A resort

A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns such as Sochi in Russia, Newport, Rhode Island or St. Moritz, Switzerland, or larger regions, like the Adirondack Mountains or the Italian Riviera. A resort is not merely a commercial establishment operated by a single company, although in the late twentieth century this sort of facility became more common. Such a self-contained resort attempts to provide for all or most of a vacationer's wants while remaining on the premises, such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping. The term "resort" sometimes is misused to identify a hotel that does not provide the other amenities required of a full resort. However, a hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort, such as the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island, Michigan. Towns that contain resorts—or where tourism or vacationing is a major part of the local activity—are often called resort towns.