Hotel

Hotel (Fr. hôtel, Old Fr. hostel, Lat. hospitalis), a superior kind of inn (see INN), like the old English hostel. The often palatial hotels that have sprung up since the introduction of railways are too well known to require notice. One point of difference between the European and the American systems is that under the former, except in the case of a table d'hôte, the charge is for each dish ordered, while under the American plan a fixed price is charged for every meal. The modern French word is still used for the house of a rich or distinguished man, or for a public building, such as the Hôtel de Ville (see MUNICIPAL ARCHITECTURE), as well as for inn or hostelry.