The Royal Sonesta: Hotel Brand History, Ownership, Market Position, and Guest Experience

1. What Is The Royal Sonesta?

The Royal Sonesta is an upper-upscale, full-service hotel and resort brand operated within the Sonesta International Hotels Corporation portfolio. Sonesta formalized The Royal Sonesta as a distinct brand tier during the mid-2010s, although the Royal Sonesta name and several hotels associated with it have substantially longer histories.

The brand does not trace its origin to a separate entrepreneurial founder in the way an independent hotel company might. It was created by Sonesta as an upper-tier extension of a hospitality business founded in 1937 by A.M. Sonnabend. Its corporate base is in Newton, Massachusetts, within the Greater Boston business region.

Royal Sonesta properties are generally full-service hotels with restaurants and bars, meeting and event space, fitness facilities, guest services, and location-specific design. Some also have spas, swimming pools, beach access, club accommodations, or extensive resort recreation. This places the brand in the upper-upscale portion of the hospitality and tourism industry, rather than in select-service or economy lodging.

What defines The Royal Sonesta today is a combination of major urban and resort locations, full-service facilities, individualized property character, and access to Sonesta’s broader reservation and loyalty ecosystem.

2. The Royal Sonesta at a Glance

Hotel brand name: The Royal Sonesta

Hotel family: Sonesta International Hotels Corporation

Brand type: Full-service urban hotel and resort brand

Modern brand formation: Formalized as a distinct Sonesta tier in the mid-2010s

Founding organization: Sonesta International Hotels Corporation

Historical lineage: Sonesta was founded in 1937 by A.M. Sonnabend

Corporate base: Newton, Massachusetts, United States

Current ownership: A privately held Sonesta corporate structure, with ownership interests associated with Service Properties Trust and Portnoy family interests

Industry segment: Upper-upscale, full-service hospitality

Market position: One of Sonesta’s upper-tier brands, serving business, meetings, convention, urban leisure, and resort demand

Typical property types: Downtown hotels, convention hotels, historic full-service hotels, waterfront properties, and destination resorts

Geographic focus: Predominantly the United States, including major cities, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico

Primary guest segments: Business travelers, leisure travelers, couples, families, meetings and convention groups, wedding parties, and loyalty-program members

Core proposition: Full-service accommodation with distinctive local design, dining, event facilities, and leisure amenities

Loyalty program: Sonesta Travel Pass

Operating model: Hotels may be operated under management agreements or franchise arrangements; real estate is not necessarily owned by Sonesta

Current status: Active

Official website: The Royal Sonesta official website

3. What Hotel Family Does The Royal Sonesta Belong To?

The Royal Sonesta belongs to Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, a privately held hospitality company headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. Sonesta operates a broad portfolio ranging from upper-tier full-service hotels to extended-stay, select-service, and economy brands.

Within this family, The Royal Sonesta is one of the principal upper-tier flags. It is differentiated from the broader Sonesta Hotels & Resorts brand by its emphasis on prominent destinations, more elaborate full-service facilities, location-sensitive design, and a stronger meetings, events, dining, and leisure proposition. Other Sonesta brands serve different needs, including extended stays, limited-service trips, and more price-sensitive travel.

Sonesta owns The Royal Sonesta brand, but that does not mean Sonesta owns the land and buildings of every Royal Sonesta hotel. Hotel brand ownership, real-estate ownership, and hotel operation are separate functions. A property may be owned by a real-estate investment trust or another institutional or private investor while Sonesta manages it under contract. Other properties may use the brand through a franchise agreement and employ a separate approved operator.

Service Properties Trust, a publicly traded real-estate investment trust, has both a significant commercial relationship with Sonesta and a minority ownership interest in the hotel company. It owns numerous hotel properties managed by Sonesta. The balance of Sonesta’s corporate ownership is associated with Portnoy family interests. The RMR Group provides management and shared-service infrastructure to Service Properties Trust and related businesses, but it should not be confused with either the Royal Sonesta hotel brand or the owner of every Royal Sonesta property.

Guests encounter the wider hotel family primarily through Sonesta’s booking channels and Sonesta Travel Pass, which connects Royal Sonesta stays with benefits and earning opportunities across participating Sonesta brands.

