Hotel

A hotel is a place where people can stay for a short time for a fee. Hotels have different kinds of rooms, from simple rooms with just a bed to big rooms with comforts like a small kitchen, a TV, and a private bathroom. Some hotels are small and have only basic services, while others are large and have extra features such as swimming pools, gyms, restaurants, and places to hold meetings or events.

The idea of hotels started a long time ago with places called inns in medieval Europe. These inns were used by people who traveled by horse and carriage. Over time, hotels as we know them today began to appear, especially in Western Europe and North America in the early 1800s. Today, hotels come in many types, including luxury hotels, boutique hotels, and economy hotels, each offering different levels of comfort and service.

Hotels are usually run by a general manager and a team of workers who help with different jobs like serving food, cleaning rooms, and managing the business side of things. Some famous hotels have become well-known because of movies, books, or other popular stories. Whether you are traveling for business or fun, hotels are important places that provide comfortable places to stay.

Etymology

The word hotel comes from the French word hôtel. In French, hôtel used to mean a place that cared for visitors. Over time, its meaning changed to what we now think of as a hotel. In French, hôtel particulier means the older use of the word. The French spelling once had a special mark above the "o," but this is rarely used in English today. The word hotel is often said with "The" at the start, like in "The Astoria Hotel."

History

Hotels have a long history, going back to early times. In places like ancient Greco-Roman culture and Persia, people built places to rest near natural springs. Japan’s Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is the world’s oldest hotel, started in 705.

During the Middle Ages, monasteries and abbeys often gave shelter to travelers. The inn, an early kind of hotel, appeared in medieval Europe. These places gave food, a place to sleep, and care for travelers’ horses. Famous examples in London include the George and the Tabard.

In the 1600s, coaching inns became popular stops for travelers on stagecoaches, giving fresh horses and meals. By the 1700s, inns began to focus more on wealthier guests and got more luxurious. The modern hotel business started with small hotels and chalets in Europe, like the Royal Clarence in Exeter, opened in 1768.

The 1800s saw hotels spread across Western Europe and North America. Luxury hotels like the Tremont House in Boston and the Savoy Hotel in London became famous for their good service. These grand hotels had dining, social spaces, and comfortable rooms, attracting wealthy travelers from all over.

In the United States, hotels in the 1800s and mid-1900s housed people from all walks of life, offering short and longer stays. Laws like Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped make sure hotels gave fair service to everyone, no matter their race, religion, or where they came from. ^{: 40  : 1–4}

International scale

Hotels welcome travelers from everywhere. People travel to many countries, and hotels make sure everyone feels welcome, no matter where they are from or what language they speak.

Facilities

Hotels have different features based on their price, location, and purpose. These features can be inside or outside the guest rooms.

Guest rooms

Every hotel has private rooms for guests to sleep in. Many hotels have a bed, but some, like Japanese ryokan and Korean ondol rooms, use futons or mats that can be moved during the day. Most rooms have doors that lock for privacy. Guests usually get a physical key or an electronic key to their room. Some rooms share a bathroom, while others have their own private bathroom.

Hotels usually provide bedding and towels, which are washed between guests. The staff cleans the rooms daily, and some hotels offer an extra service called turndown service before bedtime.

Guest rooms often include extra items like television sets, hair dryers, desks, chairs, Wi-fi, and free personal care products.

Additional facilities

Outside the rooms, hotels usually have a reception desk where guests can check in and out and ask for help. Many hotels also have restaurants and bars, and some let you order food to your room through room service.

For staying healthy, hotels might have swimming pools, fitness rooms, saunas, and spas. Hotels that host events like conferences often have meeting rooms of different sizes, from small ones to large banquet halls or exhibit halls.

Types

Hotels can be different based on their quality, size, and location.

Hotel ratings show quality, like extra services and how good the staff is. A higher-rated hotel might have a spa, while a lower-rated one might just have a TV in each room. Ratings can change depending on where you are.

Hotels also differ based on why people visit. Some people travel for work or meetings, while others travel for fun, like tourism. Many hotels welcome both types of guests, offering different services on weekdays and weekends.

International luxury

International luxury hotels provide very high-quality services and top-notch care. They are usually found in big cities or capitals and have a Five Diamond or Five Star rating. Examples include Grand Hyatt, Conrad, and InterContinental.

Lifestyle luxury resorts

Lifestyle luxury resorts focus on giving guests a special experience. They are also rated as luxury hotels. Examples include Waldorf Astoria, St. Regis, and Wynn Resorts.

Upscale full-service

Upscale full-service hotels offer many services and facilities, like restaurants, meeting rooms, fitness centers, and business services. They range from upscale to luxury quality. Examples include W Hotels, Sheraton, and Langham.

Boutique

Boutique hotels are smaller, independent hotels with unique settings and full services. They usually have 100 rooms or fewer.

Focused or select service

These hotels are small to medium-sized and offer fewer amenities, often targeting specific types of travelers like business people. They might not have things like a restaurant or pool. Examples include Hyatt Place, Holiday Inn, and Courtyard by Marriott.

Economy and limited service

These are small to medium-sized hotels with very few amenities, offering basic, no-frills accommodations for budget travelers. They often don’t have a restaurant but might offer a simple breakfast. Examples include Ibis Budget, Hampton by Hilton, and Holiday Inn Express.

Extended stay

Extended stay hotels provide longer-term accommodations with full services. They often have weekly rates for people staying a bit longer. Examples include Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and Homewood Suites by Hilton.

Timeshare and destination clubs

Timeshare and destination clubs let people own a piece of a hotel for use during certain times of the year. They often have many amenities like pools and restaurants. Examples include Hilton Grand Vacations and Marriott Vacation Club International.

