history of tourism and hospitality industry essay

• Hospitality Industry

The Origins Of The Hospitality Industry And What Lies Ahead

August 19, 2018 •

3 min reading

A brief history of the hospitality industry

Away from home, surrounded by strangers and yet you feel welcome. The original idea of hospitality has remained unchanged since the creation of the word itself. Derived from the Latin word “hospes”, meaning both visitor and stranger, hospitality has its roots in ancient history.

Thousands of years ago, when road networks were scarce and traveling was cumbersome strangers arriving in a foreign land had to rely on either their camping skills or a local’s kindness when looking for shelter. During the age of pilgrimage and the development of major trade routes throughout Europe, it was mostly inns and taverns offering primitive rooms to weary travelers. The idea of a hotel built for the sole purpose of hosting guests did not exist in Europe until the 18 th century, when technological progress and the introduction of faster and more reliable modes of transport made long distance travel available to wider public. With the influx of large numbers of foreigners into major cities, the need for accommodation led to the opening of the first hotels in the modern sense. Since then, the sector has known a nearly unbroken run of growth and international expansion.

Travel industry industry growth

Over the last two decades, international departures have more than doubled from around 600 million to more than 1.4 billion in 2016.

Thanks to this immense potential, a network of service providers has developed that caters to nearly every desire imaginable. Hospitality has gradually become one of the largest and most diverse industries, employing hundreds of millions spread over different sectors.

Today, businesses in the industry can generally be divided into four categories:

• Food & Beverage
• Recreation 
• Travel & Tourism

Every category under the umbrella of the term “hospitality” further contains many different sub-sector and operators. The mere global scale of the industry makes it difficult to provide a conclusive overview without taking up hours of your time. Travel, for instance, encompasses all modes of transportation available to travelers, including coaches, airplanes, vessels, taxis etc. While all sectors are interconnected and reliant on each other, each one of them is facing unique challenges and opportunities in the future.

The importance of innovation in hospitality

Going forward, the key for companies looking to defend or expand their current position in the market will be to keep up with the pace of innovation.

The emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) , means that providers are now faced with the challenge of moving their offer into the era of digitalization.

The availability of extensive data on each individual guest will make it possible for companies to tailor their offers at a bespoke level, leading to closer and more immersive client interaction.

Hotel rooms that automatically adjust the lighting and the temperature to each traveler’s personal preferences can enhance guest experience and thus make it more likely for them to return. Traditional check-in and guest interaction procedures at hotels will likely see a fundamental overhaul.

The introduction of voice recognition software, for instance, will enable hotels to automate tasks that would traditionally be performed by a human.

This will result in more efficient processes at properties all around the world. While procedures are being streamlined, vehicles, amenities and buildings become smarter and more interactive.

The challenge for providers will be to keep alive the human touch that has made hospitality establishments so successful. At the same time, adapting to and using these new technologies will be crucial in the fight for customers in one of the most competitive markets in the world.

Need more resources on Hospitality Industry trends? Check these articles out:

• High-tech hotel wars: Sleeping in China just got more futuristic - CNN
• New Technologies Will Revolutionize The Hospitality Industry - Forbes
• Hospitality Industry: All Your Questions Answered - Hospitality Insights

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Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — Tourism Industry — Historical Development and Evolution of the Tourism Industry

Historical Development and Evolution of The Tourism Industry

• Categories: Tourism Industry

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Published: Jan 29, 2019

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Chapter 1. History and Overview

1.6 Conclusion

As we have seen in this chapter, tourism is a complex system that is built up of industry sectors including accommodation, recreation and entertainment, food and beverage services, transportation, and travel services. It encompasses domestic, inbound, and outbound travel for business, leisure, or other purposes. And because of this large scope, tourism development requires participation from all walks of life, including private business, governmental agencies, educational institutions, communities, and citizens.

Recognizing the diverse nature of the industry and the significant contributions tourism makes toward economic and social value for British Columbians is important. There remains a great deal of work to better educate members of the tourism industry, other sectors, and the public about the ways tourism contributes to our province.

Given this opportunity for greater awareness, it is hoped that students like you will help share this information as you learn more about the sector. So let’s begin our exploration in Chapter 2 with a closer look at a critical sector: transportation. Before you get started on Chapter 2 test some of your knowledge to-date by taking this short summary quiz.

