Types of Hotels & Rooms
Chilling out on the bed in your hotel room watching television while wearing your own pajamas, is sometimes the best part of your vacation.
− Laura Marano, an American Actress.
Housekeeping is the primary task the hotels need to cater for while providing service to its guests. The hotel management and especially executive of housekeeping department must ensure that the housekeeping functions are performed well in the hotel irrespective of the target guest type, size of hotel, and its location.
The guest rooms are the primary source of hotel revenue. There are higher chances of retaining the guests if the guest rooms are absolutely clean.
Types of Hotels
The hotels can be categorized depending upon their size, location, target market, and ownership.
Hotel Types by Size
Hotels are categorized by the number of rooms to which service is provided. For example −
- Below 200 rooms – Very Small
- Up to 200 rooms – Small
- 200 to 399 rooms – Medium
- 400 to 700 rooms – Large
- More than 700 rooms – Mega
This category is useful if the management needs to compare different hotels within the same size.
Hotel Types by Location
They are categorized by considering their location with respect to city.
Airport Hotels − They are located near airport. The guests in transit use them for short stay.
Boatels − They are on the houseboats such as Shikara in Kashmir.
City Center − Located in the heart of the city near commercial area.
Motel − They are small hotels usually located on highways. Transit guests use them.
Suburb Hotels − They are located near urban area. Budget guests use them.
Floating Hotels − They are on the cruise ships, large lakes, or rivers.
Resorts − They are on the beaches, mountains, islands, or on the river banks.
Rotels − They are hotels on wheels such as Deccan Odyssey train.
Self-Catering Hotels − They are located at the same premises where the owner stays.
Hotel Types by Target Market
Here, the hotels are categorized depending upon the target market they serve.
Airport Hotels − They target the business clientele, airline passengers, or any guests with cancelled or delayed flights.
Business Hotels − They primarily cater for the guests who are on business travel.
Bed and Breakfast (B&B) − They are small hotels who target guests in transit or on leisure tour. The owner of B&B usually stays in the same premises and is responsible for serving breakfast to the guests.
Casino Hotels − They target the guests interested in gambling. Their functions of housekeeping is primary but food and beverage functions are just supportive.
Resorts − They target high-income busy professionals who wish to spend time away from city, noise, and crowd. They offer facilities such as spa, tennis court, fitness and center, sailing, snorkeling, and swimming.
Self-Catering Hotels − They target long stayers who prefer to cook themselves. They offer a small kitchen and kitchen amenities with the guest room.
Service Apartments − They are located in residential colonies. They provide long-term accommodation for guests. They need to execute an agreement with the guests for the stay of at least one month. All basic amenities such as kitchen, washing machine, dish washer, and beds are provided with once a week housekeeping service.
Suite Hotels − These hotels offer a living room and an en suite bedroom. The professionals who need to interact with their clients/customers find these hotels a good choice because they can interact with their guests in small meetings without any interruption and sacrificing privacy.
Hotel Types by Ownership
B&B and Self Catering hotels are generally family owned hotels and are not governed or run by corporate policies and procedures.
A chain of hotels or group of hotels such as Taj, Ramada, can have management affiliation with their other properties in the same group. They strictly are governed by predetermined policies.
Hotel Types by Star Rating
The star rating system is a guideline for a customer that denotes what to expect from the hotel service at the time of booking. However, there is no clear distinguishing method to divide hotels into various star rating categories till today; but a guest can assume that more the number of stars, more is the luxury provided by the hotel.
One Star − A guest can expect a small hotel operated and managed by the owner and family. The ambience as more personal and the guest rooms with basic amenities. The restaurant would be at a walking distance. There would be a small commercial area and a nearby public transportation hub.
Two-Star − These hotels are mostly part of a chain of hotels that offer consistent quality but limited amenities. They are either small or medium size hotels with a phone and TV. They lack the convenience of room service, but provide a small on-site restaurant at a walking distance within the hotel premises.
Three-Star − These hotels are usually located near a major business center, express way, and/or shopping area. The rooms are clean and spacious rooms, and decorative lobbies. An on-site restaurant offers all meals such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The facilities such as valet and room service, fitness center, and a swimming pool are also available.