4. Who Founded The Royal Sonesta, and How Did It Begin?

The modern Royal Sonesta brand was established by Sonesta International Hotels Corporation rather than by a separate individual founder. Its historical lineage begins with A.M. Sonnabend, who founded the hotel business that became Sonesta in 1937 in Massachusetts.

Sonnabend built the company through hotel investment and operation. Over time, the business developed a presence in full-service city hotels and resorts, including properties in the Boston area and New Orleans that became closely associated with the Royal Sonesta name. These older properties are important to the brand’s identity, but their individual opening dates should not be confused with the later creation of The Royal Sonesta as a consistent portfolio tier.

Sonesta’s long-standing connection with Massachusetts remains relevant because its corporate headquarters are in Newton, near Boston. The Royal Sonesta Boston, located across the Charles River in Cambridge, also became one of the best-known properties in the company’s full-service portfolio.

During the mid-2010s, Sonesta organized the Royal Sonesta name more deliberately as its upper-tier full-service flag. The objective visible in the resulting portfolio was to group prominent urban and destination properties around a shared proposition: substantial facilities, destination-oriented design, restaurants and bars, event capacity, and service appropriate for business, group, and leisure guests.

There is therefore no single Royal Sonesta founding event comparable to the opening of one independent hotel. The most accurate interpretation is that a historic name used by Sonesta properties was developed into a formal multi-property brand.

5. What Is the History of The Royal Sonesta?

1937: Sonesta’s corporate origin. A.M. Sonnabend founded the hotel business that ultimately became Sonesta International Hotels Corporation. This is the founding date of the parent hospitality company, not the date of the modern Royal Sonesta tier.

1960s and 1970s: development of important full-service hotels. Sonesta expanded its full-service operations during the postwar growth of American business and leisure travel. The company’s Boston-area hotel, opened in the 1960s along the Charles River in Cambridge, became a long-standing flagship. In New Orleans, Sonesta became associated with a major French Quarter hotel that developed into another enduring Royal Sonesta property.

These hotels helped establish several characteristics that remain visible in the brand: central or destination-relevant locations, restaurants and social spaces, significant meeting capacity, and a connection to local urban identity. They also demonstrate why the history of The Royal Sonesta cannot be reduced to the date on which the modern brand architecture was introduced.

2012: change in Sonesta’s corporate ownership. Sonesta was acquired in a transaction involving an affiliate of Hospitality Properties Trust, which later became Service Properties Trust. The company became privately held, while its relationship with a large hotel real-estate owner gave it access to additional properties and management opportunities.

Early to mid-2010s: Royal Sonesta becomes a clearer portfolio tier. Sonesta applied the Royal Sonesta name to selected upper-tier hotels, including properties in Boston, Houston, and New Orleans. It subsequently incorporated hotels such as the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis and Harbor Court in Baltimore into the brand. This period represents the practical formation of The Royal Sonesta as a multi-property flag rather than only a name attached to individual legacy hotels.

2020 and 2021: rapid portfolio expansion. Service Properties Trust transferred the management of a large number of hotels from other major operators to Sonesta following disputes over contractual payments. Not all of those hotels became Royal Sonesta properties, but selected upper-tier assets were reflagged into the brand. This added hotels in markets such as Washington, Portland, San Juan, and Kauai and broadened Royal Sonesta’s mix of urban and resort destinations.

2021: Sonesta acquires RLH Corporation. The acquisition of RLH Corporation greatly increased the wider Sonesta system’s scale and franchise capabilities. Most of the acquired economy and midscale brands did not overlap directly with Royal Sonesta. Strategically, however, the transaction gave the parent company a larger distribution network, a broader loyalty base, and more developed franchise infrastructure.

2022 onward: conversions and selective new development. Properties such as The Benjamin in New York were repositioned under the Royal Sonesta name. The Royal Sonesta Washington, DC Capitol Hill, which opened in 2023, represented a newer expression of the brand through purpose-built accommodation, contemporary public spaces, dining, and extensive event facilities.

The result is a brand shaped by two different growth paths. One is the heritage of long-operated hotels in destinations such as Cambridge and New Orleans. The other is expansion through conversions, management transfers, and newly developed properties. This explains why individual Royal Sonesta hotels can differ materially in architecture, age, scale, and atmosphere while sharing a common full-service position.

