The need to stay has been present since ancient times. At this time, merchants used to move from one place to another looking to move their merchandise and, in the midst of those trips, they also had to exchange merchandise for lodging. It was thanks to these exchanges that inns began to appear on the roads, where these travelers and their horses were given accommodation in exchange for material goods or money. After the fall of the Roman Empire until the 10th and 11th centuries, the lodging service remained in the hands of monasteries, which provided this service for charity. Hospitality became a voluntary service and was protected by law, but there were still places where this service was provided for a fee. From the 12th and 13th centuries, the crusades gave a strong boost to trade and hospitality gave way to specialized venues that charged in exchange for accommodation. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, a service of inns was developed not only for the accommodation of travelers, but also as centers of activities, businesses or to elect members of the ecclesiastical council or parliament: they were centers to meet and spend the day or , the night.
The modern hotel revolution came with the industrial revolution and the generalization of means of transportation that allowed people to move massively from one place to another. At that time, trips were reserved for wealthy classes who could go on vacation and, therefore, required accommodation according to their economic level. So, establishments to eat and stay are generalized, thus the modern hotel industry arises. The first hotel of modern conception, in 1807, was the Badische Hof, built in Germany. This hotel had three floors and, in the middle, had a large dining room and other innovative spaces for the time, such as reading rooms and libraries.
With the appearance of the railway, an option also arises in hotels to accommodate travelers next to the stations. In the mid-1800s, corporate-owned hotels appeared, such as the famous Ritz hotel chain, which opened in 1880 and the business model spread from Europe to the United States after 1900. France was the great benchmark in the hotel industry since mid-19th century to the end of the 20th century. After this, the United States replaced it with its large chains and giant establishments. The hotel industry is today one of the main ones and in some European countries it occupies the first position in the national industry.
