Traveling and hotels are two broad areas in the service industry that contain several subfields. They include hospitality, tourism, transportation, theme parks and cruise lines as well as a few financial services.
Choosing lodging for your trip requires consideration of cost, location and amenities. You can find a wide variety of hotels, motels and other types of accommodations online. Typically, a hotel is located in a destination’s major city and will have a range of facilities like swimming pools, restaurants and spas. A motel is a more modest establishment that offers private rooms for overnight stays but may have limited additional features. A boutique hotel is usually design-driven, with a unique feature or theme. These hotels are generally found in urban areas and are independent of hotel chains.
Another form of lodging is camping. Depending on your destination, you might camp in a commercial campground with more amenities or in publicly accessible conservation areas with more basic shelters. You might also rent a tent or RV for a more self-sufficient outdoor experience. Bed and breakfasts and hostels are a more sociable form of lodging. Often found in converted family homes, B&Bs have a few private rooms and share kitchen, bathroom and living spaces with other guests. Hostels are typically mixed- or same-sex dormitories with multiple beds, and you might pay less for a hostel than a hotel room.
Both hotels and Airbnb have fairly flexible cancellation policies, particularly when you book close to your planned stay. Likewise, you might be able to get better prices during the week, or even during off-season, than you’ll find on the weekend.