10 interesting facts about hospitality in the past
The hotel industry is one of the oldest commercial ventures in the world. Even though it may not look like it, but hotels have come a long way since their start, here are 10 interesting facts about the hotel industry of the past, which will give you an idea of the length of the road which this industry has traveled.
1. The first signs of providing hospitality are about 17,000 years old
The Lascaux caves, situated near Montignac village, Dordogne in southwestern France was inducted into the UNESCO world heritage sites list in 1979. It is a complex set of many caves that house over 600 parietal wall paintings drawn on the interior walls and ceilings. Most of the paintings include large animals and local fauna of the upper Paleolithic time. Among these, are some paintings which show the accommodation of people that belonged to a different tribe, the exact dating is disputed, but these are said to be made in 38,000–15,000 BCE which means the paintings are at least 17,000–40,000 years old!
2. The oldest hotel you can visit today was made in 705AD
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is a hot spring hotel situated in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded by Fujiwara Mahito nearly 13,000 years ago, it is the oldest hotel as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records and one of the oldest companies still in operation. The same family (including adopted heirs) for 52 generations have been continuously operating this 4-star hotel.
3. The invention of ‘the wheel’ fueled the establishment of first inns
The wheel is regarded by many as the most important invention of human civilization, it allowed a level of transportation which previously wasn’t possible even in the wildest dreams. First used to transport just goods, people slowly began using it for their own purposes, around the 6th century BC traveling became very popular and people needed shelter on the way to their destination. The first inn is said to be started by a team of a husband and a wife who provided basic services like food, wine and a hall where travelers had to make their own bed and sleep on the floor.
4. Hotels and inns were never really a business up until late middle age
While the Greeks were developing thermal baths in villages and Romans were building mansions to provide accommodation for travelers on government business, there was a lack of options for the general public in Europe. Furthermore, monasteries were already providing basic shelter together with religious orders that built inns and hospitals for those on the move. But, in the late middle age, the hospitality business gained popularity, inns multiplied and there was hardly any major part of Europe where there were no inns. One of the most famous inns of that time is “Les Trois Rois” in Basel.
5. The original Hotel Adlon Berlin was destroyed in 1945
Originally opened in 1907, Hotel Adlon was a social center of Berlin and the most modern hotel in Germany. It had hot and cold running water, an on-site laundry, a power plant to generate electricity, a Japanese themed fountain, numerous grand ballrooms and much more. At the time of World War II, parts of the hotel were converted to a military field hospital. The hotel survived the war without major damage, avoiding all the bombs and shelling. However, on the night of May 2, 1945, a fire started in the hotel’s wine cellar by drunken Red Army soldiers, left the main building in ruins. Between 1995 and 1997, the hotel was rebuilt after being bought by a West German investment firm. The building was designed taking some inspiration from the original and currently operates as Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, part of the Kempinski chain.
6. The first multi-purpose architectural complex was established in Vendôme, Paris at the time of Louis XIV
Luxury hotel these days provide far more than just accommodation like private penthouses, beaches, butler service and many more. The Place Vendôme, in Paris, was the first example that did so. On top of basic services, the architecture consisted of accommodated boutiques, offices and apartments. It was laid out in 1702 as a monument to the glory of the armies of Louis XIV, the Grand Monarque and called Place Des Conquétes, to be renamed Place Louis De Grand when the conquests proved temporary.
7. Since their establishment, the first significant decline of highway inns was because of the industrial revolution.
In the 1760s, when the industrial revolution started, hotels were being constructed all over the world, the Royal Hotel in London, Ryohan guest houses in Japan are a few examples. The number of travellers was more than ever before, but highway inns were at a major loss, travel through trains and ships required very less time and money as compared to highway transport. Hospitality business in major towns and cities saw tremendous growth as a result, but highway inns suffered heavy losses.
8. The first school for hoteliers was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland
The tourism boom in Switzerland led to the foundation of the first hotel school in the world. The École hôteliere de Lausanne (popularly known as EHL) was founded by Jacques Tschumi in the year 1893 in response to high demand for skilled and qualified personal. Today, it is regarded as the best hospitality school in the world and welcomes more than 2600 students from 107 different countries.
9. Hotel Ritz Madrid would’ve never existed without King Alphonso XIII’s tour of Europe
Hotel Ritz is a belle époque palace hotel managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and is located in Madrid’s “Golden Triangle of Culture”. After visiting the Ritz London Hotel and Hôtel Ritz Paris on a tour of Europe, King Alphonso XIII realized that the Spanish Court lacked a hotel luxurious enough for European royalty and other important people. Although Ritz initially intended to be involved in the project, he was unable to do so because of depression.The building was designed by French architect Charles Mewes and Spanish architect Luis de Landecho. The project started despite the strong opposition from local politicians of that time and went on to become one of the leaders of the social and cultural life of the capital, even today, it stands as one of the most luxurious hotels you can visit.
10. Inventive marketing and targeted clientele gave us the third hotel industry boom in the 1980s
Around the 1980s, the competition was too fierce for generic hotels and because of that, businesses came up with the idea of providing hospitality to a specific type of client, for example, hotels for conferences, ski holiday hotels, health hotels and many more. The competition marked the start and gave us the first Property Management Systems and Administrative Hotel Management Systems.
