In the Roman Empire, hostels or inns called mansiones were built along the Roman road system to accommodate travellers on government or commercial business. The commercial revival of the European Middle Ages stimulated the widespread growth of such hostelries. Many of these were operated by monastic brotherhoods. For this reason, travellers were assured of their safety in some dangerous regions. A famous example is the hostel in the Great St. Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps, which was founded in the 10th century by St. Bernard of Montjoux. To date, the hostel is being operated by a community of Augustinian monks.

However, the earliest evidence of hospitality facilities in Europe, was recorded around 500 BC. For instance, Corinth in Greece had a substantial number of establishments that offered hospitality services to travellers. Hotels of that era were of the primitive type, usually offering a bed or bench in the corner of a room. Travelers were found lodging in large halls which posed issues of privacy and personal hygiene.

Later in the Middle Ages, privately operated inns, purposely for use by merchants, were widespread in both Islamic and Western European countries. The development of aircraft and commercial passenger flights across the Atlantic contributed to the growth of the hotel industry. Journeys became safer, easier, and faster, enabling frequent mass movement. Also, the introduction of funiculars (the ropeway) made high-altitude mountains accessible, leading to the growth of many hotels in the Alpine ranges. Burgenstock and Giessbach are among the hotels in Switzerland that were established out of the development of the ropeways.

The rapid growth of stagecoach travel during the 18th century stimulated the development of inns. But the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century further saw greater progress in innkeeping, especially in England. Whiles American innkeepers were setting a standard for size, inns in England were widely known for their cleanliness and comfort. The American trend toward large size continued into the 20th century and eventually was adopted by other countries.  

World War I was followed by a period of tremendous hotel construction, and hotels also increased in size. The Stevens Hotel (later the Conrad Hilton) in Chicago was opened in 1927 with 3,000 rooms. It earned the title of the world’s largest until the late 1960s when the Hotel Rossiya (demolished in 2006) was opened in Moscow. A series of hotels, including the First World Hotel in Malaysia, assumed the title of the world’s largest since the late 20th century.

After World War II, many hotels were built around major airports. A characteristic of modern hotelkeeping, such as the operation of hotel chains in which one company operates two or more hotels, particularly increased in such areas as purchasing, sales, and reservations. As ‘travel for pleasure’ became increasingly popular during the 19th century, a new class of resort hotels was built in many countries. New and larger hotels were profitably built close to railroad stations.

Many people may have different opinions and experiences about hotels. However, hotels have and continue to serve humanity in terms of hospitality and comfort.

Information from  https://www.britannica.com/topic/hotel, https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4017990.html and https://tourismnotes.com/hotels/ was used in this story