People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging
For sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions. Lodgings may be self catering in which case no food is laid on but cooking facilities are available. Lodging is done in a hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast, a guest house, vacation rental, or non-commercially, with members of hospitality services or in the home of friends, in a tent, caravan/camper (often on a campsite).
A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging paid on a short-term basis. Provides rooms with facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, a safe, a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks, and facilities for making tea and coffee. Luxury features include bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, twin-sink vanities, and jacuzzi bathtubs. Larger hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, business center, childcare, conference facilities and social function services
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available. Hostels are generally cheaper for both the operator and the occupants; many hostels have long-term residents whom they employ as desk clerks or housekeeping staff in exchange for free accommodation.
They aren’t just for college-aged backpackers anymore. Many hostels have gone upscale offering private, tasteful rooms and upscale amenities call them boutique hostels. And since many of these have adopted a bed and breakfast approach, you can save a bit of money on food.
A bed and breakfast (or B&B) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as “self-catering” establishments. Typically, bed and breakfasts are private homes with fewer than 10 bedrooms available for commercial use.
Generally, guests are accommodated in private bedrooms with private bathrooms, or in a suite of rooms including an en suite bathroom. Some homes have private bedrooms with a bathroom which is shared with other guests. Breakfast is served in the bedroom, a dining room, or the host’s kitchen. B&Bs and guest houses may be operated either as a secondary source of income or a primary occupation. Usually the owners themselves prepare the breakfast and clean the room.
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company.
Towns which are resorts — or where tourism or vacationing is a major part of the local activity — are sometimes called resort towns. If they are by the sea they are called seaside resorts. Inland resorts include ski resorts, mountain resorts and spa towns.