Overview Of the Industry

Hospitality Industry

Open 24/7, 365 days a year; relies on shift work; focuses on guest satisfaction; offers intangible, perishable products.

Shift Work System

Uses multiple shifts (morning, afternoon, graveyard) to ensure continuous operation of hospitality services.

Graveyard Shift

Typically runs from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM in the hospitality industry.

Intangibility in Hospitality

Services can't be seen or touched before purchase; consumed at the moment of delivery.

Perishability in Hospitality

Unsold services (e.g., empty rooms) cannot be stored or reused.

Ancient Greek Hospitality

Offered by religious groups; accommodations were minimal and run by temple slaves or low-prestige freemen.

Roman Inns

Called tabernas or cauponas; large mansions often attached to taverns.

Caravansaries

Accommodations with large courtyards for travelers and their animals.

Yams

Post houses or elite accommodations suitable for royalty in Roman times.

Middle Ages Hospitality

Monasteries served as inns; offered food and lodging to travelers.

Charlemagne's Law

Mandated Christians to provide food and shelter to travelers.

1282 Hospitality Guild

Innkeepers in Florence, Italy formed a guild to professionalize hospitality.

Hostelers in 1493

Term meant "innkeepers," later changed to mean "inn servants."

Hostels in 1800s

Inexpensive inns offering basic lodging; guests called hostelers.

1650 Public Coach Service

Launched in colonial times; led to inns built along major travel routes.

Ordinaries

Inns along coach routes; stopped for horse changes and rest.

1710 US Postal Service

Established routes; farmers turned homes into inns for travelers.

Taverns

Colonial-era inns with public spaces below and sleeping quarters above.

Hotel de Henri IV (1788)

One of the first luxury hotels in Europe; built in Nantes with 60 beds.

18th Century Coffeehouses

Became common across Europe and were integrated into inns.

19th Century Railroads

Hotels built next to train stations (Depot Hotels); travel and lodging merged.

Spas

Resorts built around natural springs believed to have healing properties.

Saratoga Springs, NY

One of the most famous American spas during the 19th century.

Baden, Marienbad, Vichy

Popular European spa destinations accessible by rail.

"A bed with a bath for a dollar and a half"

Motto that signaled affordability in early 20th-century hotel marketing.

Thomas Cook

First travel agent; organized tours and hotel bookings starting in 1841.

Cook’s Tour of Europe

Tour package organized in 1856 for North Americans to visit European hotels.

Tremont Hotel in Boston

First luxury hotel with indoor toilets and private bedrooms with locks.

Rotunda Man

Early name for a hotel bellhop.

Cesar Ritz

Famous Swiss hotelier; founded luxury Ritz hotels in Paris, London, and NYC.

Ellsworth Milton Statler

Opened first modern hotel in Buffalo (1907) with private baths in every room.

Conrad Hilton

Opened first hotel in 1919 (The Mobley); bought Statler chain in 1954.

John Willard Marriott Sr.

Founder of Marriott Hotels.

Kemmons Wilson

Founder of Holiday Inn; opened first in Memphis in 1952.

Capsule Hotel

Japanese innovation; compact sleeping pods with basic amenities.

Tourist Courts

Early form of motels with 10–15 cabins along highways.

1930s Great Depression

Caused a major downturn in the hospitality and lodging industry.

Advent of Air Travel

Post-WWII era brought commercial flight to the masses; boosted tourism and business travel.

Campgrounds

Offer nature-based lodging; popular with outdoor travelers.

Renovated Harems

Former royal residences in the Middle East repurposed as hotels.

Treetops Hotel

A hotel in Africa built in a tree for wildlife viewing at night.

Ryokans

Traditional Japanese inns with simple design and shared sleeping spaces.