Grand old hotels, records of the history of tourism.
Buildings offer an operational insight into the way territories are structured and redesigned.
In a spatial approach to tourism, grand old hotels reveal a great deal about the establishment and construction of tourist resorts. The apparent unity of a building often conceals a long and complex history, which is worth deciphering. The Seychelles and the Maldives offer numerous examples of island-hotels. Their location in the Maldives is determined by the proximity of the international airport and the capital, the centre of economic and political power, which has largely influenced the development of tourism. In some periurban districts, the establishment of commercial centres accompanies the process.