• British Columbia Government Travel Bureau ( BCGTB) : the first recognized provincial government organization responsible for the tourism marketing of British Columbia
• Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) : a national railway company widely regarded as establishing tourism in Canada and BC in the late 1800s and early 1900s
• Destination BC: the provincial destination marketing organization (DMO) responsible for tourism marketing and development in BC, formerly known as Tourism BC
• Destination Canada: the national government Crown corporation responsible for marketing Canada abroad, formerly known as the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)
• Destination marketing organization (DMO):  also known as a destination management organization; includes national tourism boards, state/provincial tourism offices, and community convention and visitor bureaus
• Diversity: a term used by some in the industry to describe the makeup of the industry in a positive way; acknowledging that tourism is a diverse compilation of a multitude of businesses, services, organizations, and communities
• Excursionist : same-day visitors in a destination. Their trip typically ends on the same day when they leave the destination.
• Fragmentation: a phenomenon observed by some industry insiders whereby the tourism industry is unable to work together toward common marketing and lobbying (policy-setting) objectives
• Hospitality:  the accommodations and food and beverage industry groupings
• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) : a way to group tourism activities based on similarities in business practices, primarily used for statistical analysis
• Social Exchange Theory : describes how tourists and hosts’ behaviours change as a result of the perceived benefits and threats they create during interaction
• Travel : moving between different locations, often for leisure and recreation
• Tourism:  the business of attracting and serving the needs of people travelling and staying outside their home communities for business and pleasure
• Tourism Industry Association of BC ( TIABC) : a membership-based advocacy group formerly known as the Council of Tourism Associations of BC (COTA)
• Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC): the national industry advocacy group
• Tourism Supply Chain : The combination of sectors that supply and distribute the needed tourism products, services, and activities within the tourism system
• Tourist:  someone who travels at least 80 kilometres from his or her home for at least 24 hours, for business or pleasure or other reasons; can be further classified as domestic, inbound, or outbound
• United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) : UN agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism worldwide

Test your terms knowledge

• List the three types of tourist and provide an example of each.
• What is the UNWTO? Visit the UNWTO website , and name one recent project or study the organization has undertaken.
• List the five industry groups according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Using your  understanding of tourism as an industry, create your own definition and classification of tourism. What did you add? What did you take out? Why?
• What is the difference between Tourism Services and Travel Trade?
• Describe how the phenomenon of tourism can still happen even when tourists have gone back to their origin.
• According to UNEP, what are the four types of negative environmental tourism impact? For each of these, list an example in your own community.
• What major transportation developments gave rise to the tourism industry in Canada?
• Historically, what percentage of international visitors to Canada are from the United States? Why is this an important issue today?
• Name three key events in the history of BC tourism that resonate with you. Why do you find these events of interest?
• Watch the Tourism Pays video feature on Richmond. Now think about the value of tourism in your community. How might this be communicated to local residents? List two ways you will contribute to communicating the value of tourism this semester.
• Choose one article or document from the reference list below and read it in detail. Report back to the class about what you’ve learned.

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British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. (2013a). BC Stats: Industry Classification . Retrieved from http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/StatisticsBySubject/BusinessIndustry/IndustryClassification.aspx

British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. (2013b). Bill 3 – 2013: Destination BC Corp Act . Retrieved from https://www.leg.bc.ca/39th5th/1st_read/gov03-1.htm

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CBC News. (2009).  Flaherty Appoints Ex-Judge to Mediate Air Canada Pension Issues . CBC News.

CBC News. (2019).  Transat Shareholders Approve Air Canada Takeover, Deal Now in Regulators’ Hands . CBC News.

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Cox & Kings. (2014). About us – History. Retrieved from http://www.coxandkings.co.uk/aboutus-history

Destination BC. (2018).  2018 Value of Tourism: A Snapshot of Tourism in BC . Destination BC. Retrieved from https://www.destinationbc.ca/content/uploads/2020/03/2018-Value-of-Tourism_Feb-2020_Final.pdf

Destination Canada. (2019).  Tourism Snapshot . Destination Canada.

Dawson, Michael. (2004). Selling British Columbia: Tourism and consumer culture, 1890-1970 . Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.

Discover Hospitality. (2015). What is hospitality? Retrieved from http://discoverhospitality.com.au/what-is-hospitality/

e-Know. (2011, November). Ogilvie’s past in lock step with last 50 years of Kimberley’s history. Retrieved from www.e-know.ca/news/ogilvie’s-past-in-lock-step-with-last-50-years-of-kimberley’s-history/

Expedia, Inc. (2013). Expedia: Annual report 2013. [PDF] Retrieved from http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/EXPE/3546131959x0x750253/48AF365A-F894-4E9C-8F4A-8AB11FEE8D2A/EXPE_2013_Annual_Report.PDF

Flightglobal. (2002). Sixty years of the jet age. Retrieved from http://www.flightglobal.com/features/jet-age/

Globe and Mail, The. (2014, March 28). Ten things you don’t know about Air Canada. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/travel-news/10-things-you-likely-dont-know-about-air-canada/article17725796/?page=all

Go2HR. (2020). Industry Development & Resources. Retrieved from https://www.go2hr.ca/getting-know-bcs-tourism-industry/industry-overview/industry-development-resources

Government of Canada. (2006). Building a national tourism strategy. [PDF] Retrieved from https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/034.nsf/vwapj/tourism_e.pdf/$FILE/tourism_e.pdf

Government of Canada. (2013, July 5). Appendix E: Tourism industries in the human resource module . Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/13-604-m/2013072/appe-anne-eng.htm

Griffiths, Ralph, Griffiths, G. E. (1772). Pennant’s tour in Scotland in 1769. The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal XLVI : 150 . Retrieved from Google Books . 

