The emergence and development of hotels have a long history, which has a history of thousands of years. Modern hotels evolved from China's posthouse, caravan inn in the Middle East, shed in ancient Rome, roadside hotel in Europe and coach inn in the United States.
the development of hotel industry in the world
Modern hotels are developed on the basis of traditional catering and accommodation industries, and its development process can be roughly divided into four periods:
1. Ancient inn period (from the 2nd century to the 8th century)
Inn is gradually developed with the development of commodity production and commodity exchange. The earliest inns can be traced back to the end of primitive society and the beginning of slave society, which were produced to meet the requirements of diplomatic exchanges, religious and business trips, cruises of emperors and nobles in ancient countries.
In the west, the inn, as an accommodation facility, has existed for a long time, but it really became popular in the 15-18 century. At that time, although logging in many European countries such as France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria was quite common, British inns were the most famous.
The characteristics of the inn are: generally, the scale is very small, the building is simple, the equipment is simple and the price is low; Only provide simple accommodation, rest places or transportation such as cars and horses; In terms of service, guests often sleep together in the inn and eat almost the same home-cooked meals as their hosts. At that time, these residences were just a place to rest, and there were no other services; In terms of management, there are mainly government-run shops, and some privately-run shops: that is, independent family business is a part of family residence, the family is the owner and operator of the inn, and there are no other personnel specializing in guest logging management. Later, with the development of society and the increase of the types of tourism activities, the scale of the inn is also expanding day by day, and the types are increasing.
British inns in the later period have been greatly improved. By the 5th century, some inns had 21 to 31 rooms. At that time, the better inns usually had wine cellars, pantries and kitchens, as well as rooms for shopkeepers and horse keepers. Many ancient inns also have garden lawns, banquet halls and dance halls with fireplaces.
At this time, British inns were already places where people met, interacted with each other and exchanged information. In fact, in the 8th century, inns in many parts of the world were not only places where passers-by stayed, but also centers of local social, political and commercial activities.
It can be said that these simple accommodation facilities are not hotels in a complete sense, but the embryonic form of hotels.
2. luxury hotel period (end of 18-middle of 19)
with the emergence and development of capitalist economy and tourism, tourism began to become an economic activity, and luxury hotels serving the upper ruling class came into being.
There are many accommodation facilities named "hotels" on the European continent. Whether it is a luxurious architectural shape or an elegant interior decoration; Whether it is luxurious equipment, exquisite tableware, or various forms of service and dining, it is the result of the commercialization of the lifestyle of former princes and nobles. The purpose of a hotel is not so much to provide accommodation for tourists as to provide them with luxury enjoyment. So people call this period the luxury hotel period (also called the grand hotel period).
It is generally believed that the first accommodation facility in Europe that can really be called a hotel is the Badian Country Villa built in Baden, Germany. Subsequently, many European countries built large-scale buildings and rushed to build luxury hotels. At that time, there were quite a few representative hotels, including the Paris Grand Hotel, which was built in Paris in 1851. Caesar Hotel opened in Berlin in 1874; Frankfurt Hotel opened in Frankfurt in 1876 and Lunjiao Savoi Hotel opened in 1889.
At the end of p>19 and the beginning of the 21th century, some luxury hotels also appeared in the United States. Among these hotels, the hotel run by Cesar Ritz, a Swiss hotel owner, can be said to be the most representative hotel in the luxury hotel era. The restaurant he built and operated and his own name became synonymous with the most luxurious, advanced and fashionable. Ritz's innovation and efforts in hotel service, hotel management rules and practical experience are inherited and used by top hotels all over the world today, and his famous management motto: guests are never wrong "has been passed down from generation to generation as a legacy by many hotel entrepreneurs
Luxury hotels are characterized by large scale, luxurious buildings and facilities and exquisite decoration; Supply the most exquisite food, decorate the top-grade furniture, and many luxury hotels have become treasures of contemporary and even world architectural art. The division of labor and cooperation within the hotel is clear, and the requirements for service work and service personnel are very strict, paying attention to service quality; The emergence of specialized management institutions within hotels has promoted the development of hotel management and its theory. Luxury hotels are the result of the new affluent lifestyle and the commercialization of social activities.
