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An all-inclusive resort is a holiday resort that generally includes, in the price of booking a stay, lodging, unlimited food and drink, alcoholic drinks, entertainment, and other recreational activities like sports or watersports. [1] They are often located in warmer regions of the world, particularly in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Though some Butlin's holiday camps in the U.K. had offered a similar concept in the 1930s, the modern all-inclusive resort has its origins in the 1950s with the foundation of the Club Med company by Belgian entrepreneur Gérard Blitz. Their first resort was opened in Alcúdia, Majorca, Spain in 1950, where guests stayed in tents and basic straw huts along the beach. [2]
The concept has evolved over the decades. All-inclusives in the 1980s and 1990s were generally marketed towards singles, later on becoming more popular with couples and families. [3]
Those geared toward families may have facilities like craft centers, game rooms, and water parks to keep children of all ages entertained. All-inclusive resorts geared towards couples are also popular locations for weddings and honeymoons.
An all-inclusive resort, in addition to all the amenities of a resort, charges a fixed price that includes most or all items offered. At a minimum, most inclusive resorts include lodging, drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), food (three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner), indoor and outdoor activities, and entertainment for a fixed price.
They generally are called "all-inclusive destination resorts". These facilities provide food, drink, lodging, sports, fitness programs and spas, entertainment, and shopping, with the advantage that guests do not have to leave the resort after arriving.
In most cases, "Adults Only" means that resorts in this category do not admit children. The minimum age of admission varies from resort to resort but is usually 18 years of age or older.
It has been noted that, depending on the fine print, and the traveller's individual interests - especially with respect to out-of-resort-trips - that an "all-inclusive" offer may eventually turn out more costly than a regular offer.
Also, ambiguity about what "all-inclusive" means sometimes leads to travelers being disappointed that services which they expected are not available or require payment of additional fees. [4] For example, guests are often disappointed to learn that only "cheap" (i. e., "well" or "bottom shelf") liquor is included, and that they must pay an upcharge for "top-shelf" alcohol.
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refrigerator, and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs, a flat-screen television, and en-suite bathrooms. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, a business center with computers, printers, and other office equipment, childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium, restaurants, day spa, and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually numbered to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities.
A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that has a license to put up guests as lodgers. The word derives from the Latin taberna whose original meaning was a shed, workshop, stall, or pub.
A bar, also known as a saloon, a tavern or tippling house, or sometimes as a pub or club, is an establishment retail business that serves alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, liquor, cocktails, and other beverages such as mineral water and soft drinks. Bars often also sell snack foods, such as crisps or peanuts, for consumption on their premises. Some types of bars, such as pubs, may also serve food from a restaurant menu. The term "bar" refers to the countertop where drinks are prepared and served, and by extension to the overall premises.
A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort and the term resort may be used for a hotel that provides an array of entertainment and recreational activities. Some resorts are also condominium complexes that are timeshares or owned fractionally or wholly owned condominium. A resort is not always a commercial establishment operated by a single company, but in the late 20th century, that sort of facility became more common.
Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to draw in more business before or after peak business hours.
A no-frills or no frills service or product is one for which the non-essential features have been removed to keep the price low. The term "frills" originally refers to a style of fabric decoration. Something offered to customers for no additional charge may be designated as a "frill" – for example, free drinks on airline journeys, or a radio installed in a rental car. No-frills businesses operate on the principle that by removing luxurious additions, customers may be offered lower prices.
Club Med SAS, commonly known as Club Med and previously known as Club Méditerranée SA, is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. Founded in 1950, the company has been primarily owned by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group since 2013. Club Med either wholly owns or operates nearly eighty all-inclusive resort villages in holiday locations around the world.
In restaurant terminology, a table d'hôte menu is a menu where multi-course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed total price. Such a menu may be called prix fixe. The terms set meal and set menu are also used.