Gyr, Ueli. (2010, December 3). The history of tourism: Structures on the path to modernity. European History Online (EHO). Retrieved from http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/europe-on-the-road/the-history-of-tourism

Hall, C. M., & Page, S. (2006).  The Geography of Tourism and Recreation: Environment, Place and Space . Routledge. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=256901.

Latin definition for hospes, hospitis. (2014).In Latdict – Latin Dictionary and Grammar Resources .  Retrieved from http://www.latin-dictionary.net/definition/22344/hospes-hospitis

Library and Archives Canada. (n.d.). Ties that bind: Essay.   A brief history of railways in Canada.  Retrieved from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/trains/021006-1000-e.html

LinkBC. (2008). Transforming communities through tourism: A handbook for community tourism champions. [PDF] Retrieved from http://linkbc.ca/siteFiles/85/files/TCTT.pdf

MacEachern, A. (2012, August 17). Goin’ down the road: The story of the first cross-Canada car trip. The Globe and Mail . Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/goin-down-the-road-the-story-of-the-first-cross-canada-car-trip/article4487425/

McLeish. (2014, July 23). History of heliskiing in Canada. Retrieved from www.lastfrontierheli.com/news/1607/history-of-heliskiing-in-canada/

Magnes, W. (2010, May 26). The evolution of British Columbia’s tourism regions: 1970-2010 [PDF] . Retrieved from http://linkbc.ca/siteFiles/85/files/LinkBCMagnesPaper2011.pdf

Nunkoo, R. (2016). Toward a More Comprehensive Use of Social Exchange Theory to Study Residents’ Attitudes to Tourism.  Procedia Economics And Finance ,  39 , 588-596. doi: 10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30303-3

Porges, R. (2014, September). Tell me something I don’t know: Promoting the value of tourism. Tourism Drives the Provincial Economy . Presentation hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of BC, Vancouver, BC.

PricewaterhouseCooopers, LLC. (2009). Opportunity BC 2020: Tourism sector. [PDF] Prepared for the BC Business Council. Retrieved from http://www.bcbc.com/content/558/2020_200910_Mansfield_Tourism.pdf

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Shoalts, A. (2011, April). How our national parks evolved: From Grey Owl to Chrétien and beyond, 100 years of Parks Canada.   Canadian Geographic . Retrieved from http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/apr11/national_parks_evolution.asp

Statistics Canada. (2019).  Travel Between Canada and Other Countries, December 2018 . Statistics Canada. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190221/dq190221c-eng.htm

Theobald, William F. (1998).  Global Tourism (2nd ed.). Oxford, England: Butterworth–Heinemann, pp. 6-7.

Thomas Cook Group of Companies. (2014). Thomas Cook history. Retrieved from http://www.thomascook.com/thomas-cook-history/

Tourism Industry Association of BC. (2014). Value of tourism toolkit: Why focus on the value of tourism?  Retrieved from http://www.tiabc.ca/value-of-tourism-toolkit

Tourism Industry Association of Canada. (2014, October 14). Travel industry poised to boost Canadian exports: US market and border efficiencies central to growth potential . Retrieved from http://tiac.travel/cgi/page.cgi/_zine.html/TopStories/Travel_Industry_Poised_to_Boost_Canadian_Exports_US_Market_and_Border_Efficiencies_Central_to_Growth_Potential

Tourism Industry Association of Canada. (2018a).  Travel & Tourism: The Economic Importance of Travel in Canada . TIAC.

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Tourism Industry Association of Canada. (2018c).  International Travelers vs. Domestic Travelers – Exploring Differences . TIAC.

Tourism Industry Association of Canada. (2020). Canadian Tourism Reaches New Milestone in 2019 with 22.1 Million Inbound Visitors. Retrieved from https://tiac-aitc.ca/cgi/page.cgi/_zine.html/TopStories/Canadian_tourism_reaches_new_milestone_in_2019_with_22.1_million_inbound_visitors

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Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC - 2nd Edition Copyright © 2015, 2020, 2021 by Morgan Westcott and Wendy Anderson, Eds is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Stay up-to-date with gecko hospitality., the evolution of hospitality: from ancient traditions to modern day experiences and the many innovations along the way.

• Robert Krzak
• January 13, 2023

There is a deep and rich history in this industry of ours. In fact, the concept of hospitality is extremely old and is mentioned in writings dating back to Ancient Greece and Rome. The thought then was that hospitality to strangers was necessary to their religious well-being and in others. Some also believed that being hospitable would satisfy their own superstitious fears. Whatever the reasons, the roots of hospitality run deep.

