HISTORY OF HOTEL

HOTELS

Hotel is an establishment that provides lodging and usually

meals and other services for travelers and other paying guests. It

provides paid lodging, usually on a short-term basis. Hotels often

provide a number of additional guest services such as a restaurant,

laundery, a swimming pool o r childcare. Some hotels have

conference services and meeting rooms and encourage groups to

hold conventions, functions and meetings at their location.

A hotel may be called as an establishment where primary

business is to provide to the general public lodging facilities and

which may include one or more of the various services such as food,

beverage, laundry, uniformed services etc. Hence, hotel can also be

called as home but with a vested interest which includes commercial

activities.

Hotels are found in almost all the cities. Hotels operate

twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The principal factor that

determines the guest attitude towards a hotel is service although

other amenities such as room, food and beverages are of equal

importance a tangible determinants.

  Importance of Hotels

1. Hotels play an important role in most countries by providing

facilities for the transaction of business, for meetings and

conferences, for recreation and entertainment. In that sense

hotels are as essential to economies and societies as are

adequate transport, communication and retail distribution

systems for various goods and services. Through their

facilities, hotels contribute to the total output of goods and

services, which makes up the material well-being of nations

and communities.

2. In many areas hotels are important attractions for visitors who

bring with them spending power that the locals and who tend

to spend at a higher rate than they do when they are at

home. Through spending by visitors hotels thus often

contribute significantly to local economies both directly and

indirectly through the subsequent diffusion of the visitor

expenditure to the Govt. coffers and to other recipients in the

community.

3. In areas receiving foreign visitors, hotels are often important

foreign currency earners and in this way may contribute

significantly to their countries’ balance of payments. In

countries with limited export possibilities, hotels may be one

of the few prime sources of foreign currency earnings.

4. Hotels are important employers of labour. Thousands of jobs

are provided by hotels in the many occupations that make up

the hotel industries in most countries; many others in the

industry are self-employed and proprietors of smaller hotels.

The role of hotels as employers is particularly important in

areas with few alternative sources of employment, where

they contribute to regional development.

5. Hotels are also important outlets for the products of other

industries. In the building and modernization of hotels,

business is provided for the construction industry and related

trades. Equipment, furniture and furnishings are supplied to

hotels by a wide range of manufacturers. Food, drink and

other consumables are among the most significant daily hotel

purchases from farmers, fishermen, food and drink suppliers,

and from gas, electricity and water companies. In addition to

those engaged directly in hotels, much indirect employment

is, therefore, generated by hotels for those employed in

industries supplying them.

6. Hotels are an important source of amenities for local

residents. Their restaurants, bars and other facilities often

attract much local customers and many hotels have become

social centres of their communities.

 HISTORY OF HOTELS

The past, present, and perhaps the future of the hotel

industry are closely linked. Today's industry is the result of centuries

of social and cultural evolution. Comfortable, sanitary lodging was

once considered only the privilege of the wealthy, but with the

industrial revolution and the spread of democracy, hospitality is not a

luxury anymore and now has become available to the common man.

Advances in transportation, enable people to travel greater distances

faster and at less cost, paving the way for the tourism industry to

flourish. From very modest origins, the hospitality and the tourism

industries have become the two of the largest industries globally. A

world without accommodation is indispensable in modern day life.

Today the lodging industry is complex and diverse. To

understand this, we will trace the history of hotels, from the inns of

ancient times to modern luxury hotels, whose evolution has

influenced as well has been influenced by, social, economic and

cultural changes in society.

Taverns or Inns

The earliest hotels were called taverns or inns. They go back

thousand of years, for as long as people have started travelling. The

Hebrew word for an inn is malon and means a resting place for the

night. The Greek word for inn is kataluma and means an eating room

or guest chamber. A malon did not have to be in a building, it could

be a level piece of ground near a spring where baggage could be

unloaded, animals could be watered and tethered, and people could

rest on the ground.

