A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging paid 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in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, a safe, a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks, and facilities for making tea and coffee. Luxury features include bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, twin-sink vanities, and jacu i bathtubs. Larger hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, business center, childcare, conference facilities and social function services. The word hotel is derived from the !rench h"tel #coming from the same origin as hospital$, which referred to a !rench version of a building seeing fre%uent visitors, and providing care, rather than a place offering accommodation. &n contemporary !rench usage, h"tel now has the same meaning as the 'nglish term, and h"tel particulier is used for the old meaning, as well as (h"tel( in some place names such as )"tel-*ieu #in +aris$, which has been a hospital since the ,iddle Ages. The !rench spelling, with the circumflex, was also used in 'nglish, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the -s- found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. .rammatically, hotels usually take the definite article / hence (The Astoria )otel( or simply (The Astoria.(