In the Beginning

Hospitality as a business dates back to 15,000 B.C.. This was the first documented instance of one tribe hosting another at the Lascaux caves in France. The word hospitality comes from the Latin “hospitalitas” which means to receive as a guest. In ancient times, it meant extending a welcome to travelers or offering a home away from home. Eventually evolving to the days of taverns and innkeepers, hospitality is one of the oldest businesses. But it’s a business that started as an act of kindness.

In the early days, locals used to let travelers rest on kitchen floors or other extra spaces during their journey. There were no purpose-built resting facilities for tourists until monasteries decided to build one. This eventually gave birth to lodging services and by the 1700s, inns came into being. Proprietors would put up a shelter by the road where travelers could stop to take rest and get some food. They would also take care of traveler’s horses while the patrons rested.

The Introduction of Leisure Tourism

But our modern form of the hospitality industry dates back to the early 1800s. This is when the concept of leisure tourism spread across Europe, bringing a multitude of wealthy travelers to Switzerland. During that time, visitors sought natural exposure on guided tours in the Swiss Alps, train rides and “wellness tourism,” Elegant hotels, ski resorts, and thermal baths became icons of luxury tourism.

This leisure tourism opened a new world of services like transportation, food and beverages, lodging, travel agencies, entertainment and more. It was this collage of services that eventually become known as the hospitality industry. Business travel began to dominate the industry, but leisure travel became more and more popular. From the early 1900s through the 1950s, disposal income gave rise to a greater desire to travel.

A Time of Luxury and Service

Then came the Golden Age of hospitality. This was between 1960 through 1980 and was where organizational culture and value creation were driven by luxury and service. In post WWII, wealth for many Americans was increasing. This meant more money to spend on luxury goods and travel.

It was a time when Sheraton purchased the St. Regis New York to bulk up its luxury division in 1960. It’s also when Isadore Sharp founded the Four Seasons Hotels in 1961. His vision was to found a company on his Golden Rule: “ Treat guests the way you wish to be treated .” During this period, Ritz Carlton was founded and carved out its own niche in this segment.

The hospitality leaders of this era were experts in customer service and hospitality business operations. London had its Savoy Hotel and New York had Delmonico. These created stellar luxury and service standards. As more properties got into the luxury game, more visitors demanded more luxury. Each property tried to outdo the other in attempts to attract high net worth guests.

The Segmentation of Markets

Through around 1980 and 2000, the hospitality market began to focus on targeting very specific customers. During this time, people like Chip Conley (Joie de Vivre) and Ian Shrager (Morgans Hotels) focused on unique and differentiated offerings. This led to the design-led boutique hotel. During this time period, through some careful maneuvering and creative financing, Barry Sternlicht buys Sheraton.

To segment his properties and laser-focus on a specific customer group, Sternlicht creates W Hotel. He grows the W brand to more than 13,000 rooms globally and almost 8,000 in the development pipeline. The segmentation of markets continues today with boutique hotels spinning off from corporate conglomerates (Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton).

Digitizing of the Hospitality Industry

Finally, from around 1995 to present, digitizing and new technologies are transforming the hospitality industry. In 1996, Microsoft founded Expedia allowing travelers to make room reservations via a computer. Today Expedia and Priceline dominate the reservations market with a 94% share. The industry has come a long way from having to contact the hotel to make reservations. It’s now done through companies that even own a hotel property.

This is about the same time that AirBnB took the concept of couch surfing to a whole new level. These properties, mostly privately owned, attracted millions who wanted the space and privacy short-term rentals provide. Renting a vacation home dates back to the 1950s. But now, sites like VRBO and Booking.com allow users to book vacation rental properties managed by individual owners.

Where We Are Now

Hospitality is now one of the largest and diverse industries in the world. In some countries and states, it is the largest employer with hundreds of millions employees. It has grown and continues to grow by adding new segments of industry support along the way. The hospitality industry has expanded to almost everything that can support the traveler’s needs. Today, businesses in the industry can generally be divided into four categories:

• Food & Beverage
• Travel & Tourism

Under each of these categories are sub-sectors that also continue to expand. For example, under travel and tourism is Ubers, virtual reality, and space tourism. All categories and sub-sectors are interconnected, but each face their own challenges. But they also open their own world of opportunities.

Improving But Staying the Same

Technology has played an important role in the hospitality and tourism industry over the past decade. It helps reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency, and improve services and customer experience. Technology also facilitates easy connection and communication across borders and continents. It helps the hospitality industry in terms of higher number of bookings and easier communication with the customers.

The hospitality industry has evolved using newer technologies that include:

• Voice search and control -Includes everything from using smart speakers in hotel rooms, and allowing for control of the various in-room devices.
• Contactless payments -Offers several advantages for hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, and cafes.
• Chatbots -A good chatbot will answer the most common questions without requiring human involvement.
• Virtual reality -Gives potential customers a much clearer sense of what they can expect when they visit.
• Recognition technology -This is where biometrics is used to for seamless authentications, benefitting hotel processes and customer purchases.
• Artificial intelligence -Allows customers to interact with hospitality companies across a variety of digital channels and receive rapid responses.
• WiFi 6 -The next generation of WiFi technology. It is more than 30% faster while also boasting significantly improved throughput.
• Robots -Can occupy a concierge role within hotels, welcoming guests and providing them with important customer information. Can also serve in cleaning roles such as vacuuming floors and germ-killing.

