A VILLAGE THAT IS A HOTEL
Simon Benson from London usually spends his summer vacations in a hotel on the beach in Italy. Last year, however, he did something different. "While I was on the internet, I saw an ad for a 'hotel-village'," he said. "I didn't know what that was, but there were pictures of a beautiful, remote village in Italy. It was built 900 years ago. Only twelve families still live there, and rooms in some of the empty houses have been converted into hotel rooms. I was curious about this place so I decided to try it."(lines 1–6)
Hotel-villages are an unusual type of tourist accommodation that was developed for small historical villages in Italy. The hotel rooms are in several houses on different village streets. The reception area is in a separate building, and so is the restaurant. The distance between all those places is very short. The local people manage the hotel-village, and provide the food. They also spend time with the visitors, telling them about the traditions of the village.(lines 7–11)
The idea for hotel-villages came from tourism expert Giancarlo Dall'Ara. In 1984 he was visiting an area of northern Italy that had been hit by an earthquake. The Italian government had repaired the damaged buildings in the area. However, many houses in the villages there remained empty because their owners had moved away to cities. Dall'Ara felt these historical houses were so beautiful that they should not stay empty. He thought their rooms could be used as hotel rooms. He made plans for a hotel-village, and sent them to the local authorities. After many years they approved the plans, and the first hotel-village opened in 2002.(lines 12–18)
Since then, hotel-villages have been set up in many other countries as well. Travel agent Angela Tilly understands why. "People in remote communities can make more money and connect with the outside world, without the negative effects that tourism often has," she says. "No major construction work is needed, and there are never too many visitors." The tourists are happy with the experience as well. "It was wonderful to see the local way of life. I also enjoyed top quality service," says Benson. "I'll definitely recommend it to my friends."(lines 19–24)