hotel

1 of 3

noun (1)

ho·​tel hō-ˈtel 

ˈhō-ˌtel

: an establishment that provides lodging and usually meals, entertainment, and various personal services for the public : inn

hoteldom

hō-ˈtel-dəm 

ˈhō-ˌtel-

noun

Hotel

2 of 3

communications code word

—used as a code word for the letter h

hoteldom

3 of 3

noun (2)

ho·​tel·​dom hōˈteldəm 

plural -s

: hotels and hotel workers

you can't talk connectedly to anybody except … to a minor part of hoteldom and of officialdom

—Laura Z. Hobson

Synonyms of hotel

Noun (1)

• hostel
• tavern
• motel

Examples of hotel in a Sentence

Noun (1)

check out of a hotel

for their 50th anniversary they stayed at one of the finest hotels in San Francisco

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Parton was working on a new Nashville museum and hotel, deals to endorse Purina dog treats and launch her Cup of Ambition coffee brand. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026

Last awards season, the gossip around town, salacious and disturbing in equal measure, was that hotel suites all over Hollywood were populated by tailors taking in gowns coming straight off the runway. — Marti Noxon, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

The reference to the Baur au Lac relates to the arrests that took place at the luxury hotel in Zurich on the eve of the 2015 FIFA Congress, where former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter was elected for a fifth term. — Matt Slater, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

The rooms There are 16 rooms in the inn, and they’re meant to feel more like bedrooms than hotel rooms. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from French hôtel, going back to Old French hostel, ostel "lodging, accommodation" — more at hostel entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1687, in the meaning defined above

Communications Code Word

1951, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hotel

• apartment hotel
• boutique hotel

Rhymes for hotel

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

hotel

noun

ho·​tel hō-ˈtel 

: an establishment that provides lodging and often meals, entertainment, and personal services for its guests

Etymology

Noun

from French hôtel "hotel," from early French hostel "a place for travelers to spend the night," derived from Latin hospitalis "of a guest, showing hospitality," from hospit-, hospes "host, stranger, guest" — related to hospital, hospitality