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Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging, usually on a
short-term basis. Hotels often provide a number of additional guest
services such as a restaurant, a swimming pool or childcare. Some hotels
have conference services and meeting rooms and encourage groups to hold
conventions and meetings at their location.
In Australia, the word may also refer to a pub or bar. In the UK
similarly, many pubs with "hotel" in their name do not offer
accommodation or even food.
In India, the word may also refer to a restaurant since the best
restaurants were always situated next to a good hotel.
Origins of the term
The word hotel derives from the French hôtel, which referred to a French
version of a townhouse or any other building seeing frequent visitors,
not a place offering accommodation (in contemporary usage, hôtel has the
meaning of "hotel", and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning).
The French spelling (with the circumflex) was once also used in English,
but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' once preceding the 't'
in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time received a new, but
closely related meaning.
Services and facilities
Basic accommodation of a room with only a bed, a cupboard, a small table
and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with en-suite
bathrooms and, more commonly in the United States than elsewhere,
climate control. Other features found may be a telephone, an alarm
clock, a TV, and broadband Internet connectivity. Food and drink may be
supplied by a mini-bar (which often includes a small refrigerator)
containing snacks and drinks (to be paid for on departure), and tea and
coffee making facilities (cups, spoons, an electric kettle and sachets
containing instant coffee, tea bags, sugar, and creamer or milk).
Some hotels offer various combinations of meals as part of a room and
board arrangement. These are often advertised as:
European Plan no meals are included, or only a minimal breakfast
American Plan all meals included (full board)
Modified American Plan option of breakfasts and dinners
In the United Kingdom a hotel is required by law to serve food and
drinks to all comers within certain stated hours; to avoid this
requirement it is not uncommon to come across "private hotels" which are
not subject to this requirement.
However, in Japan the capsule hotel supplies minimal facilities and room
space.
Classification
The cost and quality of hotels are usually indicative of the range and
type of services available. Due to the enormous increase in tourism
worldwide during the last decades of the 20th century, standards,
especially those of smaller establishments, have improved considerably.
For the sake of greater comparability, rating systems have been
introduced, with the one to five stars classification being most common.
Boutique hotels
"Boutique Hotel" is a term originating in North America to describe
intimate, usually luxurious or quirky hotel environments. Boutique
hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain or branded hotels by
providing an exceptional and personalized level of accommodation,
services and facilities.
Boutique hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish and/or aspirational
manner. Although usually considerably smaller than a mainstream hotel
(ranging from 3 to 100 guest rooms) boutique hotels are generally fitted
with telephone and wi-fi Internet connections, honesty bars and often
cable/pay TV. Guest services are attended to by 24 hour hotel staff.
Many boutique hotels have on site dining facilities, and the majority
offer bars and lounges which may also be open to the general public.
Of the total travel market a small percentage are discerning travelers,
who place a high importance on privacy, luxury and service delivery. As
this market is typically corporate travelers, the market segment is
non-seasonal, high-yielding and repeat, and therefore one which boutique
hotel operators target as their primary source of income.
Motels
There is no hard and fast rule differentiating motels from other hotels,
although a motel is clearly suggesting that it is aimed at motorists.
This may simply mean that it is a hotel with good access to the road
network (on a motorway or ring road) so that a long car journey need not
be interrupted for long by town-centre traffic. In other cases the
designation is simply an attempt to make the most of a poor location
inconvenient for town-centre services and attractions. Classically,
though, a motel is a hotel which is made convenient for people who, for
whatever personal reason, wish to be able to have quick access from the
outside world (especially from their parked car) to the hotel room -
without passing the scrutiny of a receptionist or fellow guests. This is
usually arranged by having rooms (sometimes in individual chalets or
even trailers) arranged around the car park with room doors opening
directly to the outside rather than to an internal corridor.
Historic hotels
Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting
significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam,
Germany, which derives its fame from the so-called Potsdam Conference of
the World War II allies Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Joseph
Stalin in 1945. Other establishments have given name to a particular
meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York
City, USA, known for its Waldorf Salad or the Raffles Hotel in
Singapore, where the drink Singapore Sling was invented. Another example
is the Hotel Sacher in Vienna Austria, home of the Sachertorte or even
the Hotel de Paris where the crèpe Suzette was invented.
There are also hotels which became much more popular through films like
the Grand Hotel Europe in Saint Petersburg, Russia when James Bond
stayed there in the blockbuster Goldeneye. Cannes hotels such as the
Carlton or the Martinez become the center of the world during Cannes
Film Festival (France).