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a Disney-owned and operated resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort. It began operation on October 1, 1971 as one of Walt Disney World Resort's first two on-site hotels. The resort has a South Seas theme, and originally opened with 492 rooms. It was designed by Welton Becket and Associates and constructed by US Steel Realty Development. The resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
An airport lounge is a facility operated at many airports. Airport lounges offer, for selected passengers, comforts beyond those afforded in the airport terminal, such as more comfortable seating, quieter environments, and better access to customer service representatives. Other accommodations may include private meeting rooms, telephones, wireless internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance passenger comfort, such as free drinks, snacks, magazines, and showers.
A minibar is a small refrigerator, typically an absorption refrigerator, in a hotel room or cruise ship stateroom. The hotel staff fill it with drinks and snacks for the guest to purchase during their stay. It is stocked with a precise inventory of goods, with a price list. The guest is charged for goods consumed when checking out of the hotel. Some newer minibars use infrared or other automated methods of recording purchases. These detect the removal of an item, and charge the guest's credit card right away, even if the item is not consumed. This is done to prevent loss of product, theft and lost revenue.
A cover charge is an entrance fee sometimes charged at bars, nightclubs, or restaurants. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as a "fixed amount added to the bill at a nightclub or restaurant for entertainment or service." In restaurants, cover charges generally do not include the cost of food that is specifically ordered, but in some establishments, they do include the cost of bread, butter, olives and other accompaniments which are provided as a matter of course.
A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs. In the era before modern biochemistry and pharmacotherapy, "taking the waters" was often believed to have great medicinal powers. Even without such mystic powers, the stress relief and health education of spas also often has some degree of positive effect on health. Destination spas offer day spa facilities, but what sets them apart is that they also offer hotel facilities so that people can stay multiple nights.
A hotel manager, hotelier, or lodging manager is a person who manages the operation of a hotel, motel, resort, or other lodging-related establishment. Management of a hotel operation includes, but is not limited to management of hotel staff, business management, upkeep and sanitary standards of hotel facilities, guest satisfaction and customer service, marketing management, sales management, revenue management, financial accounting, purchasing, and other functions. The title "hotel manager" or "hotelier" often refers to the hotel's general manager who serves as a hotel's head executive, though their duties and responsibilities vary depending on the hotel's size, purpose, and expectations from ownership. The hotel's general manager is often supported by subordinate department managers that are responsible for individual departments and key functions of the hotel operations.
The Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta was the second hotel built at Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. It opened on September 4, 2001, alongside the opening of the Tokyo DisneySea theme park. It was constructed under a license by The Walt Disney Company. The hotel is managed by The Oriental Land Company.
A drinking establishment is a business whose primary function is the serving of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises. Some establishments may also serve food, or have entertainment, but their main purpose is to serve alcoholic beverages. There are different types of drinking establishment ranging from seedy bars or nightclubs, sometimes termed "dive bars", to 5,000 seat beer halls and elegant places of entertainment for the elite. A public house, informally known as a "pub", is an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms are increasingly used to refer to the same thing, there is a difference between pubs, bars, inns, taverns and lounges where alcohol is served commercially. A tavern or pot-house is, loosely, a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and, more than likely, also be served food, though not licensed to put up guests. The word derives from the Latin taberna and the Greek ταβέρνα/taverna.
Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, is a beachside resort hotel at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Alongside Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort, Aulani claims to be Disney's third "stand-alone" hotel located in an area without any adjacent theme parks.
A hotel amenity is a desirable or useful feature provided when renting a room at a hotel, motel, or other place of lodging. The amenities provided in each hotel vary. In some places of lodging, certain amenities may be standard with all rooms. In others, they may be optional for an additional cost.
Couples Resorts is one of the pioneers of the all-inclusive resort concept in the Caribbean. Couples Resorts owns and operates four all-inclusive, couples-only beach resorts on Jamaica’s north coast, between Ocho Rios and Negril.
An all-you-can-eat restaurant (AYCE) is a type of restaurant in which a fixed price is charged for entry, after which diners may consume as much food as they wish. The concept was pioneered by Shoney’s in 1947. It was later perfected by David Davoudpour. When asked about it, he proclaimed, “All I’ve done, all I’ve done focus on ingredients, to make them better, to make them what they used to be; fresh, never frozen!” All-you-can-eat establishments are frequently self-service buffets, but some AYCE restaurants instead provide waitservice based on an unlimited series of written orders for specific foods.