Types of accommodation
Accommodation means a place where travellers stay overnight. It is often split into two groups:
Serviced (staff look after you)
- Hotels: rooms with daily cleaning, food and front desk; from budget to luxury. Special kinds: business hotels, airport hotels, heritage hotels (old palaces or forts), boutique hotels.
- Resorts: stay, food and leisure in one large site, near beaches, hills or forests.
- Motels: roadside rooms for people travelling by car.
Supplementary or self-service
- Hostels / youth hostels: shared dorm beds, cheap, for young or solo travellers.
- Homestays and bed-and-breakfasts: you live with a local family.
- Campsites, tents, caravans: close to nature.
- Houseboats, tree houses, eco-lodges: unusual stays that are also attractions.
- Holiday rentals, timeshares, dharamshalas (pilgrim rest houses).
Star grading: many governments or hotel associations rate hotels from 1 star (basic) to 5 stars (luxury). More stars mean more facilities and staff, and higher prices.
Meal plans
| Plan | Full name | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| EP | European Plan | Room only, no meals |
| CP | Continental Plan | Room + breakfast |
| MAP | Modified American Plan (half board) | Room + breakfast + one main meal (lunch or dinner) |
| AP | American Plan (full board) | Room + breakfast, lunch and dinner |
Some hotels also sell All-inclusive (all meals, snacks and drinks) and the Bermuda Plan (room + a full cooked breakfast). Choosing a plan: EP suits travellers who want to try street food; AP suits remote resorts with no restaurants nearby.
Activities for guests
Places to stay offer activities so guests enjoy more and stay longer:
- Recreation: swimming pool, gym, indoor games, kids' club.
- Wellness: spa, yoga, meditation, ayurveda massage.
- Adventure: treks, cycling, rafting, snorkelling, safaris.
- Culture: folk dance evenings, cooking classes, craft workshops, heritage walks.
- Business: meeting rooms, conference halls, banquet halls for weddings.
Ancillary services
Ancillary means "helping" or "extra". Ancillary services support the tourist's trip but are not the main stay:
- Travel agents and tour operators: book tickets, plan and sell packages.
- Guides and escorts: explain sites, help in a new language.
- Money services: foreign exchange, ATMs, travel cards.
- Travel insurance: pays for illness, theft, lost bags or cancelled trips.
- Local transport: car rental, taxis, bike hire.
- Shopping, laundry, communication: souvenir shops, SIM cards, Wi-Fi.
These businesses create many local jobs and make a destination complete.
Key formulas and definitions
- Accommodation: a place to stay overnight away from home.
- Serviced accommodation: hotels, resorts, motels; supplementary: hostels, homestays, camps, houseboats, rentals.
- Star grading: 1 star (basic) to 5 stars (luxury).
- EP = room only; CP = room + breakfast; MAP = room + breakfast + one main meal; AP = room + 3 meals.
- Room cost = nights × rooms × room rate.
- Meal cost = nights × guests × meal-plan rate per person per day.
- Ancillary services: travel agents, guides, money exchange, insurance, transport, shops.
Worked examples
1. Which plan gives breakfast and dinner but not lunch?
MAP (Modified American Plan): breakfast + one main meal.
2. 2 guests, 3 nights, one room at ₹3,000 a night, CP at ₹300 per person per day. Find the bill.
Room = 3 × 1 × 3,000 = ₹9,000. Meals = 3 × 2 × 300 = ₹1,800. Total = ₹10,800.
3. A hotel quotes EP ₹4,000 or AP ₹6,400 per night for 2 people. Outside meals cost about ₹600 per person per meal. Which is cheaper?
Extra for AP = 6,400 − 4,000 = ₹2,400 for 6 meals (3 each). Outside: 6 × 600 = ₹3,600. AP is cheaper by ₹1,200 a night.
Common mistakes
- Thinking EP includes breakfast. European Plan is room only.
- Mixing up MAP and AP. MAP = 2 meals; AP = 3 meals.
- Thinking only hotels are accommodation. Hostels, homestays, camps and houseboats count too.
- Calling a travel agent an attraction. It is an ancillary (supporting) service.