Improvement in roads, cars, trains, and planes makes it easier for travelers to reach their destinations. Additionally, technology has helped to make it easier to book a room, order food, and access other amenities. But the hospitality industry succeeds based on the foundational principles of its origin and not more advanced technologies.

Succeeding in Hospitality

The Princeton definition for hospitality is, “ entertainment of guests or strangers without reward or with kind and generous liberality .” Many hospitality businesses would not survive today without reward of some kind, but the human-centered philosophy remains the same. Going forward, the challenge for providers will be to keep alive the human touch that has made hospitality establishments successful. At the same time, adapting to and using these new technologies will be crucial in the fight for customers.

In the end, it’s not about the tools used to provide the service. It’s the product, not the technology, that defines the guest experience. Guests remember not just the standard of service but the extraordinary hospitality that makes them feel welcome and appreciated. Gadgets and gizmos are there to assist in providing continual excellent service. As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, hospitality businesses that succeed will be those that focus on the guest experience.

• Tags: Evolution of the Hospitality Industry , History of Hospitality , Hospitality Industry

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The fascinating history of the hotel industry

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The history of the hotel industry is a long one. Dating back to ancient times, hotels have played a key role in the growth of the tourism industry. But hoe has the hotel industry changed over the years?

In this article I will provide you with a brief history of the hotel industry. Read on to learn more…

What is a hotel?

The first hotels, the history of hotels: the middle ages, the modern hotel industry, hotels in the 18th and 19th centuries, the history of hotels: the 20th century, the internet and its impact on the hotel industry, the post modern hotel industry, the first hotel in the world: nisiyama onsen kiunkan, further reading.

Before looking into the history of the hotel industry, it is important to recognise what a hotel is.

A hotel is defined as  an establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travellers and tourists . 

A hotel is somewhere where one can sleep away from their home. This could be for a holiday or for business purposes, or for convenience when travelling for any other reason such as a hospital appointment in a different area. They are short-term lets ranging from one night to a few weeks.

Hotels take all shapes and sizes and there are a variety of different types of hotels found throughout the world. In fact, the nature of hotels has changed and evolved throughout the years- the history of hotels is a long and interesting one!

Hotels go back to ancient times. Not in the way we know them, but right back to the early days of civilisation.

In those days there were places where you could exchange money or goods for a roof over your head for the night. This was especially important at this time because journeys were taken by foot (or horse and cart, later), so getting places took much longer than it does now.

While this matches the concept of a hotel as we know it, it was often just a room in somebody’s home . Often it was actually an outhouse! At this point, hotels were somewhere to stay out of necessity as part of a journey – rather than somewhere to make a journey  to.

However, savvy ancient business men realised that this was something they could expand on.

In the Ancient Roman times, society began to see more of what we would equate to today’s hotels. 

Hospitia,  derived from the word hospitality, was used to describe rooms rented in private homes, as explained above. Over time these were commercialised.

The hospitia started to offer food and drink as well as somewhere to sleep, and became somewhere that people would travel to for relaxation and holiday purposes – the upper classes, that is!

One example is the House of Sallust, a popular hotel in Pompeii before the city was destroyed. This is now a popular dark tourism destination .

The history of hotels is a slow one.

During the middles ages inns and staging posts were established as rest spots for travellers, while abbeys and cloisters also offered places for tired travellers to spend the night.

Inns cropped up around Europe and the rest of the world, but travelling during this time wasn’t particularly safe and/or common. Pilgrims, couriers and government workers were most likely to uses these services.

The hotel industry as we know it started around the fifteenth century.

In France and England, laws were introduced that meant inn keepers and hotel owners must keep a guest register. Around 600 inns were registered in England at this time.

These were precursors to the modern hotel, and very similar to what was offered in Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. There were just more laws in place now!

These inns provided food and somewhere to sleep as well as stabling and fodder for any horses within the travelling party.

Typically, an inn would consist of an inner court with bedrooms on either side, kitchen and parlour at the front, and stables at the back.

Coaching inns were vital before the introduction of rail travel . In England, these were about 7 miles apart and there were up to 10 in any one town. There was plenty of rivalry between inn owners!

They allowed horses to be switched out so the journey went as smoothly as possible. Still, at this point, few people were travelling for ‘leisure’ purposes except for the very wealthy. It was mostly the mail coaches and business trips.

In order to adapt and try to become the inn of choice in any one town, inn owners started running their lodgings in a more professional manner. This meant proper timetables and fixed food menus. This is where we start to see likenesses to the modern hotel industry!

The history of hotels has not changed massively since the 18th century.

