The Pierre Hotel New York City

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging usually on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation in times past consisting only of a room with a bed a cupboard a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone an alarm clock a television and Internet connectivity; snack foods and drinks may be supplied in a mini-bar and facilities for making hot drinks. Larger hotels may provide a number of additional guest facilities such as a restaurant a swimming pool or childcare and have conference and social function services.

Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours; to avoid this requirement it is not uncommon to come across private hotels which are not subject to this requirement. ^{citation needed} In Japan capsule hotels provide a minimized amount of room space and shared facilities.

In Australia and Canada hotel may also refer to a pub or bar. In India the word may also refer to a restaurant since the best restaurants were always situated next to a good hotel. ^{citation needed}