Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid <a href="/facts/Lodging/s80YAHy6">lodging</a> on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large <a href="/facts/Suite_(hotel)/YTyFDl9S">suites</a> with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a <a href="/facts/Refrigerator/TGb5ozLY">refrigerator</a>, and other kitchen facilities, <a href="/facts/Upholster/nHeTqDfz">upholstered</a> chairs, a television, and <a href="/facts/En-suite/bFgLMx63">en-suite bathrooms</a>. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, a business center with computers, printers, and other office equipment, childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, <a href="/facts/Gym/qNkSeNIU">gymnasium</a>, restaurants, day spa, and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually <a href="/facts/Room_number/hCXL6N3N">numbered</a> (or named in some smaller hotels and <a href="/facts/Bed_and_breakfast/Uj8Xhx7E">B&Bs</a>) to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/Capsule_hotel/4mTF8tck">capsule hotels</a> provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities.
The precursor to the modern hotel was the <a href="/facts/Inn/yjkr73jX">inn</a> of <a href="/facts/Medieval_Europe/RqzEKB9v">medieval Europe</a>. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, <a href="/facts/Coaching_inn/7fKFjv87">coaching inns</a> served as a place for lodging for <a href="/facts/Coach_(carriage)/fVA4HkcX">coach</a> travelers. Inns began to cater to wealthier clients in the mid-18th century. One of the first hotels in a modern sense was opened in <a href="/facts/Exeter/yTQmILuj">Exeter</a> in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout <a href="/facts/Western_Europe/YmWlV59w">Western Europe</a> and <a href="/facts/North_America/djNjCQIl">North America</a> in the early 19th century, and luxury hotels began to spring up in the later part of the 19th century, particularly in the United States.
Hotel operations vary in size, function, complexity, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set industry standards to classify hotel types. An upscale full-service hotel facility offers <a href="/facts/Luxury_goods/WGfwoF5a">luxury</a> amenities, full-service accommodations, an on-site <a href="/facts/Restaurant/UHmMUjln">restaurant</a>, and the highest level of personalized service, such as a <a href="/facts/Concierge/I3MpWueN">concierge</a>, <a href="/facts/Room_service/1hloTu3S">room service</a>, and <a href="/facts/Clothes_iron/FnWw3IC2">clothes-ironing</a> staff. <a href="/facts/Conference_and_resort_hotels/1vzlzK6q">Full-service hotels</a> often contain upscale full-service facilities with many full-service accommodations, an on-site full-service <a href="/facts/Restaurant/UHmMUjln">restaurant</a>, and a variety of on-site <a href="/facts/Amenity/nVqoHrCt">amenities</a>. <a href="/facts/Boutique_hotel/WJfSqolc">Boutique hotels</a> are smaller independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer a limited amount of on-site amenities. Economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. <a href="/facts/Extended_stay_hotel/Qa0k8zsE">Extended stay hotels</a> are small to medium-sized hotels that offer longer-term full-service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel.
<a href="/facts/Timeshare/gScNWStu">Timeshare</a> and <a href="/facts/Destination_clubs/SB6AJnf6">destination clubs</a> are a form of property ownership involving ownership of an individual unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A <a href="/facts/Motel/yxXLw0DA">motel</a> is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to individual rooms from the car parking area. <a href="/facts/Boutique_hotel/WJfSqolc">Boutique hotels</a> are typically hotels with a unique environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels and motels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture. Some hotels are built specifically as destinations in themselves, for example <a href="/facts/Casino/m65BabkE">casinos</a> and holiday <a href="/facts/Resort/X1zuVL8y">resorts</a>.
Most hotel establishments are run by a <a href="/facts/General_manager/uE7S76hf">general manager</a> who serves as the head executive (often referred to as the "<a href="/facts/Hotel_manager/B4eayS90">hotel manager</a>"), overseeing the entire operation and ensuring all departments function cohesively, department heads who oversee various departments within a hotel (e.g., food service), <a href="/facts/Middle_manager/YFj8KNFd">middle managers</a>, <a href="/facts/Administration_of_business/Sj3A56z1">administrative</a> staff, and line-level supervisors. Each department head manages their specific area, trains staff, handles departmental budgets, and ensures their team delivers quality service that aligns with the hotel’s standards. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by hotel size, function and class, and is often determined by hotel ownership and managing companies.

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Hotel