During the middle of the 1700s, hotels simply grew and provided  more.  As wealthy people were beginning to explore further afield and travel became more of a leisure activity than it ever had been (e.g. the upper classes of ancient Greco-Roman culture ), hotels had to become grander and give their guests something else.

One of the first modern hotels to open was in Exeter in 1768. This was followed by the City Hotel in NYC. However, it wasn’t until the early 1800s that people took the idea on board and hotels started to pop up throughout Europe and North America.

Mivart’s Hotel opened in London in 1812 (later becoming Claridges), while Tremont House in Boston , USA opened a few years later in 1829. Tremont House holds the record for many industry firsts. It was the first hotel to have indoor plumbing with toilets and baths, as well as free soap (a tourist favourite) and a proper reception desk area which did more than just take payment. As time went on, more and more hotels opened.

Thanks to the industrial revolution, there was regular but structured work so people had more income as well as time off. Travel started to be more accessible and more appealing.

With the invention of trains and cars as well as reduced working hours and other benefits, travel was no longer something only the wealthy could do! Demand lead to a turning point in the history of hotels as they increased in popularity hugely. By the 1900s, there were many hotels around the globe.

As the physical aspect of travelling got easier and became more commonplace, the hotel industry boomed.

The second half of the 20th century saw a massive boom in the economy, too. This meant that the population grew, demographics completely changes and many places became more urban. As the desire to travel increased, so did the different types of hotels.

The boom in hotels was a prominent part of the history of tourism . With travel becoming a more popular activity, there had to be plenty of variety. This is why we now see beach resorts and motels, golf resorts and budget hostels around the globe.

The diversity within business meant that different target audiences were catered to! It is also meant prices could vary depending on what particular hotels were offering. Hotel categorisation brought a whole new level to the industry.

And of course, international travel opening up meant that hotels and resorts around the globe had a whole new clientele to cater to: foreign tourists . People were no longer just travelling domestically . They were now visiting other countries to explore, staying for longer time periods and expecting more out of their trip.

So… while the concept of a hotel hasn’t really changed since time began, they have always had to adapt to the next big thing…

Like with everything, the history of hotels was impacted by the internet. 

The travel industry  responded quickly to the rise of the internet, and continues to do so. Internet access means people have more choice. It means it is easier to book things like hotels (as well as flights, transfers and car hire) without having to leave your house. You can compare the prices of hotels, reserve without payment and cancel for free.

The digital age has meant the travel industry has needed to adapt. However, it has also presented new opportunities for hoteliers and other industry professionals. 

With thousands of options at their fingertips on sites like  booking.com , avid travellers are able to read reviews and see real-time price updates for hotels in their own area or in far-flung corners of the globe. Tamara Lohan from Mr & Mrs Smith, a boutique hotels website, told the Guardian:  “We pivoted from a hotel guidebook to become an online travel agent just as the internet started to become a place people could finally trust with their credit cards. In the whole of that first month online we did 10 bookings – now we do 300 a day.” While she says the business changed its model due to internet and allows online bookings, it still runs 24/7 customer service support via phones “for people who want that human element”. 

What is the future of the hotel industry?

In recent years we have seen a significant growth in the sharing economy. The concept is simple- peer to peer transactions are becoming increasingly popular over traditional consumer purchases.

So what does this mean for the history of the hotel industry? Well, recent times have seen a decline in hotel bookings and reductions in prices in some areas. One of the main culprits is Airbnb, but there are other similar platforms too. Airbnb allows people to share their accommodations with other travellers.

In the future, I predict further moves towards platforms such as Airbnb . I also predict, in response to the 2020 COVID outbreak, an increased importance placed on cleanliness at hotels.

With the growth of niche tourism and an increased consumer desire for the new and the different, I also predict that we will see more unique hotels pop up throughout the world, such as ecolodges and themed hotels.

A blog post about the history of the hotel industry would not be complete without mentioning Nisiyama Onsen Kiunkan.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this is the oldest operational hotel in existence. You can find it Yamanashi, Japan. It opened in AD 707 and has been open ever since, run by the same family for forty-six generations. The hotel was given the title in 2011.

The Nisiyama Onsen Kiunkan is a four-star hotel with 35 rooms decorated in beautifully Japanese-style decor. The rooms have free-flowing baths and stunning views of the Kai Mountains as well as the Hayakawa and Yukawa Valleys. You can  book a stay at the Nisiyama Onsen Kiunkan  and experience it for yourself!

Now that pretty much sums up the history of the hotel industry. Are you interested to learn more about the hotel and tourism industry? I have lots of articles that I’m sure you will LOVE! Here are a few of my favourites:

• Homestay tourism: What is a homestay?
• Types of rail transport | Understanding tourism
• The sex hotel: What, where and why
• The tour operator: What, why and how
• Visiting friends and relatives (VFR): A simple explanation
• The appeal of tourist destinations | What attracts tourists
• Types of accommodation | Understanding tourism

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The Oxford Handbook of Tourism History

Eric G. E. Zuelow is Professor of History at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. He is author of A History of Modern Tourism (2015) and Making Ireland Irish: Tourism and National Identity since the Irish Civil War (2009), editor of Touring Beyond the Nation: A Transnational Approach to European Tourism History (2011), and editor of the Journal of Tourism History.