6. What Industry Segment Does The Royal Sonesta Occupy?

The Royal Sonesta is best classified as an upper-upscale full-service hotel and resort brand. That classification reflects its operating proposition rather than a universal star rating.

Upper-upscale hotels generally provide more extensive facilities and service than select-service properties. Royal Sonesta hotels commonly include multiple room categories, suites, restaurants or bars, room dining at some locations, staffed guest services, fitness facilities, ballrooms, meeting rooms, and event-planning capabilities. Resort properties may add beaches, pools, spas, recreational programming, and larger outdoor areas.

The brand also participates in several overlapping subsegments. Downtown hotels serve business and city-break demand. Larger properties address conventions, association meetings, corporate events, and weddings. Hotels in places such as Kauai and San Juan compete in the destination-resort market. Historic properties such as The Chase Park Plaza add a heritage dimension, while newer hotels can present a more contemporary design identity.

The Royal Sonesta is sometimes described using luxury language, particularly at individual properties. It is more precise, however, to regard the brand broadly as upper upscale. A luxury classification may fit the pricing, service, or facilities of a particular hotel, suite category, or resort, but it should not be treated as a universal rating across the entire portfolio.

Star and diamond ratings are assigned at the property level by particular tourism bodies or travel organizations. They can vary by jurisdiction and methodology. They are not interchangeable with the brand’s commercial segment.

7. How Is The Royal Sonesta Positioned in the Market?

The Royal Sonesta occupies the upper end of Sonesta’s core brand portfolio. It offers a more facility-rich and destination-conscious experience than the company’s select-service, extended-stay, and economy brands. Its proposition combines the infrastructure expected from a full-service chain with more variation in architecture and local character than a highly standardized global hotel format.

Service level: Properties typically provide staffed front desks, housekeeping, guest assistance, event services, and food and beverage operations. Concierge services, club-level access, valet parking, transportation, or resort services depend on the property.

Business and events orientation: Meeting rooms, ballrooms, catering, and group accommodation are important commercial components at many Royal Sonesta hotels. This supports corporate meetings, association events, conventions, weddings, and social gatherings in addition to transient room demand.

Urban and resort balance: The portfolio includes downtown hotels near commercial districts and visitor attractions, but it is not solely a business brand. Beach and island resorts broaden its relevance to families, couples, and destination leisure travelers.

Property individuality: Royal Sonesta does not rely on identical architecture across every location. Hotels may occupy historic buildings, converted properties, high-rise city hotels, or large resort complexes. Sonesta’s brand language places emphasis on design connected with each destination, although the degree of local expression varies.

Price position: Rates generally compete in the upper-upscale full-service market and vary significantly according to destination, season, room category, group demand, and resort conditions. The brand is not positioned as an economy option, but neither should every property automatically be interpreted as ultra-luxury.

Loyalty and distribution: Sonesta Travel Pass and Sonesta’s direct distribution channels provide practical benefits for repeat guests. This gives Royal Sonesta the reach of a multi-brand hotel company while retaining a portfolio that is smaller and more selective than those of the largest multinational upper-upscale chains.

8. Where Does The Royal Sonesta Operate?

The Royal Sonesta is primarily a United States brand. Its operating footprint is concentrated in major American cities and leisure destinations rather than distributed evenly around the world.

Important urban markets include the Boston area, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, New York, Portland, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC. These locations give the brand access to corporate travel, government-related demand, conventions, universities, medical institutions, cultural tourism, and weekend leisure business.

Resort and warm-weather destinations are also strategically important. The Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort Lihue gives the brand a Hawaiian resort presence, while The Royal Sonesta San Juan serves beach, meetings, and leisure demand in Puerto Rico. These properties differ significantly from downtown hotels in their facilities, guest mix, length of stay, and seasonal patterns.

The brand’s New Orleans presence is especially significant because the Royal Sonesta name has a long association with the French Quarter. Cambridge is similarly important to the brand’s history through The Royal Sonesta Boston, even though that hotel is not located within Boston’s municipal boundaries.

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has a wider international history and operates other brands outside the continental United States, including hotels in markets such as Egypt and parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. That broader Sonesta presence should not be interpreted as an equally broad Royal Sonesta footprint. The Royal Sonesta itself remains heavily concentrated in the United States and US destinations.

