Accessible tourism is the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age. It encompasses publicly and privately owned tourist locations. The term has been defined by Darcy and Dickson (2009, p34) as:
Accessible tourism enables people with access requirements, including mobility, vision, hearing and cognitive dimensions of access, to function independently and with equity and dignity through the delivery of universally designed tourism products, services and environments. This definition is inclusive of all people including those travelling with children in prams, people with disabilities and seniors [1] [1].
Living in hotels
A number of public figures have notably chosen to take up semi-permanent or permanent residence in hotels.
* Actor Richard Harris lived at the Savoy Hotel while in London. Hotel archivist Susan Scott recounts an anecdote that when he was being taken out of the building on a stretcher shortly before his death he raised his hand and told the diners "it was the food."[7]
* Inventor Nikola Tesla lived last 10 years of his life at the New Yorker Hotel until 1943 when he died in the hotel room.
* Millionaire Howard Hughes lived his last few years in a Las Vegas hotel.
* Larry Fine (of the Three Stooges) and his family lived in hotels, due to his extravagant spending habits and his wife's dislike for housekeeping. They first lived in the President Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where his daughter Phyllis was raised, then the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. Not until the late 1940s did Larry buy a home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California.
* American actress Elaine Stritch lived in the Savoy Hotel in London for over a decade. [8]
* Fashion designer Coco Chanel lived in the Hotel Ritz Paris on and off for more than 30 years.
* Actor Richard Harris lived at the Savoy Hotel while in London. Hotel archivist Susan Scott recounts an anecdote that when he was being taken out of the building on a stretcher shortly before his death he raised his hand and told the diners "it was the food."[7]
* Inventor Nikola Tesla lived last 10 years of his life at the New Yorker Hotel until 1943 when he died in the hotel room.
* Millionaire Howard Hughes lived his last few years in a Las Vegas hotel.
* Larry Fine (of the Three Stooges) and his family lived in hotels, due to his extravagant spending habits and his wife's dislike for housekeeping. They first lived in the President Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where his daughter Phyllis was raised, then the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. Not until the late 1940s did Larry buy a home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California.
* American actress Elaine Stritch lived in the Savoy Hotel in London for over a decade. [8]
* Fashion designer Coco Chanel lived in the Hotel Ritz Paris on and off for more than 30 years.
Resort hotels
Some hotels are built specifically to create a captive trade, example at casinos and holiday resorts. Though of course hotels have always been built in popular desinations, the defining characteristic of a resort hotel is that it exists purely to serve another attraction, the two having the same owners.
In Las Vegas there is a tradition of one-upmanship with luxurious and extravagant hotels in a concentrated area known as the Las Vegas Strip. This trend now has extended to other resorts worldwide, but the concentration in Las Vegas is still the world's highest: nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms.[2]
In Europe Center Parcs might be considered a chain of resort hotels, since the sites are largely man-made (though set in natural surroundings such as country parks) with captive trade, whereas holiday camps such as Butlins and Pontin's are probably not considered as resort hotels, since they are set at traditional holiday destinations which existed before the camps.
In Las Vegas there is a tradition of one-upmanship with luxurious and extravagant hotels in a concentrated area known as the Las Vegas Strip. This trend now has extended to other resorts worldwide, but the concentration in Las Vegas is still the world's highest: nineteen of the world's twenty-five largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 67,000 rooms.[2]
In Europe Center Parcs might be considered a chain of resort hotels, since the sites are largely man-made (though set in natural surroundings such as country parks) with captive trade, whereas holiday camps such as Butlins and Pontin's are probably not considered as resort hotels, since they are set at traditional holiday destinations which existed before the camps.
Classification
Hotels are also classified[by whom?] by service type ranging for all-inclusive full-service resorts that cater to vacationers to small limited service hotels that cater to transient business travelers. In this regard, it should be noticed that lower classification or lower star rating does not necessarily mean that the hotel lacks standard. A popular 3-star hotel may indicate that the hotel does not have large conference facilities, which is usually a hallmark of 5-star establishments. The main categories of hotels are as follows;
* Full Service Upscale
o Examples include Conrad Hotels, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons Hotels, and JW Marriott
* Full Service
o Examples include Hilton, Marriott, Doubletree, and Hyatt
* Select Service
o Examples include Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn
* Limited Service
o Examples include Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Days Inn, and La Quinta Inn
* Extended Stay
o Examples include Homewood Suites by Hilton, Residence Inn by Marriott, and Extended Stay Hotels
* Timeshare
o Examples include Marriott Vacation Club, Westgate Resorts, and Disney Vacation Club
* Destination Club
* Full Service Upscale
o Examples include Conrad Hotels, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons Hotels, and JW Marriott
* Full Service
o Examples include Hilton, Marriott, Doubletree, and Hyatt
* Select Service
o Examples include Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn
* Limited Service
o Examples include Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Days Inn, and La Quinta Inn
* Extended Stay
o Examples include Homewood Suites by Hilton, Residence Inn by Marriott, and Extended Stay Hotels
* Timeshare
o Examples include Marriott Vacation Club, Westgate Resorts, and Disney Vacation Club
* Destination Club
Etymology
The word hotel is derived from the French hôtel (coming from hôte meaning host), which referred to a French version of a townhouse or any other building seeing frequent visitors, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, hôtel now has the same meaning as the English term, and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning. The French spelling, with the circumflex, was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. Grammatically, hotels usually take the definite article - hence "The Astoria Hotel" or simply "The Astoria."
Historic hotels
Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement. Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria, home of the Sachertorte. Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as the Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised.
Hôtel Ritz in Paris, France
A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London, United Kingdom, through its association with Irving Berlin's song, 'Puttin' on the Ritz'. The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as the meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table, and Hotel Chelsea, also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious). The Waldorf Astoria and Statler hotels in New York City are also immortalized in the names of Muppets Statler and Waldorf.[citation needed]
The luxurious Grand Hotel Europe in Saint Petersburg, Russia achieved fame with its inclusion in the James Bond film GoldenEye.
Hôtel Ritz in Paris, France
A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London, United Kingdom, through its association with Irving Berlin's song, 'Puttin' on the Ritz'. The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as the meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table, and Hotel Chelsea, also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious). The Waldorf Astoria and Statler hotels in New York City are also immortalized in the names of Muppets Statler and Waldorf.[citation needed]
The luxurious Grand Hotel Europe in Saint Petersburg, Russia achieved fame with its inclusion in the James Bond film GoldenEye.
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