. The speaker mentions that hotels use the fact that people want to get away from their 'predictability of their everyday lives,' which is another way to say an 'ordinary routine life.' |
| Q39 | baby | Secondly, there is something very powerful in our need to be pampered and looked after, it's almost as if we return to being a baby, when everything was done for us and we felt safe and secure | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that being at a hotel makes people feel like a very young child because other people do everything for them, making them feel protected and happy. Answer Explanation: The answer "baby" refers to a very young child who needs adults to look after them. In this lecture, it describes an adult feeling like a child because hotel staff take care of all their needs. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "baby" because the speaker discusses the psychology of why people enjoy luxury hotels. They explain that humans have a strong desire to be "pampered" or "looked after." This feeling of having every need met by someone else makes a person feel like they have returned to an early stage of life where they were safe and cared for by others. The keyword "pampered" is a synonym for being treated with extreme care and attention, which is a main point of the text. |
| Q40 | chocolate | And not far removed from this is the pleasure in being spoilt and given little treats - like the miniscule bottles of shampoo and tiny bars of soap, the chocolate on your pillow at night - and we actually forget that we are paying for it all | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people enjoy receiving small gifts at hotels, like tiny soaps or chocolate on the pillow, which makes them feel looked after. Answer Explanation: The answer is a sweet food that hotels leave in a guest's room as a small gift. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "chocolate" because the speaker explains how luxury hotels try to make guests feel special by giving them small gifts. In the talk, these gifts are called "little treats." The speaker gives examples of these treats, such as small bottles of soap and a piece of chocolate left on the bed at night. |
Transcript
Good morning everyone. Today's lecture forms part of the Hospitality and Tourism module. 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. Let's consider the following scenario . . .
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. 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. 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.
Do these findings, however, apply only to hotels situated in particular areas? Is it possible that the external environment can affect a guest's well-being? The company's research covered a whole range of different hotel types, both independent hotels and those which are part of large chains. 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. And the research concluded that what was outside the hotel building simply didn't matter. 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.
But back to the main point of this lecture . . . the need to feel at home. What can the hotel industry do about it? And is the very idea so subjective that it's impossible to do anything about it on a global basis?
However, nothing stands still in this world. One company has come up with the slogan 'Take Your Home With You', and aims to provide clients with luxury serviced apartments. Those in the business travel industry maintain that these serviced apartments dispense with all the unwanted and expensive hotel services that business travellers don't want, while maximising the facilities they do want. For example, not only sleeping and living accommodation, but also a sleek modern kitchen that allows guests to cook and entertain if they wish, at no additional cost. The attractions of such facilities are obvious and it'll be interesting to see whether the company manages to establish a trend all over the world and make a lasting impact on the luxury accommodation market.
Now, finally I want to consider the psychology underpinning the traditional holiday hotel industry. As a hotelier, how do you go about attracting people to give up the security of their own home and entrust themselves to staying in a completely strange place and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed? Firstly, hotels exploit people's need to escape the predictability of their everyday lives. For a few days people can pretend they are free of responsibilities and can indulge themselves. Secondly, there is something very powerful in our need to be pampered and looked after, it's almost as if we return to being a baby, when everything was done for us and we felt safe and secure. And not far removed from this is the pleasure in being spoilt and given little treats - like the miniscule bottles of shampoo and tiny bars of soap, the chocolate on your pillow at night - and we actually forget that we are paying for it all!
Next week, I'm going to look at eco-hotels, a fairly new phenomenon but increasingly popular . . .