Portfolio composition can change as hotels enter or leave management and franchise agreements. Announced developments should therefore be distinguished from hotels already open, and the parent company’s total geographic reach should not be used as a substitute for the Royal Sonesta operating directory.

9. What Does The Royal Sonesta Provide?

Accommodation

Royal Sonesta hotels offer conventional guest rooms and suites, typically with work areas, private bathrooms, in-room technology, and bedding appropriate to upper-upscale full-service lodging. Some properties provide premium views, balconies, club-level rooms, connecting accommodations, specialty suites, or residentially styled layouts. Room size and design vary because the portfolio includes new buildings, historic hotels, and conversions.

Dining and Beverages

Restaurants, bars, lounges, and event catering are central to many Royal Sonesta properties. The food and beverage concepts are generally tailored to the hotel and destination rather than imposed as one brand-wide restaurant format. Some locations provide room dining, grab-and-go options, poolside service, or destination restaurants, but these should not be assumed at every hotel.

Meetings, Conventions, and Events

Meeting space is one of the brand’s most consistent commercial features. Depending on the property, facilities can include boardrooms, flexible meeting rooms, ballrooms, pre-function areas, outdoor event space, audiovisual support, catering, and planning services. Larger hotels can accommodate conferences, association meetings, corporate programs, weddings, and social events.

Wellness and Fitness

Fitness centers are commonly available. Swimming pools, spas, treatment rooms, saunas, and organized wellness activities are more property-dependent. Resort locations typically provide a more extensive leisure and wellness proposition than downtown business hotels.

Leisure and Recreation

Leisure facilities depend heavily on location. A beach resort may provide direct beach access, pools, cabanas, water activities, gardens, and family recreation. An urban hotel is more likely to emphasize access to restaurants, museums, entertainment districts, shopping, and local attractions. Some properties organize destination experiences or provide concierge assistance with local planning.

Guest Services

Guests can generally expect staffed reception, housekeeping, luggage assistance, and support with local information. Valet parking, bell service, concierge desks, transportation, pet-friendly services, and club-lounge access vary by hotel. Resort fees, destination fees, and parking charges may also differ by location.

Loyalty and Digital Services

Participating properties are integrated with Sonesta Travel Pass. Members can earn and redeem within the program subject to its current rules, rates, exclusions, and participating-hotel policies. Sonesta’s central website and digital channels support reservations, account management, promotional offers, and access to the broader brand portfolio.

10. Why Do Guests Choose The Royal Sonesta?

Travelers do not all select hotels for the same reason, but several observable characteristics help explain when The Royal Sonesta may be relevant.

1. Central and Destination-Relevant Locations

One reason travelers may choose the brand is its presence in recognizable business and leisure destinations. Downtown hotels can place guests near commercial districts, government offices, cultural attractions, or entertainment areas. Resorts provide direct access to beach or island environments. Location is particularly important to business travelers, event attendees, and short-stay leisure visitors.

2. Full-Service Facilities

Guests who want more than a room may value on-site dining, bars, fitness facilities, meeting space, event services, and staffed guest support. These features can reduce the need to arrange meals, work sessions, or social gatherings elsewhere. They are especially relevant to corporate travelers, meeting planners, wedding parties, and guests combining work with leisure.

3. Hotels With Individual Character

The portfolio contains properties of different ages, architectural styles, and destination contexts. Some occupy historic buildings, while others are contemporary towers or resort complexes. Travelers who prefer recognizable brand infrastructure without identical physical design at every destination may find this balance appealing.

4. Meetings and Group Capabilities

Many Royal Sonesta hotels have substantial event space, catering, group-room inventory, and dedicated planning teams. Meeting planners may consider the brand when they need accommodation and event functions under one roof. The range from boardrooms to ballrooms supports both small executive sessions and larger gatherings.

5. Urban and Resort Choice Within One Loyalty System

The combination of city hotels and destination resorts allows Sonesta Travel Pass members to use the same booking and loyalty relationship for different trip purposes. A guest might use one Royal Sonesta for a business trip and another for a beach vacation, although benefits and redemption conditions remain subject to program rules.

