History of Hospitality Industry

Study Notes

Hospitality originates from the French word "hospice" meaning to provide care and shelter for travelers.
It is derived from the Latin word "hospitare," meaning "to receive a guest."
"Hospe," a Latin word meaning host or guest.
"Hospitium" is a Greco-Roman concept of hospitality, referring to a guest chamber, inn or quarters, or hotel.
Evidence suggests the hospitality industry flourished over 2,000 years before Christ.
Writings from the life of Babylon in 2050 B.C. refer to ale houses, places that provided accommodations and alcohol.

"And she brought her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inn." (Luke 2.7)

During the middle ages, separate buildings were constructed to accommodate travelers, known as "Xenodocheions," a Greek word for inns or resting places.

The first hotel in America was the City Hotel in New York (1794).
This was the first building in America specifically designed to be a hotel, with 73 rooms, considered a large property at the time.
The first five-star hotel in America was the Tremont House (1829-ca.1895), sometimes called the Tremont Hotel.
This influential hotel was designed by Isiah Rogers in Boston, Massachusetts.
It featured many hotel innovations, including:
- Indoor plumbing
- Indoor toilets and baths
- A reception area
- Locked rooms for guests
- Free soap
The first "modern" hotel is considered to be the Buffalo Statler Hotel (1908).
Opened by Ellsworth Statler, it included many innovations such as:
- Fire doors
- Light switches inside rooms
- Private bathrooms
- Keyholes placed directly above doorknobs for easy access
- Circulating hot and cold showers in each room
- Full-length mirrors
- Morning newspapers
The first five-star hotel in the Philippines is The Manila Hotel, a 500-room, five-star hotel located in the heart of the Manila Bay area.
This hotel opened in 1912, and was the residence of General Douglas MacArthur from 1935 to 1941.

Ellsworth M. Statler, considered the "Father of Modern Commercial Hotel Industry," originated the hotel chain concept, known as Statler.
Conrad Hilton, known as the "King of the Innkeepers," became a successful hotelier after World War II, acquiring the 3,000-room Stevenson Hotel (now Chicago Hilton).
He formed the Hilton Hotel Corporation in 1946.
Cesar Ritz was a hotelier at the Grand National Hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland. His management skills led the hotel to become one of the most popular in Europe.
William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV launched the 13-story Waldorf Hotel in New York City in 1893, and four years later, the 17-story Astoria Hotel was built on the adjacent site, by William Astor's cousin, John Jacob Astor IV.
Kemmons Wilson started the Holiday Inn chain in the 1950s, opening his first Holiday Inn in Memphis, Tennessee.
J.W. Marriott (1990-1985) founded his hotel empire in 1957 with the Twin Bridges.