Hotel
Hotels are commercial establishments that provide short-term accommodation, meals, and other services for guests such as travellers and tourists.
The quality and cost of hotels varies very widely. In the UK, the Valuation Office Agency suggests that most hotels can be classified as:
- Five Star and Luxury Four Star Hotels.
- Boutique Hotels.
- Country House Hotels.
- Town House Hotels.
- Commercial 3 & 4 Star Hotels.
- Airport Hotels.
- Seaside Hotels.
- Coaching Hotels.
- Older & Historic 3 Star Hotels.
- Budget Hotels/Lodges.
- Small Independently Owned Hotels.
- Aparthotels and Serviced Apartments.
The standard of accommodation and service provided within these definitions may vary very significantly compared to similar definitions in other countries.
For the purposes of planning permission, use class C1 is 'Hotels', which includes; hotels, boarding and guest houses where no significant element of care is provided. It does not include hostels. Hostels provide non-self-contained acccomodation, and cater for an identifiable group of people, such as students, travellers, people who would otherwise be homeless and so on. They tend to be low-cost and may be self-catering, or may provide meals.
Articles about hotels on Designing Buildings Wiki include:
- US Embassy hotel plans.
- Army and Navy Hotel.
- Hilton Tallinn Park case study.
- Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea.
- North Korea hotel.
- Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore.
- Spring Street Hotel, LA.
- Trump International Hotel and Tower, Vancouver.
- Julian Opie Art Wall CitizenM Tower of London Hotel.
See also: The history of hotels.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Apart-hotel.
- Bookmatched Marble for Boutique Hotel.
- Eco-hotel.
- Hostel.
- How to create a sustainable hotel.
- Julian Opie Art Wall CitizenM Tower of London Hotel
- Julian Opie Limestone & Bronze Frieze for Bermuda Hotel
- Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore
- Residential building.
- Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea
- Sheltered housing definition.
- Spring Street Hotel, LA.
- The history of hotels.
- Treehotel
- Trump International Hotel and Tower, Vancouver
- Types of building.
- US Embassy hotel plans
- Use class.
Featured articles and news
The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy: A 10 year plan
Previous consultation criticism, current key elements and general support with some persisting reservations.
Building Safety Regulator reforms
New roles, new staff and a new fast track service pave the way for a single construction regulator.
Architectural Technologist CPDs and Communications
CIAT CPD… and how you can do it!
Cooling centres and cool spaces
Managing extreme heat in cities by directing the public to places for heat stress relief and water sources.
Winter gardens: A brief history and warm variations
Extending the season with glass in different forms and terms.
Restoring Great Yarmouth's Winter Gardens
Transforming one of the least sustainable constructions imaginable.
Construction Skills Mission Board launch sector drive
Newly formed government and industry collaboration set strategy for recruiting an additional 100,000 construction workers a year.
New Architects Code comes into effect in September 2025
ARB Architects Code of Conduct and Practice available with ongoing consultation regarding guidance.
Welsh Skills Body (Medr) launches ambitious plan
The new skills body brings together funding and regulation of tertiary education and research for the devolved nation.
Paul Gandy FCIOB announced as next CIOB President
Former Tilbury Douglas CEO takes helm.
UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy. In brief with reactions
With the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).
Ebenezer Howard: inventor of the garden city. Book review.
The Grenfell Tower fire, eight years on
A time to pause and reflect as Dubai tower block fire reported just before anniversary.
Airtightness Topic Guide BSRIA TG 27/2025
Explaining the basics of airtightness, what it is, why it's important, when it's required and how it's carried out.
Construction contract awards hit lowest point of 2025
Plummeting for second consecutive month, intensifying concerns for housing and infrastructure goals.
Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025
Examining the state of mental health in construction, shedding light on levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
The benefits of engaging with insulation manufacturers
When considering ground floor constructions.
Lighting Industry endorses Blueprint for Electrification
The Lighting Industry Association fully supports the ECA Blueprint as a timely, urgent call to action.