Hotel is an establishment that provides overnight lodging for the public. Its basic service is providing a room to sleep in. But most hotels also have at least one restaurant. Many hotels offer rooms and services for meetings, and some have shops and offer entertainment.
Hotels range in size from large buildings with more than 3,000 rooms to small inns that have as few as 8 to 10 rooms. Small hotels do not offer the range of services provided by the large establishments. However, rooms and meals at most small inns generally cost less than those at large hotels.
Hotels in North America employ about one staff member for every two rooms. The hotel staff works around the clock to make the guests comfortable. The housekeeping staff cleans each room daily. Bellhops carry luggage and packages to the guests’ rooms. The engineering department keeps the hotel’s electricity, plumbing, heat, and air conditioning in good working order. The hotel security department works to prevent fire, theft, and other disturbances.
Some hotel restaurants provide room service, by which guests can have food and beverages brought to their rooms. In certain hotels, guests also can have clothing laundered by the hotel’s valet service.
Motels differ from hotels in that they are designed specifically to serve automobile travelers. Most hotels occupy one multistory building that has a central lobby on the main floor. Guests reach their rooms through the lobby. Motels may consist of one or more buildings and always include a parking lot. Guests can enter their rooms directly from the lot. Many lodging operations offer both full hotel services and parking.
Kinds of hotels.
There are three chief kinds of hotels: (1) commercial hotels, (2) resort hotels, and (3) residential hotels.
Commercial hotels.
Most commercial hotels are near the airport or the downtown area of large or medium-sized cities. These hotels serve mainly business travelers and other people on short trips. Many commercial hotels provide luxurious surroundings and a wide range of services.
The guests in most commercial hotels have a choice of restaurants, ranging from coffee shops to elegant dining rooms. Some of these restaurants offer music, dancing, and other entertainment. Shops in commercial hotels include clothing stores, gift shops, and newsstands. Some hotels have barber shops and beauty salons, and many have swimming pools and health spas. Most commercial hotels have a European plan of payment, which covers only the price of a room.
Many commercial hotels have large rooms that their guests and other groups can use for banquets, conventions, and meetings. The hotel’s catering department provides meals and snacks for such events.
Resort hotels
feature golf, skiing, swimming, and other outdoor activities that attract vacationers. The guests at these establishments stay for periods ranging from a weekend to several weeks. Most resort hotels are near lakes, mountains, or oceans. But many stand within easy reach of large cities and serve as vacation spots for nearby residents. Some operate in conjunction with gambling casinos.
Business is seasonal at most resort hotels. During the winter months, for example, large numbers of people travel to seaside and mountain resorts in tropical areas or go to ski lodges. Many resort hotels use the American plan of payment, which covers lodging and meals.
Resort hotels also provide indoor activities for their guests. Many have bowling alleys, game rooms, and indoor swimming pools and tennis courts. Some resort hotels feature dancing, music, and other entertainment.
Residential hotels
rent one or more rooms to guests for long periods of time. These hotels resemble apartment buildings but also offer meals and maid and valet service. Some residential hotels have small apartments with kitchenettes. Residential hotels called retirement hotels specialize in lodgings for senior citizens. Retirement hotels offer medical care as well as regular hotel services.
History.
The earliest inns were established about 3000 B.C. Most of them were private homes whose owners provided rooms for travelers. Many early innkeepers did not keep the rooms clean, and they provided only crude meals for their guests. Several travelers usually had to share the same room and sometimes even the same bed. The quality of inns, especially of those in England, improved during the A.D. 1700’s, when more people began to travel for pleasure.
The first building in the United States constructed specifically as a hotel was the City Hotel, which opened in New York City in 1794. During the 1800’s, American innkeepers became the leaders in hotel development. At that time, only the wealthy could afford to stay at European hotels. In the United States, however, many hotels offered comfortable, inexpensive lodgings.
Early hotels had many beds, no locks on room doors, and no lobbies. Guests usually entered a hotel through a bar. In 1829, the Tremont House in Boston became the first hotel to provide private rooms with locks. The Tremont also was the first hotel to have a lobby and to offer indoor plumbing.
Hotels expanded their services in the early 1900’s. During that period, Ellsworth M. Statler, an American hotel operator, opened hotels that included many new features. For example, Statler’s hotels provided private baths and full-length mirrors in each room.
Hotels have long been built near transportation centers. In the 1800’s and early 1900’s, when most people traveled by train, many hotels stood near railway stations. A great increase in automobile travel during the 1940’s and 1950’s led to the development of motels, many of which stand near major highways. Today, because many business people travel by airplane, many new hotels are built in city centers and near airports.
During the mid-1900’s, numerous hotels owned by one person or company were built in cities throughout the United States. These hotels make up hotel chains, which can operate more efficiently and at less expense than most independent hotels. All hotels in a chain function the same way and use the same name. Some chains operate hotels in many countries.
Some hotel chains use the franchise system. In this system, a person or company buys the right to own and operate a hotel in the chain. The owner also pays the chain part of the hotel’s income in return for use of the chain’s well-known name and reputation.
In the 1980’s, the lodging industry introduced all-suite hotels. Guests in these hotels may use a bedroom, a living room, and a small kitchen for about the price of a single room elsewhere. The room rate may include breakfast and cocktails.
Home-sharing services became popular in the 2000’s. These companies provide lodgers with accommodation within private homes. In 2004, Couchsurfing International was founded to connect travelers to home-share lodgings without any monetary exchange. Airbnb, a service that lists home shares and other unique rental options, was founded in 2008.
