Room and board


Room and board describes an accommodation which, in exchange for money, labour or other recompense, a person is provided with a place to live in addition to meals. It commonly occurs as a fee at higher educational institutions, such as colleges and universities; it also occurs in hotel-style accommodation for short stays.

Definition

  • Room refers to a bedroom provided, sometimes private and occasionally with an en suite bathroom.
  • Board refers to food being provided; the use of this term may derive from the Old English bord, meaning table.
Two commonly encountered boards are:Half board, where the host provides only breakfast and dinner.Full board, where the host provides three daily meals.
Another option is:Bed and breakfast, literally, a place to sleep and where breakfast is provided.