Key Facts
- Hangul: 호텔; Revised Romanization: hotel
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
Hotel in Korean: What Does 호텔 Mean?
호텔 is the neutral word for a hotel and works in speech and in writing. It was borrowed from English, so it has no hanja (Chinese-character) spelling.
How Do You Pronounce It?
The spelling and the romanization are the same, ho-tel. Say a short ho, then tel with a light l at the end. Before a vowel the ㄹ turns into a quick flap, so 호텔에서 sounds like ho-te-re-seo.
Example Sentences with 호텔
호텔에서 자요.
Hotereseo jayo.
I sleep at a hotel.
Here 에서 marks the place where sleeping happens, so the sentence says you stay at a hotel.
이 호텔은 아주 깨끗해요.
I hotereun aju kkaekkeutaeyo.
This hotel is very clean.
깨끗해요 means "is clean", and 아주 strengthens it to "very". It is a typical line in a hotel review.
우리는 부산에서 호텔을 예약했어요.
Urineun Busaneseo hotereul yeyakaesseoyo.
We booked a hotel in Busan.
예약했어요 is the past tense of booking, and 을 marks the hotel as the thing booked. Notice the city comes first, marked with 에서.
Collocations
These three phrases cover the usual hotel talk: booking, the room and breakfast.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 호텔을 예약하다 | to book a hotel |
| 호텔 방 | hotel room |
| 호텔 조식 | hotel breakfast |
The Mistake to Avoid
모텔 looks like English "motel", but it does not mean a roadside inn for drivers.
- Wrong: treating 모텔 as the same as an English "motel".
- Correct: in Korea a 모텔 is a budget place often used for short stays and has a different image from a hotel. When you describe your own trip, 호텔 or 게스트하우스 (guesthouse) is the safer choice.
호텔 Compared with Similar Words
Two more lodging words are easy to mix up with 호텔. One is a budget stay and the other is a shared dormitory.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 호텔 | hotel | the standard word for a hotel |
| 모텔 | motel | 모텔 in Korea is a budget place often used for short stays; not the same as a hotel. |
| 호스텔 | hostel | 호스텔 is a hostel with shared rooms. |
At Check-in: a Booking and Breakfast Times
A guest has reached the front desk and wants to confirm a reservation. The conversation then moves to a practical detail for the next morning.
Guest
이 호텔에 방을 예약했어요.
I hotere bangeul yeyakaesseoyo.
I have a reservation at this hotel.
Receptionist
성함이 어떻게 되세요?
Seonghami eotteoke doeseyo?
May I have your name?
Guest
김민수예요. 조식은 몇 시예요?
Gim Minsuyeyo. Josigeun myeot siyeyo?
I’m Kim Minsu. What time is breakfast?
Receptionist
아침 일곱 시부터 아홉 시까지예요.
Achim ilgop sibuteo ahop sikkajiyeyo.
It’s from seven to nine in the morning.
예약했어요 is past tense, literally saying that you booked. At reception, it tells the staff that you have a reservation. The guest then makes 조식, “breakfast”, the topic and asks for its time.
부터 marks the starting time, and 까지 marks the ending time. The receptionist gives a service window rather than a single appointment time. These words help you understand a breakfast schedule or a hotel's check-in instructions.
Booking Language You Will Actually See
호텔 예약 means “hotel reservation”. In a booking screen, 예약 is a noun; in 호텔을 예약하다, adding 하다 makes it the action of booking. The same root therefore appears in both button labels and spoken accounts of a trip.
예약 확인 means “reservation confirmation” or “checking a reservation”. 예약 취소 means “reservation cancellation”. The second noun changes the action, so recognizing 예약 alone is not enough to know whether a screen confirms or cancels a booking.
조식 포함 means “breakfast included”. 조식 by itself only names breakfast; it does not say whether breakfast is part of the room price. 포함 adds that information. A listing with 조식 불포함 says breakfast is excluded.
객실 means a guest room. It is common in hotel descriptions, while 호텔 방 is a straightforward everyday way to say “hotel room”. Neither expression alone tells you the bed type or how many people can stay.
Where Will You Hear 호텔?
On maps and taxi trips, 호텔 identifies the building or destination. At the front desk, the conversation usually becomes more specific: a booking, room, key or check-out time. Once the hotel is understood, speakers do not need to repeat 호텔 in every sentence.
In reviews, 호텔 can be the topic followed by a description of cleanliness or location. The existing example 이 호텔은 아주 깨끗해요 evaluates cleanliness. A positive word about one feature does not describe every part of the stay.
호텔에서 and 호텔에 answer different questions. 호텔에서 자요 locates sleeping at the hotel. 호텔에 가요 describes going to the hotel. The building is the same; the particle tells you whether it is an activity's setting or a destination.
호텔 is neutral. Staff do not replace it with an honorific noun when speaking to guests. Politeness appears in expressions such as 성함 for the guest's name and in respectful verb endings.
Similar Accommodation Labels Need Context
숙소 is a broader word for accommodation or a place to stay. It can refer to a hotel, guesthouse or other lodging. Use it when the exact accommodation type is unimportant or you have not chosen one yet.
모텔 and 호스텔 are accommodation categories, rather than alternative spellings of 호텔. A category name does not list all the available room arrangements. Read the room description for details such as a private bathroom or shared sleeping space.
Words for the Next Front-Desk Question
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 예약 | reservation | Confirm that you booked before arriving. |
| 객실 | guest room | Read room descriptions and availability labels. |
| 조식 | breakfast | Ask about the morning meal or spot whether it is included. |
| 체크인 | check-in | Recognize arrival procedures and times. |
| 체크아웃 | check-out | Find the time for leaving the room. |
The hotel vocabulary lesson builds out this set. For requests about rooms and services, continue with the hotel phrases lesson.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 조식 alone mean breakfast is included in the price?
- Which phrase locates sleeping at a hotel: 호텔에 or 호텔에서?
- Which is broader: 호텔 or 숙소?
Show answers
- No. Look for 조식 포함 to say it is included.
- 호텔에서, as in 호텔에서 자요.
- 숙소 can include hotels and other kinds of accommodation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "hotel" in Korean?
Say 호텔 (hotel). It is a loanword from English.
How do you say "to book a hotel"?
호텔을 예약하다. In the past tense: 호텔을 예약했어요 (I booked a hotel).
Is 모텔 the same as a hotel?
No. In Korea 모텔 is a budget place often used for short stays, so it is not the same as 호텔.
What is a hostel called?
호스텔, a hostel with shared rooms.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Travel words groups 호텔 with the other places a trip passes through.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Go deeper on what you find inside a hotel. See the page for hotel vocabulary.
- Use 호텔 in check-in conversations. See the page for hotel phrases.
- The word for luggage is the next thing you carry to the front desk. See the page for luggage.