History of the Lodging Industry

Ancient History Classic Greek and Roman Days In ancient Greece, hospitality was provided by certain elements of religion: missionaries, priests and pilgrims formed a very large part of the traveling public. The accommodations were meager, providing only shelter and the barest of sustenance. In the earliest times, they were operated by slaves who belonged to the temples or holy places. Gradually, freemen replaced the slaves, but even they were considered to be of low social prestige.

In ancient Rome, the inns were large mansions In ancient Rome, the inns were large mansions. Owners of these inns would not allow guests to stay unless they carried a “letter of eviction.” Which was permission to travel from government officials. Inns and taverns were well established throughout the empire. Their taverns were called “tabernas,” and the attached inn was called a “caponas.” but the general quality of the taverns and inns available to the public was poor.

In early days in the Near East, caravans crossing vast desserts, stopped at caravansaries. These were accommodations that surrounded large courtyards. These were simple structures consisting of four walls that provided protection against marauding enemies who attacked under cover of darkness. Within the walls, platforms were constructed upon which the traveler’s slept.

In the last years of the Roman Empire, taverns and inns provided shelter for traveling merchants, actors, and scholars. Accommodations were still primitive. There were rooms for people but no stables for the horses, more often there were stables but no rooms. The high point of this era in terms of hospitality was the development of the post houses along caravan routes. In his writings, Marco Polo described post houses known as yams as apartments suitable for a king

Bible References The most famous inn is the one in Bethlehem. The great crowds reporting there to pay their taxes had overburdened the lodging industry of the small town. In the old testament, we are told about Jacob and his brother traveling in Judea, going to an inn, and foddering their mounts (feeding domesticated livestock.) to these inns, travelers would bring their own supplies. They are similar to khans, or rest houses, found in the Middle East today.

Middle Ages The term hostelers, meaning “inn holders” were not used until 1473. The term may have come from the Old French word ostel. Gradually, “hostelers” shifted from “owner” of the inn to”inn-servant.” The h is sometimes dropped to “ostel.” The term hostel, meaning inn was not used until the 1800s. In modern usage hostels are accommodations of lesser quality, and hostelers are guests who stays at the hostels During the Crusades, the hotel industry grew. The design was fairly standard. The enclosed courtyard was surrounded by the kitchen, tavern and public rooms on the front façade. On each side, winging out from the front, were the sleeping rooms. Along the back of the building were stables.

Colonial Period Public coach service was put into effect around 1650. The coaches ran between major cities and stopped wherever passengers wanted, similar to the way bus lines operate today. Coach inns were built along the routes primarily at points where teams of horses were changed. The British use the term ordinary to describe such inns. The United States Postal Service, established in 1710, called its primary routes between major towns along the Atlantic Coast Post roads. With the establishment of these post roads, entrepreneurial farmers converted their farm houses into inns. Passengers from the coaches slept in the hostel’s long room with their feet towards the fire.

Nineteenth Century The introduction of railroads had great influence on the hotel/motel industry. In the early 1800s, as train tracks were laid throughout the Western world, depot hotels began to arise. In most cases the hotel was connected directly to the train station. Similarly, think of the masses of hostels around airports today with shuttle busses carrying passengers directly to their lodgings.

Spas and Resorts Spa, which are mineral springs or pools are believed to be medicinal or healthful, have been tourist sites since Roman days. The advent of trains caused beautiful resorts. The most famous spa in the 1830s was Saratoga Springs, New York. Spas at Baden, Germany; Marienbad, Bohemia; and Vichy, France, which has been popular for centuries, became more accessible to the public via rail.

Another benchmark for the hotel industry in the 19th century was the opening of the Tremont Hotel (Tremont House) in Boston. It was the first luxury hotel and boasted the first indoor toilets and the first private bedrooms with locks on the doors. The Tremont also had a version of today’s bellhop, then called a “rotunda man.” In 1889, the famous Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz became manager at the Savoy in London. Eventually, he opened his own London Ritz and subsequently opened famed luxury hotels in Paris, New York and other countries.

Twentieth Century This was the motto that lead the hotel industry into the 29th century. Elsworth Milton Statler opened his first hotel in Buffalo, New York, in 1907. Individual rooms with private bats and Statler’s ability to cater to business travelers set this hotel apart. Statler’s name is legendary in the hotel industry today.

The automobile led the hotel industry into a booming business in the 1920s. The term motel, coined from “motor hotel.” goes back to the time when a farmer owning land along the major routes would build wooded 10 foot by 10 foot cabins along the road in front of his property. A car would pulled right of the cabin, where a traveler could spend the evening. The owners of these motels soon expanded to perhaps, 15 cabins. These were called tourist courts. These businesses proved profitable during the free economy of the 1920s.

Advent of Air Travel At the end of World War II, a new mode of transportation had matured. Air travel was now available to the masses, and business was booming,. Conventions and conferences became an integral part of successful commerce. Companies opened regional and branch offices. Thus business travelers, in their vast numbers, became the most important lodging guests. The advent of air travel prompted resort hotels to spring up around the world. Many resorts offered package plans, some in conjunction with the airlines where one price pays for airfare and accommodations.