Hospitality has been an integral part of human society since the beginning of the human history. It embraces a wide range of activities that are often beyond the commercial provision of food, drink and accommodation. Man, always aspired to explore new places, new surroundings and new people in an effort to find a better life and better opportunities. The hospitality phenomenon is often characterized within the classical antiquity under different contexts, like domestic, civil and commercial. The industry has acquired professionalism and greater expertise in the modern times from a deeper understanding of the dimensions of hospitality that have been evolving since antiquity.
The term hospitality was derived from the French word “Hospice” meaning ‘taking care of the travelers’. . Ancient literature shows people traveling for various reasons finding shelter at unknown places courtesy some kind host or some commercial establishment like an inn or tavern. Even religious institutions would offer food and accommodation, mostly free of cost, to people travelling to distant places. This allowed people from different cultures to mingle with and know each other better, too.
An amazing concept
What an amazing concept hospitality is, away from home, surrounded by strangers, and yet you feel welcome and perfectly at home. When national and international trade became a way of life and roads and sea routes developed, tourism and pilgrimage prospered. Taverns and sometimes monasteries offered primitive rooms to weary travelers with minimalistic food and drinks being served to the visitors. Long distance traveling was made possible with faster modes of transport being developed and gradually the concept of urbanization changed the face of the society. The idea of a hotel was a natural progression with comfortable accommodation along with all modern amenities being provided at a cost. Since then, the hospitality sector has been innovating and growing at a brisk pace witnessing a steady international expansion.
A giant industry
With international departures crossing 3 billion marks in the recent years, a network of service providers has developed catering to every imaginable comfort and desire. This has turned hospitality into one of the largest and most diverse industries that runs the economies of so many countries.
The modern trends
Advancements in technology have gradually been changing the face of the industry, sometimes undermining the value of human interface. With traveling becoming a way of earning bread and butter for so many, the industry also has to cater to a diverse cross section of people. Naturally, varied types of accommodation are now being offered to fit everybody’s bill. Let’s have a look at some of these here:
- Hotels: 1 star to 7 star with every facility imaginable on earth
- Bed and breakfasts
- Guest Houses and home-stays
- Chalets
- Youth hostels
- Cottages
- Boats
- Apartments
This is going to be a fascinating journey; we shall be sharing with you all the modern trends taking the hospitality industry by storm. Be it the smart hotels or the experiential spaces or the cultural cottages and so on, you would love to know about them and indeed experience them. Don’t forget to be with us in this journey and keep sharing your ideas and experiences with us!
About the author
Sandeep Singh is an architect from IIT Roorkee. He is a prolific writer and a sensitive poet. His professional posts mostly cover the future in Architecture. His books are chiefly devoted to the inner and outer battles that a disabled person in India faces every day. His poems mostly reflect his inner world. He also works with the “Safe in India Foundation”, a social change initiative that strives to bring qualitative change to the lives of the Indian worker’s community