Print This Article Post Comment Add To Favorites Email to Friends Ezine Ready

How Probability Works In Favor Of Hotels

By: David Shoemaker Home | Business


You might wonder how hotels gain revenue off of the games the hotel features. Hotel manager courses train prospective managers on how to successfully run a hotel and how to make it work in favor of the establishment. Some courses that focus on hotel management explain how hotels use probability to make money. One expert, a Director of Revenue Management for a popular hotel and spa, details exactly how money is made in this particular category of hotels.

Our expert explains that hotels use probability to make their money. They do this by understanding the games and how they are each designed around the probabilities of certain outcomes and their associated payoffs for players. If not for the house advantage that is inherent in hotel games, the hotel business would not exist.

Roulette is a good example of how this works. It takes some arithmetic, but as our expert explains, a roulette wheel has thirty-eight numbers, one through thirty-six and then a zero and a double-zero. If you place a bet on one single number, there is a one in thirty-eight probability that it will come up on the wheel. Now, the hotel pays you thirty-five times your bet if your number comes up. Although that sounds great, for this to be a completely fair game, the hotel would need to pay you thirty-seven times your bet. This is because in the long run, for every thirty-eight bets you make, you are expected to win once and lose thirty-seven times.

Hotel manager courses show future managers how hotels use the house advantage. According to our expert's roulette explanation, if the hotel paid you fairly, you'd expect to break even over time. Instead, the difference between the true probability of the game and what the hotel pays you creates a 5.26 advantage for the house. Over time, you will lose 5.26 cents for every dollar you bet on roulette. This general concept is often referred to as the "Expected Value of a Decision."

Hospitality manager courses for hotel managers explain that this roulette example holds true for other hotel games as well. One thing that is important to understand about hotel games in general is that events are usually independent of each other. In other words, a player might see that the roulette wheel has come up on black many times in recent spins. Contrary to what that person may think, this does not mean that black is on a "hot streak" and has a good chance of coming up again. On the other hand, someone may think the fact black has come up so many times means that red is due to come up on the next spin or try. The truth is that neither of these presumptions is true. The probability of red coming up on the next spin is always about one in two - a little bit worse than 50% because of the green zero and double-zero.

As our expert explains, an interesting exception to this rule is in blackjack, when players sometimes try to keep track of the cards that have been drawn out of the deck. This is known as card counting, where players try to adjust their bets based on what they've seen in previous hands. Although this is very difficult, successful card counters can actually turn the odds in their favor and create a positive expected value. This is why hotels are careful to look out for card counters. The only game where a player can legally manipulate the odds is in a card game where it is played against other players, not the hotel.

It is important to remember the rules of probability and the way players work with it as well. Hospitality management courses will help you understand probability in terms of making or losing money for the hotel. If you understand how the games are run and how players view their chances of winning, you can ensure your hotel gains the revenue it expects. This is how hotels have maintained their success and continue to increase their attractiveness.




Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

About the Author:
David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on hotel manager courses, hospitality manager courses, hospitality management courses, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

Tags: , ,

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Business Articles Via RSS!

Recent Related Articles From Business

  • Career In Hotel Management Part - 2
    By: Anir ban | Dec 9th 2009
    Hospitality industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade and its still growing.Demand for manpower in this industry therefore is immense.Hotels require trained staff for all its departments like Food & beverage, Housekeeping etc. So make your career in Hotel Management. Read

  • Make A Hospitality Career In Hospitality Industry
    By: Hotel Jobs | Mar 25th 2008
    Hospitality Jobs provider. Which is Provide many types of jobs means that full time, part time and more......Hospitality Jobs, Hotel Jobs, Restaurant Jobs, Travel Jobs, Hotel Manager Jobs, Hospitality Employment. Read

  • Tourism Colleges In India
    By: shiksha | Jul 19th 2010
    Travelling has become an important part of the human life. Every human being spends a considerable amount of time in travelling, whether it’s for professional purpose or for personal. Also, with the businesses going global and more and more people expanding their business to various cities, the frequency of people travell ... Read

  • Find The Best Hotel For Booking In Ipoh
    By: Ipoh Boy | Mar 2nd 2010
    If you have been worried about Ipoh hotel booking, we will say that there is no need to worry. There are plenty of hotels found in Ipoh which has emerged as a popular tourist destination in the recent years. Read

  • Hotel Management Colleges In India Proffer Pertinent Growth Prospects For Its Students
    By: Sanjay Joshi | Sep 4th 2010
    In these times, where hospitality sector is thriving and booming at an alarming rate, students are making a beeline to get admitted into the top hotel management colleges in India. Equipped with a hotel management degree, an individual can look forward to work in a plethora of establishments such as restaurants, five star i ... Read

  • Saving Money On Your Next Luxury Hotel Suite
    By: Gunaseelan | Apr 17th 2008
    Luxury hotel suites aren't designed to be cheap, but there are a number of ways in which you can achieve a cost saving on the normal advertised rates. Whether you're looking to rent out a hotel suite for a romantic break, or even for business purposes, there's no need to pay through the nose when a little research and leg ... Read

  • Hotel Star Palace: A Budget Hotel In Delhi
    By: ajay panwar | Aug 14th 2009
    Hotel a name when we heard an image or thought comes in our mind. The luxurious place or just a place to stay when we are out of our home. Every person has his/her different needs.
    So if you are thinking to visit Delhi we have a reputed hotel, Hotel Star Palace. We are committed to provide you with the world class fa ...
    Read

  • How To Get Discounts On Hotel Accommodations
    By: Henry Patterson | Jan 8th 2010
    Include a Bangkok hotel discount while planning your vacation to South East Asia. Do you want to get the best of both worlds? Would you like to blend the exotic with the excellent and have a wonderful vacation? One of the best ways to have a hassle-free vacation is to get discounts on hotel accommodations. Read

  • An Oceanfront Hotel For A Family Vacation Getaway In Bathsheba Barbados
    By: Andrew Watkins | Aug 2nd 2008
    Why not try Bathsheba on the less well known non touristy east coast of Barbados for your family vacation getaway at the New Edgewater HotelAn oceanfront hotel in Barbados for a family vacation getaway doesn't have to be on the popular west coast or the south coast for that matter Read

  • Hotel Booking Online Makes For Easy Business
    By: Andrew Regan | May 18th 2007
    Many top hotels and hotel chains will offer comprehensive online group booking facilities - making your business conference planning all the more productive. Read


Copyright © 2005-2011 eArticlesOnline, LLC - All Rights Reserved
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy