The first of these hotels appeared in leading commercial centers along coastal trade routes.The second-generation American hotels were much larger and numerous. The third generation of hotels was catalyzed by the rapid growth of the American railroad system in the decades after 1840.mResort hotels, designed to accommodate the rising tide of tourists, were built in scenic rural landscapes far from the cities where the hotel form had been born.Hotels were vital centers of local community life in American cities and towns.