6. Resort Amenities at Selected Properties

Families, couples, and leisure groups may choose Royal Sonesta resorts for pools, beaches, recreational facilities, dining, and outdoor event space. These amenities are important at locations such as Kauai and San Juan, but they are not brand-wide features of urban hotels.

7. Alternatives to the Largest Global Chains

Some guests may prefer a full-service brand connected to a sizable reservation network but with a smaller upper-upscale portfolio. The practical attraction is not that Royal Sonesta is inherently better than larger competitors, but that it offers a different combination of locations, property character, loyalty benefits, and group facilities.

11. Who Does The Royal Sonesta Serve?

Business and Corporate Travelers

Downtown locations, work areas, restaurants, meeting rooms, and proximity to commercial centers make the brand relevant to individual business travelers and corporate accounts. Executives and project teams may particularly value full-service support and the ability to hold meetings in the same hotel.

Meetings, Conventions, and Event Guests

Groups are a major customer segment at many Royal Sonesta properties. This includes corporate meetings, professional associations, government-related events, reunions, weddings, and other social functions. Room blocks, catering, ballrooms, breakout rooms, and planning services address the logistical needs of organizers and attendees.

Urban Leisure Travelers

Couples, families, and individuals visiting cities for culture, dining, entertainment, sporting events, or weekend breaks form another important segment. For these travelers, location, room comfort, food and beverage options, and access to local attractions may matter more than corporate facilities.

Resort and Destination Travelers

Royal Sonesta’s leisure properties serve guests seeking beach access, pools, outdoor space, recreation, or longer stays in destination markets. Couples may focus on privacy and dining, while families may place greater weight on room configuration, swimming facilities, and activities.

Loyalty-Program Members

Sonesta Travel Pass members may select the brand to earn or use program benefits while staying within Sonesta’s network. The loyalty proposition is particularly relevant to repeat business travelers and guests who also use Sonesta’s other full-service, select-service, or extended-stay brands.

The brand does not serve only affluent leisure travelers or convention guests. Its actual customer mix varies substantially by hotel, day of the week, season, citywide event calendar, and destination.

12. What Defines The Royal Sonesta Guest Experience?

The Royal Sonesta guest experience is built around a full-service framework, but it is expressed differently at each property. Guests usually encounter staffed arrival and reception services, public spaces designed for meeting or socializing, on-site food and beverage, and rooms positioned above the functional select-service level.

Design is intended to reflect the destination or the history of the building. In practice, this may involve local artwork, regional materials, views, neighborhood references, or preservation of historic architectural details. Because some hotels are conversions, the portfolio does not have one uniform room layout or visual identity.

Staff interaction is generally more extensive than at limited-service brands. Front-office teams, food and beverage employees, event staff, housekeeping, and, at selected properties, concierge or resort personnel all contribute to the stay. The level of personalization can vary according to property size, staffing model, occupancy, and guest category.

Dining and social spaces are important parts of the experience. Restaurants, bars, lobbies, terraces, and event areas can serve both hotel guests and local residents. This is particularly relevant in city hotels where food and beverage venues help connect the property with its surrounding neighborhood.

At resorts, the guest journey places greater emphasis on pools, beaches, recreation, outdoor dining, wellness, and longer periods spent on the property. At convention hotels, the experience is more likely to center on efficient group arrival, meeting circulation, catering, and access between guestrooms and function space.

Loyalty recognition through Sonesta Travel Pass adds a consistent system-level element, but room upgrades, arrival benefits, and other privileges depend on current program terms and availability.

13. What Distinguishes The Royal Sonesta From Other Hotel Brands?

A Mix of Legacy Hotels and Newer Conversions

The portfolio combines long-associated Sonesta hotels with properties converted from other brands and newer developments. This creates greater architectural and experiential variation than a brand built primarily from standardized prototypes.

Full-Service Strength in Both Cities and Resorts

Royal Sonesta is not exclusively a convention brand or a resort brand. Its city hotels address business, groups, and urban leisure, while properties in Hawaii and Puerto Rico add beach and destination demand. This gives the brand a broader trip-purpose mix within a relatively focused portfolio.

Substantial Meetings and Event Infrastructure

Event facilities are a significant component at many properties. The ability to combine guestrooms, restaurants, catering, meeting rooms, and ballrooms is a substantive differentiator from select-service competitors and smaller lifestyle hotels with limited function space.

