Historically, those who owned property were the haves, and those who worked it were the have-nots. Médiéval lord/peasant, Cotton plantation owner/African slave

Historically, those who owned property were the haves, and those who worked it were the have-nots. Médiéval lord/peasant, Cotton plantation owner/African slaves, Captialist/worker, etc. As such, owning a hotel, which is a business that can provide you with revenue without you working (obviously in this case the grandparents did choose to work, but could have chosen to have other do the work for them and still reap the profits), generally makes you upper class. For another argument- If you own a hotel, you have a net worth greater than at least 80% of the population, and hence are upper middle/upper class. A hobo on the street corner might work less, but has net worth 0, hence is lower class, which is often used as a synomym for working class