- "Hotel" is the letter H in the NATO phonetic alphabet. See Hotel for the American television program that aired on ABC from 1983 until 1988. Hotel
is also an album by Moby.
A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging, usually on a short-term
basis. Hotels often provide a number of additional guest services such as a restaurant, a swimming pool or child care. Some hotels have conference services and
encourage groups to hold conventions and meetings at their location.
The word derives from the French hôtel, which originally
referred to a French version of a townhouse, not a place offering accommodation
(in contemporary usage, hôtel has the meaning of "hotel", and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning). The
French spelling (with the circumflex) was once also used in English, but is now
rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' once preceding the 't' in the earlier hostel
spelling, which over time received a new, but closely related meaning.
Hotels differ from motels in that most motels have drive-up, exterior entrances to the
rooms, while hotels tend to have interior entrances to the rooms.
The cost and quality of hotels are usually indicative of the range and type of services available. Due to the enormous
increase in tourism worldwide, during the last decades of the 20th century standards, especially those of smaller establishments, have improved
considerably. For the sake of greater comparability, rating systems have been introduced, with the one to five stars classification being most common.
Basic accommodation of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small
table and a washstand only has largely been replaced by rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Other features found may be a TV, a telephone and an alarm clock. Food
and drink may be supplied by a small refrigerator (usually referred to as
"mini-bar") containing snacks and drinks (to be
paid for on departure), and tea and coffee making
facilities (cups, spoons, an electric kettle
and sachets containing instant coffee, tea bags, sugar, and creamer).
However, in Japan the capsule
hotel supplies minimal facilities and room space.
Hotels may be family-run or individually-owned or part of national and worldwide hotel chains.
Hotels in fiction
Hotels have often been chosen by authors as the setting of their literary works. They are perfect for mysterious, anonymous
settings where multiple characters may gather in equal positions. It is especially true of crime fiction, farces, and mysteries. Hotels also feature in films , television series, and songs.
Examples:
Other usage
In Australia, the word "hotel" often refers to a public house, a drinking establishment which does not necessarily provide accommodations. In India, the word may also refer to a restaurant,
since earlier the best restaurants were always situated next to a good hotel.
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