Local Property Identity Within a Branded System

The brand permits visible differences among hotels rather than requiring identical architecture and design. Guests still receive access to Sonesta’s central booking channels, operating standards, and loyalty program. The resulting proposition sits between strict standardization and the independence of a soft-brand collection.

Position Within a Broad Hotel Family

Royal Sonesta benefits from a parent company that also operates extended-stay, select-service, and economy hotels. This supports distribution and loyalty scale beyond the Royal Sonesta portfolio itself. At the same time, its upper-upscale identity remains separate from those lower-priced brands.

14. How Should The Royal Sonesta Be Understood Today?

What Remains Central

The central proposition is full-service hospitality in important urban and resort destinations. Restaurants, social spaces, meetings and events, staffed guest service, and location-specific character remain more important to the brand than rigid architectural uniformity.

What Has Changed

The Royal Sonesta name has evolved from its association with a small number of established hotels into a more formal portfolio brand. Corporate transactions, management transfers, and conversions substantially expanded its geographic coverage during the 2010s and early 2020s. The wider Sonesta company also became much larger through the addition of numerous managed hotels and the acquisition of RLH Corporation.

This expansion introduced more property types and guest segments. The portfolio now includes historic city hotels, contemporary downtown developments, convention properties, and large destination resorts. It also made Sonesta’s loyalty, franchise, and distribution infrastructure more important to the brand’s competitive position.

What the Brand Name Signals Today

Analytically, The Royal Sonesta name signals an upper-tier Sonesta property with full-service facilities and a stronger emphasis on destination, dining, meetings, or leisure than the company’s select-service and extended-stay brands. It does not guarantee the same architecture, room design, or resort amenities in every location.

Important Limitations

The Royal Sonesta should not be described as a uniformly global luxury chain. Its current footprint is primarily American, and its hotels vary in age, scale, ownership, and physical product. It is also incorrect to assume that Sonesta owns every building carrying the flag. The most accurate description is an upper-upscale, full-service brand operating through a mixture of hotel ownership relationships, management contracts, and franchising arrangements.

15. Frequently Asked Questions

When was The Royal Sonesta founded?

Sonesta formalized The Royal Sonesta as a distinct upper-tier brand during the mid-2010s. The name and several associated hotels are older. The parent company dates to 1937, while long-standing Royal Sonesta properties in the Boston area and New Orleans trace their histories to the 1960s and 1970s.

Who founded The Royal Sonesta?

The modern brand was created by Sonesta International Hotels Corporation rather than by a separate individual. Sonesta’s historical founder was A.M. Sonnabend, who established the hotel business that became Sonesta in Massachusetts in 1937.

Who owns The Royal Sonesta?

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation owns The Royal Sonesta brand. Sonesta is privately held, with interests associated with Service Properties Trust and the Portnoy family. Individual hotel buildings may belong to Service Properties Trust or other real-estate owners.

Is The Royal Sonesta a luxury hotel brand?

The brand is most consistently classified as upper upscale and full service. Certain hotels, resorts, and suite categories may use luxury positioning or provide luxury-level features, but the portfolio should not be assigned one universal luxury or star classification.

Where does The Royal Sonesta operate?

The brand operates primarily in the United States, including major urban markets, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Its portfolio includes city hotels, convention-oriented properties, historic hotels, and destination resorts. Sonesta’s wider international presence is broader than that of the Royal Sonesta brand itself.

What amenities does The Royal Sonesta provide?

Common offerings include guest rooms and suites, restaurants or bars, fitness facilities, meeting rooms, ballrooms, event catering, and staffed guest services. Pools, spas, beaches, club lounges, and recreational activities are available only at selected properties.

Does The Royal Sonesta participate in a loyalty program?

Yes. Participating Royal Sonesta hotels are part of Sonesta Travel Pass. Members can earn and redeem under the program’s current rules and may receive applicable recognition or benefits based on status, rate eligibility, availability, and property participation.

Why might travelers choose The Royal Sonesta?

Travelers may consider the brand for central locations, full-service facilities, meeting capacity, destination-specific design, resort options, and access to Sonesta Travel Pass. The relative importance of each factor depends on the particular hotel and purpose of travel.