<P> A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short - term basis . Facilities provided may range from a modest - quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher - quality beds, a dresser, a refrigerator and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs, a flat screen television and en - suite bathrooms . Small, lower - priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities . Larger, higher - priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, business centre (with computers, printers and other office equipment), childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium, restaurants, day spa and social function services . Hotel rooms are usually numbered (or named in some smaller hotels and B&Bs) to allow guests to identify their room . Some boutique, high - end hotels have custom decorated rooms . Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement . In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours . In Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities . </P> <P> The precursor to the modern hotel was the inn of medieval Europe . For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, coaching inns served as a place for lodging for coach travelers . Inns began to cater to richer clients in the mid-18th century . One of the first hotels in a modern sense was opened in Exeter in 1768 . Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, and luxury hotels began to spring up in the later part of the 19th century . </P>

Where does the term full house come from