Hotel
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /(h)əʊˈteɫ/
- US enPR: hÅ-tÄ•lʹ, IPA: /hoʊˈtÉ›l/
- Rhymes: -el
- Rhymes: -ɛl
Origin
From French hôtel. Compare hostel.
Full definition of hotel
Noun
hotel
(plural hotels)- (now chiefly historical) A large town house or mansion; a grand private residence, especially in France. from 17th c.
- An establishment that provides accommodation and other services for paying guests; normally larger than a guesthouse, and often one of a chain. from 17th c.
- 1868, "A Clergyman" (John Morison), Australia in 1866, %22hotels%22+australia+OR+zealand+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2SmIT93qA-qhiAezqMDTCQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22hotel%22|%22hotels%22%20australia%20OR%20zealand%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false page 165,When gold-digging commenced in California, the writer was staying at an hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, where a Yankee trader was also staying. Seated at the dining-table, the latter was discoursing of the business he was doing....
- 2013-06-29, High and wet, Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
- The letter H in the ICAO spelling alphabet. from 20th c.
- The larger red property in the game of Monopoly, in contradistinction to houses.
- The guest accommodation and dining section of a cruise ship.
Usage notes
The UK pronunciation omitting the initial h is in imitation of the French hôtel and is now considered old-fashioned.
The practice of using the indefinite article an in front of a polysyllabic word staring with an unemphasised syllable beginning with an aitch, like hotel and historical, will be seen in older quotations but has become absent or quite rare in almost all circles.
Related terms
Descendants
- Hindi: होटल
- Maori: hÅtÄ“ra