10 Types of Lodgings to Fit the Needs of Every Traveler

When people travel away from home, there are many places for them to stay on the way to their destination as well as places to stay once they reach their destination. Even though travelers are away from home, they still need a place to sleep, rest, eat, drink, and be safe. Today, there are more places than ever that are available.

It is a matter of personal choice where people stay. It is much easier for a single individual to make the choice than for a group of people who all must agree on a temporary dwelling place.

A hotel is normally a big building with many rooms and services. Hotels have more than one floor. Guests cannot get to their rooms without going through a lobby. A hotel provides lodging on a short-term basis. Hotels are often used by visitors who have reached their end destination where the hotel is located.

Small rooms usually include only basic guest services such as a bed, a dresser, a chair, a mini-bar, a flat-screen television, and a bathroom.

Larger and more expensive hotels have more guest services, such as a swimming pool, gym, meeting rooms, a business center with computers, office equipment, childcare, tennis or basketball courts, restaurants, day spa, beauty parlors, and social function services.

Some people use the term hotel for other living accommodations such as the ones listed below even though they are not hotels based on their descriptions.

The word motel is the combination of the words motor and hotel. It is a hotel for motorists whose destination is not where the motel is located. A motel room is less expensive than a hotel room. It is usually a rest stop on the way to a motorist's final destination where he will stay in something more elaborate.

This is usually somewhere people will stay to rest during a road trip. Motels are mostly located along busy highways with signs that are high and lighted so motorists can see them from far away

A motel is a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot. Guests can enter a motel without going through a lobby. They can go directly to their room from the parking lot or take the outside stairs to the second floor. Motels typically do not have more than two floors. Smaller motels have only one floor.

Inns are usually smaller and older places to stay in the country or along a highway. At one time, inns also provided accommodation for horses. “Inn” is an older word for a place to stay temporarily with only the bare necessities that may include food and drinks.

An exception to this would be where large hotel chains have made the word "inn" part of their name. Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn can be seen as a hotel and an inn.

A hostal is a type of lodging found mostly in Spain and Hispanic America. Hostals are much cheaper than hotels and motels. Accommodations typically include private bedrooms available for either short or long-term rent. Guests sometimes share a common bathroom. Hostals usually have a bar, restaurant, or cafeteria where guests can buy food and drinks.

Hostels provide budget accommodation where guests can rent very inexpensive accommodations. They get a bed, which is usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory-type building. Guests share a bathroom, lounge, and sometimes a kitchen.

Hostels are much cheaper for both the operator and guests. Sometimes hostels hire long-term residents as desk clerks or housekeeping staff.

A lodge is a relatively small building. Lodges are mainly used by tourists. In some lodges, guests have something in common and are there for the same reason.

A good example of that is a ski lodge. People also prefer a lodge when they are on a retreat.

A bed and breakfast, which is usually shortened to B&B or BnB, is a small lodging place for overnight accommodation and breakfast.

Bed and breakfasts are often located in private family homes with an average of six rooms. The hosts usually live in the house along with the guests.

Even though it is called bed and breakfast, other meals may or may not be served to the guests.

A boarding house or rooming house is usually a family home where guests rent a room for one or more nights. Sometimes they will rent for extended periods that could last for years.

Room and board and some meals are provided. The boarding house may or may not offer meals.

Airbnb started out being called AirBed & Breakfast. It was started because the founder needed a place to stay for a night or two. Therefore, he put an air mattress in a friend's living room. Then he started a company offering the same services to others who might be visiting a place where no hotel rooms are available.

These days, guests do not have to sleep on air mattresses in living rooms, but they can rent short-term lodging in someone's house. Airbnb has over 5 million lodging listings in over 81,000 cities and about 191 countries. The company is very successful and has had over 300 million guests since the company launched in 2008.

Vacation rentals are available for groups of people whether they want to stay in a fully-furnished apartment, a villa, a log cabin, or a timeshare. Vacation rentals are affordable lodgings that are available around the world.

Vacation rentals are ideal for families and large groups of people because they are more spacious than any of the other places listed in this article. There is enough space for people to play games together, watch television, or retire to their very own quarters. Besides, there is a family-size kitchen for meals to be prepared to save money on eating out every day during the stay.

The cost for vacation rentals can be divided among the group. Therefore, the cost is not a burden for any one person.

An individual's timeshare is also included in this group. It is a resort type of rental property with units owned by multiple parties who have to reserve a specific time period to use the property.

From the above list, you can see there is no shortage of places to stay when someone is away from home. Whether travelers are gone for one night, weeks, months, or even years, there is always a place for them to lay their heads at night and have a hot meal in the morning.