Caravanserais

When large camel caravans would cross the deserts in Asia,

there were hotels called caravanserais at which travellers rested and

slept. Caravanserais were established along the more travelled

routes as travel spread throughout the East. They usually consisted

of a large building constructed around a courtyard. The lower floor

was used to store goods and to provide stalls for the cattle. Usually

there was a well or large reservoir nearby. At times, bazaars and

markets were held at or near the caravanserais. In those days of

travel, the innkeeper provided very little for the traveller's comfort.

Inns in Middle Ages

During the middle ages, there were few inns or hotels except

in the cities. The church or the Lord of the Manor often established

special guest offices for pilgrims and other travellers. As roads were

built and horse drawn stagecoaches began to carry passengers

between towns and cities, inns were built at a point where the

coaches stopped. The inns in the villages or at crossroads had

limited and rough accommodations, seldom more than a common

dormitory.

Inns in the Fifteenth Century

The fifteenth century brought about fresh importance for the

inn. A new merchant class began to emerge due to an increase in

trade. This meant more traveling was necessary; therefore a

demand for more and better inns was created. Most travel was still

primarily by horseback, but toward the end of the 15th century, more

comfortable wheeled carriages came into use. The roads were rough

and difficult to travel-muddy in the spring, hot and dusty in the

summer, and often impassable in the winter.

During the fifteenth century, many monasteries closed their

guesthouses, thus creating a need for more lodgings. The inn also

began to perform a definite function in the social life of the people in

the area, as well as the traveller.

Inns in the Sixteenth Century

The inns of the sixteenth century changed little from earlier

times, although they were large and somewhat spacious.

Accommodation has improved greatly, for now a guest could often

have a private bedroom furnished with heavily carved oak furniture.

The ground floor consisted of a large hall called the parlour, which

was used as a reception room as well as a place to serve meals.

The upper floor was used for the guest rooms.

Inns in the Eighteenth Century

With more regular business, the innkeeper realized the

importance of their inns and tried to offer more comforts to the weary

traveller; they had better furnished rooms, a generous supply of food

and drink, waiters and serving maids eager to please the guests, and

large stables for the horses. Not only would the public stagecoaches

be found stopping at the inns, but also the private coaches of the

wealthy. There was a large increase in the volume of coach travel in

the eighteenth century. Tollgates were set up on some roads to

provide funds to repair and improve roads and bridge better roads

and more comfortable coaches made travel much faster, comfortable

and more appealing to a greater number of people.

Travelers found that most of the innkeepers greeted them

with a smile, and were given good meals. If the stop was overnight,

the inn offered an ideal comfortable bedroom that was neatly

furnished usually with a four-poster bed, washing table mirror etc.

The inns that could not meet the traveler's need, either through the

mismanagement or just plain rudeness, did not stay in business for

long. As travellers from Europe ventured across the Atlantic to

America, inns were built in towns and villages and along the

roadside. They became gathering places for not only the traveller but

also the local inhabitants. The inn was a place where people could

refresh themselves after work or hold evening meetings and share

the events of the day.

Emergence of Hotels

The past one hundred years have brought about dramatic

changes in modes of transportation, as well as in lodging

accommodations. People from all walks of life started to travel. As

travel increased, the train services were launched and became more

comfortable and faster. This was the time when the roadside inns

started losing business as more people started to travel by train

rather than coach. Many inns had to close while others were able to

remain open by catering more to the local people. Some inns

became strictly taverns or coffeehouses. Some of these still exist

today. London has a larger number of the old taverns than any other

large city in the world. They have changed with the times in order to

survive and are the pubs that we know today.

Travelling by train brought the traveller into the heart of a

town or city. Many hotels were built near railroad stations for the

convenience of passengers. This was the beginning of hotels, as we

know of them. Many hotels that opened in the mid-to late-1800s are

still as popular as they were when they first opened.

