A hotel is a building where travelers can pay to sleep in a bedroom for one or more nights. Hotels provide beds, bathrooms, and often other services like restaurants, swimming pools, or room service. When your family takes a vacation to a different city, you might stay in a hotel instead of driving home each night.

Hotels range from simple roadside motels with basic rooms to grand luxury hotels with marble lobbies and chandeliers. Some hotels serve breakfast in the morning, while others have full restaurants and cafes.

When you check into a hotel, you receive a room key and a room number. Hotel staff clean your room, provide fresh towels, and help with whatever you need during your stay. People who travel frequently for business often stay in hotels dozens of times per year. A hotel guest is someone staying at the hotel, while the person who manages the property is called a hotelier.