3. The period of commercial hotels (from the end of 19 to the 1951s)
The period of commercial hotels is the most active period for hotels all over the world. It is an important stage for the development of the hotel industry, which finally makes the hotel industry an industry serving ordinary people, and it lays the foundation for the modern hotel industry in all aspects.
At the beginning of the 21th century, the world's largest hotel owner appeared in the United States. He was ellsworth Milton statler. In 1918, statler built the first statler Hotel in Bafaro, USA, which was designed by himself and named after him. The hotel was specially designed for travelers, adapted to the needs of the market, created a new hotel with the price conditions that ordinary people can afford, but did provide the best service in the world, and initiated a new era of hotel industry development.
statler has many innovations and measures in hotel management: he manages his hotels according to unified standards. No matter whether you go to Boston, Cleveland, new york or Buffalo, as long as you stay in a hotel in statler, standardized services can be guaranteed; His hotel has all-night laundry, automatic ice water supply, disinfection of toilet seats, newspaper delivery and other services; Pay attention to the art of management, pay attention to improving the service level, and personally formulate (statler Service Manual), creating a precedent for modern hotels. Statler's hotel management thought and scientific, reasonable, concise and appropriate management methods, such as "location is the first, location is the second, and location is the third", are still enlightening to the hotel industry and have an important impact on the management of modern hotels.
the basic characteristics of commercial hotels are as follows: first, the service targets of commercial hotels are ordinary civilians, mainly for business guests, with large scale, complete facilities and services, stressing comfort, cleanliness, safety and practicality, and not pursuing luxury and luxury. Second, implement the low price policy, so that customers feel that the charges are reasonable and the money is spent well; Thirdly, hotel operators and owners are gradually separated, and hotel business activities are completely commercialized, paying attention to economic benefits and aiming at profit; Fourthly, hotel management should be scientific and efficient step by step, focusing on market research and market target selection, training staff and improving work efficiency.
4. Modern new hotel period (after 1951s)
After World War II, with the worldwide economic recovery and prosperity and rapid population growth, international popular tourism appeared in the world. The progress of science and technology has greatly improved the traffic conditions and created conditions for traveling. With the improvement of labor productivity and people's disposable income, the demand for traveling abroad and enjoying hotel services has expanded rapidly, which has accelerated the popularization of tourism activities and the frequent political, economic and cultural exchanges among countries all over the world. This change in social demand has prompted the hotel industry to enter the modern hotel period.
In the 1961s, large-scale motor hotels began to appear everywhere, and gradually developed into cities, and the buildings became taller and taller, which made it difficult to distinguish motor hotels from ordinary hotels, and their luxury was much higher than that of similar hotels. Bright and dazzling interior decoration is used to attract customers. Tiled bathrooms, carpets, air conditioners, swimming pools, etc. are all necessary standard facilities for every hotel. By the mid-1961s, the joint venture and franchise of motor hotels had developed rapidly, and the business quality of a hotel depended largely on the mutual recommendation of customers among hotels in the joint venture network.
in the modern new hotel period, the developed areas of the hotel industry are not limited to Europe and America, but all over the world. The hotel industry in Asia started to develop from 1961s to now, and its scale, grade, service level and management level are not inferior to those in Europe and America. In the authoritative selection of the top ten best hotels in the world organized by American (institutional investors) magazine every year, hotels in Asia often account for more than half and rank among the best. The Oriental Hotel Bangkok, Thailand, managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong, has been ranked first in the list of the top ten best hotels in the world for more than ten years. In the hotel industry in Asia, large-scale hotel groups have emerged, such as Okura Hotel Group in Japan, Shinotani Hotel Group in Japan, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong, Regent Hotel Group in Hong Kong, Shangri-La Hotel Group in Singapore, Mandarin Hotel Group in Singapore, etc. These hotel groups not only invest or manage hotels in Asia, but also expand to Europe and America.
The main characteristics of modern hotels are: the diversification of tourism market structure promotes the diversification of hotel types (such as resort hotels, sightseeing hotels, business hotels and membership club hotels); The diversification of market demand leads to the constant change of hotel facilities and more flexible management methods; The high profit of the hotel industry intensifies the market competition, which makes the hotel unite with other industries or move towards the road of chain operation and group operation; The revolution of modern science and technology and the development of scientific management theory make modern hotel management more scientific and modern.