London Hotels were slow to develop

For many centuries, the United Kingdom is recognised as a major influence in world affairs. For years, they were the forefront of culture, influence and class. The country has an extensive and interesting history going far beyond the early settlements of the USA. In England with the world popular capital, London, you would think would have hotels with history dating back to before the American Revolution, but in fact, London hotels were slow to develop, not making much of an appearance until the mid-1800s. But now in 2007, there are an ever increasing number of London hotels always in demand by thousands of visitors throughout the year.

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, the people most likely to spend time in England, simply had a home there for when they were in town. People visiting would have likely rented a room from someone with space to spare in their home or stayed at a coaching inn, which is closer to a room above a pub than anything, and reserved mostly for travelers going by coach. At this point, modern-style hotels in London simply didn't exist.

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, similar to how you can always find a few hotels near an airport today. In the decades after the 1860s, England would see some of its most famous hotels, such as the Savoy and the Ritz, built.

The biggest 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 easier for average people to do and for international visitors to enjoy, 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, domestic use of London hotels also increased during this time.

There was a major decline in the building of London hotels for decades following the 2^nd world war, as hotels at that time were not a priority within the rebuilding of London. But from the early 1970s air travel started to ‘take off’ and the demand for hotels soared that led to another boom in the development of hotels. Hotel development slowed down during a short period in the late 80s, early 90s. Over the last 15 years, massive building of London hotels has taken place to meet relentless demand by both business and tourism. The inner city has seen the refurbishment of old warehouses and offices, tastefully and carefully converted to fine hotels, retaining the history associated with some of the old buildings.