A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular
culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London, UK ('Putting on The Ritz')
and Hotel Chelsea in New York City, subject of a number of songs and
also the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her
boyfriend Sid Vicious). Hotels that enter folklore like these two are
also often frequented by celebrities, as is the case both with the Ritz
and the Chelsea.
Unusual hotels
Many hotels can be considered destinations in themselves, by dint of
unusual features of the lodging and/or its immediate environment:
Treehouse hotels
Some hotels, such as the Costa Rica Tree House in the Gandoca-Manzanillo
Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, or Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National
Park, Kenya, are built with living trees as structural elements, making
them treehouses.
The Ariau Towers near Manaus, Brazil is in the middle of the Amazon, on
the Rio Negro. Bill Gates even invested and had a suite built there with
satellite internet/phone.
Another hotel with treehouse units is Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos,
Turkey [2].
Another ecological treehouse hotel is in the natural reserve at Rio
Claro , Antioquia, (Colombia).
Cave hotels
Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia and the Cuevas Pedro
Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author) in Guadix, Spain, as well as
several hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey, are notable for being built into
natural cave formations, some with rooms underground.
Capsule hotels
Capsule hotels are a type of economical hotels that are quite common in
Japan.
Ice hotels
Ice hotels, such as the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, melt every
spring and are rebuilt out of ice and snow each winter.
Snow hotels
The Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi
snow castle, which is the biggest in the world. It includes The Mammut
Snow Hotel, The Castle Courtyard, The Snow Restaurant and a chapel for
weddings, etc. Its furnishings and decorations, such as sculptures, are
all made of snow and ice.
A hotel which offers similar accommodation is the Lainio Snow Hotel in
Lapland, near Ylläs, Finland.
Garden hotels
Garden hotels, famous for their gardens before they became hotels,
includes Gravetye Manor, the home of William Robinson and Cliveden,
designed by Charles Barry with a rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe.
Underwater hotels
As of 2005, the only hotel with an underwater room that can be reached
without Scuba diving is Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren, Sweden. It only has
one room, however, and Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, which
requires Scuba diving, is not much bigger.
Hydropolis is an ambitious project to build a luxury hotel in Dubai, UAE,
with 220 suites, all on the bottom of the Persian Gulf, 20 meters (66
feet) below the surface. Its architecture will feature two domes that
break the surface and an underwater train tunnel, all made of
transparent materials such as glass and acrylic.
Other unusual hotels
The Dariush Grand Hotel in Kish Island, Iran, built with the theme of
the world heritage Persepolis.
The Library Hotel in New York City is unique in that its ten floors are
arranged according to the Dewey Decimal System.
The Rogers Centre, formerly SkyDome, in Toronto, Canada is the only
stadium to have a hotel connected to it, with 70 rooms overlooking the
field. West Ham United F.C.in the UK now has a hotel with rooms that
overlook the pitch and sometimes double as executive boxes for important
games, as does Coventry City's Ricoh Arena.
The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built on an
artificial island, is structured in the shape of a sail of a boat.
The RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California is the only 1930s ocean
liner still in existence. Its elegant first-class staterooms are now
used as a hotel.
The Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai houses an extremely expensive hotel
with only 20 rooms.
World-record setting hotels
Tallest
The tallest hotel in the world is thought to be the Burj al-Arab in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 280 metres, which however will soon be
surpassed by the nearby Rose Rotana Suites at 333 meters (1,091 feet).
The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang was intended to reach 330 meters (1,083
feet), but is unlikely to be completed; it has been under construction
since 1987 and was abandoned in 1992. The Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok,
Thailand has a building height of 309 meters, but rooms do not go all
the way to the top.
The highest hotel rooms are in the Grand Hyatt in the Jin Mao Building
in Shanghai, the highest floor being at around 350 m.
Largest
The largest hotel in the world is the MGM Grand Las Vegas in Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA with a total of 6,276 rooms[3] as of December 20, 2006. On
December 18, 2006 Guinness World Records listed the First World Hotel in
Genting Highlands, Malaysia[1] as the world's largest hotel. It has a
total of 6,118 rooms and is part of the Genting Highlands Resort and
Casino. The First World Plaza which is joined to the two hotel towers
boasts 500,000 square feet of indoor theme park, shopping centres,
casino gaming areas, and eateries. Previously, Guinness had listed the
MGM Grand Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA with 5,005 rooms as the
largest hotel in the world.[2]
In the past, other hotels have held the title of largest hotel in the
world, in terms of the number of rooms. Some of these include the
Rossiya Hotel near Moscow's Red Square, and the Ambassador City Jomtien
in Pattaya, Thailand. Other large hotels being considered for
development that may one day take the title are in Penang, Malaysia and
Macau.
