The beginnings of the hotel business (2-2)
Francis Léonard
CEO Tip&Go (USA Canada) - Are you ready to tackle the labor shortage? Tip&Go THE E-tipping solution !
The beginnings of the hotel business
(2-2)
?This article follows the one I published last week on the beginnings of the hotel business and completes this brief overview. Enjoy ??!
?Unlike the inns of the time, which served as stopping-off points for itinerant travelers and pilgrims, hotels are vacation resorts. They offer services not available in the old inns, such as a restaurant, bar or smoking room, billiard room and lounge. Facilities such as bathrooms and elevators are also an integral part of a hotel.
In 1937, in order to distinguish hotel establishments, France introduced a classification system with stars that still exists today. To qualify as a tourist hotel, the establishment must meet certain criteria laid down in the French Tourism Code. For example, 4 and 5-star hotels are subject to surprise visits (dinner, overnight stay, breakfast)[3] . Some hotels around the world are so luxurious that they claim to be 7-star, like Dubai's famous Burj Al Arab[4] . This hotel is said to have cost the modest sum of 3.9 billion dollars to build. The hotel boasts private beaches, large private gardens and some of its suites are covered in gold and marble. A night in this hotel costs approximately $12,000! For those interested...
The tourist hotel industry took off in the aftermath of the Second World War, with the diversification of the offer (appart-hotels, hotel-casinos, spa hotels, hotel-clubs, motels), and the emergence of hotel chains (first in the United States, then in Europe, and then throughout the world). In the United States alone, nearly 35,000 motels were built between 1939 and 1960.
From 1950 to 1970, the revolution in air transport led to the development of "airport" and "convention" hotels, linked to international business tourism. In the United States, from the 1960s onwards, the Holiday Inn hotel chain expanded in major cities and along major highways, modernizing and popularizing the motel concept that had emerged in the 1920s.
The 1980s saw the emergence of all-suite hotels and their derivatives. This type of accommodation is somewhere between the classic hotel (with fewer services, however) and furnished rentals. They are particularly suited to business tourism.
Towards the end of the 1980s and especially during the following decade, new concepts emerged with boutique hotels (originating in New York and San Francisco), "design" hotels and "lifestyle hotels" found in historic city centers and trendy districts.
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?Like other industries, the hotel industry has been greatly affected by the advent of the Internet.?The Internet gives customers more choice as they can now easily compare hotels, check availability, book without making a payment, and cancel a reservation free of charge. They also have access to reviews and photos from other customers, enabling them to make a more informed choice.
Another important change, which has occurred relatively recently, is the gradual disappearance of cash for transactions. More and more guests are paying by card or cell phone. Hotels are therefore well advised to offer electronic payment solutions to their guests, such as Tip&Go, which enables hotel employees to tip electronically and thus increase their earnings by up to 30%. Quite a plus considering the labor shortage that hotels are currently facing!
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Francis Léonard, CEO