Interesting Facts

Restaurants

Restaurants Have Been Around Forever. Well, almost forever. The concept of selling food for profit goes back to ancient civilizations, including ancient Rome and China, where street vendors sold bread and wine to people in cities. Fast forward several centuries to the Middle Ages and the roadside inn is the earliest form of our modern day sit-down restaurant. Of course, the menu choices were strictly chef’s choice and patrons had no choice but to dine family style

1. The average UK household spends £15.20 a week on restaurants and cafes.

2. The French word ‘restaurant’ originally meant ‘restoring’ and was used for a fortifying broth.

3. According to a survey in 1999, the most common cause of arguments in restaurants is pinching your partner’s chips.

4. The second most common cause is eyeing up other diners.

5. Spain and the USA have most entries in the list of the world’s top 50 restaurants, with seven each.

6. The rules at Royal Ascot say: “A gentleman may remove his top hat within a restaurant…or that facility’s terrace, balcony or garden.”

7. According to scientists, a Tyrannosaurus rex sounded like “the sound made by a human stomach after a bad night in a cheap restaurant”.

8. In 2008 a German court ruled that having a kebab thrown at you in a restaurant is not a “serious violation of human dignity and honour”.

9. The Bawabet Dimashq Restaurant in Damascus has 6,014 seats, making it the world’s biggest.

10. The earliest use of ‘restaurant’ in English was in 1806. We just said ‘eating-house’ before that.

The French Revolution Invented Fine Dining.

After Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads during the French Revolution, the French aristocracy crumbled and chefs, once employed by noble households, found themselves out of a job. So many of these displaced workers decided to open up their own establishments and offer prix fixe meals to the masses. Eventually the French style of dining out spread to Great Britain and across the Atlantic to the United States.

HOTELS

When the word “hotel” is mentioned, a few associations come to mind: vacation, luxury, weekend getaway, room service and more sweet connections. On the other hand, hotels can also convey less pleasant thoughts: money spending, unfriendly staff, greedy maid and early check out time. When thinking about it, hotels are an important ingredient of your vacation’s pleasure. 

Did you know that Hoshi Ryokan is the oldest hotel in the world? Founded in 718, this traditional Japanese inn is located in the Awazu Onsen area of Komatsu, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The Hoshi Ryokan has been managed for the last forty six generations by the same family!  It even got mentioned on Guinness World Records.

World's oldest hotel Hoshi Ryokan, Japan

Did you know that Hotel Izmaylovo in Moscow, Russia, is the biggest hotel in the world? This immense hotel stretches over 4 towers, (30-stories each) and 7,500 rooms! I guess you will never have to worry here about an annoying “fully booked” situation!

Hotel Izmailovo, Moscow

Did you know that the tallest hotel in the world just opened its doors in Hong Kong? The Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong opened in March 2011 and reaches a massive 1600 feet (490 meters) into the air! At the moment it is the 4th largest building in the world.

Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong

Did you know that the Hotel Everest View is the highest situated hotel in the world? The hotel stands on a ridge 3,880m above sea level in Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park, from where you have a direct view of Mount Everest.

Hotel Everest View

Did you know that the largest hotel swimming pool is in front of San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile? The pool measures a length of 1km and holds the water of roughly 6000 regular swimming pools.

San Alfonso del Mar Resort Pool

And no, this is not a Photoshopped image. You can even see it on Google Maps.

Did you know that Hotel de Sal Playa in Bolivia is made completely out of salt? This stunning hotel was built by incredibly talented salt artisans in 1993 and since then tourists from all over the world just keep going there, in order to see this wonder with their own eyes.

Bolivia Salt Hotel (source)

Did you know that the most northerly hotel is the Nordpol Hotelet in Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen? This is not so strange because Ny-Ålesund is the most northern settlement next to some military bases. The hotel originally opened in 1936 to house fishermen.

North Pole Hotel, Spitsbergen (source)

Did you know that the most expensive hotel room in the world is the Royal Penthouse Suite in the President Wilson Hotel inGeneva? This room – or actually floor – will cost you $65.000 per night. The rooms holds 4 bedrooms, a library, a cocktail lounge with room for 40 people, and a dining room that can accommodate 26 people. It is also fully bulletproof. Of course, all of this overlooks the Geneva lake. Since this hotel is situated next to UN headquarters diplomats from all around the world increase the rate of this room to abnormal heights. It’s a simple supply & demand situation according to management.

Did you know that the world’s first 7-star hotel is the Burj Al Arab, in Dubai? This absolutely spectacular hotel is shaped like a sail boat and it became a major symbol for the lavishness and prestigious tourism in Dubai.

Burj Al Arab 7 star hotel

Did you know that the IHG (Intercontinental Hotel Group) is the largest hotel group in the world? It holds over 600,000 rooms spread over 4,500 hotels worldwide. Their brand includes: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn.

Did you know that to this date the largest Floating hotel or cruiseship in the world is the “Allure of the Seas” owned by the Royal Caribbean Line? The full length of this “hotel” is 360 meters, which is about the same size as a military aircraft carrier. It can carry 6300 passengers.

Allure of the Seas

As you can see, there are many interesting things you didn’t know about hotels. The world is filled with fascinating accommodations that not only offer services and a place to sleep, but they also provide an outstanding decoration and, many times, a remarkable story as well.

PUBS

Alcohol has been part of British culture for hundreds of years. Pubs (or public houses) began to appear along side the Roman road network as it spread across the country, although back then they were all known as Taverns.

Pubs predominantly sold beer and ale right up to the eighteenth century when the famous ‘Gin Craze’ overwhelmed the country. During this time it was common for poorer people to buy rags soaked in gin to suck on !

Pubs became gradually more controlled as licensing was introduced, and in 1914 the Defence of the Realm Act put a curfew of 11pm on the sale of alcohol. Local councils took control of Public House licensing in 2003.


Some interesting facts about Pubs in the UK:

1. There are approximately 50,000 pubs in the UK
2. The British pub industry employs around 600,000 people
3. Over 15 million people drink in Pubs every week
4. UK Pubs serve over a billion meals per year
5. The most popular pub names in the UK (depending on the source) are ‘The Red Lion’ and 'The Crown'