Hotels and the Government Policies

Many countries have recognised the vital importance of

accommodation industry in relation to tourism and their governments

have coordinated their activities with the industry by way of providing

attractive incentives and concessions in the form of long term loans,

liberal import licenses and tax relief, cash grants for construction and

renovation of buildings, and similar other concessions to the

accommodation industry.

The United Nations Conference on International Travel and

Tourism held in Rome in 1963 considered, in particular, problems

relating to means of accommodation. The Conference acknowledged

the importance of means of accommodation, both traditional (hotels,

motels) and supplementary (camps, youth hostels, etc.) as

incentives to international tourism. The Conference recommended

that governments should consider the possibility of including

projects, and particularly those relating to accommodation, on the list

of projects eligible for loans from industrial or other corporations, and

that, w h e r e required; they should establish special financial

corporations for tourism. It also has recommended that governments

should give sympathetic consideration to the possibility of granting

special facilities and incentives for accommodation projects.

According to the WTO Report on 'The Development of the

Accommodation Sector,’ tourist accommodation is used to denote

the facilities operated for short-term accommodation to guests, either

with or without service, against payment of and according to fixed

rates. For the purposes of classification, all tourist accommodations

have been divided into the following groups:

(i) Hotels and similar establishments (the hotel industry

proper) and,

(ii) Supplementary means of accommodation.

The first group usually includes hotels, motels, boarding

houses and inns, while the second includes registered private

accommodation (rented rooms, apartments, and houses), camping /

mountain huts and shelters as well as health establishments, that is

sanatoria and convalescent homes.

Present Day Hotels

The concept and the format of hotel have changed a great

deal over the years. There are different types of hotels ranging from

international hotels to resort hotels catering to the increasing and

diversified demand of the clients. The size, the facade, architectural

features and the facilities and amenities provided differ from one

establishment to another. In addition, the landscape in a particular

destination area also greatly influenced the architectural features of

a hotel. The following are the main types of hotels:

i) International Hotels

ii) Commercial Hotels

iii) Residential Hotels

iv) Resort Hotels

v) Floating Hotels

vi) Palace Hotels

vii) Capsule Hotels

viii) Heritage Hotels

ix) Guest Houses

DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF HOTEL INDUSTRY IN

INDIA

Hotel Industry in Medieval Period

In India too the development of hotel industry is closely linked

to travel. In India, travel was mainly on animals (mule, horse and

camel). For rest during their travel at strategic points Dharmashalas,

Sarais, Chaupals of Panchayats, Choultry (in South India) and

temples and religious places were provided by rich people such as

Rajas, Kings, Zamindars, etc. Usually free accommodation and food

for travelers was given. During this period it was mandatory for the

state authorities to provide food and shelter to the wayside traveler.

Mussafir Khanas and Sarais

These developed during the period of Muslim Emporers.

Many famous and well known musafir khanas and sarais were

established in the Sindh province during the Arab occupation, and

also at Peshawar and Lahore. Delhi has always been traditionally

hospitable, and we find overwhelming evidence of this in the

innumerable sarais and rest houses in this ancient city. As per

Shiab-al-din Alumrai there were 2000 Khangabs and sarais in Delhi

and its suburbs. Most of these have not survived. Some of the

famous sarais in Delhi are Qutub Sarai, Ladha Sarai, Lado Sarai,

Sarban Sarai, Daud Sarai, Kallu Sarai, Arab ki Sarai, Sheikh Sarai

Sarais started developing into inns and western style hotels

with the coming of Britishers in important cities like Calcutta (Kolkata)

and Bombay (Mumbai).

As early as the 18th century, there were excellent inns

(taverns) in India. Some famous inns were: Portuguese Georges,

Parsee Georges and Paddy Georges. Some famous hotels of that

time: Albion Hotel, victory Hotel, Hope Hall, etc.

