A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided 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, business centre, 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 the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours. In Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities.
A motel or motor lodge is a hotel designed for motorists and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, coined as a portmanteau contraction of "motor hotel", originates from the Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California, which was built in 1925. The term referred initially to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and in some circumstances, a common area or a series of small cabins with common parking. Motels are often individually owned, though motel chains do exist.
A towel is a piece of absorbent fabric or paper used for drying or wiping a body or a surface. It draws moisture through direct contact, often using a blotting or a rubbing motion.
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared bathrooms. Private rooms may also be available, but the property must offer dormitories to be considered a hostel. Hostels are popular forms of lodging for backpackers, cycle tourists, and gap year travelers. They are part of the sharing economy. Benefits of hostels include lower costs and opportunities to meet people from all over the world, find travel partners, and share travel ideas.
A capsule hotel, also known in the Western world as a pod hotel, is a type of hotel developed in Japan that features many small bed-sized rooms known as capsules. Capsule hotels provide cheap, basic overnight accommodation for guests who do not require or who cannot afford larger, more expensive rooms offered by more conventional hotels.
Valet parking is a parking service offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses. In contrast to "self-parking", where customers find a parking space on their own, customers' vehicles are parked for them by a person called a valet. This service either requires a fee to be paid by the customer or is offered free of charge by the establishment.
Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound with the formula (HOCH2CH2)2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, poisonous, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent. It can be a contaminant in consumer products; this has resulted in numerous epidemics of poisoning since the early 20th century.
An airport lounge is a facility operated at many airports. Airport lounges offer, for selected passengers, comforts beyond those afforded in the airport terminal itself, such as more comfortable seating, quieter environments, and often 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.
Candlewood Suites is a hotel chain within the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
Shades of Green is a resort owned by the United States Department of Defense (DOD) in the city of Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida on Walt Disney World property. It is one of five Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRC) resorts and a part of the military's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program (MWR). The resort, which was expanded between 2004-2006, is self-supporting and operates from non-appropriated funds and all profits are put back into the resort.
Fairfield by Marriott is a low-cost, economy chain of hotels that are franchised by Marriott International. The properties are geared towards guests requiring a place to sleep with fewer amenities, thus allowing Marriott to offer lower prices than would otherwise be possible. This is accomplished via cost-saving measures, such as consistent building architecture and bedding, and the omission of a full-service restaurant. However, a complimentary hot breakfast is included. As of December 31, 2018, it has 979 hotels with 94,288 rooms
Harrah's Ak-Chin is a hotel and casino located 39 miles (63 km) south of Phoenix, Arizona in Maricopa. It is owned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. The casino features video poker and slot machines, as well as blackjack, keno, the only World Series of Poker room in Arizona and a newly renovated bingo hall, the only one in the Caesars Entertainment organization.
A night auditor works at night at the reception of a hotel.
In 2007 a series of product recalls and import bans were imposed by the product safety institutions of the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand against products manufactured in and exported from the mainland of the People's Republic of China (PRC) because of numerous alleged consumer safety issues.
Home2 Suites by Hilton is an all-suite extended-stay hotel featuring contemporary accommodations and customizable guest room design. It competes with TownePlace Suites by Marriott and InterContinental Hotels Group's Candlewood Suites. The Memphis, Tennessee-based hotel brand targets both business and leisure travelers. Launched in January 2009, Home2 Suites by Hilton was the first new brand introduced by Hilton Worldwide in 20 years. As of December 31, 2018, it has 290 properties with 30,125 rooms, including two that are managed with 198 rooms and 288 that are franchised with 29,927 rooms
A towel rails radiator or a heated towel rail is a feature designed to heat towels before using them. For many years, European hotels have used them as combined towel- dryers/racks. The towel warmer is a bathroom heater suitable for both drying and heating towels and the environment. There are two versions: traditional ones that are plumbed like a radiator with water heated from a central boiler, and electric ones where an electrical resistance heats water or oil contained in the unit
Gilchrist & Soames is a Somerset, New Jersey-based marketer of English-themed in-room toiletry hotel amenities. The company also maintains an office in Aldermaston, West Berkshire.
AKA White House is a luxury extended stay hotel owned by Korman Communities located at 1710 H Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The operator is AKA, the extended-stay hotel brand owned by Korman Communities. AKA White House opened in 2005.
The Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas is a hotel in Kāʻanapali, Hawaii. It is located on the western side of the island of Maui. Opened in September 2003, the hotel consists of eight resort towers, each housing 100–200 units. The resort is located adjacent to the Westin Nanea Ocean Villas resort.
