The lodging industry is so diverse that many hotels do not fit in to
any single well-defined category. Some of the categories used to
classify hotels are locations, the type of guests attracted, the kind of
structure or chain affiliation, size and service level.
The size
and service level of a hotel are its most important characteristics.
However, size and service level is not dependent on each other. The size
of a hotel often has little to do with the level of service it offers.
Size characteristics may include the number of guest’s rooms, meeting
rooms and banquet rooms within the hotel and the number of divisions or
departments within the hotel requiring various services. A more precise
measure of work performed by a hotel’s staff is the hotel’s level of
service. While the levels of service offered by hotels vary tremendously
across the lodging industry, hotels can, for the sake of simplicity, be
classified in terms of their location, as transient, resort and motels.
Transient Hotels
Transient hotels are found in major cities of the world and in an around airports.
City Hotels
These
hotels are situated in major cities and mainly cater for businessmen
who visit these cities for business purposes, and participants of
conferences and seminars that are often held in these hotels. The length
of stay of guests in these hotels is rather short and usually check-ins
and check-outs take place throughout the day. The speed of service is
of utmost importance in these hotels as guests are often in hurry to
obtain various services that they require, whilst attending to their
business activities.
Airport Hotels
These
hotels that are situated either in or around major airports, Often the
length of stay guests is one night. Usually in these hotels, food and
beverage facilities are made available around the clock.
Semi Transients Hotels
These
hotels are found in suburbs of cities, when guests may either come on
holiday or business purposes. The facilities and services must be geared
to cater for both types of guests in these hotels.
Resorts Hotels
Resort
hotels are found in various resort areas and the majority of guests
come to these for holidays. The average length of stay of guests is
longer, compared with transient hotels. These resorts can be seaside
retreats, desert or mountain retreats, health resort, cultural and game
parks or ancient cities.
Motels
Motels
are usually found alongside main highways and cater for long distance
travelers. In most typical motels, guest park their own cars/motor
vehicles carry their own luggage, provide their own room service and
make their own arrangements for laundry and pressing etc. Some of the
earlier motels also omitted food and beverage services. However,
nowadays in most motels there are 24-hour coffee shops available,
providing food and beverage facilities throughout the day and night.
Motel
is considered by some to be an outdated word because of the image of
the very early motels, which were really old-fashioned tourist cabin.
Still successful up to date companies in the the American and European
continents, keep their original names, glad that their market can easily
recognize what kind of accommodation is being offered.
More over,
motels identifies its products because the term originally came from a
construction of the words “motor” and “hotel”(Moter-hotel).
Botels
Botels are found along riverbanks and cater for people traveling by boats
Classification as per size
Small hotel: 1-25 rooms
Medium hotels: 25-100
Large hotel: 100 – above
Classification as per facilities and service:
2 star: minimum 1 food and beverage out let, service till 2200 hours, intercom and
limited room services, etc.
3 star: minimum 2 food and beverage out lets, 1 bar, 24 hours room service, currency
exchange, postal service and elevators etc.
4 star: conforming 3 star standards, more comfortable rooms, 3 restaurants including a
coffee shop, mini bar, elevator, banquette, seminar, meeting facilities and parking lot,
etc.
5 star: conforming 4 star standards plus health club, sauna, Jacuzzi, mini-bar etc.