Oldest
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest hotel still
in operation is the Hoshi Ryokan, in Awazu, Japan. It opened in 717, and
features hot springs.
Hotel occupations
The owner, chairman, or CEO of a hotel or hotel group is known as a
hotelier.
The front desk, housekeeping, security, valet parking, restaurant,
accounting department, and sales and marketing are common departments of
a mid or large sized hotel.
The night auditor role falls within the front desk department but also
carries some of the responsibilities of the accounting department.
The engineering staff takes care of building repairs and up keep of HVAC
systems, plumbing, fire sprinkler systems, chillers, cooling towers,
pool and spa if applicable, lights, breakers, door locks, C.P.R.,
laundry machines, kitchen walk ins, ice machines, building air handlers,
room repairs and upkeep.
Hotel chains
A hotel chain is a collection or grouping of hotels under one
recognizable brand operated by a management company. Best Western
International claims to be the largest hotel chain in the world, in
terms of the number of properties.
Living in hotels
The American billionaire Howard Hughes lived much of his life in hotels.
He moved with his entourage from hotel to hotel and from Beverly Hills
to Boston before deciding to move to Las Vegas and become a casino
baron. Less than a month after his November 27, 1966 arrival, Hughes
made a public offer to buy the Desert Inn. The hotel's 8th floor became
the nerve center of his empire and the 9th floor penthouse became
Hughes' personal residence. Hughes moved to the Bahamas, Vancouver,
London and several other locations — always taking up residence in the
top floor penthouse of the hotel. Between 1966 and 1968, he also
purchased several other hotel-casinos from the Mafia: Castaways, New
Frontier, The Landmark Hotel and Casino, Sands and Silver Slipper.
Coco Chanel made the Hôtel Ritz in Paris her home for more than thirty
years, until the day of her death, at 87, in a suite now named "Coco
Chanel Suite".
King Peter II of Yugoslavia spent much of the Second World War at
Claridge's, a hotel in London. His son, Aleksandar Karađorđević, was
born in the hotel.
Prince Felix Yusupov lived in the Hotel Melia Vendôme Paris in Paris.
Sultan Said Bin Taimur of Muscat lived at Dorchester Hotel in London
after he was deposed by Qaboos of Oman in 1970, he died in the hotel in
1972.
Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek statesman and diplomat, lived in the Hôtel
Ritz Paris while he was in exile in France from 1935-1936.
Actress Elaine Stritch lives at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City.
Magician Criss Angel lives at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. As
of late 2006 - present in the Presidential suite.
Hotels in fiction
Hotels have been chosen by authors as settings for crime fiction, farce
and mystery works. A hotel is perfect as a mysterious, anonymous setting
where various characters may gather. Hotels also feature in films,
television series, songs and even theme park rides.
Examples:
* Hyperion Hotel
* Grand Hotel
* Room Service
* The Hotel New Hampshire
* Fawlty Towers
* Four Rooms
* White Horse Inn
* Hotelier
* Hotel Babylon
* Hotel California
* Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun
* Hotel Denouement from the Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket
* Hotel Dolphin
* A Caribbean Mystery
* At Bertram's Hotel
* Cyril Hare's Suicide Excepted
* Hotel Rwanda is the name of a movie that involves a real hotel, Hôtel
des Mille Collines, in Rwanda where real events portrayed in the movie
took place
* Hollywood Tower Hotel (ride at Disney-MGM Studios, Orlando, Florida)
* The Overlook Hotel from The Shining
* Hotel
* Hotel Trianon in Graham Greene's The Comedians
* The Leaky Cauldron
* Hotel Dusk
* The television series Las Vegas is set at the fictional Montecito
Resort and Casino
* Crossroads Motel, later Kings Oak Country Hotel and Crossroads Hotel
from the former British soap opera Crossroads
* The Tipton Hotel from the Disney Channel series "The Suite Life of
Zack & Cody"
Hotel rooms as an investment
Some hotels sell individual rooms to investors. The buyer is allowed to
stay in the room without charge or at a reduced rate for a given number
of days each year. The investor is paid a share of the takings for the
room. Rooms can be sold on a leasehold basis, sometimes on a 999 year
lease. Room owners are free to sell at any time.[citation needed]
References
1. ^ Genting's First World Recognized As World's Largest Hotel
2. ^ [1]
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