Choosing the right accommodation for your travels can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider, including price, location, amenities, reviews and more. But with a little bit of research and planning, you can narrow down your options and find the perfect hotel for your trip!
What are the different types of hotels?
There are a variety of types of hotels, each catering to a particular group of travellers. These include hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, resorts and vacation rentals.
In general, a hotel provides temporary accommodation for guests, in private rooms (usually single or double beds) and may also offer food and beverage services. These range from budget inns and bed and breakfasts to luxury suites, all priced accordingly.
These hotels often have a lobby or reception area, which is the point of contact for guests arriving and departing. The reception is usually staffed, either by receptionists or concierges.
Most hotel rooms are booked or reserved in advance, so that a room can be held for the arrival of a guest. This can be done directly with the hotel or through intermediaries such as travel websites (aggregators) and travel agents.
The main categories of hotels are those geared towards business and leisure travellers, with some of them catering to both groups. They are largely located in or around city centres, and are generally well-connected to transportation infrastructure (road/highway network, airports, railway stations).
As of 2020, hotel room rates vary widely depending on their location. The prices are based on the quality of the hotel’s facilities and service, and in some cases also on a star rating assigned by external organizations. In other cases, the rates are based on local market conditions and competition from other hotels in the same area.
It is often possible to stay in a lower-rated hotel for less money than a higher-rated one, due to favourable pricing practices of the local tourism authorities or hotel association. However, this does not mean that the cheaper hotel is of poorer quality.
A star-rating system is sometimes used to classify hotels, but it does not necessarily indicate how good the hotel is or how much it costs, and there are no standardized standards. In some countries, star ratings are regulated by tourism officials; in others, they are simply given at the discretion of the hotel owner or management, as with many “five-star” hotels.
Some hotels are purely tourist attractions, attracting tourists with a particular interest in the hotel’s historic or cultural significance. These are called boutique hotels, and they typically have small numbers of rooms and a limited number of amenities, compared to larger, more established hotels.
During a pandemic, such as the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), hotels are frequently in full or partial lockdown as governments from around the world implement travel restrictions. This can cause hotel occupancy to drop, and it is important for travelers to be aware of the status of their chosen hotels before booking any.