Kevin J. James is Professor of History at the University of Guelph in Canada, where he holds the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair and serves as Director of the Centre for Scottish Studies. His research programs have explored the history of the hotel visitors' book, hotels in wartime, and the history of country house hotels.

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Hospitality Industry Impact on Society Essay

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Hospitality Industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. Mainly incorporating—in a blend of services—cafes, restaurants, accommodation, clubs, hotels, bars, etc., this is a high-opportunity job market for the highly mobile and youthful workforce as a chef, cook, kitchen-hand, restaurant, and catering manager, cleaner, or a bar attendant. As an equal opportunity employer, it hires women in an agreeable manner as men (SafeWork SA 2007).

Service-wise generally divided into two major types, Hospitality Industry has entertainment and accommodation. Entertainment includes clubs and bars, restaurants serving fast foods, and nightclubs. Accommodation means public houses, resorts, inns, campgrounds, hotels, hostels, serviced apartments, and motels.

However, in this industry, there are certainly more risks involved than any other field, which accounts for the fourth highest workers compensation claims.

In the workforce, the industry faces some challenges coming in different shapes (United States Department of Labor 2006):

Image: Like other service sectors, this is hard to maintain a high image. Due to low-wage usually at entry-level employment, there is little opportunity for advancement of career.

Recruitment: Employment of youth in this industry for intense work challenges demands new strategies by employers to provide incentives and other benefits.

Retention: High turnover is always a challenging issue for this industry. Retaining skilled employees for a longer duration means devising new plans and strategies as per the economic and social problems of the current period.

Language skills: English sometimes becomes an issue when workers skilled in services are unable to communicate with tourists or guests. In that case, special training programs are planned to increase the communication skills of the employees.

Employability/Soft Skills: Along with the technical knowledge and experience in the field of the Hospitality Industry, service providers need to have a cluster of personality traits, social graces, facility with language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism to please the customers and make quality performance.

Consistent training models and skills certifications: Not dissimilar to other service sectors, entry-level employees are not trained according to a set model consistently, which every time arises the issue of bringing modification in the training mode and increasing investment in devising skill programs for certification and further training.

In Hospitality Industry, tourism especially is more open to changing cultural and social values, presented in the material form of arts, music, or crafts. However, in this fast-changing world with unprecedented advances in technology and easy communication and transportation, cultural influences on tourist behavior and tourist decision-making are studied in isolation and not in the background of cross-cultural issues (Reisinger 2008, p. 22). For the last two years, this cultural effect on the industry of tourism has become more prominent in an international scenario with changing the style of international behavior and cross-cultural issues.

Also, as compared to other industries, it has a tendency to react more strongly to economic fluctuations (EconomyWatch). According to World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism surpassed other industries like autos, steel, electronics, and agriculture in a high revenue-generating context. Furthermore, as it was mentioned earlier, the industry is highly responsive to social and cultural changes in any part of the world; in the olden days, small boarding houses and other services of hospitality were offered on small scale, which has by the passage of time grown enormously to include offering services on the Internet, in flights and other traveling facilities to accommodate more tourists and to cater to their diverse needs and desires of comfort and traveling and recreational pursuits.

In a study at Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research, it was found that customers enjoy innovations in new technologies to provide better services (Dixon, Kimes & Verma 2009). Among eleven technologies, they found preferably virtual menus with nutritional information highly agreeable, and then online reservations and pagers to order services. However, researchers found that customers are hesitant in using new technologies for better availability of services. Once after using some innovation in technology in Hospitality Industry, they stick to that and avoid trying new modes, a sort of catch-22 situation for service providers. The study was conducted on 1,737 US residents by getting survey responses from a broad-based national database. Dixon, one of the researchers and a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, said: “Based on our study, we recommend that restaurants encourage customers to try new technologies. But restaurants should avoid forcing technology use and implement new technologies with considerable support and demonstrations. I should note that our respondents were more likely to use pagers and online reservations than the other technologies we tested. On the other hand, they were not supportive of payment technologies involving cell phones or smart cards.”

It was also found that technology users more frequently visited restaurants than others. Furthermore, young people more used technologies than older ones although there was not found significant difference according to gender.

