Section 280-RICR-20-70-51.5 - DefinitionsA. "Hotel" means any facility offering a minimum of one (1) room for which the public may, for a consideration, obtain transient lodging accommodations. The term "hotel" shall include hotels, motels, tourist homes, tourist camps, lodging houses, and inns. The term "hotel" shall also include houses, condominiums or other residential dwelling units regardless of the number of rooms, which are used and/or advertised for rent or occupancy. The term "hotel" shall not include schools, hospitals, sanitariums, nursing homes, and chronic care centers.B. "Hosting platform" means any electronic or operating system in which a person or entity provides a means through which an owner may offer a residential unit for transient use. This service is usually provided through an online or web-based system which generally allows an owner to advertise the residential unit through a hosted website and provides a means for a person or entity to arrange transient use in exchange for payment, whether the person or entity pays rent directly to the owner or to the hosting platform. All hosting platforms are required to collect and remit the tax owed. C. "Living quarters" means sleeping rooms, sleeping or housekeeping accommodations, or any other room or accommodation in any part of the hotel, rooming house or tourist camp which is available for or rented out for hire in the lodging of guests.D. "Occupancy" means a person, firm or corporation's use of space for transient lodging accommodations not to exceed thirty (30) days. Excluded from "occupancy" is the use of space for which the occupant has a documented agreement for the space, where such agreement covers a rental period of twelve (12) months or more. Furthermore, any house, condominium or other residential dwelling rented, for which the occupant has a documented agreement for the space covering a rental period of more than thirty (30) consecutive days or for one calendar month, is excluded from the definition of occupancy. E. "Owner" means any person who owns real property and is the owner of record. Owner shall also include a lessee where the lessee is offering a residential unit for transient use.F. "Residential unit, also referred to as residential dwelling" means a room or rooms, including a condominium or a room or a dwelling unit that forms part of a single, joint or shared tenant arrangement in any building, or portion thereof, which is designed, built, and leased to be occupied for non-commercial use.G. "Room reseller" means any person except a tour operator having any right, permission, license, or other authority from or through a hotel to reserve or arrange the transfer of occupancy, such that the occupant pays all or a portion of the rental and other fees to the room reseller.H. "Rooming house" means every house, vehicle, motor court or other structure kept, used, maintained, advertised or held out to the public to be a place where living quarters are supplied for pay to transient or permanent guests or tenants, whether in one or adjoining buildings.I. "Tour operator" means a person that derives a majority of their revenue by providing tour operator packages. J. "Tourist camp" means a place where tents, tent houses, camp cottages, cabins or other structures are located and offered to the public or any segment thereof for transient lodging.K. "Travel package" means a room or rooms bundled with one or more separate components of travel such as air transportation, car rental or similar items where the travel package is charged to the customer for a single retail price. When the room occupancy is bundled for a single consideration with other property, services or other items, the entire single consideration shall be treated as the rental/fees for room occupancy.280 R.I. Code R. § 280-RICR-20-70-51.5