Travel Phrases — Entry No. 0216
호텔
hotel · noun
호텔
hotel
[ho-TEL]
nounbeginner
Meaning
A hotel; borrowed directly from English with Korean phonetic adaptation. Easily recognizable to English speakers, it refers specifically to Western-style hotels rather than traditional Korean lodging. A staple word in K-Drama travel and luxury storylines.
K-Pop & K-Drama Context
IU’s fantasy romance drama ‘Hotel Del Luna’ (호텔 델루나, 2019) made this word iconic for K-pop fans worldwide, centering on a glamorous ghost hotel managed by an immortal innkeeper played by IU herself. The drama sparked real tourism interest in Seoul’s luxury hotel scene and produced an OST that charted independently.
Example Sentences
호텔 예약했어요.
Hotel yeyakhaesseoyo.
I made a hotel reservation. (polite; standard travel or business context)
이 호텔 진짜 비싸다.
I hotel jinjja bissada.
This hotel is really expensive. (casual; the universal tourist reaction)
호텔 로비에서 만나요.
Hotel lobieseo mannayo.
Let’s meet in the hotel lobby. (a classic K-Drama rendezvous line, often charged with tension or romance)
⚠️ Don’t use hotel when…
Don’t stress the first syllable like English ‘HO-tel’ — in Korean the rhythm is more even, closer to ho-TEL. Also note that ‘호텔’ refers to Western-style hotels only; traditional Korean inns are ‘여관’ or ‘게스트하우스,’ a distinction that surfaces constantly in historical and countryside-set dramas.
🎵 Heard In
- K-Drama: Hotel Del Luna (호텔 델루나) — the entire drama unfolds inside a hauntingly opulent hotel where IU’s immortal character houses the souls of the recently deceased
- K-Pop: IU — Can You Hear Me (Hotel Del Luna OST)
💡 Did You Know? After ‘Hotel Del Luna’ aired in 2019, several real Seoul hotels launched themed packages inspired by the show’s supernatural luxury aesthetic, turning a fictional ghost hotel into a genuine tourism marketing phenomenon.
ℹ️ Editorial Note: The cultural context and example usage are for educational reference only. Artist names, song titles, and drama references are used descriptively to illustrate vocabulary in context. This content is AI-assisted and reviewed for accuracy. For official information, please refer to the respective artists’ or studios’ official channels.