The Growth Of London Hotels

England is a country with quite an extensive history, with buildings that predate European settlement of the United States. For years, they were the forefront of culture and class, though as the world has evolved, things have changed, and some things were slow to catch on. For instance, one would think that a city such as London would have hotels with long and rich history going back centuries, but in fact, London hotels were slow to develop, not making much of an appearance until the mid-1800s.

Early Inceptions

Despite being such a key location and seat of social life in England, most of the real estate in London was occupied by housing, as most landowners, those most likely to travel to London, simply had a home there for when they were in town. The not so well to do visiting London would rent rooms from someone with space to spare in their home or stay in a coaching inn, more likely to be a room above a pub than anythingelse, and reserved mostly for travelers going by coach. Hotels as we know them today simply didn't exist.

The Rise of Railroads

While in America, the development of a rail system created entire towns, the rise of the railroads in England made London a more viable place to go for short trips. In order to generate revenue for visitors, railroads took a cue from the coaching inns and built modern hotels in London near their terminals, much the way you will always find hotels near an airport today. In the decades following the 1860s, England would see some of its most famous hotels, such as the Savoy and the Ritz, built.

The 1900s

The greatest surges in the construction of London hotels came at the start and the end of the 1900s. Before the World Wars began, travel became increasingly possible for average people and even for international visitors, and the landowning class began to decline to the point where they could no longer maintain homes in London for their visits. As a result, patronage of London hotels increased.

The decades after World War II saw a decline in the construction of London hotels, but the advance of air travel in the 1970s led to another boom in the development of hotels. The 80s and early 90s were slow periods for the construction of London hotels, but by the end of the century, business was picking up again and many older office buildings were remodeled into hotels. London hotels now boast great diversity, from five-star monsters to small, quaint places made from old town homes. Should you stay in one of the many London hotels, know that their rise is something relatively recent in a city boasting a grand history.

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