Mark Wynne Smith, the European CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, is of the view that the European growth rate for Hospitality Industry will remain slow in the coming years. However, the tourism industry is going to flourish with new visitors from economically growing ‘BRIC’ countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China (An Uncertain Future – Hotel Management 2007)

Hudson Crossing is a strategic advisory firm in the USA which helps business owners raise travel, tourism, and hospitality assets by providing consultation. Michael W. McCormick, Managing Partner, Hudson Crossing, believes there is a marked drop in the economic turnover of the Hospitality Industry which will continue in the second quarter of this year due to the economic recession observed all over the world (Hospitality Trends 2009). In a report “Q2 2009 Travel Industry Insight” currently issued, McCormick, however, hopes big adjustments are being made and more creative solutions are planned to enhance revenue-generating options for the 3rd and last quarter of the year. He made a few predictions regarding the future of the industry in this year:

The decline in business travel will see another phase of continued persistence till the new budget cycle by the end of the year 2009.

Business owners in the industry will issue loyalty programs and aggressively priced packages for the consumers to attract them.

Online booking fees for traveling will not be charged by booking agencies such as Obitz.com and Travelocity to lure international travelers.

An Uncertain Future – Hotel Management 2007, An Uncertain Future , SPG Media Limited, London, Web.

EconmyWatch, Hopsitality Industry , Stanley St Labs, 2009, Web.

Hospitality Trends 2009, Travel Industry Expectations: The Decline of Business Travel and Other Insights , Hospitality Trends, Web.

Dixon, MJ, Kimes, SE & Verma, R 2009, Customer Preferences for Restaurant Technology Innovations , Hospitality Trends, Web.

Reisinger, Y 2008, International Tourism: Cultures and Behavior, Butterworth-Heinemann, Philadelphia.

SafeWork SA 2007, Hospitality Industry , Government of South Australia, Web.

United States Department of Labor 2006, Innovative Workforce Solutions to Help the Hospitality Industry Address Hiring, Training, and Retention Challenges , US Department of Labor, Washington DC, Web.

• Cornell note taking system
• The Self-Paced Online Learning Platform
• The Hudson’s Bay Company and the Northwest Fur Trade
• Credit Crunch and Its Impact on Hospitality Industry
• Group Sales Importance in Combating Recession
• Managing a Restaurant in the Hospitality Industry
• Hospitality Management: Trends and Issues
• Hospitality Management: Food & Beverage Service
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, November 1). Hospitality Industry Impact on Society. https://ivypanda.com/essays/hospitality-industry-impact-on-society/

"Hospitality Industry Impact on Society." IvyPanda , 1 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/hospitality-industry-impact-on-society/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Hospitality Industry Impact on Society'. 1 November.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Hospitality Industry Impact on Society." November 1, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/hospitality-industry-impact-on-society/.

1. IvyPanda . "Hospitality Industry Impact on Society." November 1, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/hospitality-industry-impact-on-society/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Hospitality Industry Impact on Society." November 1, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/hospitality-industry-impact-on-society/.

Home / Essay Samples / Travelling / Tourism / Economic Condition Of Nation And The Importance Of Tourism And Hospitality

Economic Condition Of Nation And The Importance Of Tourism And Hospitality

• Category: Travelling
• Topic: Tourism Industry

Pages: 4 (1660 words)

Views: 9786

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Introduction of Hospitality industry

History of hospitality industry, importance of hospitality industry, different type of business in hospitality industry, food and beverages:.

• Coffee shop
• Room service

Travel and Tourism:

Recreation:, the hotel grading system, introduction of tourism industry.

• Tour operator
• Hotel and Restaurant
• Travel industry

History of Tourism Industry

Importance of tourism industry, the golden city jaisalmar:, temporary attractions, definition of the term tourist and tourism, the purpose and responsibilities of travel agents, responsibilities.

• Travel agents have a lot of knowledge of the world important places.
• Travel agent also needs to provide travel and genuine knowledge.
• One of the important duties of travel agent is booking, accommodation, flights, buses, etc.
• Customer services are also most important duty of a travel agent.
• Arrange travel for business and vacation customers.
• Plan and arrange tour packages and day trips.
• The duty of also is book reservations rental cars, for travel, hotels and special events, such as tours and excursions.

Purpose and responsibilities of a tour operator

• Puts together accommodation, and other travel related services and make package for sale via agents.
• Tour operators are responsible for that operation which all the things related to tour.
• Provides all specific and general advice.
• Contacting with Air lines and hotel for make arrangements.
• Provides all advice to the customer about travel. 6. handling invoicing, bookings and issuing of tickets
• Dealing with payments.
• Agreeing contracts, costs and service levels.
• Using market research information to take guide decisions.
• Producing brochures and internet-based information.
• Tour operators discuss all things that are related to tour.

Responsibilities of the tour guide

• A tour guide should tell the tour points of interest to group members.
• Greet and register visitor or tour stars.
• Make sure the tour group will be sent home or safely as possible.
• Provide safety devices to tourists.
• Make sure all members of the tour group follow the schedules set of tour.
• Make sure the accommodation of hotel in case the tour is schedule for more than a full working day.
• Communicate with your tour group in a happiness and engaging manner.
• General theft and other crime.
• Armed robbery
• Credit card fraud
• Identity theft
• Risk of food poisoning

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