Emergence of Hotels in India

Pallanjee Pestonjee (1840) started the first luxury-hotel in

Bombay. It was famous for its excellent cuisine, beers and wines and

its excellent management. Auckland Hotel (1843) was established in

Calcutta. Later it was renamed as Great Eastern Hotel in 1858 and

later renovated at a sum of Rs.10 lacs. Esplanade Hotel (1871) was

built in Calcutta by John Wakson (Britisher), a silk drapery merchant

(also believed to be an architect and builder). The hotel had 130

rooms. Later, some Swiss and other families also owned hotels in

India. One such example was Hotel Fonseca in New Delhi which

was later demolished and Hotel Taj Mahal at Mansingh Road was

built, there.

In 1903, JRD Tata constructed the Taj Mahal Hotel in

Bombay. It was the first hotel of international standards and repute,

built by an Indian for Indians.

Hotels and Policies of Indian Government

The Government realized the importance of tourism in 1962

when there was a drop in tourist arrivals. To upgrade the hotel

industry, i ncentives were offered by the Department of Tourism

(DOT). Hotel Corporation and Tourism Corporations were

established. Ashoka Hotel Ltd. was constructed in, 1956 in a record

time of one year. Later, the Union Ministry of Housing and Welfare

constructed 3 hotels: Lodhi Hotel, Hotel Janpath and Ranjit Hotel.

The Dewan Chaman Lall Committee was set up by the Govt.

of India (Hotel Standard and Rate Structure Committee) to:

1) Lay down criteria for classification of hotels in view of

international standard.

2) Suggest guidelines for the promotion of tourism to India

and within India.

3) Suggest improvements on the existing arrangements and

availability of (sources for the promotion of national and

international tourism.

4) Suggest a rate-structure keeping in view the existing

price structure in hotel industry. Till 1963 hotels were

mainly run by private operators and only rest houses and

tourist bungalows were run by the Department of

Tourism. Hotels at Puri, Aurangabad and Ranchi were

traditionally rum by the Railways and State governments.

The State government also ran hotels at Brindaban-

Mysore.

Formation of Three Corporations and ITDC

In 1964 three corporations were set-up by the Government of

India, viz.

1. India Tourism & Hotel Corporation,

2. India Tourism Corporation Ltd. and

3. India Tourism & Transport Corporation.

On 24th September 1966, the Government of India decided

to merge these corporations and promulgated "India Tourism

Corporation Amalgamation Order" 1966" and formed a new

corporation-India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) with an

authorized capital of Rs. 5 crores. Soon ITDC took over tourist

"bungalows at:

i) Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur, Madurai and Tiruchirapalli

(Tamil Nadu)

ii) Bijapur and Hassan (Karnataka)

iii) Khajuraho, Sanchi and Mandhu (Madhya Pradesh)

iv) Kullu and Manali (Himachal Pradesh)

v) Bodhgaya (Bihar)

vi) Bhubaneshwar (Orissa)

vii) Rashi Nagar (Uttar Pradesh)

viii) Ghana (Rajasthan).

CATEGORY OF HOTELS

International Corporate Hotels

These are large chains, which are almost household words in

the industry, such as Hilton, Inter-Continental, Hyatt, Holiday Inn,

Sheraton, etc. Some of the groups are a combination of company

owned, franchise and management contract operations while others

are entirely owned by an individual or a company. Their main

features include standardization of service, facilities and price, and

many chains endeavor to operate a hotel in most major capitals

throughout the world.

National Hotel Companies

Some countries have national hotel companies, which

operate hotels at home and abroad, such as, the Taj and Oberoi

hotel groups. These are both Indian companies which are well

known outside India.

Small Hotel Groups

Not all groups of hotels are large or widely dispersed. Some

companies own a group, which may consist of no more than four to

five hotels, and they may be confined to a particular area such as the

beach resorts.

Independent Hotels

These are hotels which" are privately owned or independent

of any company. Many guests enjoy staying at an establishment of

this type because of the individuality of the operation. Classical

example will be Casino-cum-hotels of Los Vegas, Nevada, Macauoff

China, Genting Highlands of Malaysia and others.

