ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the contours of the hospitality industry. It discusses the various types of businesses in the industry and explains how they evolved over time. The chapter utilizes a common framework to delineate the industry, including lodging, food services and drinking places, entertainment and recreation, travel service providers, and assembly and event management. It addresses contemporary changes that define the way the international hotel industry operates, such as the internet, social media, and booking and distribution channels. The hospitality industry is a multi-billion Euro industry in the service sector. It is an umbrella term for a wide range of industries, such as the hotel industry, and the restaurant industry. Although there are exceptions like Germany, where independent, family-owned hotels lead, hotel chains – with different organisation models and structures – tend to dominate the industry economically.