Motel

Motels are small, low-rise hotels built for travelers driving by. They often have rooms you can access straight from the parking lot. Popular in the 1950s and 1960s, many have now joined bigger hotel chains. Examples include EconoLodge, Motel 6, and Super 8.

Microstay

Some hotels offer microstays, where guests can book a room for less than 24 hours, choosing their own check-in time and length of stay. This started in Europe and is now common in busy tourist spots.

Management

Hotel management is a popular job and a subject taught in schools. Students can learn about it through classes like hospitality management studies, a business degree, or other training.

In most hotels, there is a leader called the general manager. They work with other leaders who manage different parts of the hotel, middle managers, administrative staff, and supervisors who watch over daily work. How jobs are set up changes based on the size and type of hotel, and who owns or runs it.

Unique and specialty hotels

Historic inns and boutique hotels

Boutique hotels are special hotels that feel unique or cozy. Some are famous because of tradition, like Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany. Some hotels are known for creating famous foods or drinks, like the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where the Waldorf Salad was first made.

Some hotels become well-known because of movies or books, like the Ritz Hotel in London.

Resort hotels

Some hotels are built as fun places to visit, like those near casinos, amusement parks, or beaches.

On the Las Vegas Strip, there are many huge and fancy hotels close together.

Bunker hotels

The Null Stern Hotel in Teufen, Appenzellerland, Switzerland, and the Concrete Mushrooms in Albania are old underground shelters that are now used as hotels.

Cave hotels

Hotels like the Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón in Guadix, Spain, and some in Cappadocia, Turkey, are built inside natural caves. The Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia, is dug into old mineral mines.

Cliff hotels

These hotels are built on cliffs near the ocean but high up, giving guests great views and privacy.

Capsule hotels

Capsule hotels are a cheap type of hotel that started in Japan. Guests sleep in small, stackable rooms.

Day room hotels

Some hotels offer day rooms for people to rent during the day. These are often used by travelers.

Garden hotels

Garden hotels often start as old buildings with beautiful gardens and later become fancy hotels. Examples include Gravetye Manor in Britain and the Abbasi Hotel in Iran.

Ice, snow and igloo hotels

Main article: Ice hotel

The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, was the world’s first ice hotel, built every winter and melted each spring. Other ice hotels include the Hotel de Glace in Canada and snow hotels in Finland. Some places in Lapland, Finland, even have glass rooms where guests can see the night sky.

Portable modular hotels

In 2021, a company in New York made new modular hotel rooms that can be moved and set up quickly. These rooms can be added to hotels to make more space when needed.

Referral hotel

Main article: Referral chain

A referral hotel is a group of hotels that share a brand but are owned by the hotels themselves. Best Western is one of the biggest examples.

Railway hotels

"Station Hotel" redirects here. For the hotel in York, see Royal Station Hotel.

Further information: Category:Railway hotels

The first railway hotel was the Great Western Hotel, built next to a train station in 1844. Many big train companies built grand hotels at their stations, like the Midland Hotel, Manchester and hotels above train stations in London.

Straw bale hotels

The Maya Guesthouse in the Swiss Alps is the first hotel in Europe made entirely from straw bales. Because of the thick walls, it doesn’t need extra heating or cooling.

Treehouse hotels

Some hotels are built in trees, like Treehotel in Sweden, the Treetops Hotel in Kenya, and Ariau Towers in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

Underwater hotels

Some hotels have rooms underwater, like Utter Inn in Sweden. Other plans, like Hydropolis in Dubai, would have rooms deep under the ocean.

Overwater hotels

Some islands have hotels built over the water, with rooms that stretch out over the sea. The Maldives has many of these special hotels.

Yurt hotels

Yurts are round homes that let in sunlight during the day and moonlight at night.

Other specialty hotels

• The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, looks like a ship’s sail.
• The Library Hotel in New York City has ten floors, each matching a category from a system used to organize books.
• Hotels like the Jailhotel Löwengraben in Switzerland and the Liberty Hotel in Boston were once prisons.
• The Luxor hotel in Las Vegas is shaped like a pyramid.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong is very tall, with rooms starting on the 102nd floor.
• The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore has a very long swimming pool that looks like it goes off the edge of a tall building.
• Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland has glass rooms where guests can watch the Northern Lights.
• The former ship RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California is now a hotel.
• The Wigwam Motels have rooms shaped like small houses or tents.
• The Bus Collective in Singapore is made from old buses turned into hotel rooms.

Records

Largest

See also: List of largest hotels in the world

In 2006, Guinness World Records named the First World Hotel in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, as the world's largest hotel. It has many rooms, more than any other hotel.

Oldest

The oldest hotel that is still open is the Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi, Japan. It opened in the year AD 707.

Highest

The Rosewood Guangzhou is the highest hotel in the world. It is in the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China.

Most expensive purchase

In 2014, the Anbang Insurance Group from China bought the Waldorf Astoria New York in Manhattan for a lot of money, the most ever paid for a hotel.

Long term residence

Some people choose to live in hotels for a long time. They might stay in special apartment hotels or regular hotels. Hotels are a good choice because they don’t need long agreements or applications. This can help people without a fixed home, like workers far from home or frequent travelers. Hotels also save people from home repairs and offer services like cleaning, meals, pools, and gyms.

Famous people have also lived in hotels for many years. For example, designer Coco Chanel spent over 30 years in the Hôtel Ritz in Paris, and inventor Nikola Tesla lived his last years in the New Yorker Hotel. Many others, including actors, composers, and business leaders, have called hotels their home for long periods.