Hotels serve as places where individuals can pay for short-term lodging. Travelers commonly use these facilities. In the past, these places may have only included a bed, small table, wash area and cupboard. Now, most rooms include air conditioning, bathrooms, a telephone, alarm clock, safe, television, miniature bar and appliances for making tea or coffee. Some facilities serve meals as part of lodging packages.
There are many different types of lodging facilities. Generally, they vary in function, cost and size. The main categories are: destination club, timeshare, extended stay, limited service, select service, full service and upscale luxury.
Historic hotels are known for hosting notable persons or events. For instance, Schloss Cecilienhof in Germany is well known for the Potsdam Conference, which included Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman and Winston Churchill, of World War II. Another example is the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Mumbai. It is famous because of its connection with the movement towards Indian independence. These establishments may be best known for a meal or beverage, dishes or cocktails. Furthermore, many of these places gain recognition through popular culture, particular music and movies.
Some of these places are considered unusual because of the features they have. For instance, some of these establishments are made in tree houses or built using straw bale. Bunker lodging is given its name because it utilizes old nuclear bunkers that have been renovated for lodging. Shoe hotels are built into an oversized shoe, while cave hotels are built into cave formations or old mines. Capsule lodging, mostly present in Japan, guests sleep in rectangular containers that are stacked on top of each other. There are also boutique, ice and snow, garden, and underwater hotels.
Resort lodging offers more; visitors have access to more than one attraction. The Strip in Las Vegas has a high concentration of these places. Railway companies build railway lodging as a place for people traveling by rail to stay. These are not very common in the United States but do exist in other parts of the world.
Motels, or motor hotels, are places designed for short stays, usually only one evening. Individuals on long journeys frequent them. These places are designed to have direct access from the room to the parking lot and are situated near major roadways.
The largest lodging facilities in the world contain more than 6,000 rooms. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the oldest hotel, still being operated, as the Hoshi Ryokan in Japan. The building opened in the year 718. It is supposed that the tallest hotel is the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong. The place sits atop the tallest building in Hong Kong, at 488 meters, the International Commerce Centre.
Some people use these facilities as a semi-permanent and permanent living space. This practice is not uncommon for public figures that are always on the move. Individuals with average incomes may not be able to afford this type of long-term stay, but some people do choose to semi-permanently and permanently live in motels.
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