Page 503 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 481

pools in addition to daily housekeeping services. The numbers of limited-service prop-
erties have been growing. These properties are not as costly to build and maintain.
They appeal to budget-conscious family vacationers and travelers who are willing to
sacrifice amenities for lower room prices.
Hotels can also be categorized based on a distinguishing feature or service provided
by the hotel. Conference hotels provide meeting and banquet rooms, and usually food
service, to large groups of people. Resort hotels offer luxurious surroundings with a
variety of recreational facilities, such as swimming pools, golf courses, tennis courts,
game rooms, and health spas, as well as planned social activities and entertainment.
Resorts typically are located in vacation destinations or near natural settings, such as
mountains, seashores, theme parks, or other attractions. As a result, the business of
many resorts fluctuates with the season. Some resort hotels and motels provide addi-
tional convention and conference facilities to encourage customers to combine business
with pleasure. During the off season, many of these establishments solicit conventions,
sales meetings, and incentive tours to fill their otherwise empty rooms; some resorts
even close for the off-season.
Extended-stay hotels typically provide rooms or suites with fully equipped kitchens,
entertainment systems, office space with computer and telephone lines, fitness centers,
and other amenities. Typically, guests use these hotels for a minimum of 5 consecutive
nights often while on an extended work assignment or lengthy vacation or family visit.
All-suite hotels offer a living room or sitting room in addition to a bedroom.
Casino hotels combine both lodging and legalized gaming on the same premises.
Along with the typical services provided by most full-service hotels, casino hotels also
contain casinos where patrons can wager at table games, play slot machines, and make
other bets. Some casino hotels also contain conference and convention facilities.
In addition to hotels, bed-and-breakfast inns, RV parks, campgrounds, and rooming
and boarding houses provide lodging for overnight guests and are included in this
industry. Bed-and-breakfast inns provide short-term lodging in private homes or small
buildings converted for this purpose and are characterized by highly personalized
service and inclusion of breakfast in the room rate. Their appeal is quaintness, with
unusual service and decor.
RV parks and campgrounds cater to people who enjoy recreational camping at mod-
erate prices. Some parks and campgrounds provide service stations, general stores,
shower and toilet facilities, and coin-operated laundries. While some are designed for
overnight travelers only, others are for vacationers who stay longer. Some camps pro-
vide accommodations, such as cabins and fixed campsites, and other amenities, such
as food services, recreational facilities and equipment, and organized recreational
activities. Examples of these overnight camps include children’s camps, family vaca-
tion camps, hunting and fishing camps, and outdoor adventure retreats that offer trail
riding, white-water rafting, hiking, fishing, game hunting, and similar activities.
Other short-term lodging facilities in this industry include guesthouses, or small cottages
located on the same property as a main residence, and youth hostels—dormitory-style
hotels with few frills, occupied mainly by students traveling on limited budgets. Also
included are rooming and boarding houses, such as fraternity houses, sorority houses, off-
campus dormitories, and workers’ camps. These establishments provide temporary or