Hotel Consortia

Independently owned hotels form a liaison which provides

them with the advantages of shared advertising costs, bulk

purchasing and referral of bookings. The guest has the advantage of

knowing each hotel in the consortium will be of similar standard and

price. Best Western Hotels is an example of worldwide network of

independently owned hotels.

MAJOR HOTEL GROUPS IN INDIA

Many small and big Indian hotel groups are operating in

various parts of India. Some of them are given below. Apart from

India, some international hotel chains such as Sheratan, Hilton,

Ramada, Sofitel, Meridien, Hyatt and Mariott are either operating or

planning to operate in India on franchise basis.

1. Welcome Group

It is the hotel division of ITC Ltd. The logo

represents a traditional Indian welcome in the

form of Namaste in an open doorway with the

slogan “Nobody gives you India like we do." The

motto of Welcome Group is "We enjoy people"

Welcome Group has hotels in various cities

such as Agra, Delhi, Aurangabad, Jaipur, Goa,

Gwalior etc.

2. Oberoi Hotels

Rai Bahadhur M.S. Oberoi established Oberoi

Hotel Pvt. Ltd. in 1946. Many hotels like Oberoi

Intercontinental in August 1965 in New Delhi

and Oberoi Sheraton in 1973 in Bombay was

added. It is now one of the largest and reputed

hotel chains of India.

3. Hotel Ambassador

It is one of the flagship hotel belonging to Lala

Ram Parshad who is considered as one of the

pioneers of the Hotel Industry in India (now

managed by Taj Hotel in Delhi).

4. U.P. Hotels and Restaurants Ltd

Famous as Clarke's Group of Hotels, it was

established on 13th February, 1961. It started

with its flagship hotel Clarke Shiraz Agra. Later

hotels – Clarke’s Awadh, Clarke’s Amer, and

Clarke’s Varanasi at Lucknow, Jaipur and

Varanasi, respectively, were added to this chain.

5. Ritz Chain

A chain belonging to R.N. Kapoor family with

hotels at Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and

Coonoor (in South India). Specialized in Italian

cuisine.

6. Spencers

Started hotel business in 1912 in Calcutta.

Purchased Connimera Hotel in Madras and

opened West End in Bangalore, Malabar at

Cochin and Trivandrum, Blue Mountains at

Kotagiri in 1942 and Savoy in Ooty in 1943.

Vegetarian hotels in Madras (Geetha, Ashoka

and Ajanta) and Hotel Arakua in Bangalore.

7. Sinclairs

 A chain of hotel operating in eastern part of the

country with hotels at Darjeeling and Takadah.

8. Hotel Corporation of India (HCI)

A corporation set up in 1971. It started with its

first hotel at Bombay in 1974. Later hotels in

Delhi, Srinagar, Rajgir etc. were added to this

group.

9. Leela Group

It has hotels at Mumbai and Goa

10. Asian Hotels:

The group has tied up with Hyatt chain and has

two hotels in Delhi. It plans to have property in

Jaipur and Agra.

11. Apeejay Surendra Group

It started with its first hotel Park Calcutta in

1967. Later a large hotel was added in Delhi,

and Resort hotel at Visakhapatnam was added

to the group.

12. J.P. Hotels

The group has hotels in Delhi, Agra and

Mussoorie.

