Modern hotels of today have come a long way from their ancestors that sprinkled the country in the past. The motels and inns of the past were basic in presentation and situation: guests would check in, they would unpack in their rooms, leave the hotel for business or pleasure during the day, and come back in the evening to go to sleep. In the morning would be check out time and they were on their way. Today, however, modern hotels offer so many amenities that in many cases you can have a complete vacation getaway without ever even leaving the place at all.



One of the most recent influxes of technology into the hotel scene is the introduction of wireless Internet. In just the past few years, the number of modern hotels that offered this service was almost none, and today 91% of all accommodations offer wireless online access. While most of the hotels offer this free of any additional charges for guests, there are some that do charge to use their bandwith. Interestingly enough, most of these places that charge their guests are those that are most expensive already to begin with.

Did you know that 40% of modern hotels now offer iPod docking stations as a standard in their guest rooms? Not only that, but 75% of places offer guests computer access in their lobbies. Even though there are many of these technologies that are much more commonly offered than they were just a few years ago, there are some traditional offerings that have actually gone down in numbers in the last couple of years. In 2006 it was reported that 68% of hotels offered continental breakfasts to their guests, but in 2008, only 59% offered this tasty start to the day. Another thing that has changed with the evolution of modern hotels is the number of places that charge for late cancellations. This means that out of all of the hotels of today, 82% of them will charge if you cancel after an allotted refund date. The good news is that many travelers these days take out insurance policies for travel and may end up being covered.

Modern hotels are constantly evolving to keep up with the preferences and requests of guests that demand more from their accommodations than ever before. Some of the most popular and fairly new offerings that you can often find in hotels are swimming pools, Jacuzzis, the continental breakfasts, salons and health spas, world class fitness centers, fabulous bars, wireless Internet, five star restaurants, and even water parks and shopping inside the hotels!

With all of the innovations and amenities that travelers have come to expect from modern hotels, it is no wonder that institutions are finding that in order to stay in the game, they have to continuously find out what their guests want and deliver to impress.