ACCOMMODATION

OPERATION

1
Introduction

As like any other service based business, the Hotel/Hospitality business

is affected by the shifts in interest of people who patronised the

hospitality product. We are however going to concentrate on the lodging

or accommodation aspect of the hospitality industry.

The general objective of this is to help students understand the routine

methods of work in the housekeeping.

2
 Lesson One

Accommodation Services

Introduction

This Lesson introduces the student to the concept of accommodation and the various types of

accommodation. It will focus on the definition of accommodation, the types, and the overview of

the hotel industry.Accommodation which is also referred to as lodging is one of the most

important components of the hospitality industry. There are different variety of accommodation

in relation to the level of development of infrastructure and tourism in a country, community or

society. Accommodation has been deemed as the psychological base of every traveller or tourist

(Cooper et al., 1993). This then means that there are different demands from different travelers or tourists for

different types of accommodation ranging from hostels to resorts.

.Learning Objectives

This Lesson aims to give students insight into what accommodation is. Therefore after

reading and studying this Lesson, readers are expected to be able to:

1. Define accommodation

2. Understand the types of accommodation establishments

3. Describe the various ways accommodation establishments are classified

Accommodation Defined
The term accommodation has been defined in different ways. However, for the purpose of
this study, it will be defined as ‘an establishment that provide facilities and services for
sleep, rest, relaxation and entertainment for people who are temporarily away from their
usual place of residence or work, in return for a fee’.
By function, accommodation is provision of clean and furnished sleeping place, food
and beverage services, business services (typing, printing, telephone service among others) to
people, mostly tourists or travellers, who are temporarily out of their usual environment.
Centre (GIPC) Act came to liberalise foreign investment. The liberalisation saw to the
birth of multinational hotels such as Novotel in the country.
 Types of Accommodation Establishments
There are several types of accommodation facilities round the world. Some are historically based
whiles others are not. For our purpose, we will that a brief look at a few of the main types of
accommodation facilities.
Inn - This type of accommodation is one of the initial accommodation facilities in the world. It is
small, with rural setting and was popular during the Middle Ages/Dark Ages (AD 400-AD 500). It is
a small rural lodging establishment that provides not only shelter, but food and sometimes
entertainment for travellers and the local people. In modern days, the Inns are more like a bar or
restaurant that has a sleeping place for a few people.
Spa - Named after a town in Belgium, this type of accommodation, originally, refers to an
accommodation facility that is cantered on a mineral spring that is thought of as having the ability to
heal. It can also be used to refer to a room in a hotel or in a resort that offer massage, health and
fitness, saunas/hot/steam bath.
Hostel - This is a relatively cheap accommodation facility that caters mostly for students. It also
caters for youngsters in transit. It provides little or no service for the guest and usually have
commonkitchen where guests prepare their own food.
Hotel - This accommodation type provides a variety of services to the guest including
housekeeping, room services, food and beverage service among others. This facility provides
sleeping places, meeting and conference room facilities, health facilities, and so on. Under hotels,
there are, major types which include: downtown hotels, boutique hotels/luxury/design hotels,
convention hotels, casino hotels and residential hotels.
 Classification of Accommodation
There has been an attempt to classify accommodation facilities. Each country or region try to
classify accommodation into different categories. Ghana Tourist Board classifies accommodation
based on the Legislative Instrument LI 1205 and the New ECOWAS Harmonized Standards for
Accommodation and Catering Establishments. The LI classify accommodation into three main
categories. Category A, B and C
Category A: Hotels, Inns and Motels
Category B: Catering houses, guest houses, lodgings
Category C: Rest houses
Hotels specifically have other classifications. Hotels are classified into differentcategories based on the
services they provide and the facilities they have functioning and available. They are grouped into
stars and other ratings. They are as follows:

5-Star hotel – These are the luxury hotels

4-Star hotel – They are the 1st class hotels

3-Star hotel - 2nd class hotels

2-Star hotel - 3rd class hotels

1-Star hotel - 4th class hotels

Guest houses, and Budget hotels
Self-Assessment

1. Define the term accommodation.

2. What are the types of accommodation establishments you can think of?

3. Describe the various ways accommodation establishments are classified