Conceptual basics for the development of hotel-museums in the modern tourist industry

The article is devoted to the actual directions of involving the museum business in the economic space of modern tourism. The importance of cultural and historical heritage in modern society is reflected in the structure of consumer preferences of travelers, creating a sustainable motivation for tourist activities. The scientific novelty of the research lies in identifying the specificity of the hotel-museum as an innovative format of the hotel product, which allows to maximize the psychological experience of the tourist due to an impression of living conditions. The article singles out the reasons and factors of transformation of the museums’ traditional functions and identifies the main ways of increasing the efficiency of museum activity in the market of tourist services. The authors consider the development trends in museum tourism as a key area of museum activity within the framework of the market model of functioning and draw the conclusion about strengthening the attractive role of museums in tourist centers. The thesis about the necessity and advantages of integration the museum space into the sphere of hotel activity is substantiated. The authors also identify the actual up-to-date formats of accommodation services, which have developed in the hospitality market, and allocate their comparative characteristics. The development trends of museum hotels in Russia and abroad are analyzed, their place in the class of conceptual hotels is determined. The article defines the definition of the term "hotel-museum" as a means of accommodation, providing a special format for the hotel service, which allows the tourist to get an impression of living conditions due to the combination of the accommodation service function and the museum facility. The article presents the review of the most known hotels - museums in Russia and abroad. The characteristic features, functional purpose and competitive advantages of hotel-museums are distinguished, their main types are classified.