Accommodation

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Hotel, Motel, Lodging, Lodging Facilities, Hotel Information

Category

Commercial Facilities, Services, Concessions, Travel, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate where temporary accommodation is available or may be booked

	Source	Description
	BTA	Side view of bed
	Eurohike	Side view of bed with pillow
	Aragón	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	ÖNORM A 3011	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	Tern	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	Düsseldorf Airport	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	STVO D	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	ineltec	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	BTA 1989	Oblique view of bed with pillow
	France IISR	Parallel projection of bed with pillow and cover
	BS 8501:2002	Parallel projection of bed with two pillows and cover
	DER	Parallel projection of bed with pillow and cover
	SVI	Parallel projection of bed with pillow and cover
	SSRS	Parallel projection of bed with pillow and cover
	EJP	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view
	SADC	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view
	Erco	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view
	U.S. National Park Service	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view
	HSSS	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view
	Peru 2016	Figure in bed with pillow and cover shown in side view
	ISO 7001	Side view of human figure in bed, lamp above
	CNIS	Bed with pillow and covered person shown in side view, lamp above
	Eco-Mo Foundation	Bed with pillow and covered person shown in side view with floor lamp in the background
	AIGA	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view with question mark within circle above
	Icograda	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view, window, moon
	France IISR	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view, inverted V above
	TAC	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view, inverted V above
	PC	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view, inverted V above
	U.S. National Park Service	Figure with cover in side view inside partial building shape
	EJP	Figure with cover in side view, inverted V above
	EJP	Figure with cover in side view inside oval shape
	Icograda	Figure with cover in bed shown in side view inside building shape
	Nova Scotia	Bed with pillow shown in side view inside building shape
	Baden-Baden	Bed with pillow and cover shown in side view inside building shape
	TC	Bed with pillow shown in side view inside building shape plus telephone receiver
	McLaren & Braunstein	Key with tag inside building shape
	GSR Portugal	Side view of building with shallow gable roof, window, door, and chimney with smoke, horizontal line at bottom
	GSR Portugal	Side view of building with shallow gable roof, window, door, and chimney with smoke, horizontal line at bottom
	Bolivia	Building shape with letter H on wall
	BTA 1989	Building shape
	Picto'grafics	Two buildings back-to-backs with shallow gable roof, door and window
	Nova Scotia	Two buildings back-to-backs with shallow gable roof, window and door
	Aicher & Krampen	Two buildings back-to-backs with gable roof
	Aicher & Krampen	Three buildings back-to-backs with gable roof
	Aicher & Krampen	Four buildings back-to-backs with gable roof

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The collection shown above is only a small selection of the wide variety of pictograms used all over the world for the messages Accommodation, Lodging, Hotel, Motel, and Hotel Information. As examples we also included a few pictograms of the referent Cabin, since many of these also offer temporary accommodation.

Several studies present research covering many pictogram variants for this referent. These papers offer some relevant information:

Using the Production Method Gehringer (1979) explored which mental images or visual stereotypes exist concerning the message Hotel. 98 % of the responses were covered by two concepts: a bed (76 %) and a bed inside a house (22 %). Responses indicate that a bed is the dominating visual stereotype.

More than 30 variants were examined in the ISO 1979/80 test series by conducting an Appropriateness Ranking Test (Easterby & Graydon 1981 a). Especially the very abstract symbols of the British Tourist Authority (marked as BTA and BTA 1989 in the table above) were considered as least appropriate. Of the three pictogram variants then tested for comprehensibility (Easterby & Graydon 1981 b), the version showing also a telephone (labeled TC) elicited about 60 % wrong responses (response categories 'Wrong' and 'Opposite meaning'). Regarding the message Hotel Information, the AIGA symbol performed least well among the four pictograms studied by Mackett-Stout & Dewar (1981).

In the Japanese study to propose domestically unified graphical symbols based on scientific methods, the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation proved to be well comprehensible with a comprehension score of 81.9 (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001).

Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol similar to the pictogram labeled DER showing a parallel projection of a bed with pillow and cover, where 82.6 % of the responses were classified as correct, but no data is available concerning comprehensibility of pictogram variants based on an empty bed with pillow and cover shown in side view like public information symbol No 8 of ÖNORM A 3011 or the traffic sign labeled as StVO D.

As also mentioned in the discussion of the pictograms available for Cabin and Youth Hostel, representations of different types of accommodation on basis of images of different buildings, as for example shown at the bottom of the table above found in Aicher & Krampen (page 94), probably will not be understood reliably.

Recommendations

Hotel / Accommodation

Based on test results available we recommend the use of the symbol provided by the Eco-Mo Foundation as it seems to be sufficiently comprehensible.

We further suggest to conduct a Comprehension Test comparing this concept with pictogram No 8 of ÖNORM A 3011, which has less details and may work better in small scale reproduction, to clarify this subject and support or correct this recommendation.

Tests of pictograms of referent Accommodation

Easterby, R.S. & Graydon, I.R. (1981 a): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols: ISO Test: 1979/80 Series. Part I: Appropriateness Ranking Tests. AP Report 99, Applied Psychology Department, University of Aston in Birmingham, January 1981.

Easterby, R.S. & Graydon, I.R. (1981 b): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols: ISO 1979/80 Test Series. Part II: Comprehension/Recognition Tests. AP Report 100, Applied Psychology Department, University of Aston in Birmingham, January 1981.

Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.

Gehringer, J. (1979): Untersuchung über die zeichnerische Gestaltung von Pictogrammen in Abhängigkeit von einigen Persönlichkeitsmerkmalen, sowie Überprüfung einiger Bildzeichen auf ihre Erkennbarkeit. Dissertation, Psychology Department, University of Vienna.

Mackett-Stout, J. & Dewar, R.L. (1981): Evaluation of Public Information Signs. Human Factors, 1981, 23, 139-151.