| There are so many versions on the evolution and | | | | good. Today one finds Inns anywhere and |
| history of Inns that, at least for me it is difficult to | | | | everywhere. Airports, down town, city centre, beach |
| say hey, this is how it all started and this is when it | | | | or resort location, specially on ski resorts and golf |
| started. However, logically and analytically speaking, | | | | resorts or for that matter even as part of a mixed |
| one found many facts hidden facts between the lines | | | | development. |
| of history. It is left then to your judgement to draw | | | | Since Inns are perceived as budget hotels, offering |
| conclusions. | | | | economical rates for its rooms and food and |
| The need for travel must have triggered the demand | | | | beverages, they normally attract the bulk of mid |
| for overnight sleepover places. Where the traveller | | | | market segment and enjoy a relatively higher |
| could rest his horses, wash himself, eat good food | | | | occupancy. Inns also have a much lower operating |
| with a drink and have a sound sleep before | | | | overheads and therefore even after lower revenues, |
| embarking upon the journey further the next day. | | | | are able to generate a healthy contribution to the |
| The history so implies. Alehouses used to serve the | | | | bottom line. This cost benefit advantage of the |
| travellers with home brewed beer and allow him to | | | | product has prompted most of the big hotel chains |
| sleep in the barn or the kitchen. Inns would offer | | | | to enter the Hotels Inn segment. It is a profitable |
| primarily room or dormitory accommodation with | | | | business niche from investment angle. |
| attached or shared bathrooms initially and as demand | | | | Some of the big ticket Inn sign boards would read |
| grew, rooms were provided with attached baths. | | | | like the Fair Field Inns by Marriott Hotels, Days Inns & |
| The rules governing the stay of the traveller were | | | | Quality Inn, Holiday Inns by Intercontinental Hotels, |
| framed by the innkeeper and were quite strict. The | | | | Premier Inns, Residence Inns, Park Inns, Hampton |
| main door of the inn would close at a certain hour | | | | Inns and Suites, Sleep Inns and the list goes on. The |
| and after that, one could not enter even if you were | | | | advantage of big corporate launching Inn brands has |
| a guest. Since travel conditions those days were | | | | been many folds. It gives a quality stamp to the Inn |
| tough, people normally would travel alone. Many Inns | | | | product and offers the opportunity to the Inn tag to |
| would therefore not allow travellers with families to | | | | ride on the back of upscale tags like the city hotels, |
| stay. One had to eat the fixed breakfast prescribed | | | | down town hotels, luxury hotels etc. |
| by the Inn Keeper and on shared tables. Yet the Inns | | | | Today, some hotels inns are as good in product |
| enjoyed good occupancy and business in the absence | | | | development and quality as any luxury hotel or a |
| of any alternative. | | | | 5-star hotel. They have good sized and |
| From those medieval days to the present day, the | | | | well-appointed guest rooms, two to three gourmet |
| Inns have covered a lot of ground, seen enormous | | | | restaurants, bars, pubs, discotheque, business centre, |
| developments and embraced changes in the product, | | | | health club with a well-fitted gym, swimming pool. |
| style and operations of modern day Inns. Even the | | | | Meeting spaces and the works, yet they are shy to |
| traveller has changed to guests who no longer arrive | | | | drop the "inn" tag afraid to loose the special status |
| on the horse back; he is a jet set traveller with | | | | they enjoy. Inns would not like to get drowned in the |
| totally fresh set of demands and expectations. Inns | | | | deep ocean of the hotel world and loose their |
| are now full service hotels, meeting the demand | | | | identity. Inns are a different world. Inns remind you |
| criteria of the guests. The brands command a price | | | | of the nostalgic time journey of hotel evolution. |
| premium as the demand for rooms are quite high. | | | | You have permission to publish this article without |
| The factor that used to characterise the early day | | | | any change what so ever electronically, in print, in |
| inns are, they were mostly or generally located on | | | | your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as |
| the intersection of two major roads, or at the entry | | | | long as the author by-lines are included. |
| of a city or near the railway station no more holds | | | | |