hotel

1 of 2

noun

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 2

communications code word

—used as a code word for the letter h

Synonyms of hotel

Noun

• hostel
• tavern
• motel

Examples of hotel in a Sentence

Noun

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

Or when Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola wanted to stay in the penthouse (at the hotel on the site of the Utilita Bowl in Southampton), but Hampshire refused because it had been booked out for six months for Mohammad Abbas. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

And the developer broke ground this year on 74 townhomes that will be used as short-term rentals, as opposed to constructing a hotel. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026

Much of his fortune is also tied to DFO Management, his private investment firm, which invests in hotels and liquid corporate credit. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

The lone window at the back dictated the location of the cozy primary bedroom, hotel-suite-precise with a custom Minjae Kim headboard that depicts the couple and their late rescue dog, Lucha, with integrated Umberto Bellardi Ricci lights. — Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

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