How many accommodation types are there

As already mentioned, accommodations or hotels are classified according to the size, location, target market, levels of service, facilities provided, number of rooms, ownership and so on. Hence, there is a wide variety of accommodation in the world, guaranteeing to meet the needs and requirements of every visitor. However, the number of accommodations is not clear because they fall into many categories and vary widely from country to another. Here are the most common types:

• City center hotels: These hotels are located within the heart of a city. The type may vary greatly from business, suites, residential, economy, mid-scale to luxury.
• Airport Hotels: These hotels are designed especially to accommodate air travelers. They offer a mix of facilities and The majority offers customers transportation to and from the airport.
• Highway hotels or Motels: They are designed for overnight stays for car travelers, often with very basic facilities. The rooms usually have direct access to an open parking lot. They are located on the outskirts of towns and cities.
• Convention hotels: These hotels can provide a large quantity of rooms. In addition to accommodation, they provide extensive meeting and space for holding conven-tions. There are banquet areas within and around the hotel complex. Most of them provide an in-house laundry, a business center, airport shuttle service, and 24-hour room service. They are often in close proximity to convention centers and other convention hotels.
• Commercial Hotels: They are located in downtown They tend to be smaller than convention hotels. Meeting and function space are smaller, and there are fewer banquet areas.
• Resort Hotels: These hotels are located in scenic, sometimes remote Customers travel long distance to resorts. Usually, they tend to stay longer. Resorts typically provide a comprehensive array of recreational amenities, as well as a variety of food and beverage outlets ranging from informal to fine-dining restaurants
• Spa Hotels: They are located in resort-type settings or as part of city spa hotels. They provide accommodations, spa treatments, programs and cuisine. Programs offered vary widely. They may include relaxation / stress management, fitness, weight management, and yoga. Spas have professional staff that often include dieticians, therapists, masseurs, exercise physiologists, and in some cases, physicians.
• Casino Hotels: They have gambling operations, which are the major revenue centers. They also provide live entertainment. A wide variety of luxury amenities, hotel services including fine and casual dining and shopping centers are typically available on site.
• All-suite Hotels: The guest rooms in these hotels are larger than normal hotel rooms, with separate areas for working, sleeping and relaxing. A living area is typically separated from the bedroom, and some properties offer a kitchen set-up in the rooms. The amenities and services can vary widely. They can be found in various locations such as urban, suburban, or residential.
• Boutique hotels: Often furnished in a themed, individual style. Boutique hotels are intimate in size and focus on providing guests with high-quality, personalized experien-ces. They are sometimes known as "design hotels" or "lifestyle hotels". The price varies greatly. They are very different in their “look and feel” from traditional lodging properties. They are more intimate, and, perhaps, more luxurious, and stand out as an individual. The amenities vary greatly depending on what the hotel’s environment and theme chosen. For example, a boutique hotel may not offer Wi-Fi Internet, air conditioning, or cable/pay TV if it focuses on comfort and solitude.
• Timeshares or Vacation Ownership: This is a type of shared ownership where a buyer purchases the right to use the property for a portion of each year. In many cases, when the timeshare is purchased, the buyer receives a deed. This indicates that the buyer can use the property each year at the time specified for the number of years based on the deed and the purchase can be handed down to the buyer’s heirs.
• Extended-stay hotels or Serviced Apartments: These properties cater to customers who stay for an extended period. They usually offer full kitchen facilities, shopping services, business services and limited housekeeping services.
• Bed and breakfast inns (B&Bs): They are usually family-owned. They are private homes whose owners live on or near the building and rent out rooms to overnight customers. The paid accommodation typically includes breakfast. A popular term is “B & Bs” (i.e. bed and breakfast provided). The host often provides customers with assistance regarding directions, and information regarding the local area including sightseeing suggestions. It is usually located in rural areas and villages.
• Guesthouses: Guesthouses are similar to bed and breakfast inns. They range from low-budget rooms to luxury apartments. They tend to be like small hotels in bigger cities. Though the facilities are limited, most rooms are air-conditioned with en-suite shower and toilet.
• Hostels: They are an inexpensive type of accommodation, usually with shared bedrooms and communal The sleeping arrangements are usually in dormitory style and there may also be self-catering facilities on site. They are ideal for budget travelers and backpackers.
• Cabins: They are bedrooms on a ship or train for
• Villas or Chalets (usually found in skiing and beach resorts): They are self-catering accommodation in a private bungalow, usually rented to prestigious or renowned customers. In many cases, it refers to a small cottage with an overhanging roof in a seaside resort, e.g. beach houses.
• Mansion: Usually built for the wealthy, mansions are large, opulent houses that generally pay homage to a historic architectural style.
• Eco-hotel or Eco-lodge: An ecohotel is an environmentally friendly accommodation aiming to promote sustainable tourism and green living through the use of renewable energy sources, recycled materials, and locally produced organic foods. Their philosophy is to minimize the impact on the environment.

What are Special Hotels?

Besides those hotels as mentioned in the previous section, there are also some unusual hotels that are unique in their features, functions or designs. Below shows some examples of special hotels located in different countries:

• Capsule Hotels: It is a type of hotel originated in Japan, which provides small and ‘bed-only’ cabinets for its guests. The cabinet size is roughly 2m*1m*1.25m and they are mainly designed for local citizens who look for cheap accommodations when traveling back to their homes is not an option. Services and facilities are limited, e.g. some may not have restaurants and guests are required to share the common washrooms inside the hotel propert-yes.
• Ice Hotels: As expressed in its term, ice hotels are mainly built by using snow and ice. The first ice hotel is located in Sweden and its concept has been followed by Canada and some other European countries in building their own ice hotels to attract visitors. Different from other general hotels, this type of hotel is temporary in its nature which is always torn down and then rebuilt by artists and designers in different seasons. Due to this reason, a guest who chooses to stay in an ice hotel in different seasons would find his/ her experience entirely different once the hotel is rebuilt.
• Tree House or Treetop Hotels: These kinds of hotels are mainly located in countryside, especially in forests. Hotel rooms are built in harmony with trees, which mainly follow the building method of the native tree houses. The most valuable experience is not provided by the in-room facilities but a variety of tours and tourist activities, such as jungle walk, nightlife animal tours and visiting to native’s houses, etc. Such activities provide visitors an opportunity to have a closer contact with the natural environment. Examples of tree house hotels can be found in Costa Rica, Kenya, Brazil, Amazon, etc.
• Underwater Hotels: The hotel concepts associating with water have contributed to the development of innovative hotels with their rooms being built under the water. One example of underwater hotel can be found in Florida (U.S.) and hotel guests are required to have a diving certification so they can dive in order to get into their rooms. Some travelers, who may have negative impression of staying under the water, would prefer choosing other alternatives, such as floating ones and those which have been built above the water.