The document provides an introduction to hospitality, including its definition as friendly behavior towards guests and anticipating their needs, especially in the context of businesses like hotels, tourism, and food service. It traces the etymology of the word "hospitality" to the Latin word "hospites" meaning strangers. It describes how industries like hotels evolved to provide both tangible products and intangible services to customers. The history section outlines how various lodging formats like inns, taverns, and monasteries evolved over centuries to become the modern hotel industry, with key developments like the opening of the first hotel in the US in the 1790s. It also provides an overview of the development of India's hotel industry from