Four-Star − This hotel would be large, often standing as a part of a cluster of similar hotels with a formal appearance and very good services. The hotel would be located in the prime area of the city around shopping, dining, and entertainment joints. The guest can expect furnished and clean rooms, restaurants, room service, valet parking, and a fitness center within the hotel premises.
Five-Star − This hotel would be large and luxurious, which offers the highest degree of room and personal service. It is built with beautiful architecture, and is managed keeping elegance and style in mind. The guest rooms are equipped with high quality linens, TV, bathtubs, and special outside view from the room. The hotel provides multiple eating joints in its premises such as coffee shops, restaurants, poolside snack joint, and bar. They also provide 24X7 room service, valet service, and personal protection service.
Types of Hotel Rooms
The condition of guest rooms maintained by housekeeping is the most vital factor as far as the customer satisfaction in the hotel business is concerned.
Single Room − A room with the facility of single bed. It is meant for single occupancy. It has an attached bathroom, a small dressing table, a small bedside table, and a small writing table. Sometimes it has a single chair too.
Double Room − A room with the facility of double bed. There are two variants in this type depending upon the size of the bed
- King Double Room (with king size double bed)
- Queen Double Room (with queen size double bed)
It is equipped with adequate furniture such as dressing table and a writing table, a TV, and a small fridge.
Deluxe Room − They are available in Single Deluxe and Double Deluxe variants. Deluxe room is well furnished. Some amenities are attached bathroom, a dressing table, a bedside table, a small writing table, a TV, and a small fridge. The floor is covered with carpet and most suitable for small families.
Double-Double (Twin Double) Room − This room provides two double beds with separate headboards. It is ideal for a family with two children below 12 years.
Twin Room − This room provides two single beds with separate headboards. It is meant for two independent people. It also has a single bedside table shared between the two beds.
Hollywood Twin Room − This room provides two single beds with a common headboard. If a need arises, the two beds can be brought together to form a double bed.
Duplex Room − This type is composed of two rooms located on two different floors, connected with internal stairs.
Cabana − This type of room faces water body, beach, or a swimming pool. It generally has a large balcony.
Studio − They are twin adjacent rooms: A living room with sofa, coffee table and chairs, and a bedroom. It is also equipped with fan/air conditioner, a small kitchen corner, and a dining area. The furniture is often compact.
Lanai − This room faces a landscape, a waterfall, or a garden.
Suite −It is composed of one or more bedrooms, a living room, and a dining area. It is excellent for the guests who prefer more space, wish to entertain their guests without interruption and giving up privacy.There are various types of suites −
Regular Suite − Best for business travelers.
Penthouse Suite − Luxurious than the regular suite. It is provided with the access to terrace space above the suite. It is aloof from crowd and provides abird’s eye view of the city. It has all the amenities and structure similar to a regular suite.
Presidential Suite − The best possible suite in the hotel.
Sico − This is a kind of multipurpose room, which can be used as a meeting room during the day and as a bedroom during the night. These rooms have special beds called Murphy Bed that can be folded entirely against a wall. This bed may or may not have headboard. The lower face of the bed which becomes visible after folding or placing upright, has a decorative wall paper, mirror, or a painting. After folding the bed, the room can accommodate sitting for five to ten people.
VIP Amenities in Hotel
VIP amenities are always something like the cherry on the cake. The VIPs are treated with extra attention, pamper, and care. Hotels provide the following amenities to the VIPs depending upon their policies −
Executive Front Desk or Executive Housekeeper escorting the guest up to the room.
A welcome document kit containing note from a General Manager (GM) of the hotel, spa card, and a hotel map.
Complete housekeeping service with daily linen change.
A snack kit often containing packed snacks, assorted nuts, fruits, cheese, or cookies, and beverages.
A vanity kit containing cotton balls, makeup removers, lip balm, and au-de-cologne.
A bathroom kit with soap dispenser, upgraded robe, tissue box, face mist, after-shower gel, cotton slippers, toilet mat, and a terry mat.
In special cases, a romance kit containing a bottle of wine or Champaign, paired with chocolate dipped strawberries or bite size chocolates.
Small bag packs for the kids below 12 years.
A number of servings of award winning dessert.