13. Palaces Converted into Hotels

i) Maharaja Hari Singh Palace was the first to

be converted into Oberoi Hotel.

ii) Maharaja of Jaipur converted his palace

Ram Bag to Hotel.

iii) Maharaja of Udaipur was third in line (Taj)

Lake Palace in Pichola Lake.

iv) Later Jodhpur Palace (Oberoi), Jaisalmer

Palace and Bikaner Palace were also

converted into hotels.

v) Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Jaipur (of Majaraja

Bhupal Singh). Ushakiran Palace of

Gwalior.

vi) Hotel Jai Mahal Palace, Jal Mahal and Raj

Mahal Palace in Jaipur are also converted

or being converted to hotels.

vii) Chamundi Hill Palace has also been

converted to a hotel.

viii) Lalitha Mahal Palace of Mysore is a tourist

hotel. Halcyon Castle of Travancore

Maharaja is also converted into a hotel.

ix) Bolghathy Palace near Cochin P o r t

(Residence of former British Resident of

Southern States) is also converted into a

hotel.

HOTEL AS A SERVICE PROVIDER IN THE MODERN DAY

Gone are the days when people looked upon a hotel for a

bed and food. Now it provides almost everything that a guest needs.

Hotels have become service providers for the guests in all possible

ways. Competition has set into providing these services in order to

woo the guests. Every big hotel chain / group has been spending

crores of rupees in order to stay in this race.

Different services are rendered by the hotels, viz. Banquets,

convention centers, exhibition centers, restaurants, catering service,

secretarial services, corporate services, money changers, travel

desk, butler service, valet service, internet service, facility for sports

and games, massage parlour, health club, gym, shopping arcade,

swimming pool, tourist limousines, airport service, etc.

These services are either wholly owned and run by the hotel,

or owned by hotel and run on franchise by experts in the field, or

owned & run by outsiders but attached to the hotels. These services

complement each other and also help in improving the occupancy

rate of the hotels.

1. Banquet Hotels provide wide range of banquet menus.

Weddings, parties, business gathering all of

which help in improving food sales and also

work in attracting new customers.

2. Convention Center

Meetings, seminars, conventions and other

social gatherings are arranged which in turn

attract group bookings, good occupancy and

food service.

3. Restaurant Restaurants serving different speciality cuisine

like Chinese, Korean, Italian, Continental,

Mexican, Indian (South Indian, Mughalai etc.)

are set up by hotels with the interiors suiting

those places are run to cater to the different

tastes of domestic as well as international

tourists. Catering services are also undertaken

at off-campus locations.

4. Secretarial Service

This is an essential service for corporate clients.

The CEOs, M.Ds and Chairpersons of different

companies need this arrangement for expediting

their notes, letters and agreements,

communications etc.

5. Corporate Service

This works as an extension to the corporate

offices of the clients. All the services needed for

handling corporate affairs are provided to make

the corporate guest feel at “office away from his

office.” Internet Service is the latest addition to

the corporate service list. This is available even

in small and medium sized hotels. The guest

can connect his laptop to this service and

perform his regular work / tasks.

6. Money Changers

Where there is high proportion of foreign tourists

/ visitors, there will be the need of money

changing service. Here the hotel exchanges the

foreign currency for local currency. However it

cannot sell foreign currency. This service must

function as per the foreign exchange rules and

guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India from

time to time.

7. Travel Desk Provides car rental services, air & train ticketing

and looks after the other travel needs of the

guest. In some hotels Concierge looks after this

service too.

8. Butler Service

A personalised service provided to the guest

and his visitors exclusively. He provides the

food and beverage and also wine service, looks

after the visitors to the guest and helps in

keeping the room tidy from time to time and also

arranges the wardrobe for the guest.

9. Valet Service

Also a personalised service, but limited to help

at car parking and laundry facility etc. in hotels.

10. Health Club and Sports and Games

This is provided not only in resort or leisure

hotels but also in down town & commercial

hotels. The present corporate guest even

though a busy person wants some time out for

himself for health and pleasure reasons. Health

club, Spa, Gym, Message Parlour, Swimming

pool, billiards, bowling ally, tennis court, mini

golf course are some of the popular facilities. In

some parts of our country health tourism has

picked up at places like Himachal Pradesh and

Kerala where health spas and ayurvedic

treatments are provided. The tourist on vacation

can go back a rejuvenated person.