hoteli
The Swahili word for hotel is hoteli.
The word hoteli refers to an establishment that provides accommodation.
Meaning: establishment providing accommodation (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun hoteli is invariant in the plural, so the word itself does not change. You must use context or accompanying numbers to determine if it refers to one hotel or multiple hotels. To express location or direction, you can add the suffix -ni to the word to form hotelini, which means 'at the hotel' or 'to the hotel'.
Did you know?
- While it means a place to sleep, in many East African contexts, a small hoteli might actually function more like a local cafeteria or food stall than a place with beds.
- The English word 'hotel' and the Swahili hoteli both trace their distant ancestry back to the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰóstis, which related to 'stranger' or 'guest'.
- A person who manages or works at a hoteli might be referred to as a mhudumu, which literally means 'one who serves'.
Examples in context
- Kwenda kwa teksi hotelini.Take a taxi to the hotel.This sentence shows how to use hoteli to indicate a destination.Tatoeba #369345 by Blaz, translation #33354 by Blaz
- Hoteli ilitoa waya bafuni kwa kuanika nguo baridi.The hotel provided a wire in the bathroom for hanging wet clothes.This sentence describes a service provided by a hoteli.Tatoeba #10833203 by ecorralest101, translation #682448 by Source_VOA
- Kwa bahati mbaya, hoteli ambayo umependekeza imejaa.Unfortunately, the hotel that you suggested was completely booked up.This sentence illustrates a situation where a suggested hoteli is fully booked.Tatoeba #10816089 by ecorralest101, translation #245275 by CK
- Ninataka kukaa katika hoteli nzuri.I want to stay in a nice hotel.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aisha and Juma are discussing where to stay during their vacation.
- AishaJe, unajua hoteli nzuri?Do you know a good hotel?
- JumaNdiyo, hoteli hii ni safi.Yes, this hotel is clean.
- AishaHoteli hiyo ni ghali?Is that hotel expensive?
- JumaHapana, hoteli hiyo ni bei rahisi.No, that hotel is cheap.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hotel” translations and entries hoteli, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hoteli, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
