The plethora of hotels and resorts across destinations around the world can make it difficult for travelers to choose one for their trips. For travelers, especially if a holiday is the purpose of their trip, amenities and comfort are the priority.

It can require quite a bit of research and verification to make the choice between hotels vs. resorts. Are you merely looking for a place to stay while you’re in a location, preferably close to your conference center downtown? Or are you finally taking a long-awaited holiday with your partner?

Since the choice can be somewhat tricky, we are here with an article to highlight the differences between hotels vs. resorts.

Resort

Resorts are more spacious places and contain everything that a hotel does, with plenty more attractions of their own. Some even say that resorts are a destination in themselves, as they house everything from spas, restaurants, boutiques to sport centers and more. You could consider the gorgeous Montego bay Jamaica resorts as a prime example here.

You wouldn’t fall short of options when look for spa salons, entertainment activities, shopping options, drinks and food places in resorts. They have all the provisions you’d need for a comfortable, enjoyable and even luxurious experience.

In fact, some resorts are even theme-based and depending on their surrounding locations, can even offer options like skiing, snowboarding, canoeing and more. In fact, today, you will find numerous resorts tucked away in rainforests, white sand beaches, islands, mountaintops and even more.

Hotel

Hotels are particularly establishments that specifically provide a sleeping and resting accommodation to travelers from out of town. While the model of hotels has evolved with time, most different types typically offered meals and certain other services for travelers.

Hotels also provide access to gyms, spas and certain other amenities to guests throughout their stay at the hotels. Hotels are typically less private because of the larger number of guests they house at a time. While several hotels in the past did not have everything guests would need for a vacations, some have changed the course of operations to meet modern standards.

Let’s quickly run through the primary differences between hotels vs. resorts below:

Differences between Hotels vs Resorts

1. Hotels mainly focus on travelers, including business people, those visiting family and even tourists. Hotels do not typically expect their guests to spend a lot of time at the place of lodging. Resorts on the other hand, appeal to vacationers. People book these when they want an enjoyable and all-inclusive experience.
2. As for amenities, resorts lead in this regard. Resorts typically have it all, from restaurants, night clubs, bars, spas, shops, casinos to many others.
3. There are several restaurants that a resort houses within its boundaries, offering a range of dining experiences and cuisines. Resort grounds are even more spacious, often housing amenities like golf grounds, basketball courts, beautiful gardens, large swimming pools and even wide stretches of beaches. In most cases, hotels only have a limited number of these to offer and that too are not as expansive as resorts.
4. Hotels offer very limited activities, mainly because they expect guests to spend most of their time outside the lodgings. At most, guests get to use the gym or poolside. On the contrary, resorts offer a wider range of activities, which are mostly just a short distance away from their rooms. Guests have access to more indulgences, ranging from things like mountainside explorations, biking trails, beachside lounging and even huge watersports facilities. Since resorts also comprise of more spacious lands, they offer activities like tennis, basketball, even golf, volleyball and bowling centers on their own properties. This means guests don’t usually have to go hunting for fun and entertainment outside the resorts during their stay.
5. The quality of entertainment also varies to a great extent between hotels and resorts. Some hotels may offer good entertainment if they’re a five-star or seven-star brand while others will merely direct their guests on exciting events to catch in the city. Resort entertainments can be more wholesome and grander; there is usually some live entertainment, like musical concerts, talent shows, cocktail parties or pool events etc. to catch daily.

Hotels vs Resorts: Which is best for you?

The choice depends on the reason you’re travelling for how long you plan to stay for the trip and what experience you wish to have. If you merely need a convenient place to lodge at, close to your conference center, then we recommend book a hotel room for your stay.

You can even look for one located in the happening district of the town so that you can explore the surroundings in your free time but not have to travel too far back and forth from your hotel. On the contrary, if you’re planning a leisurely trip with your family or partner and merely want to have fun, relax and have great food, then resorts are a better option.

Final Thoughts

Hotels and resorts vary in terms of entertainment, amenities and the sort of services they offer. Hotels exist more on square footage basis and are not as private as resorts. The most amenities guests can expect are free breakfast or dinner meals, access to the gym and pools.

However resorts are more all-inclusive, housing everything from sports centers, clubs, casinos, bars, restaurants to gyms and even spas.