HISTORY OF THE LODGING INDUSTRY

Historical Perspectives

Being hospitable can be traced back to the civilizations of Sumeria, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Rome
and Biblical Times.

Two possible explanations why people in ancient times felt required to be hospitable:

 They felt that providing hospitality to strangers were necessary to their religious well-being and
 Having superstitious belief.

The more logical in our modern thinking explains that providing hospitality was a result of a “give and
take” philosophy.

The need for a place to stay away from home is as old as the first nomadic traveler.

Trading between two cultures created the need for groups of people to travel often great distances.

Along these trade routes, certain stopping points became favored out of necessity.

These stopping points became known as junction points that grew into trading centers and eventually
evolved into cities.

ANCIENT GREEK DAYS

Hospitality was provided by certain elements of religion: missionaries, priests and pilgrims. The
Accommodation was meager; providing only shelter and barest of sustenance. They were operated by
slaves who belonged to the temples or holy places.

ANCIENT ROMAN DAYS

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 the permission to travel from the government.
Most were built in areas with natural springs. Their taverns are called “Tabernas: and the attached in
was called “Cauponas”.

BIBLICAL TIMES

The most famous story of accommodation was during the nativity of Jesus Christ. People were reporting
there to pay taxes.

Journey segment is the maximum reasonable distance traveled in one day along trade and caravan
routes.

At these journey segments, lodging facilities became a need. They were called relay houses in China,
khans in Persia, and tabernas in Rome.

At some point, innkeepers began to incorporate food and beverage service in their operations.

Another development was the Roman network of roads that crisscrossed Europe and parts of Asia and
Africa. These roads provided fast and safe routes for travelers.
MIDDLE AGES

During the Middle Ages, it was considered the duty of Christians to offer hospitality to traveler and
pilgrims. In many instances, monasteries functioned as inns, providing accommodations and food for the
weary travelers.

During the reign of Charlemagne, he enacted a law setting out the duty of a Christian to provide free
resting place for a traveler as well as food. Up to this period, the rendering of hospitality was considered
a charitable donation springing from religious belief rather than a business venture.

The concept of hospitality was changed in 1282 in Florence, Italy. The innkeepers created a guild or
associations that formed hospitality into business.

19th CENTURY

The industrial revolution of the mid-1900s created new modes of transportation that further changed
the way people traveled.

The emergence of railroads and later the automobile played large roles in lodging’s history because both
dramatically increased the lengths of journey segments for a traveler.

As the evolution of lodging continued, new facilities began to emerge as an option for travelers.

The wealthy and landed aristocracy of the world began to view the many spare rooms in their castles
and estates as sources of revenue.

The best example of this can be traced back to the English and colonial inns of the 1700s.

The significant difference between the two was that colonial inns offered rooms to anyone who could
afford to pay, whereas English inns were most often reserved for the aristocracy.

Another difference between the two was that English inns rented out individual sleeping rooms,
whereas colonial inns regularly offered large rooms with several beds inside. This meant that English
inns could offer private guest rooms, whereas colonial inns were better suited for communal
accommodations.

The word hotel is the Anglicized version of the French hotel garni, which translates into “large, furnished
mansion”.

The first lodging facility that can be directly considered a precursor of the modern hotel was the 73
rooms City Hotel built in New York in 1794.

It is a significant milestones in the evolution of lodging because its sole purpose was to house guests. All
the previous inns were homes first, and lodging facilities second.

HOSHI RYOKAN (718) – WORLD’S 2ND OLDEST HOTEL

Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (705) – World’s oldest hotel

HOTEL DEL ORIENTE (1850) – First hotel in the Philippines

MANILA HOTEL (1912) – Oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines

In 1829, Tremont House was built in Boston. This property was another milestone in the early revolution
of hotels.

It was considered as the first five-star hotel. Highly trained staff, French Cuisine, and luxurious appointed
rooms combined to give guests the finest hotel experience available ever to that point in time.

Amenities offered by the Tremont House include in-room water pitchers and free soap that was
considered revolutionary.

SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS – World’s largest Cruise Ship

MODERN TIMES

The hotel industry experienced the start of construction boom, and since then the hotel industry is
progressing day by day. International business is rapidly developing and with this lot of business
executive is travelling out; modern hotels are developing as per the needs and wants of tourist and
business class guest.

BURJ AL ARAB (TOWER OF THE ARABS) – KNOWN TO BE THE FIRST 7 – STAR HOTEL

MARINA BAY SANDS – WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE BUILDING

CONRAD HILTON – KING OF INNKEEPERS

JOHN WILLARD MARRIOTT SR. – FOUNDER OF THE MARRIOTT HOTEL CHAIN

CHARLES KEMMONS WILSON – FATHER OF MODERN HOTELS AND FOUNDER OF HOLIDAY INN

CESAR RITZ – FOUNDER OF RITZ HOTEL